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Post by plantedrob on Mar 29, 2013 13:03:37 GMT -5
So I'm having problems with bba in my 75 planted. I run 2wpg light, 2 6500k and 2 4800k, dose twice a week seachem comprehensive, Florite substrate, Presurized co2 about 30ppm and all levels are normal. Going to start dosing exel for a week to try and combat it but I have to be carful because I have a lot of Val's. Also I run the lights for 6h a day. Does anyone have any other suggestions? It's really starting to drive me crazy.
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Post by guppyguy on Mar 29, 2013 13:10:37 GMT -5
If you have no loaches get nerite snails they eat all types of algae. And dose your sechem fert only once a week. I am algae free this works while still having very healthy plants.
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Post by plantedrob on Mar 29, 2013 13:14:47 GMT -5
I have loaches and nirite snails. I'll drop the dose wile I'm doing the exel.
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Post by guppyguy on Mar 29, 2013 13:19:33 GMT -5
Your loaches leave your nerite alone, that does not happen often. But that is cool. Ya best thing you can do lower your fert but also one more thing get a fast growing plant or moss to suck up extra nutrients in the tank to compete with the algae.
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Post by Rainbowfish Alan on Mar 30, 2013 6:55:03 GMT -5
I also have some horrible bba growing in my tank. Nasty stuff. I'm not an expert but I'll pass on the advice I got from others at APC and TPT from very experienced gardeners including Tom Barr and Wet (ei fert calculator fame)
I dose low light ei. Everyone said don't decrease ferts since you want excess. In fact a few said double P since that softens GSA allowing your critters to eat it ( and BBQ tends to grow on top of gsa).
Second increase CO2 as high and as consistent as you can safely go. This is the biggest factor for me personally.
My tank gets quite a lot of indirect afternoon light. I think that's a big contributor to my problem.
Keep the water moving to all parts of your tank. Keep filters clean. Weekly water changes.... as much as you can.
Excel, dose daily, and increase dose after PWC per instructions. When I boost excel after PWC, I first dilute it 50/50 then with the water level low and using a syringe I squirt over the tank structures where BBQ is the worst, trying to avoid direct plant contact. Doubling the daily dose may also help. Some people triple it. Yes..... Vals will suffer and also moss.
Finally trim your plants that have the worst BBQ, and scrub ornaments under running water.
Hope that helps. BBA is ugly stuff.
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Post by Admin on Mar 31, 2013 10:45:50 GMT -5
I also have some horrible bba growing in my tank. Nasty stuff. I'm not an expert but I'll pass on the advice I got from others at APC and TPT from very experienced gardeners including Tom Barr and Wet (ei fert calculator fame) I dose low light ei. Everyone said don't decrease ferts since you want excess. In fact a few said double P since that softens GSA allowing your critters to eat it ( and BBQ tends to grow on top of gsa). Second increase CO2 as high and as consistent as you can safely go. This is the biggest factor for me personally. My tank gets quite a lot of indirect afternoon light. I think that's a big contributor to my problem. Keep the water moving to all parts of your tank. Keep filters clean. Weekly water changes.... as much as you can. Excel, dose daily, and increase dose after PWC per instructions. When I boost excel after PWC, I first dilute it 50/50 then with the water level low and using a syringe I squirt over the tank structures where BBQ is the worst, trying to avoid direct plant contact. Doubling the daily dose may also help. Some people triple it. Yes..... Vals will suffer and also moss. Finally trim your plants that have the worst BBQ, and scrub ornaments under running water. Hope that helps. BBA is ugly stuff. +1 on this advice, spot treating with hydrogen proxide or excel works very well but it is a bandage solution, you got to find out whats at the core of the issue, I am also dealing with a BBA outbreak right now and it is a pain |
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Post by plantedrob on Mar 31, 2013 18:34:11 GMT -5
I think my problem is the ferts, was looking at ei dosing, think ill give it a try.
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dp
New Member
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Post by dp on Dec 21, 2014 22:11:54 GMT -5
Didn't want to start a new thread for this so just going to post here and hope people see it. I'm battling BBA at the moment and I'm having a heck of a time. There are some challenges to my set up that make it hard to combat in some of the more common ways suggested. I have a 110 Gallon tall tank with African Cichlids (mostly peacocks and haps). I've planted Amazon Swords and have a couple Anubias in there. They have actually been doing well (or were anyway - save for the shredding some of the leaves get from the africans) but with the unsightly BBA I fear for the life of my Anubias. I'll post some pictures. Anyway I have a high light load (3 48" Finnex LEDs - Ray2 Double Daylight, Ray2 Daylight+Actinic, Monster Ray). The tank has lights on from 4pm-12pm (maybe too much?). To combat I have begun doing a daily 2 capful dose of Flourish Excel. Prior to that I'd dose every other day or inconsistently... this may have been the cause of the BBA (inconsistent CO2). I am using Seachem Phosguard, Matrix, Purigen and Chemipure Elite in my filters. I also put in a UV light to combat algae spores but who knows if this is working (obviously not on this type of algae!) The challenges have been with the size and depth of the tank... I can't reach in there to spot treat anything (I do not think I'd ever buy a tank this deep again). I just can't... I have one of those gripper arms to move things around in there if I have to but reaching in to spray H2O2 or Excel on the plants every day is just too hard. I have 2 large bristlenose plecos in there but to be honest they don't seem to do much... and not much at all on the BBA. I broke down the other day and bought a chinese algae eater and put him in there hoping to just get something that will start munching on it (some people say they will eat it). I have no idea where I can get a siamese algae eater and if it will be able to fair well in a cichlid tank. I would be nervous putting nerite snails in a cichlid tank and I also have 3 clown loaches in there so... I do 40-50% water changes once a week. For filtration I have an eheim professional II canister filter, and 2 Aqueon 55/75 HOB filters. I also have an in-tank UV powerhead and a Hydor Koralia Nano 425 powerhead for water movement. I am thinking about taking the anubias out and doing an H2O2 dip but it will not fix the rest that is growing in the tank. I need to resolve the root issue. Should I decrease light? Increase it? Get a Co2 reactor to stabilize Co2? I am even considering doing a whole tank dose of H2O2 but I haven't been able to find good numbers on how much to do per gallon and at 110 gallons it might be a bit costly. Anyone have any ideas?  |
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Post by jeffyguy on Dec 22, 2014 5:56:52 GMT -5
Ever think of siamese algae eaters. I got 2 when I was experiencing the same problem and they cleared it up over night
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dp
New Member
Posts: 25
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Post by dp on Dec 22, 2014 10:24:29 GMT -5
Ever think of siamese algae eaters. I got 2 when I was experiencing the same problem and they cleared it up over night Who sells them? |
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Post by stevee on Dec 22, 2014 10:34:05 GMT -5
Ever think of siamese algae eaters. I got 2 when I was experiencing the same problem and they cleared it up over night Who sells them? I got mine from Ruffins but Aqua might have some. |
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Post by stevee on Dec 22, 2014 10:42:49 GMT -5
I got mine from Ruffins but Aqua might have some. make sure you do a little research on them so you know your getting a true Siamese algee eater there's a lot of lookalikes |
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Post by guppyguy on Dec 22, 2014 10:52:36 GMT -5
Seachem exel works for me every time. Put it in a syringe and dose directly at infected areas.
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Post by jeffyguy on Dec 22, 2014 20:05:01 GMT -5
Ruffin has true siamese algae eaters
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Post by jeffyguy on Dec 22, 2014 20:05:30 GMT -5
And probably the only store that does
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