What's causing my BGA?

816 Views 6 Replies 6 Participants Last post by lindadadson, Sep 27, 2012

ZLogic

Discussion Starter · Sep 23, 2012

I have a 50 gallon i've been fighting BGA the whole 3 months it's been up. I did the H202 treatment and it was clear for almost a month but now i see it coming back. I have excellent circulation, maybe too much lol. Lights are on 8 hours a day, i feed very sparingly and do about 30% water changes with diligent vacuuming every Sunday. The only possibility i can think of is indirect sunlight. The tank is facing a sliding glass door that is about 20-25' away. Any other ideas?

Also, i read in another post that ramshorn snails will help against BGA. Is this true? Will ramshorns actively reproduce and will zebra loaches eat them?

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jcgd

· #2 · Sep 23, 2012

Now often do you clean your filters? I got it in my tank when I set it up. I had a lot of die off the first two weeks and got a bad case of BGA. I beat it back and now it starts to reappear every couple months when the sump needs cleaning or I get behind on maintenance. I find organically make it worse. I too have lots (very high) of flow.

For me it's a dirty tank more that anything it would seem. Try getting all the dead and dying plant matter out and clean the mulm for the filters. Don't over clean the media though, just get out the gunk.

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Seattle_Aquarist

· #3 · Sep 23, 2012

Hi ZLogic,

Typically if I have a BGA outbreak trying to start it is because I got lazy. If I don't keep up my 50% water changes, postpone cleaning my canister filter, and fail to keep up my EI dosing I am asking for trouble, especially if I allow my nitrate levels to get low.

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ZLogic

Discussion Starter · #4 · Sep 23, 2012

Is it possibly a nitrate issue? It's low light, no co2, Seachem root tabs and i dose flourish comp as directed. My nitrate test kit says >5ppm. Haven't cleaned the filter, usually do try to clean filters 3 or 4 times a year, maybe i should do it more.

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AlyeskaGirl

· #5 · Sep 23, 2012

Causes ive heard of are high organics, poor water circulation, dead zones, old light tubes and inadequate fertilization.

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Miles

· #6 · Sep 24, 2012

You should get a TDS meter, i'd guess you have quite a bit of organic matter in your tap water.

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lindadadson

· #7 · Sep 27, 2012

Low or fluctuating CO2 levels would e the cause than.

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