# Blue Green Algae new kno3



## danmil3s (13 Apr 2011)

hi guys need a bit more advice. ive had some BGA problems for a bit now. i think through process of elimination ive worked out the problem was the kno3 i was using. i got some from a sponsor at the weekend and its yellow and smells, the ebay i had was white and didn't smell. so now im dosing the right stuff will the BGA go away with time or do i need a black out? i don't mind putting up with it for a few weeks if it will just go away. i do a 60% water change at the weekend and ive been removing the algae twice during the week, with a very small water change. thanks guys


----------



## ceg4048 (13 Apr 2011)

Hi mate,
              Blackout + dosing + elbow grease = quick BGA elimination.

Cheers,


----------



## mdhardy01 (13 Apr 2011)

If the kno3 that you were using was bad then the new stuff should clear it 
If I doesn't upping the dose to 2x should help 
Also look at flow in that area as bga likes poor flow
I know that you run a fx5 and a pump for co2 but is the bga in a dead spot?
Matt


----------



## mdhardy01 (13 Apr 2011)

ceg4048 said:
			
		

> Hi mate,
> Blackout + dosing + elbow grease = quick BGA elimination.
> 
> Cheers,




You beat me to it Clive 
Matt


----------



## danmil3s (13 Apr 2011)

thanks guys I'm up for the dosing and elbow grease but would like to avoid the black out if possible. 
thanks to clive I don't have any dead spots Matt, and all my plants have been growing. I'm hopping now I have the right ferts ill see even more improvment. after over a year of fiddling its slowly starting to come together. couldnt have done it with out UKAPS.


----------



## a1Matt (13 Apr 2011)

Really crank up the nitrates.  If you are happy putting in 75+ppm nitrates it will probably dissapear within 48 hours (without elbow grease or blackout).


----------



## Anonymous (14 Apr 2011)

Totally agree with a1Matt but you should also improve the flow where BGA appeared.


----------



## bigmatt (14 Apr 2011)

A blackout isn't as bad as it sounds - all plants and livestock will be fine!  I did this and (in combination with better dosing) it wordked a treat and has never recurred
cheers
Matt


----------



## danmil3s (14 Apr 2011)

thanks for the advice guys I've used a black out before and it did work, i just really hate not seeing the tank for 3 days.a1matt how many tea spoons of kno3 would i need to achieve 75ppm. James planted tank calculator says about 16 that sounds a lot. to be honest it already seems to be getting better. its not coming back as strong once its removed.


----------



## a1Matt (14 Apr 2011)

How big is your tank, how much light, co2 or not, and how much kno3 do you dose at the moment?


----------



## danmil3s (14 Apr 2011)

sorry forgot to include specs 3rd time ive written the post phone didn't want to post it had to use pc. its a 760l  7'X2'X2' with 4 rows of t5s and pressurised co2. at the moment im now dosing special n and 1 tsp of kno3 a day.


----------



## a1Matt (14 Apr 2011)

Nice size tank  8) 

I'd put in 5 teaspoons every day for a week and see what effect that has on the BGA.

BGA only ever appears when nitrates are 0 in the tank.
So after it goes you will need to up your dosing.
Maybe 2 tsp a week as a starting point.
(and also improve your flow as was mentioned already)
but lets see how the increased dosing goes for now


----------



## danmil3s (14 Apr 2011)

thanks it is a nice tank but its been incredibly difficult to get it right. ill try 5 kno3 tea spoons a day for a week see how that goes. but is that still with the special n. 2 tea spoons a week long term seems a little low EI values put it at just under 1 a day that's what I was dosing I'm hopping once the BGA is gone now I have the real deal I'm hopping that will be enough. thanks for the advice.


----------



## a1Matt (14 Apr 2011)

You can carry on with special n the same.
I do not know what special n is. But it does not matter... I recommended 5tsp simply as a 4tsp increase over your current dosing.  It may be that even more is needed (I do not know the uptake requirement of your tank) short term to shift the BGA, but I think this is a good starting point.

How your tank responds to the extra 4tsp over a week can inform what nitrate you want to be dosing long term...
If you have nitrates in the water column then the BGA will recede.  If the BGA does not diminish at all it means the plants are sucking up all of the KNO3.  

This is why I genuinely like algae, it helps you grow your plants and maintain your tank.  Life would be harder if the flora or fauna died when the tank was imbalanced instead of the algae appearing


----------



## danmil3s (15 Apr 2011)

ok thanks matt ill start at 5 tsp and give it a week.its true what you say about the algae with out it id have kept buying ebay ferts and blaming my co2. my stem plants have already started to respond to proper food.


----------



## danmil3s (19 Apr 2011)

so quick update i ended up doing a black out. this was due to a fault with my power head. so with the power head out of action i decided it was best to use the time productively. I started the black out Saturday lunch time after a good clean and %50 water change. i uncovered the tank today all the BGA id gone as i knew it would be. some of my plants where floating about, but i expected that  what with leaving my fish unsupervised for 3 days. my only concern is my hair grass it was sort of trying to spread but now looks very pail im hoping it will pick up. that was the worst affected area of the tank so it probably would have died anyway.   i've done a %50 change and feed the plants ive spot dosed some easy carbo on to some BBA that's been around for a bit so hopefully i'll clear that up too. should get it all on track now.  i tried high dosing kno3 in my 120l tank and it seemed to start to do the trick but ive decided a black out is probably more effective and cheaper so now ill treat that tank the same way. thanks for your help guys ill keep you posted.


----------



## Mrmikey (19 Apr 2011)

I'm intrested in what you said about you kno3 and that it smells and is a bit yellow. Mine is White powder and doesn't smell so wondered where you got it. Also got a link to the special k you are talking about ? 

Well im glad your tanks getting better, it's a bummer when it takes a dip. Mine is playing up and I'm pretty sure it's the same problem u had. 

Have u got any before and after pics to show Heath improvement ?


----------



## a1Matt (20 Apr 2011)

danmil3s said:
			
		

> i tried high dosing kno3 in my 120l tank and it seemed to start to do the trick but ive decided a black out is probably more effective and cheaper



Just be aware not to be frugal to the point of no nitrate in the tank or the BGA will reappear.


----------



## danmil3s (20 Apr 2011)

Mrmikey  i brought the kno3 from a sponsor when i purchased the ingredients to make the special n which was discussed here viewtopic.php?f=11&t=14594 i haven't really got an after picture and i don't own a proper camera so full tank shots are difficult. i have got a video of before but need a program to convert from phone format to pc. I'll try and get it sorted over the long weekend maybe next week and I'll upload a before and after for you. good luck with your tank a black out is defiantly the easiest way foreword.
 don't worry matt i wont be dosing lower than ei levels i have enough problems as it is. once the black done it will be business as normal just with real kno3.


----------



## danmil3s (20 Apr 2011)

so that should work easier than i thought it would be sorry. for the shakiness  only took it test new phone really. ill try and get the next one more stable


----------

