Re: BBA

[Mark Wolek <mwolek at omiintl_com>]

I had a very very bad BBA problem as well, only mine only lasted about 1
month.
 
Heres what I did.
 
1) lowered light from 260 watts to 130 watts for 2 weeks.  This slowed down
the BBA but it was still growing.  Plant growth very very slow.
2) added a 2nd CO2 bottle for the DIY CO2 (Tank is now about 22ppm CO2
midday with 2, 1 gal. CO2 generators (Large gatoraid bottles make great
ones)
3) Added 5 small SAE, and 6 shrimp
4) also around the time I added the shrimp (the next day) I started using a
FULL regimet of seachem additives....WOW
 
Now I have no algae in the tank, other then some brown algae I suspect is
growing due to low CO2  (anyone have a better guess for me?)
But the hair algae is GONE, no signs of ANY type of hair algae, only very
little brown algae and very little green spot algae.
Plants are thriving, and growing pretty fast compared to before, except my
dwarf sword or micro sword.  It still will not grow :(  Everything else is
doing great.
 
It seems that for me, the biggest boost was the addition of CORRECT balance
of fertilizers via seachem.  I wanted something I couldn't mess up.  Add
what the bottle says when it says, and I am done.  Its been bout a month now
and things are doing great, I even turned on the extra 130 watts of light
last month, and still no algae.
 
Heres my tank info
 
75 gallon tank, not that heavily planted yet (compared to some I see
anyways) though it has a lot in it don't get me wrong....
 
6.6 pH
3KH
7GH
 
Every day I dose 1ml of Seachem Iron, 1 Cap of Seachem Excel, and 3ml of
Seachem Potassium.
Then twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays, I add 4ml of Seachm Flourish,
3ml of Seachem nitrogen, and 3 cap fulls of Seachem Trace.
 
Normally I use RO/DI water, though after suggestions from the list to use
tap water I did once or twice, and I think thats when the brown algae
started.  So I went back to the RO/DI buffered with Seachem Equalibrium,
Acif Buffer, and Akaline Buffer in the proper ratios.
 
I'm by no means working with Seachem or anything like that, I have always
had great success with thier reef line, and after hearing good things of the
planted line decided to give it a try (and I was as sick as you are of the
BBA) My last tank had bad BBA forever and I wasn't about to let this one!  
 
If you can afford it, and aren't familair with mixing your own or doing
other fertilizers, I would strongly suggest using the full line of Seachem.
So far the only one that seems easy to overdose on is the Iron (to much iron
got me really bad staghorn hair algae)
 
My substrate is also a mix of innert quartz gravel and Flourite.
 
If any experts read this and know how I Can improve on my growth or make my
micro sword grow please let me know :D    and yes soon I plan to add a real
CO2 system as soon as I can afford it :/
 
Best of luck
Mark


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