Combating BBA

[CorallineAlgae]

How you setup your co2 system is really important when fighting BBA. Simply having it turn on with the lights isn't nearly as effective as turning it on a couple of hours before the lights. You really want the co2 to be built up before the lights first come on. Having the co2 level at full strength each morning is key.

Also, at least with some water systems, it's beneficial to mix RO water with your tap water and even use RO for top off.

Another thing to consider is you won't be saving much money on Excel until your BBA is gone for a while. You're still going to want to use it for spot treatment even with a co2 system. Once the algae is beaten and you don't need Excel, though, your co2 will start to pay for itself.

 

[fort384]

You can also use the Excel in a clean spray bottle. A light spray over the affected areas kills it fast. Don't over spray though, some plants die back for a bit.

Yup, that is a good way too, and will help you get rid of what you already have.

I still think though that if you continue to run your current lighting, the problem is not going to go away until you either reduce the lighting or add a CO2 system (or dose a whole bunch of excel, which as AC pointed out, isn't very economical in a tank of your size).

 

[blizowman1]

Would duckweed help the situation till I can get the system together and running

 

[fort384]

How you setup your co2 system is really important when fighting BBA. Simply having it turn on with the lights isn't nearly as effective as turning it on a couple of hours before the lights. You really want the co2 to be built up before the lights first come on. Having the co2 level at full strength each morning is key.

Yes, I agree with this for sure. It seems to help to have the water saturated as the photo period begins, rather than ramp it up through the first hour or 2 of the photoperiod. I have done it both ways, as well as with a pH controller. I would agree that a separate timer or pH controller is the way to go. You can also shut it off about an hour before the lights shut off... so you won't waste much CO2 at the end of the photoperiod.

 

[fort384]

Would duckweed help the situation till I can get the system together and running

Yes, if you had a lot of it to provide quite a bit of shade. Duckweed will help control excess nutrients and reduce the PAR to the plants (and more importantly algae) below.

 

[blizowman1]

Ok people here's the deal I went out bought a 5lb co2 tank a Milwaukee regulator, and an atomic diffuser from GLA. Set it up at about one bubble per second. Now I have water lettuce COVERING the whole top of my 90g and it's blocking ALOT of shade. Now I was thinking that this pressurized co2 was gonna take care of the bba, but it isn't it's still there and right now can't tell if it's staying the same or getting worse. I am thinking about over the next couple weeks taking out all of my floaters. Will the increase in like combined with the pressurized co2 help the plants out compete this bba? It's really getting on my nerves and I reLly wanna get it felt with.

 

[fort384]

What is your CO2 running at in ppm? You need it on the high end if it is going to help slow down the bba - I would recommend somewhere in the neighborhood of 40ppm for awhile. You will also want to trim/discard any leaves that are covered in the BBA, and spot treat other infected leaves with excel and a medicine dropper.

 

[xwesx1978]

I beat BBA with switching up my light schedule , I was running eight hours a day straight and BBA went crazy but then I broke up my light schedule to four hours on , four hours off then four hours on , My BBA disappeared in a few weeks after the switch but my plant growth stayed the same

 

[blizowman1]

I currently don't have a way to measure my ppm so I don't know I don't want to stay chopping leaves cause half of my plants would be gone.

 

[VOZIE]

I find CO2 to be a double edge sword. If it is not done right it causes more grief then not having it at all. I found that BBA was better combated by use of the lights. I cut out light and reduced it to about 6 hours a day. I reduced my feeding a little too and continue to do water changes every 4 days.

 

[fort384]

You might have to get rid of half your plants then. If the leaf is covered in BBA it is going to be next to impossible to bring it back.

 

[aqua_chem]

I've also heard that BBA damages the underlying leaf when it grows on it. You might consider trimming the affected areas and letting new growth replace it.


Also, past a fairly mild case of algae, you're not going to be able to fight BBA with just lighting changes. As far as CO2 goes, the risk is actually very minuscule if you act responsibly and know what you're doing. You can kill you fish with fish food too but no one considers it a double edged sword.

 

[blizowman1]

So aqua_chem what do you think my best bet against the bba is trim the plants and what else.... My co2 system has only been up for maybe a week and I'm planning on getting run of my floaters so I can get more plant growth and I don't dose and kind of ferts other than the occasional excel

 

[fort384]

I would crank up the co2. But you need to get some kind of idea of what the ppm dissolved co2 is. If you are running at less than 20ppm, it will make the BBA worse, not better. It needs to be up above 25, and ideally above 40 for awhile while you are fighting the bba.

 

[JimmyA]

Well, try a few ounces of hydrogen peroxide. Then make a water change the next day. Hard on plants but will kill BBA.

 

[fort384]

That can work if it is spot treated. It would most likely take several days of spot treating to make a dent though the way it sounds.

 

[JimmyA]

I just put in right in my tank. Changed 50% water next day. Some plants are stressed, but so was my dad when he used to get chemo.

 

[fort384]

H2o2 is far more effective if it is spot treated directly onto the affected areas. Just adding it to the water column would not have nearly the same effectiveness because h2o2 disassociates so quickly in water.

 

[JimmyA]

Problem is, once you get that algae growing its hard to control. Actually I had block dot algae, may not be the same, but that stuff spread everywhere, even on the rock substrate. Spot treating would be fruitless. It came on a plant from Petsmart. I now have good control except it looks like my javamoss has really taken a hit.

 

[VOZIE]

I've also heard that BBA damages the underlying leaf when it grows on it. You might consider trimming the affected areas and letting new growth replace it.

Also, past a fairly mild case of algae, you're not going to be able to fight BBA with just lighting changes. As far as CO2 goes, the risk is actually very minuscule if you act responsibly and know what you're doing. You can kill you fish with fish food too but no one considers it a double edged sword.

I agree that food is not considered a double edge sword however no food will kill your fish but no CO2 will not kill your plants. The point I am trying to make is that your plants will live without CO2 and will grow. This may not be at the lush green rate that co2 would provide but they are not going to die. However by using co2 incorrectly one ends up feeding things like algee or BBA. this is not what one invests there money in. Also using things such as fermenting co2 (water sugar and yeast) is so uncontrolable it's simply going to cause issues.

As for light not resolving BBA I would disagree. To much light causes algee and such things. By reducing the cause of the problem will reduce the problem. It has worked for me.