# BGA/Cyanobacteria Treatment Question



## Julian (15 Jan 2014)

I submitted this as a reply to another thread but haven't had a response so hoping someone else can answer:

I've done lots of reading today, lots of conflicting information regarding this, I'm hoping someone could help clear things up.

I've decided to totally disregard my testing kits as it's abundantly clear that they are about as accurate as my Parkinsons-ridden Grandmother with a sniper rifle.

It looks as though raising KNO3 is the best way to get rid of it, but what about KH2PO4 - Phosphate, right? This is where the conflict begins because I've read that I need to lower them, others say I need to raise them?!

I had a bag of Purigen that is supposed to help get rid of the Cyanobacteria, but I used bleach that had perfume to 'recharge' it. Even after soaking it for a week, changing the water every day, it still smelled of the stuff so I threw it in the bin


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## Sacha (15 Jan 2014)

The only way I found of getting rid of Cyanobacteria was by spot dosing it with hydrogen peroxide.


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## sanj (15 Jan 2014)

In a planted tank one should not shy away from nitrates and phosphates especially if using the EI approach. Nitrates and phosphates are taken up by plants in a certain ratio. When there is not sufficient nutrients added to the aquarium KNO3 often becomes limiting (used up). I can't remember off the top of my head the utilisations rate of the two, but the easy method is to add both and do large weekly water changes. You can take the more measured approach of adding smaller amounts, but finding the balance takes time and an aquarium is a dynamic environment that is constantly changing, so that is why EI (Estimative Index) is popular. Essentially in EI you are dosing excess nutrients and resetting the balance through regular water changes.

I used to get cyanobacteria many years ago, but it has never been an issue since I started adding nutrients and undertaking regular water changes.


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## Matt Warner (15 Jan 2014)

When I had a BGA outbreak a few years back, I found the only way to get rid of it was to clean the filters thoroughly and dose nitrate heavily. Also doing a 50%-75% water change every week. Eventually it just gave up and was gone within a few weeks. I am convinced that a dirty filter was the cause in the first place.


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## greenink (16 Jan 2014)

Tom Barr says three day blackout is best way to get rid of it. Will do shortly on my bookcase journal and post success. (Have it on substrate at front glass).


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## Sacha (16 Jan 2014)

Personally for me a black out did nothing. I bombarded it with everything I could think of. Turns out this stuff will just keep growing and growing until you physically kill it, with poison (in my case Hydrogen Peroxide). Once it's taken hold, it's pretty much game over.


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## Julian (16 Jan 2014)

Blackout has worked for me in the past, quite successfully. But it does not fix the cause of the Cyanobacteria, and eventually, like in my case, it comes back. I don't have any Sunlight hitting my tank, so I can only assume it's something in the water column.


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## Matt Warner (16 Jan 2014)

Have you cleaned your filter well?


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## Julian (16 Jan 2014)

I had to buy a new filter as my old one broke, I put the filter media from the old one it. I kept the media wet, I didn't let it dry out, this could be contributing to my issues although I had them before the filter change.


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