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14 Posts
Hello all,
I have an ongoing BGA problem that has just grown up and copped an attitude.
I have a 20 gallon planted tank, set up for 6 months after tearing it down to move ( BGA was present previously) 20 gallon whisper filter, heater, plants - 1 crypt wendtii and dwarf sagittaria, substrate is medium gravel with a dusting of peat on the bottom. I have one betta fish, nothing else, fed a couple betta kibbles once a day. Water is 0 ammonia, 0 nitrates, 0 nitrites, ph 8.4. I use Jobes pond fertilizer sticks under the gravel, no liquid ferts. Lighting - 2 T5 6500 K 14 watt bulbs and a 15 watt fluorescent, 43 watts total. I vacuum the tank once per week, about 20% of the water.
I changed it yesterday and put some new fert sticks in, today the BGA has blown up to smother the tank and everything in it, and there was a horrible rotten egg smell ripping out of it. It was so bad my eyes burned. The gravel, the plants, the walls are completely covered in BGA algae, and something that looks like black brush/black beard algae. I immediately changed 50% of the water and vacuumed the gravel, which has gotten rid of the smell for now.
For a while I had a lot of green hair algae growing, which seemed to be out competing the BGA, so I let it grow. The Plants were growing and sending up sprouts. Now the green algae has died back and the BGA taken over, and the plants are turning brown.
I'm not sure what is causing the BGA algae explosion or where the hydrogen sulfide is coming from. I understand BGA can thrive in low nitrates because they out compete the plants, but the plants are getting nitrate, phosphates and everything else from the substrate ferts, not the water column. This shouldn't be an issue should it? I stir up the gravel regurarly when vacuuming, except where the fertilizers are, so it should be aerated. I thought maybe some of the old ferts leaked out of the gravel and caused the algae bloom, but what would cause the rotten egg smell? I'm worried about my betta fish, he's living in a rotten egg and algae soup, which can't be good for him.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I've run out of ideas and need some help! Sorry for the long post, I didn't want to leave anything out
I have an ongoing BGA problem that has just grown up and copped an attitude.
I have a 20 gallon planted tank, set up for 6 months after tearing it down to move ( BGA was present previously) 20 gallon whisper filter, heater, plants - 1 crypt wendtii and dwarf sagittaria, substrate is medium gravel with a dusting of peat on the bottom. I have one betta fish, nothing else, fed a couple betta kibbles once a day. Water is 0 ammonia, 0 nitrates, 0 nitrites, ph 8.4. I use Jobes pond fertilizer sticks under the gravel, no liquid ferts. Lighting - 2 T5 6500 K 14 watt bulbs and a 15 watt fluorescent, 43 watts total. I vacuum the tank once per week, about 20% of the water.
I changed it yesterday and put some new fert sticks in, today the BGA has blown up to smother the tank and everything in it, and there was a horrible rotten egg smell ripping out of it. It was so bad my eyes burned. The gravel, the plants, the walls are completely covered in BGA algae, and something that looks like black brush/black beard algae. I immediately changed 50% of the water and vacuumed the gravel, which has gotten rid of the smell for now.
For a while I had a lot of green hair algae growing, which seemed to be out competing the BGA, so I let it grow. The Plants were growing and sending up sprouts. Now the green algae has died back and the BGA taken over, and the plants are turning brown.
I'm not sure what is causing the BGA algae explosion or where the hydrogen sulfide is coming from. I understand BGA can thrive in low nitrates because they out compete the plants, but the plants are getting nitrate, phosphates and everything else from the substrate ferts, not the water column. This shouldn't be an issue should it? I stir up the gravel regurarly when vacuuming, except where the fertilizers are, so it should be aerated. I thought maybe some of the old ferts leaked out of the gravel and caused the algae bloom, but what would cause the rotten egg smell? I'm worried about my betta fish, he's living in a rotten egg and algae soup, which can't be good for him.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I've run out of ideas and need some help! Sorry for the long post, I didn't want to leave anything out