Re: [Killietalk] black brush algae

["Earl Blewett" <Micro at earlblewett_net>]

Dera FishFolk,

I had a lot of black brush algae in my slate apistogramma tank. It doesn't
get enough water changes, since it is in my office at the college.

Olive nerite snails will eat BBA. They cleaned the tank up. They are <$1
from Arizona Aquatic Gardens http://www.azgardens.com/index.php
They ship things overnight so that is expensive.

Nerite snails are sensitive to flubendazole and I haven't been able to
re-introduce them to the tank after I treated a sick fish.

Currently I have Ilydon furcidens, the goldenfronted livebearer, in the tank
and they have eaten all the algae that reappeared when the snails were
removed. You can get these very inexpensively from ALA members. They are a
large, active livebearer and may not be something you want permanently in
the tank.

In my planted tank at home, which is a retirement home for old or
partnerless killies, I have rosy barbs. They eat thread algae and except for
salvinia, leave the plants alone. 

Good luck,

Earl

--------------------------------------------
Earl Blewett Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Microbiology
Dept. of Biochemistry and Microbiology
Oklahoma State University
Center for Health Sciences
College of Osteopathic Medicine
1111 W 17 St. Tulsa, OK 74107

Email:   micro at earlblewett_net
Office: (918) 561-8405
FAX:    (918) 561-8414
-----Original Message-----
From: killietalk-bounces at aka_org [mailto:killietalk-bounces at aka_org] On
Behalf Of Charles Harrison
Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 9:37 PM
To: killifish discussion list
Cc: Allan
Subject: Re: [Killietalk] something different

At 5:24 PM -0800 10/31/05, Allan wrote:
>Warning Non Political Issue Follows;
>
>Mandatory killie content is my 180 gallon planted sjo tank.
>
>This tank has wall to wall plants with no algae at all present in the tank.
>All of a sudden I am getting this black stuff that looks like little 
>woolie worms on the edges of some of the leaves.
>Does any one know what it is and how to get rid of it?


The Aquatic Plants people call it Black Beard, some of them actually like
it, no accounting for totally foolish #*%## at *!~?

I was told to increase the Nitrates and reduce the light period. A Flying
Fox was one of the things I tried, from a local pet store . . 
. Ick was next. After I got rid of the Ich, I cut off as much of the
afflicted plants as necessary and tossed them - then removed the wood and
wire brushed off as much of the wood as I needed to to completely remove the
stuff.

I had a diatom filter running for 3 weeks, changed the medium 5 times and
now 6 months later I am seemly free of it. A friend has this stuff in his
BIG tanks and it is throughout his house in every tank. 
I wanted one of his plant offerings - but now any more!

The only way I have found to get rid of it is physical. This algae takes
over slowly and nothing likes to eat it. Almost everything which doesn't
move gets covered with it given time.

UGH! X;{

--
Charles & Sue Harrison
http://www.InkForYourPrinter.com
Toll free 1-866-677-1900

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