Fertilizer Question/BBA Issues

[abw0004]

Good morning all,

It has been a while since I have posted.

For the past 18 months I have had issues with BBA. To the point of where every single day I have to pick out substrate infected with it to boil it to kill it to keep the BBA from getting out of hand. I also have to pick off leaves. I am getting tired of doing this and it really has drained all of the fun out of my aquariums.

The last two months I thought that maybe my plants needed more fertilizer to be able to outgrow the BBA and take away it's food source. To be honest, before, the plants were not growing much before and the BBA was really winning the battle.

Before I was using GLA's PPS-Pro fertilizers, and CO-2 injection. Now I use that, plus Seachem Excel, Seachem Potassium, and Seachem Iron.

My question to you all: Do I need at add another fertilizer to the bank to give my plants a better shot at outcompeting the BBA? Strangely my shrimp tank has zero issues. I am desperately trying to get my planted tank back to where it was. Thank you.

Andrew

 

[Caliban07]

My advice is to get some mean surface agitation, do more water changes and don’t feed the inhabitants as much.

 

[abw0004]

My advice is to get some mean surface agitation, do more water changes and don’t feed the inhabitants as much.

Currently I do a 50% water change weekly, plus a major cleaning every six weeks (breaking down filters, etc.). I have always been worried about feeding my fish less because I have babies in there (I breed Black Bar Endlers). I always felt the babies needed to eat every day (I don't feed Saturdays though). Thoughts?

 

[Dallascowboys16]

Is your substrate really old? Sometimes I find that trapped excess organics in old substrate can also help BBA get a hold in our tanks. A good substrate cleaning could be in order.

 

[abw0004]

Is your substrate really old? Sometimes I find that trapped excess organics in old substrate can also help BBA get a hold in our tanks. A good substrate cleaning could be in order.

I would say it is three to four years old. It is the Seachem Flourite substrate. I do a decent job of vacuuming the top layer, but since it is planted I can't go much deeper.

 

[Caliban07]

I don’t think it’s a fertiliser issue. People get BBA in all kinds of situations and running parameters. Nobody actually knows what causes it.

Mine went away after months of the tank being set up. Then came back when I started adding extra food to feed my plants. I also added aeration at the time so the extra oxygen might have just released a bunch of things that were slowly being broken down when they all of a sudden started breaking down rapidly. But I also increased the light. Many things going on so can’t say.

I got rid of it by just leaving the tank alone without performing water changes (counter intuitive I know) I also got rid of Cyano this way. Recently I have been adding ferts because doing nothing was starving some of the plants and I like plants.

Adding ferts hasn’t brought back the BBA but it has brought back the Cyanobacteria ever so slightly. But I’ve also been doing water changes etc so it’s difficult to say why.

Wish I could offer more advice but there’s like a two part 20 something page long thread on BBA on another forum I frequent with many astute individuals including scientists and unfortunately, hypothesis was as good as it got.

 

[abw0004]

Wish I could offer more advice but there’s like a two part 20 something page long thread on BBA on another forum I frequent with many astute individuals including scientists and unfortunately, hypothesis was as good as it got.

Do you mind posting a link to that page? I would love to read it.

 

[Caliban07]

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/what-exactly-causes-bba.36674/

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/what-exactly-causes-bba-part-2-bacterial-imbalance.38375/