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Re: BGA Algae



Mark Lawrence Storch wrote....

>I thought I would post a rather unorthodox treatment that recently made
>short work of a BGA problem that I had. 

Last April I posted to this digest my belief that BGA does not
survive in a tank with a high oxygen level. Usually we are able
to produce this is our planted setups. Circulation just distributes
this oxygenated water. The last paragraph read,

"Maybe someone would like to experiment with hydrogen
peroxide over a five day period. I bet that it would
work in the short term."

Now there is a doubt as to whether success is due to the oxygen
released or the anti-bacterial properties of the H2O2.

Every summer BGA reappears in some of my tanks. It coincides with
the advent of higher temperatures, and of course lower oxygen levels.

The tanks unaffected, even though very warm (82F - 86F), all house
submersed plants with very high growth rates. In one of these tanks
I can place hydrotriche coated with BGA, and within 2 days the
cyanobacteria are gone. There must be plenty of dissolved organic
matter in the water -little filtration and the last water change
was about five weeks ago.

Someone finally got up the nerve to try the peroxide. Now we know
something. A few months back I read that there is a company that
sells a stabilized oxygen solution to treat BGA.

--
Dave Whittaker
ac554 at FreeNet_Carleton.ca