[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Black Brush algea



Sounds to me like BBA is a problem whenever something is missing from your
nutrient mix. I haven't found the motivation to bleach everything so I've
been trying to rid one of my tanks from BBA by trial and error and from the
suggestions I have received from the list in the past. Within the last year,
I started to get BBA after increasing the lights on one of my tanks. After a
month or so of great growth things started to slow down and BBA started to
take over. At this stage I started dosing more nutrients and increased the
CO2 diffusion (DIY) by using a micro bubbler. Things got better but every
time I would get lazy and not change CO2 bottle plants stopped growing and
BBA started to grow again. After fixing my CO2 problems things looked good
for a while and then everything stopped growing again, my nitrates were at
0. I started supplementing potassium and nitrogen which helped considerably,
the BBA stopped growing and massive pruning helped clean the entire tank up.
Some of the wood still has BBA on it but I have not noticed it expanding,
just sits there. The SAE's are picking at it a little so I'm hoping they
will help as well. Just a few weeks ago I noticed my pearling decreased, my
nitrates increased and I started to get a little BBA and hair algae again,
seeing the only thing I was not adding was phosphorous, I incorporated it
into my dosing mix and again pearling is back to normal, plants are growing
well and the BBA looks dormant. A little hair algae still growing here and
there but the plants are growing new leaves faster so not much of a problem.
At least in my tank it would appear that BBA grows whenever the plants
don't, regardless of what is missing. I had also moved some plants from this
tank to a low light tank which had BBA on them, it did not continue to grow
and pose any problems in the lower light tank. The phosphorous problem came
about at the same time I lost all my dwarf cichlids in the same tank by
trying a different water conditioner, the decreased fish population must
have caused this shortage. This weekend I replaced all the lost fish so I'm
expecting to have to alter my nutrient mix a little again, perhaps I will
not need to add phosphorous any longer. It's finding that sweet spot or
balance in nutrients that is helping my tank overcome BBA. I do wish it
would die off though, what is there just seems to sit there neither growing
or receding.

BTW I removed an anubias with brush algae around the tips of the leaves and
forgot about it for several hours letting it dry by accident. I placed it
back in the tank and the algae has turned bright red, nearly hot pink!
Anyone know why?

Thanks
Giancarlo Podio