Brian_Nano12g
Aquarium Advice Addict
This gives me hope.. Maybe I'll see some change by Friday or weekend?
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1178849
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1178849
No a total meltdown would be more disastrous than any BGA. I have BGA at the moment. It is pretty relentless stuff. It’s much worse than yours but I would say that any signs of BGA no matter how small has the potential to get nasty. I induced mine by experimenting with reduce nutrients and nutrient ratios. As well as reduced co2. Couple that with med/high light and low flow and you end up with an environment that favours algae.
I’m on the road to recovery now but still think I need more co2 (or less surface agitation)
I read you have surface film? This is never a good sign in my opinion. This suggests more water changes. Hopefully you have the skimmer up and running? I reckon BGA contributes heavily to the biofilm.
I’m not a Biochemical Engineer but a Biomedical Engineer which is the fancy term for someone who repairs and maintains a wide variety of medical equipment. Life support, anaesthetics etc. Not a chemist so to speak.
My suspicion would be that the reduction in BGA is down to a combination of things rather than the ultralife alone. Personally, I would always be cautious adding unknown products to the tank as you don’t know how these affect the beneficial microorganisms although I can understand your eagerness to rid the BGA.
The good news is that your tank is still looks fairly well balanced and plants seem ok. Keep them well fed and the water pristine. Ensure co2 is optimal I’m sure you can beat this stuff.
I had it in my 46. I did all of the things above and it went away in its own. After that plants exploded.
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Cal - Regarding the UltraLife, Brian is taking one for the team (unlike myself as I would have wussed out and nuked the tank with erythromycin). Hoping he works out a non-antibiotic strategy.
To anyone - Are spot treatments with H2O2 effective in conjunction with the suggestions listed in the previous post?
I used the h2o2 for BGA and BBA (lost a few stems but plants ok mainly) but not as part of an overall test.
Guess this ultralife is a nice problem to have - something is working we just don’t know what lol.
Locally this stuff just seems to get put down to new tanks and will go away on its own (er, hopefully...).
Cal - Regarding the UltraLife, Brian is taking one for the team (unlike myself as I would have wussed out and nuked the tank with erythromycin). Hoping he works out a non-antibiotic strategy.
To anyone - Are spot treatments with H2O2 effective in conjunction with the suggestions listed in the previous post?
EM has always been effective for me in the past. I know it works well, but thought I'd try something different and if all else fails, there's always EM (again). But honestly, I fear using antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. Who knows, I might inadvertently create a super-bacteria-strain of BGA that's resistant to all antibiotics that will destroy the world! Yikes!! Don't want that pressure on my shoulders! LOL... But I think with the success I've experienced so far, no loss of fish or major plant melt (yet), I think this product is a go and worth further exploration. If I had to put a percentage on the reduction of BGA, if when I started the treatment it was at 100%, it's probably a good 5 to 10% of its peak mass now. Think I'll just nuke what i see with H2O2 and manually remove it with a turkey baster. Lastly, think I'll reduce the max intensity of the lights as well. This is where I wish I have a PAR meter! Trial and error I guess. Anyways, thanks for chiming in, Fresh!
Yes! I love seeing BBA turn colors the next day after a good targeted H202 hit! LOL. I think after I dial in the nutrients, co2, and lighting (reduction), I think it'll get back to looking pristine.