Do I strip it all down and start again

[outbackdean]

HI
I have been battling a BGA problem for about six months I have tried more and more No3 + k etc . blackouts etc etc
this tank has been set up for about 4 years and was going great (photos of tank then http://www.users.bigpond.com/dmwilliams/photo.htm ) until we had a water shortage 12 months ago (Water from tap was unusable 650ppm in hardness could not even use it on the garden as it would kill anything it touched )
so I was using RO and adding all of the rest of the minerals etc.
then six months ago the BBA started and I beat that but then the BGA started and it has been down hill form there.
so my question is do I need to start all over again ,
Now tank specs
500 litres all glass no lids
280watts of Fluro lighting (10 to 12 hours)
pressure co2 through a 2000l / hour reactor
two 1200l / hour canister filters
Kh 130ppm
PH 6.8
No3 25ppm

Weekly 50 % water changes
add KNo3 (5g twice a day) otherwise the reading is 0 and the BGA is extreme
add K2so4 every third day 10g
add Mgso4 every third day 5g
iron and trace on water change

I am back to using tap water aged for two weeks in a plastic tank the tap water is 110 ppm Kh with a PH of 7.6

Thanking you for any assistance
outbackdean

 

[chubasco]

Re: Do I strip it all down and start again

Outbackdean,
What is your GH? Also what critters are you keeping in the tank? Same ones
as in the picture? And what and how much are you feeding them....Is the
BGA in the substrate and plants both? There's something that's creating
these anaerobic conditions which is giving you all this cyanobacteria. Sorry,
lots of questions, one more: are you in Australia? Just a leap, with the nick
"Outbackdean."

Bill

 

[outbackdean]

Re: Do I strip it all down and start again

Hi Bill
Yes I am from Broken Hill as far as you can go west in NSW.
Gh is 140ppm
I have lost my B/nose cats and about 4 Discus That leaves four discus twenty odd cory cats
discus are feed a beef hart mix changing with blood worms four times a day.
BGA is mainly on the plants and the glass filter pipes etc.

Thanking you
outbackdean

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Do I strip it all down and start again

Blackout will work if you add enough NO3 thererafter.
try this:

Blackout the tank, cover so that nio abiment light gets in for 3 days.
Do the 50% water change prior and after a good cleaning, fluffing of the algae off everything.

Turn off CO2.
Raise the spray bars from the filters up to increase flow across surface.
Clean filters good, prune plants back, clean under driftwood/rocks etc
Add 1 teaspoon spoon of KNO3.

Wait 3 days

Reconnect things, turn CO2 back on etc.

Add:
Traces 3x a week (15-20mls each dose)
K2SO4: 1 teaspoon after the water change
KNO3: 1/2 teaspoon 3x a week
KH2PO4: 1/8+ teaspoon 3x a week(same time as KNO3)

MgSO4, not likely you need that much, add with K2SO4 on water change day, 1/4-1/2 teaspoon.

CO2.

Check the CO2.
When you started adding enough to get rid of the BBA, that increase drives the plants to go after the next nutrients on the list, NO3.

While food has some PO4, you still need to add a lot more PO4.
That will take care of a lot.
So that bottomed out(NO3) and you got another species of algae.
If yuo are having green spot algae on the glass etc, and do not have good pearling, PO4 is also a likely issue.


Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[chubasco]

Re: Do I strip it all down and start again

Also, Dean, welcome to Barrreport.com!
The guy above, is why we are all here. Never been to Broken Hill, but could
live and die a happy man in Cairns!

Bill