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In article .com,
spiral_72 wrote: I seem to be having a tough time finding local KNO3. It usually goes something like this: Sto Hello? Me: Yea, I have a real quick question, do you sell potassium nitrate? Sto Sto Me: Hello? Sto Um Me: Y'know? It's used in plant fertilization. Sto Um, I dunno. Me: Ok, I guess not. Thank-you. click I tried to get some in town last xmas. I went to every pharmacy in town; when I was a kid and had the money I'd buy some mix it with icing sgar and make ersatz fireworks. Used to be able to find it anywhere. Now, NOBODY has it; some places would order it for me if I filled in a form and it was really expensive. REALLY expensive. The last guy I went to told me they use it to make crystal meth. OH. So I went to the local hydroponics shop. You know, the places that try to look like you'd actually buy $3500 worth of gear to grow ****ing peppers and basil. Har. $4 a pound. Bingo. Letme ask you this. If you were going to buy some to make crytstal meth and your choices were to fill out a form and pay $4.75 for 4 ounces or would you go to the store where people buy stuff to grow dope where it's cheaper and unrestricted? -- Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org |
Nah, I'll bet it has nothing to do with drugs. That's an excuse. You
can always find a way to get high. The guys in my school sniffed glue.... There were a few that got a momentary high off compressed air. I'd rather not go into any details how. I'll bet the govt. is more concerned with the potential of making an explosive. You can make an explosive (to some extent) with potassium nitrate. It's rediculous to have to sign for a stinking chemical, it's being done. Most likely, chemicals will be controlled by the government altogether in the name of terrorism or some similar rediculous excuse. Next they will ban testicles altogether. Um, my algae condition has not improved. I am going to give it a bit before I change anything more. I expect it would be foolish to add more plants if the plants I have are running idle. As soon as I find out what causes my current plants to grow I will add more, which should take care of the algae problem, right? There, now I'm following the original post. Right? my aquarium page, info and pics at: www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html |
The last resort method (and it is a last resort) of killing
any procaryotic algae (blue green, BBA, staghorn) is to dump 1cc/gallon of hydrogen peroxide in 2 days in a row. On the thid day it should all be dead. This makes a real mess of your tank chemistry and beneficial bacteria, but these algae are very sensitive to the stuff and it hasfor me killed themdead each time. The problem is though if your tank not inbalance nutrient wise any single spore not kiled will makeit come back. I find this easier than physically cleaning it out. Change LOTS of watr after this. Siphon out all the dead algae or you'll get an ammonia spike and get - algae. Also I've read it takes alll the iron out of your water so change as much as you casn and dose with ferts to feed the plants. This doesn't seem to do much if anythung for green/eucaryotic algae; and I'm guessing that's because they have peroxisomes. -- Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org |
"spiral_72" wrote in news:1109257838.263647.17370
@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com: Yup, I got some after work. Finally! The hardware store had some made of Sodium sulphide (Na2So3) I think..... So, against my principles I went to the Lowes..... They had the Green Light brand that said it contained potassium nitrate. I had them pull an MSDS on it just to be sure. It is supposedly 100% I tried the stuff in my 16oz jar with water and sure enough..... Nitrates out the roof!. I put about 1/3 tablespoon in my aquarium filter. I'll check it out again tonight. WHOA NELLY!!. Unless I'm way off here, I think you just dosed your tank to about 20ppm of Nitrates when you're aiming for around 5ppm. You can use this site for calculations http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_p...osage_calc.htm BTW how is your CO2 levels now, did you jack them up? All the ferts won't help if you don't get that CO2 to at least 20ish. Treat CO2 just like a fert, if one thing is missing you won't get stellar growth. FYI any surface agitation (due to filter output or air bubbler etc.) will lower your CO2 levels. The first indication of something happening (before any algae changes or plant growth) should be your plants pearling late in the day. Luck Pete. |
"spiral_72" wrote in message ups.com... Yup, I got some after work. Finally! The hardware store had some made of Sodium sulphide (Na2So3) I think..... So, against my principles I went to the Lowes..... They had the Green Light brand that said it contained potassium nitrate. I had them pull an MSDS on it just to be sure. It is supposedly 100% I tried the stuff in my 16oz jar with water and sure enough..... Nitrates out the roof!. I put about 1/3 tablespoon in my aquarium filter. I'll check it out again tonight. Grants Stump remover work for me. I think it is available in many areas in the USA. Got mine at Yard Birds. Try mixing it with diesel .....it and ammonium nitrate with diesel make a good explosive too ;-) They use it in the open pit mines to shatter the coal so it can be scooped up and loaded. Bob |
In article ,
Pete wrote: "spiral_72" wrote in news:1109257838.263647.17370 : Yup, I got some after work. Finally! The hardware store had some made of Sodium sulphide (Na2So3) I think..... So, against my principles I went to the Lowes..... They had the Green Light brand that said it contained potassium nitrate. I had them pull an MSDS on it just to be sure. It is supposedly 100% I tried the stuff in my 16oz jar with water and sure enough..... Nitrates out the roof!. I put about 1/3 tablespoon in my aquarium filter. I'll check it out again tonight. WHOA NELLY!!. Unless I'm way off here, I think you just dosed your tank to about 20ppm of Nitrates when you're aiming for around 5ppm. You can use this site for calculations http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_p...osage_calc.htm So? I aim for 20-30 ppm and don't use CO2. I slipped a digit once and had 200 pm for a month. No shrimp, plant, fish or snail was adversely affected. Nitrates don't kill fish, poeple kill fish. -- Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org |
Try mixing it with diesel .....it and ammonium nitrate with diesel make a
good explosive too ;-) They use it in the open pit mines to shatter the coal so it can be scooped up and loaded. IIRC, Ammonium nitrate and diesel is the most powerful non-nuclear explosive thee is. It's how they dug the Panama canal. Something like 5 bags of ammonium nitrate and 5 gallons of diesel leaves a half mile wide crater. *BRING* "Hello?" "Uh, yeah..." It's the NSA. It's for you. -- Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org |
In article ,
Pete wrote: (Richard Sexton) wrote in : WHOA NELLY!!. Unless I'm way off here, I think you just dosed your tank to about 20ppm of Nitrates when you're aiming for around 5ppm. You can use this site for calculations http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_p...osage_calc.htm So? I aim for 20-30 ppm and don't use CO2. I slipped a digit once and had 200 pm for a month. No shrimp, plant, fish or snail was adversely affected. Nitrates don't kill fish, poeple kill fish. Never said it killed fish. Was really more a comment on a large initial does for a tank in problems with new ferts and while trying to balance it out. Fair enough, bit too low of a nitrate level will cause algae too, specifically blue green algae. -- Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org |
(Richard Sexton) wrote in :
In article , Pete wrote: (Richard Sexton) wrote in : WHOA NELLY!!. Unless I'm way off here, I think you just dosed your tank to about 20ppm of Nitrates when you're aiming for around 5ppm. You can use this site for calculations http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_p...osage_calc.htm So? I aim for 20-30 ppm and don't use CO2. I slipped a digit once and had 200 pm for a month. No shrimp, plant, fish or snail was adversely affected. Nitrates don't kill fish, poeple kill fish. Never said it killed fish. Was really more a comment on a large initial does for a tank in problems with new ferts and while trying to balance it out. Fair enough, bit too low of a nitrate level will cause algae too, specifically blue green algae. Yeah, I had it higher myself before, but tried moving to lower levels as I have a med-high fish load and wanted to make sure the NH4 (a real algae booster) is also being used up and it seemed to work well. All a process of trying certain levels and observing the reactions. Pete. |
Um, my algae condition has not improved. I am going to give it a bit
before I change anything more. I expect it would be foolish to add more plants if the plants I have are running idle. As soon as I find out what causes my current plants to grow I will add more, which should take care of the algae problem, right? There, now I'm following the original post. Right? my aquarium page, info and pics at: www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html Try doing a 3 day blackout, that will kill the BGA as will antibiotics. But if you want prevention and removal over the long term, address the plant's needs. Remove as much BGA as you can. Clean filter, prune any thing overgrown that's draping across the surface of the water. Do 50% water change, add KNO3 at 1/4 teaspoon per 25 gal of tank. Wait 3 days, turn off CO2, cover with trashbags, (2 so that no light at all gets in), remove after 3 days, add the same amount of KNO3 back, hook up CO2, make sure you have enough CO2, then add that much KNO3 2-3x a week there after and do good sized water changes(say 50%) weekly. Your plants will grow if you give them what they need, K+, NO3, CO2, light, traces, GH, and PO4 etc. This will prevent any algae, not just BGA, from infecting your tank in the future for many years. When you neglect the tank and the plant's needs, the plants slow down their growth and then if severe enough, the algae appear. So always focus on the plant's needs, then you have no algae issues to speak of. This concept is both simple and effective. Regards, Tom Barr |
I added 1/2 a teaspoon about 4 days ago without much (if any) change in
nitrates. Last night after my tank maintenance I added another 1/2 teaspoon. Wednesday and Saturday I cleaned very, very well with the gravel vac. About 30% water each time. I don't think the phosphate levels have changed much but my nitrates have increased slightly. Next weekend it's time for another round of substrate fertilizer. I'm not real sure the algae is growing any slower. Maybe a little. Tom, I've noted your proceedure. Currently I don't have a way to add CO2. I will work on that this week if possible. I am considering setting up a yeast reactor for now..... Never did that un' before. my aquarium page, info and pics at: www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html |
Blackout works on non CO2 tanks, but you still need to address the
plant's need and have enough plant density. Growrh rate is slower but is still there. Cut the KNO3 down afterward and feed your fish more. Add SeaChem Equilibrium and stop doing water changes. Regards, Tom Barr |
Add about 1/4 teaspoon of the SeaChem EQ once every 1-2 weeks per 25
gal. Regards, Tom Barr |
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the only thing I never understood is if it's a problem with low
nitrates why change the water then? if you're getting rid of spores, that's futile because of the high turnover of the bacteria anyway. as i understand it old water=more nitrates, as long as you feed the fish more, and got a well-cycled tank to convert ammonia. been dealing with this problem, the whole time with my 4 year old planted. the funny thing is when I stopped changing water as frequently, the bga change from the dense black mat, to a more manageable brown scum (still smells the same with that swampy odor), it never goes away completely with maramycin. realistically, your goal has to be to achieve some acceptable balance with removeable or mimimal amounts. the high phos that drives it is largely from the tap water anyway (if you do frequent changes), so the only way to get low phos without using chems is to move to a different town. you just got to work with the cards you've been dealt. ______ http://www.indiecookbooks.com nothing but reviews of independent cookbooks from churches, community groups, and self-published authors. |
In article .com,
wrote: the only thing I never understood is if it's a problem with low nitrates why change the water then? I've never seen BGA in newly setup tanks even with plants moved to it that are BGA infected. I'm wondering if it's a buildup or something like organics that is a prerequisite. -- Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org |
Richard Sexton wrote:
In article .com, wrote: the only thing I never understood is if it's a problem with low nitrates why change the water then? I've never seen BGA in newly setup tanks even with plants moved to it that are BGA infected. I'm wondering if it's a buildup or something like organics that is a prerequisite. Pasteur Institute's defined Cyanobacter culture medium used for freshwater, soil, and thermal strains. g/l mM NaNO3 1.5 17.65 (replaced with 10 mM NaHCO3 for nitrogen-fixing strains) K2HPO4.3H20 0.04 0.18 MgSO4.7H2O 0.075 0.30 CaCl2.2H2O 0.036 0.25 Citric acid 0.006 0.03 Ferric ammonium citrate 0.006 0.03 EDTA (disodium magnesium) 0.001 0.003 Na2CO3 0.02 0.19 Trace metal mix A5+Co 1 ml Deionized water to 1 l pH after autoclaving and cooling: 7.4 Trace metals A5+Co Ingredient g/l H3BO3 2.86 MnCl2.4H2O 1.81 ZnSO4.7H2O 0.222 Na2MoO4.2H2O 0.390 CuSO4.5H2O 0.079 Co(NO3)2.6H2O 0.049 See anything that could build up over time? I think maybe it's the phosphate, since that's at 40 ppm. New tanks don't usually have that generous an amount of phosphate. Of course, a defined medium at a culture collection is designed to support long-term growth so that much phosphate probably isn't necessary in the short term. -- __ Elaine T __ __' http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__ |
I'm not real sure what I have learned from this whole BGA thing. I have
learned many things it is NOT. my aquarium page, info and pics at: www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html |
Plant tissue.
Over a 3-9 month peroid, large amounts of cuttings are removed from the tank. Just like a CO2 enriched tank, except slower...........hence smaller amounts dosed less frequently. Higher Ca is less of an issue, K+ also helps and can become limiting, we can add CaCO3 etc for Ca and KH to the gravel(eg Onyx sand). The two box model: Nutrients (Fish food, organic or inorganic KNO3 etc) in = plant biomass/filter cleaning out. As more nutrients are needed to maintain growth rates with CO2 and more light, the bacteria can not process and break down the organic nutrient waste fast enough and build up occurs. Then you get algae. So we add inorganic nutrients like KNO3 and other inorganic readily bioavailable nutrients. While slower growth rates in non CO2 tanks are slow enough to supply many plants, fish food is hardly balanced for plant health and needs in many species. It'll do okay, but a few small dosing changes will greatly improve a non CO2 tank. Adding SeaChem Equilbrium of a mix of MgSO4/CaCl2/K2SO4 etc and some traces can help if added 1-2x a week at small amounts. Try it and see. It takes more time than CO2 enriched tanks to see it, but it will help and you should be able to see an improvement soon. Regards, Tom Barr |
Thanks, there are too many variables. I am afraid to add nutrients at
random but there is no way I can determine what the exact levels are for each nutrient. Even if I could, it'd be a full time job monitoring the stuff. I understand why dosing nitrates is required. I just don't feel like a chemistry lesson right now and would just like to enjoy the fish :) Takes work though, eh? I am going to get the exact fertilizer you recommended if I can find it. If not I'll make some kind of educated(?) desicion based on the compounds you give me. I assume that is a liquid, right? Something else I just realized too. My Amazon Swords began developing yellow/brown areas on many of the leaves and quit growing just about the time the BGA started taking over. I guess that should have been an indicator. I'll google those symptoms and see what I find. my aquarium page, info and pics at: www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html |
Something else I just realized too. My Amazon Swords began developing
yellow/brown areas on many of the leaves and quit growing just about the time the BGA started taking over. I guess that should have been an indicator. I'll google those symptoms and see what I find. So right away you knoe something is wrong with their nutrients. Ironically crpts can do really well in a tank full of BGA. I've never figured that out. By really well I mean bigger longer leaves than when it's cleared up. -- Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org |
Yea, my banana plant is growing out the top of the tank! I actually
think it's growing faster than the algae. Everything else is doing pretty poor though. my aquarium page, info and pics at: www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html |
Actually no, it's rather easy to determine the nutrient levels and
maintain them in one simple step. No chem lesson at all, you can make cereal right? Add enough cereal to fill the bowl, add 2 cups of milk, 2 teaspoons of sugar etc. Or I can say add 250 grams of endospermous carbohydrates and 9.5 grams of sucrose to 450mls of bovine protein mammary milk. In a nut shell, you do large weekly water changes(say 50%) each week to prevent anything from building up and and dose 2-4x a week to prevent anything from running out. the names can be whatever you want them to be, but ultimately all you are doing is adding Nitrate, PO4 , K+ (the NPK numbers of bags of fertilizer) and traces. Farmer do this without chem lessons all the time. In this manner you provide a stable range of all the nutrients cheaply, easily and without using a test kit except for CO2(KH/pH). An example routine for a 20 gal tank with high light: 50% water change Add: 1/4 teaspoon of KNO3 1/16 or a smidge of KH2PO4 If GH is lower than 3-5 out of the tap, Add SeaChem Equlibrium(1/4 teaspoon) Next day add 5 ml of trace wait one day, add the KNO3/KH2PO4 again, next day add the trace again Add the KNO3/KH2PO4 Trace again the next day Water change: repeat ad nauseum. Dosing 1/4 teaspoon of powered KNO3 = 1.67 grams according to a lab scale with 10 levels averages. This added to 20 gal= 10-11ppm of NO3. Error is about 1ppm of NO3. Name one hobby kit that can be that accurate? We dose excess nutrients in all cases, nothign wrong with that as long as we don't get too far off base and the water changes prevent folks from lousing it up. You can guessimate and use the plants as the indicator as you become more skilled and dose less or go longer without water changes. Again, no test kit is needed. As long as you keep up on dosing and water changes, this is a very simple method and no hassle if you put an automatic water changer on your tank, python style water changer etc or hard plumb a drain/refill. KH2PO4, KNO3 are very cheap, SeaChem Eq is relatively cheap as well for the once a week dosing. Traces are not too bad at this amount. Regards, Tom Barr |
Richard Sexton wrote:
Something else I just realized too. My Amazon Swords began developing yellow/brown areas on many of the leaves and quit growing just about the time the BGA started taking over. I guess that should have been an indicator. I'll google those symptoms and see what I find. So right away you knoe something is wrong with their nutrients. Ironically crpts can do really well in a tank full of BGA. I've never figured that out. By really well I mean bigger longer leaves than when it's cleared up. BGA is fixes nitrogen so I assume your BGA tank is low on NO3. In a tank full of BGA, individual BGA cells would be continually dying and falling to the substrate. Perhaps the crypts find dead BGA a better nitrogen source than NO3 in the water column. -- __ Elaine T __ __' http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__ |
Something else I just realized too. My Amazon Swords began developing
yellow/brown areas on many of the leaves and quit growing just about I looked this up in the Dupla book under plant diagnosis and it said "nutrient problem. change lost of water and add nutrients". Ironically crpts can do really well in a tank full of BGA. I've never figured that out. By really well I mean bigger longer leaves than when it's cleared up. BGA is fixes nitrogen so I assume your BGA tank is low on NO3. In a tank full of BGA, individual BGA cells would be continually dying and falling to the substrate. Perhaps the crypts find dead BGA a better nitrogen source than NO3 in the water column. Perhaps. Is it jus tme or does BGA sort of reek of ammonia? Crypts just love amonia. Also, a shaded crypt is a big crypt, and the mass of stem pants covering the surface blocking the light causes the crypts underneath to try harder to reach out for light. I think this also explains why crypts are bigger in large tanks; less light down at the substrate than with a small tank with the same light. -- Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org |
Richard Sexton wrote:
Something else I just realized too. My Amazon Swords began developing yellow/brown areas on many of the leaves and quit growing just about I looked this up in the Dupla book under plant diagnosis and it said "nutrient problem. change lost of water and add nutrients". Ironically crpts can do really well in a tank full of BGA. I've never figured that out. By really well I mean bigger longer leaves than when it's cleared up. BGA is fixes nitrogen so I assume your BGA tank is low on NO3. In a tank full of BGA, individual BGA cells would be continually dying and falling to the substrate. Perhaps the crypts find dead BGA a better nitrogen source than NO3 in the water column. Perhaps. Is it jus tme or does BGA sort of reek of ammonia? Crypts just love amonia. Also, a shaded crypt is a big crypt, and the mass of stem pants covering the surface blocking the light causes the crypts underneath to try harder to reach out for light. I think this also explains why crypts are bigger in large tanks; less light down at the substrate than with a small tank with the same light. BGA reeks alright. It usually smells fishy to me. It's the smell I associate with high nitrites or a dead fish in the tank, and usually sends me scrambling for my nitrite test kit...which always tests 0. -- __ Elaine T __ __' http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__ |
Tom,
You're my hero. I've copied and pasted you post to my "stuff" folder. I got paid today so I am gonna visit the LFS for SeaChem or something like it. I have been slowly aquiring a list of aquarium chemicals. I'll try to add KH2PO4 to the inventory. Algae growth is about half what I started. I know I am getting somewhere..... slowly. my aquarium page, info and pics at: www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html |
www.gregwatson.com has all the raw ferts you need.
Just do niot let the names freak you out. You are not going into an area iof tech plant keeping here, it's quite simple and easy. If you want, later if you are curious and cannot stand it, you can learn chem and plant physiology. I was anti chem initially myself. So you might change. I test a lot, but it's to answer specific questions and so I do not have continue testing..... There is an end to that. Once you get a good feel, you can change the routine and reduce water changes, ferts etc little by little and see what routine gives you the results you desire. Watch the plants, see what they do. I think once you start on this, you can always go back and use this as a default if you get in trouble. Or just use it and not mess with it. Regards, Tom Barr Get connected www.BarrReport.com Get the information |
Thanks for the link. I am going to use off the shelf fertilizers for
right now. I gotta get this thing under control and there's no need to start taking more risks than necessary. I am dosing KNO3 to keep my nitrates at 7-10ppm I've run several doses of Epsom salts because I had it and it was an ingredient in PMDD I have started using a leaf fertilizer that had the stuff you recommended plus more. It also specifically mentioned there were NO nitrates or phosphates in the mixture. I am continuing a Serra substrate fertilizer at 3 tablets per month near the roots of plants.... quality stuff!. I have just begun a DIY CO2 bomb...... It will have been running for 3 days tonight. I am still running 25% water changes once a week with a modified vacuuming proceedure.... very light gravel disruption (like the tope 1/4") BGA growth has decreased very little. Last week something wierd happened. 3 days after my water change there was little BGA growth. I thought I had the stuff licked. That night when I got home from work there had been an BGA explosion. Green stuff everywhere. I changed water one day early last week. Results: My banana plants are growing like crazy. Multiple new leaves and 5 shoots. Java ferns are stable with no growth. Amazon swords are suffering slowly. There are a few new but withered leaves while others are spotted with brown/yellow areas but very green overall. I planted some other stuff that looks similar to Hornwort but nicer. It seems to be stable, no growth. There does not seem to be any other forms of algae or fungus in the tank..... The fish seem unaffected by the whole thing. My Corys have spawned several times. The CO2 is my last resort other than medication...... Just waiting my aquarium page, info and pics at: www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html |
BGA growth has decreased very little. Last week something wierd
happened. 3 days after my water change there was little BGA growth. I thought I had the stuff licked. That night when I got home from work there had been an BGA explosion. Green stuff everywhere. I changed water one day early last week. I keep suggesting massive daily water changes but never hear how that's worked or not worked for you. The first step to get rid of this crap is to get the tank very clean. I siphon out all waste, gravel vac then diatom the tank - and change lots of water. Lots and lots. My well water here is apparantly the perfect growth medium for staghorn which is tengentially related to BBA. Every other algae I can lick but this one is a problem for me. I've had to resort to chemical means to eradicate it complete and have found peroxide can be made to work with some difficulty and Aquarium Pharmecuticals Algae Fix kills it dead overnight much more safely (albit it kills all invertenrates). Copper sulphate will do the same. -- Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org |
Hey, I apologize..... There have been so many suggestions that I want
to carry out each methodically. I really appreciate all the feedback but it's hard to use it all.... I don't want to change 100% water, add 1/2 pound of nitrates, washdown my gravel, pump CO2, ect. ect. ect. all at the same time. I wouldn't know what worked. Y'know? I have even tried H2O2 in my small tank (it has a touch of BGA nothing like this though). I definitely will try to change the water much more frequently. I don't know how long I will have to do that..... I can't promise to do it everyday but I should certainly be able to do it every other day. One thing I forgot to mention is I cut the light quantity in half.... same duration (12hours). Not really any change though. my aquarium page, info and pics at: www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html |
Doesn't matter what environmental changes you make, you will still need
to kill what's there. a series of water changes can likely succeed, so can the blackout I suggest which addresses the plant's needs with the KNO3, CO2 etc. Carbon from the CO2 is 40%+ of the dry weight of the plants. K and N from NO3 are a good lion's share of the rest. Blackout is simple and takes 3 days, BGa will come back if you do not add the KNO3. KNO3 you can get at home dept for 5$ for a year's supply. Most folks have a 1/4 teaspoon. Pretty simple. Regards, Tom Barr |
I run about a 50% water change two days ago (I wasn't able to last
night) but when got home yesterday the tank was perfectly clear. No, really. No bga at all. No traces, no dead bga. None. Yea I vacuumed as much bga as I could but I didn't get it all. All the plants are a brilliant green. I don't understand. It's just gone! Time will tell I guess. I am gonna run another water change tonight. I am scared of changing too much water just because my tap is 7.6pH. The water in my tank is (now) 7.1 with the CO2. my aquarium page, info and pics at: www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html |
Yup, I've got the KNO3. Been dosing to keep nitrates at 10ppm
Oh, yea. A phosphate test showed levels off the scale immediately after the 50% water change. I don't understand that. I can only assume the test is accurate. It reads 0-0.25ppm for my tap water. my aquarium page, info and pics at: www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html |
Yup, I've got the KNO3. Been dosing to keep nitrates at 10ppm
Oh, yea. A phosphate test showed levels off the scale immediately after the 50% water change. I don't understand that. I can only assume the test is accurate. It reads 0-0.25ppm for my tap water. my aquarium page, info and pics at: www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html |
I run almost a 50% water change last night. I added a little KNO3 to
keep the nitrates up to 10ppm. I am going to dose fertilizer tonight. (it got tool late last night). Still pumping CO2. pH dropped to 7.1 my aquarium page, info and pics at: www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html |
Just make sure you add plenty of KNO3 and KH2PO4.
Keep up on it and keep things clean and you'll be alright. Regards, Tom Barr |
No BGA as of last night. pH=7.1 NO3=10ppm PO4=off the scale
I changed about 30% water while vacuuming, and installed a phosphate sponge I just bought. The vacuum really didn't pull much out of the gravel. The phosphate spong is supposed to remove 20mg/L in 30gallons of water. According to my calculations that'd be 10.9mg/L assuming I have 55gallons of water in my 55 gallon aquarium (which I probably don't). The directions say "if the phosphate levels ain't 0.02mg/L or less after 4 days, change the sponge for a fresh one" I must say I have learned much during this experience. Thanks Tom. my aquarium page, info and pics at: www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html |
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