Can someone please tell me how to get this **** black algae off my plants?

[NJ Devils Fan]

I have black algae all over my plants and I don't know why. I even cut some anacharis that had absolutely no algae on it and planted it, and within a few days, it had the black algae. How can I remove it?

p.h.- 7
gh- 7
kh-4
light- 160 watts-2 6500k bulbs, 2 5000k bulbs
CO2- about 12 ppm

[ChilDawg]

This thread (http://www.badmanstropicalfish.com/mb/mb95.html) might help.

[plantbrain]

Use sound like a DIY CO2 user and your CO2 levels need to be 2x what you have.

This is the main cause for 99% of the BBA issues.
Work on this.

Then, you can also work on keeping a decent amount of nutrients by adding KNO3, K2SO4, KH2PO4 and traces. Just four things. That will cover the nutrients.

For a routine for this:
55 gallon tank:

50% weekly water changes
Add 3/4 teaspoon K2SO4 once a week after water change
Add 1/2 teaspoon KNO3 2x a week
Add 10mls of traces 2x a week
Add 2-4 rice grain's worth of KH2PO4 2x a week

Repeat weekly.

Keep the CO2 in the 20-30ppm range and keep it there.
If it drops down too low during the light period, you will get BBA again and again.

Grow the plants well and you can trim off the BBA.
You will want to trim it off, maybe peroxide or bleach some parts that you don't want to trim off on some tough leaved plants, The Elodea will melt if you try dipping it in bleach etc. It's cheap fast growing etc, just trim this.

Then after you spend some time trimming all you can, then do the water change and correct the problems.

pH should be in the 6.6-6.7 range the whole light period long.
After a few weeks and if all is going well, add 3x a week the traces, KH2PO4 and the KNO3.

This is standard procedure for most algae issues.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[NJ Devils Fan]

Thanks for the info tom. So, I should add the following
seachem products:

Flourish Trace
Flourish Phosphorus
Flourish Potassium

[djlen]

Save yourself some money:
Fleet's Enema for PO4
NuSalt (KCl) for Potassium
Use SeaChem Flourish instead of "Trace". "Trace" is too watered down.
Len