Re: [APD] Black brush Algae

["Jerry Smith" <jerrytheplater at hotmail_com>]

Ed

Here is a link to one person trying Excel and a cheaper substitute on his 
BBA at the Aquatic Gardeners Association Forum  
http://forum.aquatic-gardeners.org/viewtopic.php?t=997

I posted in there about a person I know using standard commercial 3% 
Hydrogen Peroxide on his BBA. I also seem to remember someone using H2O2 
here a few years ago. Could it have been Vaughn Hopkins? I didn't search the 
archives to check.

BBA is found worldwide in natural streams. It is eaten by Gammarus and other 
organisms, but never to the point of complete removal. The holdfast remains 
and the BBA can regrow from it. I think this may happen with SAE too. I once 
had SAE and they did eat the BBA, but only if I didn't feed them other food. 
I didn't really see them as all that effective.

Here is a link to a photo of BBA I took at work. 
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w277/jerrytheplater/BBA1-64divisions_edited.jpg 
(I hope it works) The scale divisions are 1/64 inch or 0.015625 inch. This 
is a piece that was free floating in my aquarium. I determined it came from 
plants I was given that came from a tank with BBA in it. The holdfast is in 
the center and it is attached to a dead hard plant part or stick goes off to 
the right and downwards (has an air bubble).

I have tried to grow BBA in this tank by adding gravel with BBA on it. I 
wasn't able to see any BBA in the tank after 6 weeks had passed. I removed 
it when I thought I saw BBA starting on some Cryptocoryne ciliata. I threw 
out the infested plant and the gravel. I didn't look closely at the Crypt at 
that time though and now suspect it was Compsopogon, (Staghorn algae), which 
appeared in the same tank a few months after the first appearance.

Here is a link to the Compsopogon I took at work 
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w277/jerrytheplater/BranchingStaghornalgae_edited.jpg 
The pointer is about 1/16 " in diameter. I was using it as a weight to hold 
the leaf down and under water.

Jerry


>Message: 1
>Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:35:30 +0900
>From: Edward Venn <e_venn at hotmail_com>
>Subject: [APD] Black brush Algae
>To: <aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
>
>
>Black brush algae has been plaguing my large aquarium, it's fastened itself 
>to the Anubis and and to the leaves of my Echinodorus sp San Francisco 
>River. It hasn't gotten a foothold on the chain sagitterria. the C spiralis 
>(which survived their trip intact) or the java moss.
>
>The tank is 180cm long, stocked with 6 ancistrus plecos, 6 blue lipped 
>mouthbrooders and numerous small shrimp. Formerly in this tank were a 1/2 
>dozen small cories who arrived as eggs on the spiralis and some L046 
>plecos. The plecos are in a breeding setup and multiplying like rabbits now 
>and the cories are in a 90cm planted tank with some baby zebra plecos.
>
>On a recommendation found on the Barr Report I went looking for SAE's 
>couldn't find any of the mythological little beasties so I put some flying 
>foxes in. Bad move, they harrass the shrimp, fight with the cichlids and 
>don't do any work.
>
>Suggestions would be appreciated.
>
>Edinjapan
>Fish....More than just sushi


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