Bakto Blend and Bakto Therapie questions

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 1, Members: 0, Guests: 1)

VJV

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 28, 2015
Messages
1,476
Reaction score
751
Location
Portugal, Europe
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Dear Claude, I have recently bought the above products from you to try and solve a long term algae problem I have been having. My tank has always tested zero for Phosphates and Nitrates (using Red Sea Pro test kits and Hanna Checkers) but I still had algae. Even when I left the tank fallow for 2 months it did not go away. The rocks are covered in a brown sludge so I guess my problem has to do with detritus accumulation, that is feeding the algae. I have been dosing carbon (nopox) since the beginning of the tank but stopped a couple of weeks ago.

I am using Bakto Therapie to break down the detritus and reduce nutrients in my tank. Have done the initial two dosages of 10ml per 100 L and already I believe the algae seems weaker (I have also cut down my light schedule).

I have the following questions:

1- in this situation should I use Bakto Therapie alone or combine with Bakto Blend?
2- how many weeks should I dose the 5ml/100L dosage before moving to the long term 3ml/100L?
3- finally, do you believe this approach is correct?

Thank you very much for your input.

Kind regards.

Vasco.
 
OP
OP
VJV

VJV

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 28, 2015
Messages
1,476
Reaction score
751
Location
Portugal, Europe
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
This lack of response is a bit disappointing and not I expected from Fauna Marin...
 
OP
OP
VJV

VJV

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 28, 2015
Messages
1,476
Reaction score
751
Location
Portugal, Europe
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks for the reply. I was hopping that Fauna Marin themselves would pick it up, this being a sponsor forum.
 

revhtree

Owner Administrator
View Badges
Joined
May 8, 2006
Messages
47,602
Reaction score
85,990
Rating - 100%
1   0   0

Fauna Marin

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 13, 2012
Messages
603
Reaction score
211
Location
Germany
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi Vasco,

I'm sorry for not replying earlier. I did review your issue and could use some more information.

How big is your tank? Do you have a picture of the algae you are fighting?

You can start adding Bakto Blend on the same day you are due to dose Therapie. I suggest dosing a 60/40 mix using the 5ml/26gal dose until you see the tank improve. When using both products, please dose 60% of Bakto Blend and 40% of Therapie. The dose would therefore be:

Bakto Blend - 3ml/26gal
Bakto Therapie - 2ml/26gal

Once the tank improves, you may reduce the dosage for both products down to 3ml/26gal, still using the 60/40 dose.

Depending on how bad your algae situation is, you may want to give Dino X a shot, but first let's see a picture of the algae. :)
 
OP
OP
VJV

VJV

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 28, 2015
Messages
1,476
Reaction score
751
Location
Portugal, Europe
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi, thank you very much for coming back to me, much appreciated [emoji106]

Mg tank os 300 L in size, plus roughly 45 L sump. I must have some 30kg of rocks (ceramics actually, from aquaroche) and another 30kg of aragonite sand. I have a fairly large skimmer (Deltec 1455SC), a 18W UV unit running 24/7, a media reactor with Rowaphos which I replace monthly and perform weekly 10% water changes. Always kept feeding to a minimum and nutrient levels are extremely low, with zero phosphates (Using Hanna checkers for Low range Phosphate as well as Phosphorous which measures in parts per billion). I may have some nitrates, as per Red Sea test in the region of 0.125ppm, but that is about it.

I will try to post some pictures but last I tried I had not reached the minimum number of posts required to do so.
 
OP
OP
VJV

VJV

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 28, 2015
Messages
1,476
Reaction score
751
Location
Portugal, Europe
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I must also say that I believe I have different types of algae. The algae I used to have (even during the period that the tank was wooly fish and no feelings) I believe were dinoflagellates. I was using Red Sea's Nopox (which I believe is a form of carbon dosing) from day one and as per Red Sea instructions I should not let the Nitrates and Phosphates drop to zero because that could lead to cyano and dinos but I ignored it and let it reach zero. I have stopped using Nopox in the last month and while the dinoflagellates seem to have all but disappeared, the green algae started to grow more.
 
OP
OP
VJV

VJV

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 28, 2015
Messages
1,476
Reaction score
751
Location
Portugal, Europe
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1431075569.645230.jpg


ImageUploadedByTapatalk1431075594.814763.jpg


ImageUploadedByTapatalk1431075609.547815.jpg


ImageUploadedByTapatalk1431075625.255911.jpg


ImageUploadedByTapatalk1431075639.222959.jpg


ImageUploadedByTapatalk1431075651.720226.jpg


ImageUploadedByTapatalk1431075667.914326.jpg
 

Fauna Marin

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 13, 2012
Messages
603
Reaction score
211
Location
Germany
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks for the pictures Vasko. It seems like you have some phosphate pockets inside the ceramic rocks and sand. The reason you are testing 0 for PO4 is because the green hair algae is consuming it before it hits the water column.

Please keep in mind that Bakto Blend and Therapie, will need some time to do its job. I suggest adding the following:

Bakto Blend - 10.5ml
Bakto Therapie - 7ml

Here are a few other tips to help you out:

- Manually remove the algae during a water change
- Add a variety of hermits and snails
- Clean the sand using a siphon tube, but only do one section at a time

If there is anything else I can help you with, please let me know.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
VJV

VJV

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 28, 2015
Messages
1,476
Reaction score
751
Location
Portugal, Europe
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thank you very much! A couple of questions: should I turn off the UV after adding the products? Should I dose after lights out?

I also bought Dino X but since I heard some reports that it may harm some invertebrates such as sea stars (I have two serpent sea stars,), I would like to give the bakto products some time. I also bought some trochus snails, which seem to do a good job but unfortunately they do not seem to live long.
 

Fauna Marin

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 13, 2012
Messages
603
Reaction score
211
Location
Germany
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
No problem.

You can leave the UV on and dose the Bakto set when ever is most convenient for you.

Dino X can harm Urchins, Sea stars, and Clams so it would be best to remove them before the treatment. Also, make sure that you discontinue the use of carbon, gfo, trace elements, carbon dosing, and ozone. You can still continue dosing Calcium, Alk, and Mag. Take a look at the manual on our website for more information on dosing.

Trochus snails do a good job. Fighter conchs and sea hares are also effective.
 
OP
OP
VJV

VJV

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 28, 2015
Messages
1,476
Reaction score
751
Location
Portugal, Europe
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Tried a sea hare once (dolabella, I believe was the name). It started to eat down algae right away but died in 3 days... My snails also seem to last 4/6 weeks. I do have 4 Calcinus Elegans, one of which is quite large, which I believe eat all the snails that fall on the sand bed. A fighting conch could be an idea.
 

gojk

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
May 3, 2012
Messages
80
Reaction score
40
Location
United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thank you very much! A couple of questions: should I turn off the UV after adding the products? Should I dose after lights out?

I also bought Dino X but since I heard some reports that it may harm some invertebrates such as sea stars (I have two serpent sea stars,), I would like to give the bakto products some time. I also bought some trochus snails, which seem to do a good job but unfortunately they do not seem to live long.

Where did you get the DinoX? I haven't been able to find it anywhere in the US.
 
OP
OP
VJV

VJV

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 28, 2015
Messages
1,476
Reaction score
751
Location
Portugal, Europe
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
No problem.

You can leave the UV on and dose the Bakto set when ever is most convenient for you.

Dino X can harm Urchins, Sea stars, and Clams so it would be best to remove them before the treatment. Also, make sure that you discontinue the use of carbon, gfo, trace elements, carbon dosing, and ozone. You can still continue dosing Calcium, Alk, and Mag. Take a look at the manual on our website for more information on dosing.

Trochus snails do a good job. Fighter conchs and sea hares are also effective.
Dear Fauna Marin, I know this is going to take long but thus far seems do not seem to be improving. Can I dose NOPOX (a form of Carbon dosing from Red Sea)? Now that I look back at this I believe that what might have happened was that by using NOPOX i striped the aquarium of NO3 and PO4, giving rise to that hazy algae film that was probably Dino's. However, at that time I did not have Green Hair Algae. Since I stopped NOPOX the dinoflagellates died out, creating a mat of organic matter on the rocks which now is fueling the den hair algae. So I wander if going back to dosing carbon would not help to get rid of the GHA while serving as a food source for the bacteria in Bakto blend and Bakto Therapie. Any thoughts or recommendations? Should I stop using NOPOX?

Thanks!
 

Fauna Marin

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 13, 2012
Messages
603
Reaction score
211
Location
Germany
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi VJV,

Your GHA sure is persistent. :)

Both products will need more than a month to reach full effectiveness. Since you've been dosing since April and conditions have not shown much improvement, you can increase the dosage of Therapie to 9 ml. The recommended dosage amounts found on the bottle is a starting point and can be adjusted to best suit your tank. Since every tank will have different needs, you can make small adjustments to these dosages as long as you keep a close eye on your corals.

Regarding NOPOX, it is difficult to say whether it will react negatively with our Bakto products so I wouldn't dose it. To play it safe, if the green hair algae remains unchanged after three more weeks at the higher dose, Dino X can be used. If you decide to go the Dino X route, please go to our website and read the full instructions.

When you pull on the algae to remove it, is it hard to pull or does it easily come off the rocks?

What are your current water parameters?
 
Back
Top