Fuzzy black alage

[Mijo51380]

I'm starting to see black fuzzy algae growing on my java moss and driftwood how do I stop this before it gets out of hand

 

[Rivercats]

First can you post a picture so the algae can be correctly identified? Also what type lighting and bulbs are on the tank? How many hours a day do you run them? What is your nitrate and phosphate levels? WC schedule?

A lot of the time algae grows in a tank because lighting is left run too long daily. When dealing with algae you need to only run lights 6 hours max and once it's gone slowly raise your time weekly usually to a max of about 8 hours.

Also depending on the type of algae you can probably spot treat it. But the problem that caused the algae in the first place needs to be corrected or algae will just keep returning.

 

[Mijo51380]

It's a 55 gallon a got a oddysea quad t5 HO with 6700k bulbs lights were on for 12 hours but I dropped it down to 6 hours nitrates 0-0.5 phosphate I don't know how to check but will be buying a test kit next week I do 30 to 40 water changes every week I was doseing flourish com and flourish iron once a week but stop and now just have root tabs I will post a pic when I get home after work but it looks like blue black fuzzy balls of algae

 

[aqua_chem]

Are you doing co2 or Excel? That's a lot of light for the setup otherwise. It sounds like you're describing BBA, which would fit.

 

[Mijo51380]

I am dosing co2 with off of a paintball tank run off of a pinpoint controller set about 6.8- 6.9

 

[Mijo51380]

I was looking online and that's what it looks like is black beard algae I would hate to cut it off the plants they just started to grow really good

 

[Rivercats]

You need to be dosing your ferts and since you have high light and CO2 you really need to look into dosing dry ferts either PPS-Pro or El regime. Cutting down the light hours will help a lot.

You can spot treat the BBA with Excel or Hydrogen Peroxide 3%. Turn off your filters, pull up 1-3ml Peroxide or Excel to every 1 gallon of tank water in a syringe. Slowly squirt the BBA as close to it as possible. Leave filters off 20 minutes. Usually within 24 hours the BBA will start turning white, red, or pink which means it beginning to die. If you have a lot you may have to treat an area a day. This is the standard spot treating dosage but on rare occasion stock can have an adverse reaction to the Peroxide, and I mean rarely. Just want you to know that.

 

[Mijo51380]

Yeah there's a few things I need to get dry frets a drop checker and a test kit to check the frets

 

[Mijo51380]

So should I still be dosing with frets won't the algae get worse. I'm going to have to wait on the dry frets for a few weeks

 

[Mijo51380]

 

[Mijo51380]

I know it's hard to see but this is the best pic of it the little black spot under the shrimp

 

[Rivercats]

I see it and it appears to be BBA. Do the spot treating and lower lights to 6 hours for now. And actually not dosing ferts for the plants will give the algae a leg up. It may be hard to believe but it's not the ferts causing the algae. So get back to dosing them.

 

[Mijo51380]

Ok thank you

 

[Mijo51380]

I will treat the bba there is green spot algae all over my driftwood I think it gives it a natural look to the aquarium is this a problem or can I just leave it there