BBA?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Cohenjl13

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jun 24, 2017
Messages
249
My 40g planted tank smells like wet dirt, if that means anything to anyone and I believe this BBA is growing everywhere.

Just wanted to make sure it was because it does look a little longer and the smell.
IMG_0377.jpg
 
I spy bba and cyano on the substrate. Tell us all about the tank. Everything. More details, better we can help
 
I spy bba and cyano on the substrate. Tell us all about the tank. Everything. More details, better we can help



40g
Lights 350 lm x3, currently saving up for better lights. (See link at bottom) on from 8am until 6 pm but the tank is in a light room most the time
Substrate - Fluval Spectrum
Temp ~72
Fluval 350 Filter with no carbon, just media and purigen
Weekly dose of ThriveS
No added CO2 at this time, once I get a better light system I will get a Co2 system


NilocG Aquatics Aquarium Fertilizer Shrimp Specific | ThriveS All In One Liquid Fertilizer (500ml) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XK816RT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_hQ5zBbD404244


LE GU10 LED Bulbs, 50W Halogen Bulbs Equivalent, 3W, 350lm, Non-Dimmable, 120° Beam Angle, MR16, LED Light Bulbs, Pack of 6 Units (Warm White) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EWBZLBK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_NK5zBb953E544
 
Sorry it took so long but I wanted to get a picture of the tank so you could see. The 3 lights are spread across the top, do you think I should remove the middle light then?IMG_0378.jpg
 
Sorry it took so long but I wanted to get a picture of the tank so you could see. The 3 lights are spread across the top, do you think I should remove the middle light then?View attachment 309987


your tank has turned out wonderfully. im thinking its the lights you have. those are warm white lights with a kelvin rating of 2700. those arent really any good for plants. they will grow them but not as well as if they were 6500k. im thinking those lights are doing better for the algae and not so for the plants. also thinking you arent getting enough circulation with the way you have your filter setup. i could be wrong and hopefully others will correct me if i am.
 
I have been saving to get new lights, the set up right now only works for GU10 bulbs so it’s hard to get 6500. Also on the far left top corner is a tiny black pump to help move the water. The main issue is how much algae is growing and the dam plants in the front were supposed to stay low lol.

Ps thank you for the complement! I have put much love into it!
 
I have been saving to get new lights, the set up right now only works for GU10 bulbs so it’s hard to get 6500. Also on the far left top corner is a tiny black pump to help move the water. The main issue is how much algae is growing and the dam plants in the front were supposed to stay low lol.

Ps thank you for the complement! I have put much love into it!


nah not at all hard to find :) https://www.amazon.com/SODIAL-GU10-...TF8&qid=1533584632&sr=8-2&keywords=gu10+6500k


i did see the little pump in the corner. i used one just like that and i hated it. mainly because there isnt a way to make a prefilter for it and my snails would get in it and jam it. also the suction cups on mine were terrible. i would come in everyday to find it just flopping around in the corner of the tank.
 
nah not at all hard to find [emoji4] https://www.amazon.com/SODIAL-GU10-...TF8&qid=1533584632&sr=8-2&keywords=gu10+6500k


i did see the little pump in the corner. i used one just like that and i hated it. mainly because there isnt a way to make a prefilter for it and my snails would get in it and jam it. also the suction cups on mine were terrible. i would come in everyday to find it just flopping around in the corner of the tank.



Lol I don’t have snails and the shrimps stay away, I also have it jimmy rigged to stay.

I looked for DAYS trying to find a stupid 65k light lol I have some anger towards you!

Edit: Should I only get one now and place it in the middle? I’m worried it’ll look odd then
 
Lol I don’t have snails and the shrimps stay away, I also have it jimmy rigged to stay.

I looked for DAYS trying to find a stupid 65k light lol I have some anger towards you!

Edit: Should I only get one now and place it in the middle? I’m worried it’ll look odd then


you definitely can. at 6500k its going to add more blueish of a color to the tank so it probably will take a bit for your eyes to adjust. some people even mix their lights with 3000k and 6500k or 10000k to get the orangish/yellow look and still have lights that are at the better kelvin range for plants. also do more amazon searches for "gu10 3w 6500k bulb". you might be able to find some a little cheaper than the one i listed. i just grabbed the first one that came up to show they are out there. you can also get 5000k bulbs that stay a a little more on the yellow side and are still good for plants.


oh i also meant to ask. what are the plants up front that were supposed to stay short? one reason plants can grow taller than expected is because they are stretching up for the light. maybe you dont have enough light hitting them? maybe even try a 6w bulb in the middle and see if that section of plants stays shorter. just a thought.
 
Last edited:
I’ll defiantly swap the lights out, I can put the brighter one in he Middle with the full ones on the outside to see how it works.

As for the plants it’s supposed to be glosso but I donno, I have always just assumed it was because of the low lighting though

Homedeco Aquarium Glossostigma Hemianthus Callitrichoides Seeds Water Grass Easy Aquatic Live Plant Fish Tank Decoration Landscape Ornament https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072Q4CLKN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_8BwABb4D235B4
 
Side note, do I have to have moss fully submerged? I wanted to grow some moss on the back left wall where the water flows
 
Those seeds are *NOT* carpet plants. I got rooked by that deal from Amazon, too. They grow up to be some kind of hygrophila species, most of the time. I've got one in my garage/growout tank that is now emersed about 15" tall and has side stems shooting off it. So *NOT* glosso!

That being said you can still trim those down if you want. They'll get bushier.

Low-light carpets are tough. You might get staurogyne to grow. Sagittaria willl grow in very densely given enough time to make lots of runners.

Lighting is a really really difficult thing to come to grips with. The kelvin rating, as far as I understand it, has more to do with how the light looks to us than which wavelengths are being emitted. There was a very comprehensive writeup in the Aquatic Gardeners journal last issue. Still broke my brain trying to comprehend those color-intensity plots. I'm so not a physics-minded person.

The practical way that I've tried to look at lighting for comparison is to look at the actual wavelengths that various types of chlorophyll absorb. Then compare that to what the manufacturer says the light puts out for wavelengths. If it's got the right spikes, then it's down to preference for K rating as that affects us more than the plants.

Keep in mind that I'm NOT saying Kelvin has nothing to do with appropriateness for plants. I am saying that in real life, per the Aquatic Gardener article, the same location will have various K readings throughout the day from our sun, changes due to weather, etc.

If you want a much more easily understood discussion of lighting, start with this: https://barrreport.com/articles/light-in-planted-tanks.48/

In my experience having used several different manufacturer's lights (mainland, BuildMyLED, Finnex, and MarsAqua), I get good growth no matter what. The differences are in what I can SEE -- how the colors in the tanks look and how the plants look under those lights. Fish, too.

Goatnad is right about 6500k being 'just like the sun' and is a commonly used way to approximate a 'good' light spectrum. I'm just not sure how much it -really- matters. :)
 
Those seeds are *NOT* carpet plants. I got rooked by that deal from Amazon, too. They grow up to be some kind of hygrophila species, most of the time. I've got one in my garage/growout tank that is now emersed about 15" tall and has side stems shooting off it. So *NOT* glosso!



That being said you can still trim those down if you want. They'll get bushier.



Low-light carpets are tough. You might get staurogyne to grow. Sagittaria willl grow in very densely given enough time to make lots of runners.



Lighting is a really really difficult thing to come to grips with. The kelvin rating, as far as I understand it, has more to do with how the light looks to us than which wavelengths are being emitted. There was a very comprehensive writeup in the Aquatic Gardeners journal last issue. Still broke my brain trying to comprehend those color-intensity plots. I'm so not a physics-minded person.



The practical way that I've tried to look at lighting for comparison is to look at the actual wavelengths that various types of chlorophyll absorb. Then compare that to what the manufacturer says the light puts out for wavelengths. If it's got the right spikes, then it's down to preference for K rating as that affects us more than the plants.



Keep in mind that I'm NOT saying Kelvin has nothing to do with appropriateness for plants. I am saying that in real life, per the Aquatic Gardener article, the same location will have various K readings throughout the day from our sun, changes due to weather, etc.



If you want a much more easily understood discussion of lighting, start with this: https://barrreport.com/articles/light-in-planted-tanks.48/



In my experience having used several different manufacturer's lights (mainland, BuildMyLED, Finnex, and MarsAqua), I get good growth no matter what. The differences are in what I can SEE -- how the colors in the tanks look and how the plants look under those lights. Fish, too.



Goatnad is right about 6500k being 'just like the sun' and is a commonly used way to approximate a 'good' light spectrum. I'm just not sure how much it -really- matters. :)



Advice on a way to remove it without causing to much of a mess?
 
Moss will grow anywhere it stays wet. I have some growing on a piece of wood that goes up above the water line in a small tank. I pinned it in place just at and above the waterline with straight pins. It will eventually attach.

BBA can be killed wth peroxide. I use a syringe and very gently squirt a small amount onto the algae underwater. Have my circulation pumps off so the peroxide will stay right where I put it (mostly) and kill the algae. You do have to be careful about how much peroxide you use at one time though. I can’t remember the max safe dose Pet volume of water though. Have to search for it. Probably should shut off the filter for a bit too; peroxide is bad for beneficial bacteria. I think that’s less of an issue with the spot treating in small amounts than it is for a full-tank treatment. I don’t recommend the full tank treatment if you’re new to planted tanks and/or fish.

I have also taken plants out of the water and put them in a peroxide bath for 1-2 minutes. Then back into the tank. Some plants are damaged by this but most like java fern tolerate it very well.

Dying algae turns white or red or gray after being treated. You may have to dip/treat an area more than once.

If you haven’t been testing your water parameters, definitely do so with a liquid/drop test kit like the Freshwater Master Test Kit. I bought a separate Phosphorus test kit to monitor that as well. I do find that high P grows algae in my tanks. These numbers are helpful to give you guidance about making plants grow more happily.

YMMV; test slowly and carefully with the peroxide and have water available for an emergency change if you see your fish getting stressed.
 
Advice on a way to remove it without causing to much of a mess?

Grab a stem and very slowly start pulling up on it and slightly wiggling it back and forth. Once the roots are slightly exposed cut them off. It will still make some mess but not something a good siphon and water change can't solve. Also if you have extra sand or gravel or whatever you used as a cap then pour a little more in on top of where the plants were to fill back in and cover the roots that were left. If you don't want to leave any roots then just keep pulling and shaking until the whole plant is uprooted. Its going to make more of a mess.
 
Last edited:
Grab a stem and very slowly start pulling up on it and slightly wiggling it back and forth. Once the roots are slightly exposed cut them off. It will still make some mess but not something a good siphon and water change can't solve. Also if you have extra sand or gravel or whatever you used as a cap then pour a little more in on top of where the plants were to fill back in and cover the roots that were left. If you don't want to leave any roots then just keep pulling and shaking until the whole plant is uprooted. Its going to make more of a mess.

Good advice. :)
 
Grab a stem and very slowly start pulling up on it and slightly wiggling it back and forth. Once the roots are slightly exposed cut them off. It will still make some mess but not something a good siphon and water change can't solve. Also if you have extra sand or gravel or whatever you used as a cap then pour a little more in on top of where the plants were to fill back in and cover the roots that were left. If you don't want to leave any roots then just keep pulling and shaking until the whole plant is uprooted. Its going to make more of a mess.



Ok so yea, that’s what I was planning on doing. Next big trimming I will clear them out and add an updated picture hopefully with new lights as well!
 
Back
Top Bottom