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Re: [APD] Fight against GDA!!!



All you quick-fix artists (as well as those seriously frustrated with
GDA) may welcome this.

I appear to have gotten my Green Dust Algae under control through the
simple addition of a UV filter. (e.g.,
http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/turbo%2ctwist/Class//T1/F62AX+0047+0773/EDP/32618/Itemdy00.aspx)

Background (from an earlier post):

> Well, I have had GDA for quite a while now (months), and it is tough
> to get rid of. One of the big problems for me is that the plants can't
> get in front of it, and starve it out. That is, even stem plants like
> ludwigia, will be coated with the stuff in less than a week after new
> growth. Thus, the plants just can't get ahead.

> In my tanks, I can see the algae on the glass 36 hours after scraping,
> and the tank looks awful after 4 days. Cleaning the glass has the
> problem that one can see some of the algae floating off into the
> water. Some of it inevitably floats away as you scrape.

> I've tried running a diatom filter (it turns green in 1-2 days), but
> that has not been enough to get ahead.

> It has been sugggested that a UV filter might help (to zap the
> spores). I'd be interested in hearing from others on this.

Here is what I did (for completeness):

> Folks,

> Just a quick update on my tank, as it's been the topic of much
> discussion. Main problem: Green Dust Algae (GDA) growing so fast that
> new growth on plants was covered in less than a week, and the plants
> consequently couldn't outcompete the GDA. This has been a steady state
> situation for many months... More tank details below.

> Neil, you suggested that Green Dust Algae (GDA) may be related to
> Blue-Green Algae (BGA), so adding erythromycin might help knock it
> out.

> Well, I looked at my tank closely and saw that I was actually starting
> to get BGA, and was right at the point of having a fairly serious
> problem with it. So I added 3 capsuls of Maracyn. I also installed a
> UV filter on the same night. That was 6 days ago.  Today, the BGA is
> gone (no surprise), but the GDA seems to be really struggling as
> well. I haven't done any of the other things I should (water change,
> scrape glass, etc.  - hopefully tonight!), but after 6 days, the algae
> on the side of the tank is noticable, but not anywhere near as thick
> as what I previously was seeing after only 3-4 days. The GDA
> definitely seems on the defensive.

> My only (minor) regret is not being able to say with more certainty
> whether it was the UV or Maracyn that has had the biggest impact,
> since I added both at the same time.

> But in any case, I'm hopeful that I'm over the hump with this nasty
> stuff.

> Tank details:

> 75g, 4 X 55W compact fluorescents, CO2 injected (a little more than
> one bubble per second) bubbled into the intact of a canister
> filter. I've also got an airstone on the tank. I'll have to go measure
> the pH/KH to give the CO2 concentration in the water, but in the past
> it was pretty good.

> Substrate: flourish.

> Water is circulated via a cannister filter (intake on one end of tank,
> output on the other). Plus I also have a power head with a sponge
> filter for mechanical filtration.

> Moderate Fish load: 1 full grown angel, 6 rainbow fish (full grown),
> 5-6 bolivian rams, 3 full-grown SAEs, 6 dwarf frogs, 2 gouramis...

> I'm now ading Tropica Master Grow, on order of 10-15ML every 3-4
> days. This has helped a lot, compared to a few months back, when many
> plants weren't growing at all. I've tested for macronutrients
> (nitrate, phosphate, potassium) and they do not appear to be limiting
> factors.

(I suspect the Maracyn was not the key factor, here, but since I did
use it, I can't say definitively that it wasn't also a factor.)

The above was about 2 weeks ago. I can say that now, some 3+ weeks
since adding the UV filter, the GDA problem is a fraction of what it
was. I still have it in my tank, but it is an order of magnitude less
of a problem than it was before. I view it is a largely under control.

Thomas
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