Seem like the whole regulator got leaks.. do you have any source for the cheap solenoid regulator?

The guy from pets mart 88 showed the leak in front of me.
He remove the solenoid from the regulator and submerge the CO2 tank in the water.. bubble is coming out from everywhere..

a. brown color thingy - how is it like?
a.1. slimy, if u pick them up, it looks like a cluster of hair?
a.2. looks like a layer of coating?
a.3. short tuff of hair, feels like fur

for a.1. 50% chance BGA/50% is BBA - ref to a.3
for a.2. 90% chance BGA
to confirm BGA, check your pH if it is like 10 or 11, you definitely got BGA

b. green spot.
b.1. green dot on leaves?
b.2. powdery green stuff that looks like coating

for b.1. add K
for b.2 BGA

For fighting BGA, in steps
1. clean up composting material e.g roting leaves, fish poo, and food left over
2. re-cycle the water, good bacteria will eat up BGA (and BGA is actually poisonous to OTTO and SAE)
3. trim your plants, to improve water circulation BGA thrives on slow flowing water with lots of waste, good water flow will actually move the waste material around and hence easier to clean up.
4. clean your filter, BGA thrives also on the waste material inside the filter.

recmd tools
1. use the tank vacuum cleaner, LFS will know (a big tube that connects to a small tube device)
2. increase water acidity, all plants can tolerate ph4 for a short time (a few days) BGA can't stand acidity and BGA actually can change the water to alkali (I normally add 1 cap of white vinegar)

If you follow the SOP, and the BGA still hold strong, then you can resort to use medication (google for antibiotic for BGA, and there is a human antibiotic that you can use and if the clinic do sell to you, it only costs 50 sen per tablet)

Just sharing my tank picture...time for trimming...

Appreciate comments, suggestions, anything...Thanks!



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Sharing what I submitted for this year.. did not score well but oh well, 2011!

ottos are great with diatoms, try rearing snail right now east aqua got new stock, get the spiky ones, yesterday they got about 300+ new snails, 50% transferred to mid valley oredi, be quick, they don't last long.

btw, i want fissidens, do you have spare?, I am also looking for mini pelia, you have?, my tank is half dead because of some major transfer from 3 ft to 2 ft and also lightning problem.

becareful with slimes, traditionaly BGA is blue green, I have seen brownish ones too, BGA likes to appear as slimy stuff, and they are very good at photosynthesis hence produces air bubbles.

the best way to fight BGA is prevention, the main source of BGA is too much dead stuff with poor water flow (which is why you get them when the tank is old and the hardware are getting weaker e.g. filter flow rate reduced and plants getting too bushy). Also skimmer is also helpful because skimmer reduces the surface film (which is not water, but by product of free floating BGA, if surface film is a consistent problem you could get BGA, skimmer actually sucks them into the filter and drowns them)

Hence, the tank vacuum till date is the most effective way to clear the dead stuff (cost abt 15 - 30 depending on size), and the best way to clear waste is to add bottom feeders like snails (that is why I mention earlier, those ugly white small snails is good to have them around), and also bacter ball, till date bacter ball is the most effective ones (if u dun mind, we can buy 1 bottle discounted from east aqua and share among us)

Proper macro nutrients dousing can also fight algae, so far I learn from other sifus, adding N prevents BGA, adding K fights spot and dust algae, (that is because certain algae thrives on shortage or surplus of certain nutrients) that is why seachem or ADA is worthwhile.

At this rate, I think I wanna start blogging about this,.... will you guys read it? LOL

I suspect only lah, if it is BGA, N is good for prevention, not fighting it.

Somesay BGA can die if you put tank in complete darkness for 3 days, but I find this not helpful, my worst out break, I end up using chemicals and re-cycle the tank.

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Added on August 14, 2010, 3:16 pm

whoa! brilliant layout!

is the slimy thingy looks like soaked sushi seaweed?, if yes, I am 90% sure you have bga. Can you check your ph?, generally bad out break of bga will cause ph to rise.

BGA is actually one type of bacteria that thrives on breaking down waste material, that is why, when the water flow is slow and the waste build up is high, you get them easily. BGA's career started off as free floating bacteria that creates surface film (P1), on it's second stage of life, it becomes aquatic (P2) and start chowing down the waste material. Adding N will prevent P1 to P2 conversion, once you reach P2, it is a different war.

It is actually poisonous, in bright light, they will photosynthesis, and it's cousin is spirulina

I am not too sure how serious is your outbreak, but the following steps have been used in super ultra outbreak, e.g. 80% infected
What you can do is follows

Phase 1
a. clearout as much as those slimy stuff as possible
b. clearout all the waste material

Phase 2. add bacter ball, because the bacteria strain in bacterball do what bga does best but more effective. it will out perform the bga
a. add 1 bacterball per 10G as close as possible to the bga
b. results varies from 1 day to 1 week
concern - none, and tried before in nanotank

Phase 2a (results is either immediate or within days) bga hates acidic water
a. fight with Ph, , either you increase co2 (which will help plants to photosyntesis more to eat up more nutrients and makes water more acidic)
b. add vinegar, it works for my nanotank, at ph 4.5 the bga dissapeared overnight (do it at own risk)
concern - low ph also kills good bacteria

Phase 2b (fight with darkness) bga love light but sensitive to darkness
a. wrap the tank with garbage bag, not even 1 cm of hole is permitted 100% darkness is needed
b. shut off all light
c. leave it for 3 days
concern - light sensitive plants don't like it

Phase 2c (fight with chemicals)
a. get myracyn (so far I have yet to find any shop selling this)
b. get erythromycin (this is a human antibiotic which some doctors or pharmacist might sell to you) half tablet per 10G twice daily, for 5 days
concern - you might create super bga, tried before, it works like magic but ended up replanting after 9 months

Phase 3c - remove the antibiotic
a. add carbon and
b. do a 30% water change twice within 1 week
c. re-cycle the tank (means add new friendly bacteria) - nutrafin have an excellent product for this

Phase 3d (if the tank got taken over)
a. replant

hey as long as it works!

@moe,
1st trim. i usually trim as low as i can.. maybe leave just 1 inch + left? but its risky if you don't know what you're doing as I dont replant..

I usually let the bottom stem part to stay healthy as well so it bushes itself automatically without the need to replant.

as you know once you trim, one stem turns into 2 /3 stemmed plants. the second trim, just trim those 2/3 nodes, then youll end up with 6+ stems , all from a single stalk! (means youre trimming upwards per trim.)

I hope you understood as I also have a hard time explaining on how to trim

Drew

I would like some too if you have loads to give away.  Think michanz said he would like some too!! 

I suspect your problem is only 1 spot but not the whole tank, right?

Don't cut your Co2, at 6 is OK, bga will only make things more alkali, the way you should handle this is as follows,

a. try to maintain the photosynthesis level as consistent as possible, you can have more but not less

b. work on elements that the algae don't like (bga hates acidity)

c. work on removing the algae

If your condition is only on 1 sellected area, item "a" is very important, and if it is only 1 small area, I suggest that you do some sacrifices, because my method is meant for major outbreak (just like carpet bombing), e.g. you are on a streak of busy projects and the tank was left unattended or etc.

well, I am out of clorox at the moment, otherwise I am OK, btw, there is another method which I have never used before because it is expensive, use the ADA anti bacterial solution (will check out the name later), anyone have rm 90 to experiment?

hahaaa.. cut cost la...

I got ricia, 1 big clump, for exchange or FOC (self pick up) - rrp is rm 10

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Added on August 20, 2010, 10:10 am

even 1 surviving algae spore is enough to wreck havoc if you have bad maintainance, the followings is a bad chemical for algae

a. waste management
b. poor management of good bacteria
c. old lighting (or unsuitable lighting)
d. bad nutrient management
e. infrequent algae removal

good maintainance -> good photosynthesis -> good environment -> good algae management

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Added on August 20, 2010, 10:11 am

how's yer tank now? din log in for 2 days ord

LED lighting anyone?? 



refer to here....http://www.my-mac.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=13053&p=120029#p120029

anyone have small tank for sale... cheap2 la...

for now i only have white led.. for marine i think you need some blue led rite?
btw not so hard to built it... if get proper material..LED, power supply and LED driver (constant current). in my project i DIY the driver.. commercial driver so expensive for me.

if i not mistake, you also join chuisui forum rite.. i saw couple of people make & sale LED lighting there..

10W or 20W? wow.. i dont think you can get it from jalan pasar.. but you can try la.. i suggest you go to shop called online component.. opposite plaza pudu..and also shop beside it i saw they also have reflector for led..

led driver i make it refer to this circuit
http://www.instructables.com/id/Power-LED-...nstant-current/
it's because led more depend on current.. get spec for the led..and power supply..then we can discuss/brainstorming.. heheee

interesting project i saw here...
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum/showt...-CREE-LED-Light

uh, how high is considered high ph and can be returned?

and also, how long to wait before the ph will normalize? the lfs guy told me need to wait about a month before the ph will go down then i can start putting shrimps in. its about a month and the ph is still 7.0. still cant put shrimps

Did anyone know where to buy the CO2 two way output?
I need to setup this for my two planted aquarium.

Thanks.

Moe: Dulu main cobras and vipers. Now main mini pokok. You are "turning" bro...LMAO!