Well misery doesn't love company. I feel for TankGirl having to break down her tank as evidenced in this thread. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=65951&start=20
I'm looking for a practical solution to solving this problem and breaking down my tank(s) doesn't seem practical. What does is to find the correct nutrient levels and work towards achieving that.
The problem I'm having is that with all of the research and reading I've done, it doesn't seem like anyone has a handle on how it is ultimately controlled. To make matters worse, much of the information is contradictory which makes me speculate that we aren't dealing with one species of algae, but several species. Some say control is achieved through high CO2 and high pH. Others say high NO3 and high PO4 is the problem. Still others say it thrives in low NO3.
My BBA is in 3 seperate planted tanks all with different nutrient levels. Obviously I've cross pollenated these, but the point is the BBA is thriving in a vast variety of conditions. My discus tanks with no plants have no BBA. Hmmm.
One article went on to say that after driftwood was treated with bleach several times. Left out to sun dry between treatments, and placed back in a completely sterile tank, the BBA began to reappear in a few weeks. Can the spores of this stuff really be that tenecious?
Something must be out there that will kill this scourge and prevent it's return. I'm not going to throw out over 200lbs of eco-complete, along with filters, driftwood and filter hoses. I'll keep you posted and start a log on each of my three planted tanks.
I'm looking for a practical solution to solving this problem and breaking down my tank(s) doesn't seem practical. What does is to find the correct nutrient levels and work towards achieving that.
The problem I'm having is that with all of the research and reading I've done, it doesn't seem like anyone has a handle on how it is ultimately controlled. To make matters worse, much of the information is contradictory which makes me speculate that we aren't dealing with one species of algae, but several species. Some say control is achieved through high CO2 and high pH. Others say high NO3 and high PO4 is the problem. Still others say it thrives in low NO3.
My BBA is in 3 seperate planted tanks all with different nutrient levels. Obviously I've cross pollenated these, but the point is the BBA is thriving in a vast variety of conditions. My discus tanks with no plants have no BBA. Hmmm.
One article went on to say that after driftwood was treated with bleach several times. Left out to sun dry between treatments, and placed back in a completely sterile tank, the BBA began to reappear in a few weeks. Can the spores of this stuff really be that tenecious?
Something must be out there that will kill this scourge and prevent it's return. I'm not going to throw out over 200lbs of eco-complete, along with filters, driftwood and filter hoses. I'll keep you posted and start a log on each of my three planted tanks.