This is BBA - isn't it? :(

[illiswiller]

Hi I've searched the forum and read the couple links on red algae.....I just want to double check w/ you all.....this is BBA isn't it? (attached pix)

[/IMG]

I got my first group of plants for this tank (1 anubias and a ton of java fern) from the woman I bought my angels from (she's a local breeder)...and they all came w/ this black stuff.

I didn't want to think about it till I got my water chemisitry (KH and everything straightened out) and all my fish in..... But it's getting worse and I was so excited to see the new leaves - I figure I'd better start dealing w/ it.

So is this right?

1) bleach bath and trim the affected plants
(Can I bleach bath them attached to the lava rock and driftwood, or should I remove them b/c the bleach will affect the wood and rock?)

2) I am CO2 injecting (Hagen) - and have upgraded to pc lights at just over 2wpg

3) I'll look for a true SAE to add to the tank in the next couple weeks

Anything else?

THANKS!

PS Sorry I couldn't get the pix to link into the message

 

[Harlock]

Are you dosing any ferts? My plants came with some BBA and it spread a bit, so I pruned the heck out of my swords and banana plants. They looked so pathetic with just one to three leaves a piece. Anyway, I noticed a marked improvement when I began CO2 and dosing ferts (which i started at the same time). So, if you are not dosing any fertilizers, it might be well worth looking into. Oh, I also use Flourish Excel and it supposedly helps control certain types of algae. no idea of BBA is one of those or not.

 

[Swimfins]

Cut off the worst bits. See if you can't find a couple of florida flagfish. They tug at the stuff and then the sae's move in to finish off the soft brown stuff. Ottos like soft green algae. It looks to me like you have diatom as well as beard algae as the pic shows.

 

[plantbrain]

Looks like BBA to me.
Add more CO2, Excel etc.

SAE's are very good for this but are not the cure, they are good at topping off anything that might appear here and there(mild issues).

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[djlen]

Just to add. You can bleach bath everything; wood, rock, and plants just as long as you rinse well and throw the whole thing into fresh, clean water dosed with a double or triple amount of Tap Water Conditioner, immediately and let them sit in it for 20 mins. to 1/2 hr. Dip your hands into it as well because they will also have bleach residue on them and you don't want to dip them into the tank like that.
Sae's are OK for keeping the new BBA at bay, but they won't eat the stuff that you've got presently.
Excel will kill off BBA, and upping your CO2 will help a lot as well.

Len

 

[illiswiller]

Thanks guys,
I haven't been dosing with ferts but will pick up some Flourish Excel today....

Can the affected plants contaminate the whole tank in the meantime? I got the plants about a month ago and so far they haven't spread it to uncontaminated plants I bought elsewhere (meaning only the plants that came w/ it have it).

I can't up the CO2 b/c it isn't pressurized, ....I'll have to hope the Excel will help. Do I use the recommended dose 1cap/10 gallons - or do I use more?

What are the symptoms of the diatoms?? Will the treatment for the BBG treat that as well?

Tomorrows going to be a major tank maintainence day!

THANKS!

 

[djlen]

Prune or bleach bath the affected leaves to remove as much of the BBA as possible.
The excel is an ongoing process and yes the recommended dosage should be given on a daily basis to be effective. The BBA will recede slowly.
For the diatoms, just keep cleaning them up. I'm guessing that this is a relatively newly planted tank, correct? What size is the tank?
SAEs are good for BBA but can get pretty big and somewhat annoying to the other fish as they get older, and Oto's are useful for diatoms.

Len

 

[illiswiller]

Good guess Len! Yes I just started this tank at the new year, its a 42 hex. How can you tell it was new? Are diatoms and BBG endemic in new tanks?

So the first plants I put in there came w/ my Angels from someone local....I thought it would be better than Petsmart but I think they were $$ and I didn't realize that black fuzz was bad. I paid about $40 for two big Java ferns and the one anubias....was that too much?

Since then I got some more anubias and crypts (and banana) w/o BBG from the LFS and they didnt' seem that expensive.

This monring I went and got something called Seachem plant pack fundementals w/ Flourish, Iron and Excel - I added the excel today. Should I add dose with the other two (Flourish and Iron) yet?

I'll bleach and trim tomorrow.... I have some water aging...
Thanks again -

 

[djlen]

Again, what size is the tank, number of fish, and also how much light are you supplying?
I couldn't react to a dosing schedule without knowing the answers to those three questions.
You may not have to dose anything, except Excel depending on the answers. Once you clean up the BBA, Excel is a must.
BTW, yes diatoms are usually associated with immature tanks or tanks that have had significant damage done to their bacteria colonies.

Len

 

[illiswiller]

Sorry! I should know better.

It's a 42 hex w/ Fluval 304 and I'm running argonite as one media, (1 carbon, 1 argonite, 2 rings), an Orbit 2x20watt pc (on 12 hours) and Hagen CO2.

It is stocked w/ 2 immature angels, 4 lf danios, 2 panda cory, 2 dwarf gourami & 6 cardinal tetras. I've been waiting to find a nice SAE and oto to add as well as a pair of rams

I have 3 anubias, 1 banana, 2 really big java contingents + 2 small javas, 1 amazon sword and 1 small crypt. Substrate is medium estes river gravel mixed w/ a large bag of Profile (my first planted tank - and I didn't know better before the gravel and had to add the Profile afterwards).

My ammonia and nitrite are 0 and nitrate 20, pH is usually around 7.0. The GH after the argonite is about 14 dH (w/ drip test) or ~200 ppm (with Jungle strip stick). The KH unfortunately is still only 1.5 dH (w/ drip test) or 20 ppm (with dip stick).

The bleaching and trimming went well yesterday I soaked them for 3 mintues in a ratio of 1:25. And then soaked about 8 hours afterwards in clean decholorinated water (Prime at 3x the dose) changing the water every 3 hours. they look at ton better - but if I look closely I still see a bit of fuzz but it isn't as black.

I also did about a 40-50% water change and added in 4 capfuls of excel this morning. But nothing else.....

THANKS!