FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Only one of them, mind you, I'm not quitting fishkeeping altogether! But I'm just getting way too frustrated with my 20 gallon right now. It's always been intended to be a SA planted tank, but it's never really happened. After a year, it still only has three fish - a blue ram and two lonely rummy-nose tetras. I've had deaths here and there, and never enough money to increase the school of tetras because all of my money in this tank has gone towards battling the algae problems. It's had recurring BGA for the last year or so and nothing I've tried has gotten rid of it, not even the total tank pull-down, bleach-everything, boil-everything that I did just a few weeks ago. On top of that, my anubias feature, which cost me $50, has not survived that haulover.

I'm thinking of selling the three fish and just putting the tank away for a while. Concentrate on the 120 gallon and the 3 betta tanks, pour all of my fish money into getting those perfect (the 120 gallon, for example, needs a few more fish, particularly some bristlenoses to deal with the algae on the glass, and some new lights), and then save up enough to do up the 20 gallon perfectly from the start, fishless cycling and all. Everything just seems to be done only halfway when there are so many tanks to spread my energy and money between.

What are your thoughts? Do you think I should give up or soldier on? And, how can I get rid of this blasted BGA once and for all, and ensure it never returns? Would leaving the tank dry for a few months, as I've proposed, kill all the cynobacteria for good or will it just return when I set the tank back up again?

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

Bleach it, stack it, pack it away, forget what you had planned for it. Be open to whatever comes your way and I bet it'll be a beauty of a tank before the year is out.

Believe it, Mike

I had the same dilemma with a 10 gallon, i put it away for about a month then set it up again and tore down my other then which I'm now using as a Hospital/QT.
I think switching to a hospital tank would be a good idea.

Hospital tank...that's not a bad idea. In fact, a fry grow-out tank may be in order, as I have two female hongis (african cichlids) holding at the moment. That's if I can catch either of them to put in there, and if they don't swallow the eggs (first-time mums, both of them!)


The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

Hi Just Begining! Have you ever had discussions with Babel regarding the BGA? I was having a problem with it and she told me that she increases the amount of Nitrate that is in the tank and that it really helps. (I got rid of my hornwart and have not had a problem since).

...Though if you have had this problem for such a long time I am sure you have probably tried just about everything. The hospital tank and/or grow out tank sounds like a good idea regardless.

Good luck!

Yup, a quarantine tank or fry tank for your cichlids with no decor or gravel is a great use, just a couple hiding spots maybe and an incandescent light so as not to encourage algae ?

The Amazon Nut...

blue green algea?? the slimy kind?? Erthomyacin works great. The "algea" is actually cyano-bacteria. use one tablet/10g of MARACYN by mardell for 5 days and say goodbye to your algea problem.

do you monitor your water conditions carefully??

I've tried Erythomicin - it worked the first time, but the BGA came back, and Erythomicin never seemed to work again.


Phone's Mate: I'm pretty sure that the BGA has a lot to do with no nitrates. With only 3 fish, you can imagine how low the nitrates are - well under 5ppm every time I test. I figure that I could keep it under control by fishless cycling and then adding a large amount of the stock at once, and having the plants well established from the start. However, this is where I've had problems - never enough money to pour into it! That's why I'm considering this new strategy of concentrating on one tank at a time - putting my money into my big tank for a while, then tackling the smaller one at a later date.

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

Tell me why the 20 gallon has the problem and the larger tank does not...

Start comparing what differences there are between the two tanks.

I've tried to tackle this problem with you before so give me some ammunition and I'll try again.

--garyroland.

Okay, I'll give it a go.

The differences in tank size are 120 gallon and 20 gallon.
The 120 gallon is stocked as follows:

11 maylandia crabro
5 labidochromis sp. 'hongi'
2 pseudotropheus socolofi
1 labidochromis caeruleus
1 melanochromis johannii

Most of these fish are adults or near adults. The largest fish is around 5" in length.

The 20 gallon is stocked as follows:

2 rummy-nose tetras
1 blue ram

At various times I have attempted to keep other fish in this tank, such as otos, more rummy-noses and a second blue ram, but there have been quite a few deaths. Causes unknown, all water parameters have checked out. Suspected possible lack of oxygenation at one time, so an airstone was added.

120 gallon is decorated mostly with rocks, with one large anubias barteri on driftwood. Sand substrate.

20 gallon has been planted to various degrees at various times. Currently only plants are anubias nana (largely dead after using bleach to kill BGA, though I used a small amount and washed thoroughly). Small gravel substrate, driftwood.

120 gallon is filtered with an A.K.A Bioskim 2000 (combination protein skimmer and trickle filter with bioball chamber and sponges. Protein skimmer is useless on freshwater of course), powered by a 2000lph powerhead. Around a month ago I also added a Fluval 404.

20 gallon is filtered with an Aquaclear 200. Filter media was replaced recently. Carbon was not used for most of the time, I've only just added it in the last month (haven't used antibiotics in this time).

Test results for 120 gallon (taken just now)

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 5ppm
ph: 8.0

Test results for 20 gallon (taken just now)

Ammonia: 0.2ppm
Nitrite: 0 - 0.3ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm
ph: 8.0

The results for the 20 gallon aren't surprising, like I said I have recently replaced the filter media and bleached/boiled everything in sight. I expected a mini-cycle at the least. Previous test reults have showed largely the same as the 120 gallon.

Both tanks receive the same maintenance: Gravel vacuum and 20% water change every two weeks.

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde