Does BBA = Armageddon?

[Vmax911]

I've noticed a few tufts of BBA growing on some driftwood and large rocks in my tank. I didn't think too much about it until I started reading about BBA, and found that is seems to destroy all plantlife and will never, ever go away regardless of what I try to do to control it. So it would seem that the tank I have have for a month is now on its way to a painful death.

As you might have guessed, all the posts I have read have been rather negative. Anyone have any experience with keeping BBA in check, or even eliminating it without destroying your whole tank? I finally got my plant order in yesterday and spent a lot of time aquascaping. I was really enjoying the tank until I read that I may have to pull all the plants, bleach dip them, toss the substrate, toss the driftwood, etc. Is there any hope?

 

[rkilling1]

the easiest thing to do with the driftwood and rocks is to pull them out and pour H2O2 on them. let them sit for a minute or two and them rinse em off and put em back in the tank. within a couple of the days the BBA will die off. Any effected plants should have thier leaves removed.

since you have a low light tank. you shouldn't have too much of a problem with BBA. just get as much of it out of your tank as possible and keep an eye on it.

 

[dapellegrini]

I still have a good amount of BBA on some of my driftwood, and every now and then I see some on the top of my Val or in my gravel. I have been meaning to clean it up a bit but haven't gotten to it as it doesn't seem to be spreading. I just trim it off the val and push any infected pieces of gravel deep into the substrate. I think most of it is now dead (a red color, where it used to be very black) with high CO2 injection and balanced ferts.

If not kept in check it can really get bad, but if you can get your water balanced correctly, it shouldn't be a problem. I have never completely gotten rid of it since I had a first bout more than 7 years ago in my tank.

Just the same, I would clean up what you can, especially if it looks like it is growing or spreading.

I have also heard that others have had success using Excel baths (diluted in water) to effectively remove it from plant leaves, etc.

 

[Vmax911]

So there is hope then. Honestly, I don't mind the look of it, kind of nice to have a couple tufts on the driftwood. But I would be very concerned if it spreads to the plants and starts covering them. Should I try to snuff out every spot I see, or just the parts I don't like.

Also, when adding the new plants I inserted some root tabs. I was planning on starting to dose the water column with Flourish Comprehensive as well. Should I hold off on this in order to not feed the algae?

Thanks for the rays of hope!

 

[rkilling1]

Any effected plants should have thier leaves removed.

LOL

let me rephrase that. any leaves that are effected should be removed.

 

[Vmax911]

let me rephrase that. any leaves that are effected should be removed.

What! I just finished pulling every single leaf off about 15 plants. Now what should I do with all these roots?!

Just kidding of course

 

[dapellegrini]

If it is alive, it will spread, but not overnight. You would be best to control it be removing it when you see it. From past experience, it doesn't seem to attach to all plants. More on the Val, Swords and Java Ferns than anything else for me in the past. It never really affected my Crypts for example. That doesn't mean that it won't decimate yours though... And when it does attach to a plant you will have to remove those parts.

It guess I would say that all hope is not lost, and you don't need to freak out, but you also should not be too comfortable with it in your tank with other plants... Best bet is to get your plants to out compete it for nutrients with ferts, co2, etc. I have heard that it thrives in iron-rich, low-light environments with slow growing plants...

 

[rkilling1]

My recommendations are based on my setup and experiences. From what you are running I would seriously look into Excel overdosing before anything else. There is already a thread started on here about this very subject refering to this method. Use the search and you will find many others. It has been used on here many other times to combat BBA with success.

People are starting to experiment with low doses of H2O2 with great results also. Some not so well. With H2O2 dosing, seems best so far to spot dose or remove the fish and dose the whole tank.

Bleach dip works for plants that are effected by dipping them is a solution that is 20:1 dilute bleach. that is non sented bleach.

 

[Vmax911]

I would like to try the excel OD. However, I have a lot of corkscrew val and no other place to put them. Maybe I will have to dig up the tank and pull the rocks and wood <sigh>.

 

[fish_4_all]

Well my experience with BBA is the fact it is annoying and not much more. The tips of vals get it. My Anubias has a little, there is a little here and there in my tubing and the glass but it has never killed a plant. Mine never gets out of control and once a week I cut off the leaves that are infected and go on with life. Just keep your tanks balanced and you shouldn't have a huge problem with it. It is an eyesore but easily managed in my eperiences with it.

 

[Vmax911]

Thanks for all the advice so far. I think I will try to spot treat with H2O2. Luckily I only have about 5 or so tufts to worry about, so I want to eliminate it before it starts spreading.

 

[7Enigma]

I started a thread a while ago where we sucessfully used hydrogen peroxide/bleach to rid our tanks of BBA and staghorn algae. I had great sucess removing plants covered and 1:20 bleach dipping them for 2 minutes, as well as spot treatment with hydrogen peroxide in the tank with fish.

I did not remove leaves as this was an experiment to see if you can effectively kill these types of algae with no loss to the plant. My anubias never had a leaf removed and was covered in staghorn and some BBA, and is not doing great. I just recently (months after treating) removed 1 leaf because it was covering some newer leaves but that's it.

Bottom line is, you need to first fix any light/fert imbalances and then treat the algae. This combined approach will allow you to beat the algae back while also saving your plants (and your sanity).

I'd recommend on fast growers to remove any leaves with BBA on them, slower growers I'd either spot treat with peroxide (do not do this without getting EXACT instructions) if you cannot remove the plant easily from the tank, or a diluted bleach dip bath if the plant can be easily removed. Bleach/peroxide are guaranteed methods of killing the algae, the care is in keeping the rest of the plant/fish/inverts healthy during this treatment phase.

Goodluck!

EDIT:

Vmax911,

If you are going to try the peroxide treatment heed these instructions please:

-keep the lights on in the tank

-the MAX amount of peroxide in the tank should be no more than 1 oz per 10gallons, safer to be on the 1 oz per 20gallons or less side however (especially if you have more fragile fish). Spot treatment should use much less than these maximums however...

-When I spot treated I used a pipet (you can use a turkey baster or other exact tool) to apply the peroxide directly the affected areas. I turn off all filters/powerheads etc. and keep the fish away. I allowed the peroxide to sit on the leaves for 30-45 seconds and then immediately turned the filters/PH on full blast. Any longer and you can start to damage the plant tissue.

 

[JDogg]

Some not so well.

take the fish out of the tank before you use peroxide, it kills...

 

[maxwell1295]

Hmmm.....I may try that. I use a meat injector (minus the needle) instead of a turkey baster. I should be able to target specific areas in the tank that way. Good tip.....thanks!

 

[7Enigma]

Hmmm.....I may try that. I use a meat injector (minus the needle) instead of a turkey baster. I should be able to target specific areas in the tank that way. Good tip.....thanks!

Yup, that's the best way to spot treat. Requires much less peroxide than treating the whole tank, and keeps it full strength right at the site of algae.

 

[Zezmo]

1oz/10 gallons is an amount I have seen recomended on treating with peroxide. I wuld say that is way on the max side. More like 2tsp/10 gallons is a more conservative approach. Also, a shot glass is not 1oz. A shot is 1.5 oz.

Excel is 1000% safer than peroxide to use. The only concern being if you have Vals, Riccia, or Pelia. Thing is, using excel daily will melt those plants. But to kill BBA, you will rarely need more than 2 spot treaments. You can turn off the pumps, spot treat with Excel. Do a water change a few hours later. Then do this again 3-4 days later. You will kill the BBA, not kill your fish, and the Vals will not get enough exposure to Excel to harm them.

If you have BBA, the cause is low CO2, or your circulation is not good enough to get the CO2 you have where it is needed. Is the BBA grwoing on leaves that are in dead spots in the current? Then add a Powerhead to increase circulation. If your BBA is already gently waving in the current, then you just need more CO2. Riding your self of BBA means fixing the source of the problem, and removing/killing what is there.

 

[macfisto]

Hello,

I have BBA all over my tank (plants, gravel, driftwood, heater, etc.). Zezmo has just stated that the cause of BBA is low CO2. I have a 55-gallon tank and am in a very low-light situation (two 15-watt NO fluorescent bulbs in the hoods that came with the tank). I would assume this would mean that I would not need CO2, correct? My plants obviously grow very slowly, but that is OK with me. I just want to be rid of the BBA. I tried Excel once, but it killed all of my jungle val, so I’m not a big fan of that route. Up until a couple days ago, I had my lights on for 13 hours a day. I have since cut that back to 12 hours. Does anyone think the 13 hours of light per day could have caused the BBA? Any suggestion would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[7Enigma]

With no CO2, the long lighted period could in fact be a cause for the BBA. I would cut back to 8-10 hours for a week or two and see what happens. Is the tank exposed to any direct sunlight?

 

[Purrbox]

Low fluctuating CO2 levels is one of the main causes of BBA, however it is not the only cause. Especially in low light tanks where CO2 injection is not being used, then you need to look at the other causes. Nutrients bottoming out and/or poor flow in the tank are some other possible culprits.

 

[Vmax911]

Update: Bought some new H2O2 from the drugstore. Also got a free 1mL syringe. I applied 1mL to the four tuft of BBA I saw, and had the Python siphoning slowly as it was applied (you guys made me paranoid). Five hours later the four tufts have all turned blood red, which I believe is a good thing!

I also began to dose Flourish comprehensive, hoping to give the new plants a chance to compete with the algae. No fish deaths, nothing seeming out of the ordinary. I am pleased, thanks for all the guidance!