BBA treatment questions

[Reygan2]

I'm having a serious issue with BBA that's been worsening for quite some time. I'm almost to the "drain it and start over" point, but I can't bring myself to toss all of my plants yet. I've done a lot of reading on the h2o2/excel treatment and it sounds promising. My questions are, can I use my 50/50 glut mix rather than excel to finish off the algae and would I use the recommended (double) excel dose?

 

[Old Scales]

Some help, maybe.

I have found through experience that spot treatment with hydrogen peroxide is more affected than with glut. From your description you may want to consider whole tank treatment. Here is a link to some information about it. Hope this helps. OS.
The "One-Two Punch" Whole Tank Algae Treatment

 

[Reygan2]

I have found through experience that spot treatment with hydrogen peroxide is more affected than with glut. From your description you may want to consider whole tank treatment. Here is a link to some information about it. Hope this helps. OS.
The "One-Two Punch" Whole Tank Algae Treatment

Thanks, that's the exact thread I checked out. I will definitely have to do a whole tank treatment, it's far too out of hand to spot treat. If I'm not mistaken, the peroxide treatment weakens the BBA, then a subsequent dose of excel finishes it off. I was just curious if my glut mix would have the same effect as excel.

 

[Rivercats]

Excel and diluted Glut are approximately the same percent of Glut. Also you need to cut lighting back to 6 hours until all algae is gone. What is your lighting, tank size, and bulbs? Lighting duration and intensity often play a big role in algae issues.

 

[Reygan2]

Excel and diluted Glut are approximately the same percent of Glut. Also you need to cut lighting back to 6 hours until all algae is gone. What is your lighting, tank size, and bulbs? Lighting duration and intensity often play a big role in algae issues.

Hi!! I was hoping you'd chime in

The tank is a 40b dirted with eco complete cap. I have the 36" Finnex Fugeray fixture running for 8 hours a day. I'm having a hard time keeping nitrates at a good level. Most times I test I can barely get a reading, which I'm guessing contributes to the algae issue as well as inconsistent dosing of KNO3 to get the levels up. I just finished up a massive clean up, tossing the heavily infected plants, vacuuming lots of junk off the surface of the sub, and doing a wc. I bought a small bottle of excel with the intent of doing the double dose to knock it out, but I'm getting so much info on how much to dose, the danger to fauna and so many different methods it's mind blowing. I dose daily 2 capfuls of my 50/50 glut mix and while my plants show excellent growth, so does the BBA. Maybe I'm not dosing enough? The tank is very heavily planted. Any advice on my next course of action would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rivercats]

For starters drop your photoperiod to 6 hours daily until the algae issue is resolved. Spot treat the BBA with 1ml hydrogen peroxide 3% to every 1 gallon of water. Turn filters off before treating and leave off 20 minutes after treating. BBA will turn white, pink, or red usually within 24 hours which means it's dying. Then dose 1ml of glut to every 2 gallons of tank water daily.

Also what are you nitrate levels? I run my tanks at 10ppm.

 

[Reygan2]

Will do. Just to be sure, I am correctly diluting the glut right? I've read conflicting reports on the best water/glut mixture, so I just picked 50/50 and went with it.

My nitrates tend to read below 5. I'd like to keep them at 10 as well. I need to be more diligent about testing and dosing KNO3 until I find a balance.

So I treat with 3% peroxide, 40mls.

 

[Rivercats]

I do a 50/50 mix and it gives you a slightly higher dose than Excel. I've used it at this strength for years.

 

[Sk3lly]

When you use hydrogen peroxide as spot treatment must it always be at 3% strength?

 

[Reygan2]

When you use hydrogen peroxide as spot treatment must it always be at 3% strength?

Yes, that's probably the only factor that everyone seems to agree on

 

[Sk3lly]

Yes, that's probably the only factor that everyone seems to agree on

This is probably where i went wrong then. The stuff i got is 17% i think

 

[Rivercats]

The higher the percentage on the peroxide the less of it you can use.

 

[Sk3lly]

Yea i think this is where i went wrong. I also forgot to remove filter media so im back waiting for my BB to get up to speed again