GDA still attacking my tank. At wits end.

[Complexity]

Originally Posted by Aqua_chem

If I loose that plant but beat the algae, that's acceptable losses; this is war.

Now you know what drove me to go to 4ml per gallon.

If it was my tank and I was at the point you are at (where losing a plant or two would be worth it if it meant getting rid of the algae), then I'd increase the dose to 2ml per gallon for the next treatment. If that goes well, then decide whether you want to increase it again. 2-3ml is commonly used. 1ml is conservative. 4ml is unheard of (but it was my own tank so I could do what I wanted with it).

The higher the dosage, the more effective the "whole tank method" becomes when the H2O2 circulates throughout the tank (with lights off).

You can also dose more than once per day. I usually hit my tanks twice a day. As long as the previous H2O2 has broken down to water and oxygen, then you're not double dosing.

Just keep in mind that when you increase the aggressive use of H2O2, you also increase the risk of losing some plants. Personally, I haven't lost any, but there are too many plants out there for me to say you won't. Ditto with fish and inverts. I haven't ran into problems, but I can't say you won't. So increase the dosage only at your own risk. If you do increase it, I would do so incrementally, watching closely for any adverse effects.

I'm looking forward to when you can finally post that all the algae is dead! I know you'll be feeling much better winning the battle over it.

[Aqua_chem]

Tank is looking much better. For 5 days, I dosed 1.5 mL H2O2/gal directly to affected areas, and let it sit 5-10 min, and then turned on a Koralia powerhead. I let the tank circulate for another 10 mins or so, then dose another 1-1.5 mL/gal directly into the power head. Tank looks much better. It's been a few days since I stopped dosing, so I'm still waiting to see if it grows back.


This raises an interesting point though. What could this algae have been if H2O2 had such an effect against it? It make me wonder if water column dosing of peroxide might be effective against GDA zoospores.

[Aqua_chem]

Yup, stuff's still in the tank. Looks like some of it managed to survive on the lower leaves of my Limnophila aromatica. Short of spot dosing every bit of it in the tank, what options do I have?

[Complexity]

I'm going to catch flack for posting this, but I feel your pain. So I'm going to post how I handle this situation. Keep in mind that this is more risky than other courses of action; however, in my experience, it can handle problems like what you're experiencing more successfully.

So if you understand that what I'm about to suggest has a higher risk, then keep reading.

When a tank is so full of algae that spot treating just does not work because the algae is able to come back before you can get all the spots, I prefer to nuke the entire tank. This technique combines spot treating with H202 and the "whole tank method" to kill the algae throughout the entire tank.

Risks involved are possible death to any and all plants and any and all fish and inverts. However, I have not experienced this. But I cannot account for all plants, fish or inverts out there so this technique is bound to kill some things in people's tanks.

The amount of H2O2 to use can range between 1ml per gallon (very safe) to 3ml per gallon (risky) to 4ml per gallon (very risky). The highest dosage I have ever used is 4ml per gallon.

Once you have determine the maximum amount of H2O2 to use in the tank, use a syringe with the smallest diameter needle you can find. I managed to buy one in the SNS section here that is very long but very skinny. The smaller the diameter, the more control you have during spot treatment.

Turn off the filters. Spot treat all the H2O2 you calculated earlier as the maximum amount to dose the tank. Hit the worst areas as best you can. Use as little H2O2 on each area so you can spread the H2O2 to as many areas as possible. The goal is to spot treat ALL the bad spots, if possible.

Then turn off your lights.

Wait 15 minutes.

Turn on your filters (but leave the lights off).

Wait another 15 minutes.

Turn on your lights.

Do not do a water change (at least for several hours). You want the H2O2 to continue killing algae throughout the tank.

Your tank will go nuts with bubbles everywhere. You are treating the entire tank with a high dose of H2O2. This means any spores in the water are being treated, as well. Any algae hiding between leaves is being treated. Everything everywhere is being treated.

Your tank water may turn cloudy. This is caused by having so much algae die at once. If that happens, then go ahead and do a 50% water change. Your bacteria is fine. This technique does not kill the bacteria. The problem is you have so much dead algae in the tank that the bacteria may have trouble keeping up with it so now you need to do water changes to get the dead algae out of the tank.

By the next day, you should be able to see where the algae has died. If the tank was really covered in algae and you were unable to spot treat all the areas, then some algae may have survived. In that case, give the tank some time to recover from the last treatment and then hit it again with another treatment. 1-2 treatments should be all you have to do.

The first week after treatment, your tank may not look so good. You may be afraid you've made a big mistake. You'll have dead algae everywhere and in some places, it'll seem as if the dead algae won't go away. Just be patient.

In about a week. the dead algae will have melted away, the water will have cleared, and you will have a sparkling tank. As long as you have corrected whatever caused the algae to take over the tank in the first place, the algae won't return. If you see algae coming back, then you know you still have something out of balance that needs to be corrected. Make the adjustments and treat the algae before it takes over the entire tank and requires such drastic and risky measures to clean back out.

You have to use your own judgement as to whether you want to try this. I have personally done this a couple of times and have found to prefer it over the constant spot treatment method. However, it is important to understand that it does carry extra risks so only do this if you are willing to take those risks.

[Aqua_chem]

Right now I'm trying antibiotics. I'll see how that goes first before nuking the tank (which I am considering). Nothing in the tank is particularly sensitive, so hopefully that will help.

[Complexity]

Let us know if you find something that works. I really hope you can be free of the algae soon so you can start enjoying your tank again.