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re:BGA, H202, KH, Ph and CO2...



Jeff - Your CO2 diffusion setup sounds good.  You can increase your CO2
levels by increasing the amount of CO2 injected into the tank (do this
slowly as not to stress the fish).  Baking soda will be of no help.  I
got this from Chuck Gadd's website:

Blue-Green Algae: This is actually Cyanobacteria. Commonly referred
        to by the initials BGA. BGA is a green shiny slimey algae. It's
got a nasty
        smell to it. It tends to grow in sheets. It is very different
from most algaes.
        BGA is a bizarre combination of bacteria and algae.

        It is common in two different circumstances:
             In very low nitrate situations, BGA will sometimes form. It
is able to
             get nitrogen from the air. I've seen BGA several times
right near the
             surface, under the filter return. In this location, it can
obtain nitrogen
             from the air. Adding Nitrate to maintain a 5-10ppm nitrate
level
             often eliminates the BGA.

             BGA has also been found to occur in situations where poor
water
             currents in the tank result in low O2 levels in portions of
the tank. In
             these cases, increasing water movement will often eliminate
the
             BGA.

        No fish will eat BGA. As stated above, BGA is a bacteria. Some
studies
        suggest that BGA contains toxins. This would explain why nothing
will eat
        it. As a last resort, antibiotics have been used to clear BGA.
But
        antibiotics should be used carefully. They can damage bio-filter
bacteria,
        and mis-use of antibiotics can be harmfull to the fish.

You need to achieve a balance of nutrients in your tank in order to get
rid of the BGA.  When I have BGA I first achieved a good nutrient
balance with phosphate as a limiting nutrient (e.g. nutrients added to
tank = nutrients taken up by plants), then I treated the tank with
erythromycin tablets (Maracyn from Mardel Laboratories).  If you don't
first figure out the nutrient balance then the BGA will come back.
Additionally, I kept my nitrates at 5-10 ppm and the phosphate at ~0.5
ppm during treatment and ever since then.

As in stands your CO2 might be your limiting nutrient.  Try to get the
level 15-20 ppm.

Good luck,
Lobos