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Gsa, Bba

Discussion in 'Algae Control' started by Grafalski, Mar 17, 2006.

  1. Grafalski

    Grafalski Prolific Poster

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    Hi All!!
    I`m hoping to get some suggestions regarding GSA and BBA in my tank.
    I`ll try post as much info as I can.

    29 galon
    Coralife light fixture 2x65W (running 65W from 12 pm to 11 pm, the second 65 W is kicking in at 6 pm to 10 pm).
    10 pounds Co2 tank with milwaukee controller ( PH 6.5)
    Kh 8
    Gh 9
    NO3 10-15 ppm
    I`m adding 10 ml of CSM + Fe twice a week.
    K2SO4 - adding 0.75 tspn once a week by water change
    MgSo4 + 7H2O - 1/4 tspn also once a week
    CaCl2 - 0.75 tspn by water change (I have to add Calcium because I use RO water that comes out very soft and I used to have calcium deficiency)
    Flourite on as gravel.
    Tank is not very heavy planted.

    First BBA. At Kh 8 I started adding more Co2 and got to Ph 6.5 a week ago (plants are pearling) . By 6.4 or lower my fish is stressed. BBA pops up especially on light green leaves (Limnophilla aromatica and Glossostigma elatinoides but also on Red Temple . I`ve never seen it on Kleiner Bär Sword).

    Now. Do I have to wait till my tank is going to be very heavy planted in order to start fighting BBA or maybe I can do something about it now?

    GSA. I can see it on all my plants. Do I have to add more K2SO4 in order to kill it? Some guys on this forum suggested increasing potassium amount.

    Glossostigma is especially "infected" with BBA and GSA (good enough to kill leaves) . Any advise?

    Thanks
     
    #1 Grafalski, Mar 17, 2006
  2. colonel

    colonel Guru Class Expert

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    Re: Gsa, Bba

    you dont really need to add extra K2SO4, if your doseing KNO3 for nitrates you should be getting plenty of K from that. I dont see that your doseing KH2PO4 at all though. your plants need phosphates to grow, and GSA is almost always due to either low CO2.... a more common problem.... or b low phos. I would start adding some KH2PO4 and see how things look. also double triple check your CO2, make sure its consistant and that there is enough when lights come on, BBA is caused by low CO2 99.9 percent of the time, I have tanks that can be totally out of wack nutrient wise but as long as there is good CO2 there isnt BBA.
     
    #2 colonel, Mar 17, 2006
  3. Grafalski

    Grafalski Prolific Poster

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    Re: Gsa, Bba

    Thanks for your reply colonel.
    I do add phoshphate and I try to be at 1-2 ppm ( Seachem Laboratories test kit) .
    I don`t add KNO3. I have planty of fish for that. My nitrate level is 10-15 ppm.
    I calibrate my miwaukee controller twice a week so I should be fine.
    How do you measure and keep your Co2 level?
     
    #3 Grafalski, Mar 17, 2006
  4. colonel

    colonel Guru Class Expert

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    Re: Gsa, Bba

    Well my first advice to you would be to toss the idea of doseing by means of what your test kits tell you. Generally hobby grade kits arnt to good at all and the plants are going to be a much better indicator of whats going on than anything else. Unless you have 20ppm or more nitrates in your TAP, i really doubt your fish alone are producing enough nitrates for a tank with that much light and CO2. I would dose known amount of bother KNO3 and KH2PO4 each week and watch to see if the plants respond to that.

    As far as CO2 I use my fish and plants to measure first.... then I test to moniter also. I use a digital PH pen to test my PH reading, I set out a sample of tank water to degas for a day or two, and look for a PH drop of a full ! degree in the tank when lights first come one, and I look to maintain that PH or lower through the entire photoperiod. I use the mist method so keeping the CO2 stable really isnt a problem for me now, though in the past while using other methods to dislove CO2 that was a different story and I would have large PH swings through the day which caused a few problems.

    I know you spent a bunch of money on the controller but I would personally run your tank with out it. I know for a fact that for some reason the PH KH CO2 relationship doesnt work with my tap water and at any given week after I do a water change my PH can settle in some where different while adding the same amount of CO2 that I did the week before. there for if your using a controller to hit a certin PH but you have changes in your tap water or something that alters the PH KH CO2 relationship your going to end up with to little CO2.

    Hope that helps out
     
    #4 colonel, Mar 17, 2006
  5. Tom Barr

    Tom Barr Founder
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    Re: Gsa, Bba

    I think NOW the CO2 levels are fine.
    So you can trim off all the BBA that's there.
    New BBa should not appear.
    Next, add some KNO3, I can promise you, the fish load alone in a well run CO2 planted tank+ PO4 etc will not supply enough NO3.

    Even an over stocked discus tank did not.

    Add at least 1/4 teaspoon per 20 gal once a week.

    Regards,
    Tom Barr
     
    #5 Tom Barr, Mar 17, 2006
  6. Grafalski

    Grafalski Prolific Poster

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    Re: Gsa, Bba

    Thanks both of you for replay. Let me do something about that Co2 and KNO3.
    I`ll let you know what results I`ll get.
     
    #6 Grafalski, Mar 17, 2006
  7. Grafalski

    Grafalski Prolific Poster

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    Re: Gsa, Bba

    Ok. I ordered KNO3 from Greg Watson.
    Colonel mentioned something about KNO3 in his previous response that I don`t have to add K2SO4 if I use KNO3.
    Can I start with 1/2 tspn of KNO3 and forget about K2SO4?
     
    #7 Grafalski, Mar 17, 2006
  8. Grafalski

    Grafalski Prolific Poster

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    Re: Gsa, Bba

    Yesterday I was digging in the forum to get some info about the mist method .
    I decided to put my bar vertically and Sweetwater’s diffuser close to it on the bottom of my tank .It’s going to take some time to get diffuser but I already have put my spray bar vertically and here comes my question:
    I don’t have any surface movement. I can see water circling in my tank but no “waves” (the top whole in the bar is 2 inches below the water surface). Should I do something about it or leave it the way it is? Maybe this water circulation is good enough for gas exchange?
     
    #8 Grafalski, Mar 18, 2006
  9. VaughnH

    VaughnH Lifetime Charter Member
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    Re: Gsa, Bba

    I have the same size tank, 29 gallons, and I found that there is a huge difference between using the filter return to distribute CO2 bubbles and using a powerhead with a long horizontal spray bar to do that. Since I changed to the powerhead my plants all pearl, and pearl furiously just before lights out, where they didn't do that with the other setup. All I did was just stick the CO2 tube up in the intake grill of the powerhead and let the little powerhead rotor chop up the CO2 into microscopic bubbles. The spraybar is a 5/8 inch diameter acrylic tube with 10 1/8 inch holes drilled in a row about an inch and a half apart along the length. I plugged the open end with a disk of acrylic. My tank looks a lot better and is a lot more fun now.
     
    #9 VaughnH, Mar 18, 2006
  10. Grafalski

    Grafalski Prolific Poster

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    Re: Gsa, Bba

    VaughnH. I was thinking about powerhead setup. What kind of powerhead do have in your tank? Tom mentioned before something about Rio 600 RVT being pretty good for it.
    And this acrylic tube. Is it about 16-17 inches long? Where did you get it?
     
    #10 Grafalski, Mar 18, 2006
  11. Tom Barr

    Tom Barr Founder
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    Re: Gsa, Bba

    A little bit more movement would be ideal.
    Better to error on too much, than too little:)
    You can always add a little bit more CO2 easy enough.

    Regards,
    Tom Barr
     
    #11 Tom Barr, Mar 19, 2006
  12. Grafalski

    Grafalski Prolific Poster

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    Re: Gsa, Bba

    Tom. What would be your advice regarding KNO3 and K2SO4?
    Should I just add KNO3 and see what happens or use both (less K2SO4)?
    Thanks :)
     
    #12 Grafalski, Mar 21, 2006
  13. Tom Barr

    Tom Barr Founder
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    Re: Gsa, Bba

    NO3 is the issue, not K+.

    So just KNO3.

    regards,
    Tom Barr
     
    #13 Tom Barr, Mar 22, 2006
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