Re: [AGA Member] Bacterial algea?

["S. Hieber" <shieber@yahoo.com>]

I've heard that BGA doesn't domuch as an airborne hitch
hiker but I believe dust can bring this to your tank. 

So I think it's hard not to be exposed to it sooner or
later. So the trick is to not let it grow when it gets
there. And to clean up what does grow if an out break is
bad. It's useful to have the gravel vac at the ready when
doing BGA clean up. One probably needs to do a water change
anyway if there's a bad BGA breakout, so might as well get
out the python. Whatever you don't pull from the tank can
find another home in the tank. This stuff can grow fast but
sometimes it's not growing as fast as you think, it's
merely going, via aqua, to another location. In fact, your
filter is a sort of super transport, shooting microscopic
bits through the water column.

Erythromycin works on the stuff in the water provided there
isn't any hidden in crevices. That stuff will come back
from the crevices if conditions become nice again for BGA.

Anytime I've had it, my PO4 or NO3 has been low. Bringing
the nutient balance back works quickly, and is much cheaper
than fish store meds.

Although relatively expensive, antibiotics aren't a long
term solution, especially if a treatment dosen't kill off
the BGA -- the remaining stuff is the stronger stuff.
Although I don't recall hearing of any actual cases of
Erythromicin resistant BGA,; not yet anyway. 

Bleaching can kill off any BGA that might enter your tank
from tainted plants or equipment but it won't affect the
exposure to any airborne material.

Exposure to BGA doesn't seem to be something one can
entirely avoid. Otoh, it seems to be one of the easier
algae to keep in check.

sh
--- ROlesen104@aol.com wrote:
> 
> This stuff shows up in so many people's tanks under so
> many different 
> conditions -- from crud laden cesspools to immaculately
> clean and balanced tanks, 
> . . .
> 
> Maybe it comes in on commercially grown plants that look
> spotless . . . Or
> maybe it's on or in 
> fish, or those frozen foods . . . When I tried
> to manually remove 
> it, it broke into a zillion pieces which then took
> (root?) everywhere . . .
> 
> Tom Barr swears by water changes, nutrient balancing,
> blackouts and so forth, 
> all good plant tanks practice and husbandry but I guess
> I'm lazy and 
> impatient. Antibiotics at half strength for extended
> period as per the details on the 
> APD works when all else fails. Did kill some fish though
> -- but they may have 
> had a bad systemic infection of some sort anyway since I
> rescued them from a 
> LFS. . .
> Paul Krombholz, who bleach treats everything going into
> his systems had it. 


=====
S. Hieber
-  -   -   -   -   -   -   -
Aquascaping by Takashi Amano and more at
the AGA 2004 Annual Convention
Nov 12, 13 & 14; Marriott Crystal Gateway, Arlington, Virginia, USA
Aquatic Gardeners Association www.aquatic-gardeners.org

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