Algae ID?...Black beard?...IDK...Please help

[HybridHerp]

I mean, you can do a co2 thing, but I wouldnt on a tank like this since its just anubias. You don't have a lot of plants and imho I don't think its fully worth doing.

I only have co2 cause my tanks are high lighting and need it, and I keep my tanks stuffed with stem plants and the like.

 

[supanic4]

I mean, you can do a co2 thing, but I wouldnt on a tank like this since its just anubias. You don't have a lot of plants and imho I don't think its fully worth doing.

I only have co2 cause my tanks are high lighting and need it, and I keep my tanks stuffed with stem plants and the like.

In your previous post you said BBA generally means carbon deficiencies. Thus how can I check/correct this?...would a CO2 setup do this or is there another method?


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[supanic4]

Wow so I just realized that I've been using the comprehensive plant supplement for the past 6 months or so; rather than Flourish Excel. Im going to pick some excel up on my way home from work. Do you think I should just dose the tank with the recommended amount or put it in a liquid syringe thing and try to squirt it onto the BBA?...if I do this I feel like it'll almost be pointless as the strongest currents in the aquarium are by the biggest 'patches' of BBA. Any tips or ideas of how to get the Excel more focused on the BBA rather than just pouring in the recommended dose?

Lastly, does it make sense that me mistakenly using the comprehensive plant supplement vs Excel is reason for no progression towards stopping the BBA?


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[jstehman]

Draw up your Excel or h2o2 and squirt directly on affected areas during your water change. Filters and powerheads off so there is more "soak" time.

Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right.

 

[jstehman]

Reducing your photoperiod to 8 hours and more frequent water changes will help you control this algae.

Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right.

 

[HybridHerp]

I did mention co2, but since a co2 system that is safe is going to be a few hundred dollars...I don't think it's worth doing it unless you have more plants.

Tbh, I'd probably just do water changes and dose excel and keep excellent flow


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[MyGiants]

Just be careful with overdosing Excel it can kill your fish. Siamese Algae Eaters will also eat BBA. If you get fish that eat the algae you can't be feeding the tank fish food or they will just eat the food. You got to force them to eat only the algae till its gone. Then once they have a control on it and keep it away you can feed them. I think its a good idea to always keep algae eating fish in all planted tanks not just when you need them. I always start off with lots of Siamese Algae Eaters and Otos in my plant tanks. I never have algae problems where I keep lots of these fish from the start.

 

[Aquaticfan]

Lots of great info from several people.

They are correct. Its bba aka black beard algae.

It is a sign of carbon deficiency vs the amount of light. Your intensity and duration may be on the high side. As others have stated its hard to kill. Any leaves or stems its attached to need to be removed and tossed. They will never recover and are damaged. As far as the driftwood, I would recommend pulling it out and then using h2o2 at strength in the sink pouring it onto the effected areas and let it sit for 30 minutes. After that rinse it off very well. Then return it to the tank. Over the next few days it should change color to a pinkish red and die off. You can do the same to plants but use it in a short term bath for the plant. 5 minutes at a time. Or diluted for longer. H2o2 is cheaper to use then excel is gor this purpose. Use the excel in the tank.

Btw. If your interested in Co2 systems I can help you there as well. I'm a member from the planted tank that does co2 systems for others.

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