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

BGA Battles - Airstone?



Hello. I just had a little question about battling BGA.

I have a 10G with flourite substrate, 26 watts of compact flourescent light
in a utility lamp about six inches above the water surface, no CO2 and
previous fertilization with Flourish and occasionally Flourish Iron. I would
call the fishload moderate. The tank is relatively new, only up about a
month and a half, so I figure the BGA is something of growing pains. Without
CO2 injection and with an iron-rich substrate, I figured I should just drop
the Flourish Iron. To combat the BGA, I'm attempting the Grombergian theory
of starving it out by regular removal and water changes (around 50%). Since
I'm doing water changes about every other day, I figured I would wait on
Flourish fertilization until things are a bit more calm. If things aren't
resolved in a week or so, I'll probably add it back to the regimen with each
water change at about .25 mL (if I can measure it right with the little
dropper). I figure if attacking the stuff doesn't make a dent over the
short-term, I'll continue to harass and try to improve conditions for the
plants.

My question: In responding to BGA questions not too long ago, Tom Barr
recommended the possibility of adding an airstone at night. I was wondering
why.

Discussions about BGA seem to offer two possibilities about why BGA grows
where it does: low water movement and low oxygen levels in the water. The
idea of an airstone seems to hit on either or both of these presumptions,
but I'm still curious why an airstone could help defeat BGA, particularly
since George Booth recently said he thinks water movement may be a red
herring.

In my case, the BGA seems to prefer greater surface area with greater water
contact. It primarily webs among hornwort leaves and a little on crypt
leaves. Water movement is virtually nil. I'm also successfully growing black
beard algae (I believe) on older java fern leaves and on one or two crypt
leaves, but it's slow-moving and doesn't bother me as much. I'd say the tank
is fairly well planted, with two anubias nana slowly adding submersed leaves
to the existing leaves which appear to be emersed growth, hornwort growing
well, anacharis stands, a lily bulb launching progressively bigger but tiny
leaves, numerous small crypts and java fern here and there.

Thanks for the input.
Nathan Wittmaier