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i have some of this is patches on my gravel, now i have more light its spreading. i have just over 2 watts/gal and ive also increased my bottled CO2 so now my PH has dropped from 7.6 to 7.0 and my plants are pearling like mad
will the changes ive made make it grow more? its hard to vac as it uproots my plants and my Ottos wont eat it, neither will the few remaining snails?
any sugestions

BGA will grow in planted tanks when the plants are not growing their best. Youve given them light and CO2, that's a good start. Now measure nitrates, I bet they're low (under 15-20ppm). In order to not get BGA you need to keep your nutrient levels up. But first thing's first, getting rid of that cyanobacteria:

Do a full blackout for 3 days. Do a large water change before hand, then cover the entire tank with towels so that no light gets in. Shut off the CO2, it may poison your fish if it builds up too much. Remember, plants wont use the CO2 without light. And your plants and fish will be fine during this period. Don't feed them, dont do anything, just let the tank sit under the towels for a few days. On the 4th day remove the towels and do another large water change. Turn the CO2 and lights back on and start dosing NO3. This will allow the plants to grow better, and thus prevent BGA from showing up at all.

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Back in the saddle!

Hi,
Check out this site:
[link=http://www.otocinclus.com/articles/algae.html]http://www.otocinclus.com/articles/algae.html" style="COLOR: #FF00FF[/link]

It will tell you how to get rid of it, and more important,
what causes it so that you can prevent a recurrence.

This stuff has been around literally since before the
dinosaurs.
Check out this site for some interesting reading:
[link=http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/cyanofr.html]http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/cyanofr.html" style="COLOR: #FF00FF[/link]

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

I don' think Blackouts work all to well with cyanobacteria. They are slightly more versatile than algae and more than likely have some symbiosis going on, that I would guess can sustain some of the bacteria for three days.

Antibiotics such as Maracyn would be a better bet.

Yup,

I am with Megil.

Not being the most patient person in the world I treated my tank for a few days with Maracyn (NOT Maracyn 2).

All gone
In 2 tanks (second tank got it from the first one's plants ]:|).

As NowherMan6 states, non-existing Nitrates are a reson for BGA to develop as it can fix its own. Also, I heard that a lack of current (dead areas) can be favorable for BGA.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

IME I've found the blackout to work quite well in getting rid of initial BGA. It's up to the aquarist to prevent it from coming back by controlling conditions in the tank, e.g. keeping good water movement throughout the tank and keeping plants growing and happy. As with all algae I'm sure if you looked hard enough even in the cleanest of tanks you may find a little, especially just under the gravel near the glass. I've dealt with it three times in two different tanks, all three times were when I slowed down in my upkeep of conditions.

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Back in the saddle!