Maracyn/gda experiment... - Page 2 - Algae

oregon aqua · 04-13-2008, 07:37 AM

im currently doing the black out method on my tank. i hate it!!! and im scared that my downoi or something is gonna die off. but i cant take this GDA anymore.

i dont mind hard work to get rid of algae. but seams sometimes with algae its alot of hard work for nothing. thats why i hope this works so much i need a magic pill!

Peteman · 04-13-2008, 01:48 PM

I have found UV does kill the GDA, but doesn't keep it from coming back eventually for me. In theory if the GDA likes the tank, just a few spores can repopulate the tank over time. But using UV and using those magnetic scrapers to easily get the GDA off the sides (daily) did dramatically reduce my GDA over a couple of weeks. But considering the back of the tank (87 Gal) and the corners are hard to clean I doubt I came close to getting everything and thus it repopulated.

I've come to live with it, but I guess that depends on how much you get. With good plant ferts I find I only just start noticing it after a week... which is when my weekly water change is due anyway so I just scrape it off with the mags and do a water change after. Tried blackouts but didn't work for me.

You could try UV, daily side scrapings, weekly big water changes (after a scraping) to really knock it down. Then weekly water change after a scaping might keep it down to unnoticable levels. If it eventually becomes a problem again just repeat the UV treatment.

Link to mag scraper if you haven't seen them
http://www.aquatichouse.com/Maintena...s/MagFloat.asp

Pete.

oregon aqua · 04-13-2008, 04:22 PM

Quote:

You could try UV, daily side scrapings, weekly big water changes (after a scraping) to really knock it down. Then weekly water change after a scaping might keep it down to unnoticable levels. If it eventually becomes a problem again just repeat the UV treatment.

that was my previous method.

if my blackout doesn't work and the maracyn doesn't pan out im going to try the let it be method. i have tried it twice but i get to a point where my body is taken over by a force that makes me clean the glass.

if that doesn't work im going to sell the fish drain the water fill it with wood and gas. set it on fire until its a black charred lump of glass and wood charcoal. then im going to put the remains in my new tank as my new hardscape.

hoppycalif · 04-13-2008, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oregon aqua

that was my previous method.

if my blackout doesn't work and the maracyn doesn't pan out im going to try the let it be method. i have tried it twice but i get to a point where my body is taken over by a force that makes me clean the glass.

if that doesn't work im going to sell the fish drain the water fill it with wood and gas. set it on fire until its a black charred lump of glass and wood charcoal. then im going to put the remains in my new tank as my new hardscape.

It is always encouraging to see someone with a definite plan.

mikenas102 · 04-13-2008, 06:56 PM

A UV will kill the zoospores that pass through it but remember these things don't only stick to the glass. You could scrape the glass til you're blue in the face however, you can't send your plants, hardscape or substrate through the UV. The zoospores live there too.

hoppycalif · 04-13-2008, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikenas102

A UV will kill the zoospores that pass through it but remember these things don't only stick to the glass. You could scrape the glass til you're blue in the face however, you can't send your plants, hardscape or substrate through the UV. The zoospores live there too.

I agree, because when I get a really bad GDA attack, all of my plants and hardscape get covered with green fuzz at the same time, and it all seems to go away at the same time when it lives to the end of its life cycle. This may make the UV idea unworkable. Back to the magic pill.

Bert H · 04-14-2008, 05:41 AM

Week 2 report: this one's a little bit harder to read. Towards the very bottom of the tank, it looks as if there may be a little bit more than last week, otherwise it appears as what I consider a 'baseline' amount.

I have always seen less gda towards the top than the middle to lower section of the glass. I would think less light reaches there than towards the top, so it has never quite made sense. Any ideas out there as to why this might be?

hoppycalif · 04-14-2008, 07:42 AM

Bert, I see that pattern too, and I think it is because more light actually hits lower down on the glass than at the top. Here are a couple of photos of a tank, right after being set up, with silty water, so you can see the beam of light and where it hits the glass (sort of). Note that very little light hits the top of the sides and ends.

Bert H · 04-14-2008, 08:04 AM

Yeah, I guess that makes sense. And the back wall never gets much because all the plants block the light there.

So addendum to the experiment, next week I will move one of the 2 55W lights towards the back and see if there's any effect.

hoppycalif · 04-24-2008, 02:22 PM

Bert, what is happening with this experiment? I'm still not sure if Maracyn has an effect on GDA or not.