Colour of dead blue green algae

[qool]

Had an attack of blue green algae on my moss. After increase water flow and double dose of phyton grit it turn from dark green to light green. I assume this means it is more or less dead? Hard to find dead algae pictures to compare.

[hobbit6003]

They turn brown when they die.

[David]

@qool...blue-green algae is not a true algae but they are bacteria in nature. I think the only known way to knock them out is through large water change and antibotics....

[qool]

So far so good the blue green algae died off now I am battling with Staghorn algae. Any tips?

[AQMS]

Causes for staghorn bloom are
Nutrient imbalance - your tank probably lack of N,P,K,Ca,Mg and Fe
low Co2 - Strive for 30ppm concentration of CO2
I hope this help.

[ck1222]

Where to get and what type of antibiotic you are using?

[David]

I think most of the bigger LFS has them? Those use for fish? As long as wide spectrum can use. The major down side to this is that your bio filter will be wiped out in the process?

[David]

Alternatively do large water change, clean your filter, siphon all the muck accumulated at the bottom of the tank, reduce bioload.

I remember watching NGO and there was an incident in Kenya Reserves are dying. The cause of was excessive BGA in the drinking water. Cause of this a excessive BGA was there was too much hippos pooing in the water....

They reduce the hippo population and the BGA disappeared.

Perhaps you have too much livestock or muck material in your tank or filter...just food for thought.

[ck1222]

Thanks for the information. Just curious, will UV light able to kill those bacteria?

[David]

Yes...but if you do that you cannot dose your water column with any fert. You also need to get the right wattage for tank size. Lastly you need to adjust water flow to the specification needed.

[ck1222]

Yes...but if you do that you cannot dose your water column with any fert. You also need to get the right wattage for tank size. Lastly you need to adjust water flow to the specification needed.

Thanks for the information. My tank is about 200L, I am using a 1400L/H canister filter with built in 9W UV light, is it suitable?

[David]

Whichever one you buy, ensure that they are using the Philips UV PL type. Typically it should look like this:



Most if not all of them are done like this but try to get the ones made in Germany or Italy. The reason is that you want the tube to be as slim as possible so that the water has maximum contact with the UV light. The wattage determines the intensity of the UV. This means that the smaller the wattage, you may have to reduce flow rate so that the light contact with water is maximised. For a 200L I would think its enough.

The most important point to remember is:

1. DO NOT LOOK AT THE LIGHT DIRECTLY

2. This should be connected as the last point before the outlet rain bar and/or lily pipe

[AQMS]

Whichever one you buy, ensure that they are using the Philips UV PL type. Typically it should look like this:



Most if not all of them are done like this but try to get the ones made in Germany or Italy. The reason is that you want the tube to be as slim as possible so that the water has maximum contact with the UV light. The wattage determines the intensity of the UV. This means that the smaller the wattage, you may have to reduce flow rate so that the light contact with water is maximised. For a 200L I would think its enough.

The most important point to remember is:

1. DO NOT LOOK AT THE LIGHT DIRECTLY

2. This should be connected as the last point before the outlet rain bar and/or lily pipe

Will it kill nitrifying bacteria that consume ammonia?
Why must place it at the last point before the oulet??

[David]

No it will not kill nitrifying bacteria because they are residing in the filter media. The reason why it must be the last point is because any unwanted bacteria (in this case BGA) or spores will be eliminated and preventing it to go back into the main tank. Lets not forget that BGA can also reside in the filter as well.

The process is slow (estimated 6 to 8mths) but it beats tearing down the tank.

[li_gangyi]

I don't think having a UV filter stops you from dosing ferts except maybe some micronutrient mixes (some chelators can break down under UV light), best way to kill it IMO would be Erythromycin, I had a case like this, 2 doses over 2 weeks completely cleared it up.

I was monitoring my ammonia and nitrite levels very closely during this 2 weeks and I never saw a spike or increase, your mileage might vary depending on multiple factors like how big your filter is and how well oxygenated the water is as well. I did add a little airstone and an airpump during these 2 weeks though.

The BGA turned all sorts of weird funky colors during the dying process, the top was brown, the film that develops over a colony can be seen shrinking during the initial few days, and then the inner portions were red.

[David]

agree...antibiotic is the quickest way to go...just that some planted aquarist are not comfortable with it. UV is a slower process though I am not too sure if fertilizing is such a good idea though.