[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

How I battled (and won) against BGA



I know the subject of BGA (cyanobacteria) has been beaten to death over
the years, but I thought this very simple approach might help someone.
I moved one of my smaller tanks (20-gal) recently.  This tank is
planted.  It had a small amount of BGA before moving it, and after the
move, I just couldn't keep up with it.  There was so much BGA that no
matter how much of the slimy stuff I removed by hand or by vacuuming, no
matter how many water changes, it just didn't help.  It was smothering
everything like a blanket, and I could even see the little green
filaments floating around in the water.
 
I was desperate and decided to completely turn off the canopy lights as
so many others have done.  There is a fair bit of natural light in the
room, so it took about two weeks before the BGA had receded
*significantly*.  It was just disappearing.  The plants were not harmed
by this - on the contrary, the thick blanket that had been covering
them, was gone.  Only the tank walls facing windows had any BGA left.
This I removed by scraping with a net and pulling it out.  I then did a
25% water change to get the stuff that was floating around.
 
At this point, I treated the tank with erythromycin at the recommended
dose.  After a couple of days, there was *so little* BGA left. I removed
this tiny bit manually, did a 25% water change, and dosed with
erythromycin again at the recommended rate.
 
I am happy to say, that about two weeks later, there is absolutely NO
trace of BGA anywhere, and the plants and fish are doing better than
ever.  I am watching it like a hawk, doing weekly 25% water changes and
adding Tropica Master Grow at half the recommended dose.
 
Gitte