My Amazon Swordplant has this slow growing black algae on it that is driving me crazy. It takes about 2 weeks to infest a leaf bad enough to pull it. This tank has never had any real algae problem but this algae has decided to spread to my valisneria and bannana plant. I have some green spot algae but other than that, the situation is rather balanced. 2.5 wpg with DIY CO2. I does with K and Seachem Flourish weekly. Nitrates are usually around 20 ppm before a waterchange and 15 ppm after. This algae is flat against the plant and comes off if I scrape the leaf with my fingernail. I assume that it is some form of red algae. Any idea how to rid myself of it?
Slow Growing Black Algae
- Thread starter rrkss
- Start date
Sounds like a bba. But you have left out a lot of information.
What is your tank size?
I do not see that you dose PO4, and your NO3 could probably be a little
higher. Increasing your PO4 will help with the green spot algae.
What is your ppm of CO2?
In a planted tank, bba, is almost always a CO2 issue. You will need to increase your CO2 until it stops spreading and in the meantime prune and preen as much of it out of the tank as you can.
More information from you will help others be more focused on your problem
Jay
What is your tank size?
This does not convey balance to me.
I do not see that you dose PO4, and your NO3 could probably be a little
higher. Increasing your PO4 will help with the green spot algae.
What is your ppm of CO2?
In a planted tank, bba, is almost always a CO2 issue. You will need to increase your CO2 until it stops spreading and in the meantime prune and preen as much of it out of the tank as you can.
More information from you will help others be more focused on your problem
Jay
I've read that adjusting the timer to interupt the lighting for 2 hours mid day will harm this type of algae. Would something like lights on 9:00-1:00, lights off 1:00-3:00, and lights on 3:00-11:00 be a viable option or is this likely going to cause more problems than it solves?
I believe light interuption helps indirectly by allowing the [CO2] concentration to rise , thus promoting better plant growth once the light is restarted after the 2 to 3 hour pause during mid-day. In theory, by providing higher [CO2] in an ideal system (i.e. proper lighting and sufficient macro/micro nutrient levels), the healthy plants out compete the algae by depleting the water column of excess nutrient and ultimately starve the BBA. Try adding some fast growing plants (preferably ones not infected with BBA) to your system (wisteria/ludwigea) and if your lucky enough to find some SAE, they'll actually eat the stuff. Prune and preen the affected leaves as well. Good luck and keep us posted and pass on what you have learned.
Hmm not really. The trick is sufficient quantity of CO2, which is stable throughout the photo period. DIY in a 55 gal is tough. You are not going to starve bba as it requires far fewer nutrients than the plants. You need more co2, at least 25 ppm, or more, consistently. Your lights on time is IMO too long now.
You are not going to hurt anything with a little PO4. Remember it is NPK that are your macros.
Your ferts are not balanced, your CO2 is too low and probably inconsistent, and in a planted tank the algae love you. :clap: especially the bba kind.
Jay
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well I can't get a SAE in this tank. I have a rainbow shark in there and they would fight each other and bully each other. Probably the rainbow would be the one bullying the SAE because he is almost fully grown. I'll try reducing teh photoperiod by 2 hours giving a 10 hour photoperiod. Maybe the 2 hour interuption mid day would work for me so that I can still enjoy the tank later in the evening. Maybe if I add another DIY CO2 to the tank, I can increase CO2 concentration. Bottled CO2 is not an option right now as I am in between jobs and living off of my investment income. Would bleach dipping the infected plants or using pottasium permangeate be a viable option? Would some phosphoric acid be a good way to increase phosphate concentration. Fleet Enema is a somewhat embarrasing product to buy.
QUOTE: [Hmm not really. The trick is sufficient quantity of CO2, which is stable throughout the photo period]. Jay, I agree with your statement and stated the need for CO2 in my response. I was simply theorizing why interupting the light during the mid-day might improve plant growth while adversely affecting BBA growth especially in a system with borderline [CO2] by allowing a stable [CO2] during the photo period albiet interupted. Perhaps you have done control studies to see if there is/isn't any validity in the benifits of light interupttion on plant growth in a system with borderline CO2 concentrations. I have not and therefore would be reckless in denouncing the possible benifits. rrks, I am curious where you obtain this information? rrks, I agree that you should check the PO4 first since this rarely is the limiting nutrient( it is abundant in fish food) in a planted aquariumw/fish...but it is certainly possible. Jay is correct, both plants and algae need basically the the things...just in different quantities..that is the crux of the algae problem...If there is an imbalance the algae is opportunistic and will prevail. Algae obtains nutients via the water column and plants do the same as well as through their roots. Excess nutrients in the water column favors algae growth (faster growing plants may help keep this in check if this is a problem). rrks, this site explains it nicely http://www.plantgeek.net/article_viewer.php?... I hope things work out. I too have a 55g aquarium with a lush growth of a variety of plants using a DIY CO2 system (my [CO2] is 20, nitrates 15,wpg 3.5) I also interrupt my lighting in order not to exceed the 12 hours/d and thus allowing me to view my fish when I return from work late at night. I also am a minimalist when it comes to monitoring the specific nutients...I just check the nitrates and half the recommended dose of Flourish(based on advice from aricles I've read)...so goodluck! Here is another website to deal with BBA http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/red-algae.html
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