Heading Off BGA

I tried something that worked well on BGA that I thought some of you might try. Like Tom sez, dose right and keep it away is the best precaution but until you get the ferts dialed in or mistakenly bottom out your NO3 try this:

I noticed in my tank that BGA would always start between the glass and the gravel along the bottom front of the tank and from there spread elsewhere. I got rid of it with a blackout, but it started comeing back a few weeks later slowly developing behind the front glass below the gravel line.

I didn't want to dose my big tank with Maracyn due to costs and effect on bia filtration and I didn't want to go through another blackout so this is what I did.

I bought some Maracyn tables and cut them with a razor blade into 1/8 's. I took tweezes and pushed the 1/8 tab pieces below the gravel between the glass and the gravel spaced roughly 2-3 inches apart. I dosed the entire gravel line with roughly 2 tabs (200 mg. each) and watched the results unfold before my eyes. The Maracyn takes a couple of days to dissolve completely and the slow release, right next to the BGA wiped it out completely over a few days.

I saved a lot of money ( I mean a lot! To dose a 150 gal with Maricyn per the packet instruction would cost $60+) I also stressed the bio filter minimally if al all. I literally eradicated the remaining BGA at the source in a 150 gal tank with 2 Maricyn tabs.

So if you ever see BGA growing against the glass below the gravel, head it off at the pass with a couple of Maricy tabs.