The Dreaded Bba And Getting Rid Of It

[This Old Spouse]

I'm fairly certain I've addressed the cause of the BBA. As soon as I can afford it, I'll start dosing with liquid CO2.
 
Will this also take care of the red algae and hair algae?
 
Honestly, I'm so confused as to why my 2 bigger tanks have algae problems, but my 20g long cory tank has virtually no algae. Shrimp? Oto? All tanks are in a room that gets ambient northern window exposure. I just don't get it.

 

[snazy]

Yes you can spot dose, add directly to algae to kill it quicker but adding full recommended dosage to the water will be enough to kill the algae also.

 
Nope, adding normal dose will not kill BBA, mine was thriving with it.  Adding more will kill it or stop it, but won't make it disappear. One needs to kill it by extra dosage, remove it all, cut out all affected areas, leave nothing of the pest, and in the mean time find the root cause so it doesn't return in full force.

 

[SLIM]

No carbon does not kill plants. It doesnt kill anubais or vallis or any plant! I dont know where people get this from.

 From doing it myself. It killed it very nicely when I spot dosed on the anubias to kill BBA.  All leaves spot dosed turned pink and melted. I also did the same to the crinum calamistratum, but it didn't get affected at all, so was the BBA on it, using the same dose that killed the anubias. Glad I didn't do it to all anubias. I had to cut out most of it as it was gone to mush. So from this anubias in the center attached to the driftwood:

  I ended up with this below

 So don't tell me liquid carbon doesn't kill anubias because I'll throw you out the window  At least in higher dose it does, when poured near the plant.

Because your experience is the only viable one lol how is it myself and hundred of others successfully dose carbon with anubias and vallis with no issues? Infact google it. There is no informatiln anywhere that supports what your saying. Only you and your experiences. I put it down to you over dosing. Im willing to bet that if I start an opinion poll asking people who dose carbon if there anubias died shortly after, no one but you will say yes. Im sorry but your wrong on this

Yes you can spot dose, add directly to algae to kill it quicker but adding full recommended dosage to the water will be enough to kill the algae also.

 Nope, adding normal dose will not kill BBA, mine was thriving with it.  Adding more will kill it or stop it, but won't make it disappear. One needs to kill it by extra dosage, remove it all, cut out all affected areas, leave nothing of the pest, and in the mean time find the root cause so it doesn't return in full force.

Yes it will. I have successfully gotten rid of it this way without spot dosing. Again how do you explain this? It wont go immediately, but in good time.

 

[snazy]

Because your experience is the only viable one lol how is it myself and hundred of others successfully dose carbon with anubias and vallis with no issues? Infact google it. 

 
In fact I googled it. That's how I ended up spot dosing and killing the anubias.
 

There is no informatiln anywhere that supports what your saying. Only you and your experiences. I put it down to you over dosing.

 
Are you implying I am lying? and yes, I may have overdosed while doing it possibly, but so may someone else that is given the following as an explanation:
 
 

Rather than spend money on a phosphate kit, buy yourself some liquid carbon, this will kill it.

 
I would have invited you in my place, so you can dose instead of me the "recommended dose" on the bottle to kill the BBA I have, because I am such an idiot, that I couldn't manage understand what's written on the bottle for 6 months.

 

[SLIM]

Your totally missing the point here.
All I said is cabon will sort it. Which it will whether you believe it or not.
You went on about overdosing and spot dosing not me. Overdosing is really bad advice.
Yes of course if your going to overdose your going to get proplems ie dead plants and fish, its very potant stuff.
All im simply saying is at normal dosages it will help fight the algae and wont kill plants.

"I would have invited you in my place, so you can dose instead of me the "recommended dose" on the bottle to kill theBBA I have, because I am such an idiot, that I couldn't manage understand what's written on the bottle for 6 months."

Obviously

 

[snazy]

You went on about overdosing and spot dosing not me. Overdosing is really bad advice.
Yes of course if your going to overdose your going to get proplems ie dead plants and fish, its very potant stuff.
All im simply saying is at normal dosages it will help fight the algae and wont kill plants.   

      
I didn't say it kills plants all the time. Read:
 

It is also an algecide, meaning it kills algae if applied in higher dosages(2-3 times the recommended dose on the bottle). It kills some plants too

 
Honestly, I don't undestand why such hatred, because I use the word "experience" alot. I think you were just waiting for a reason to jump at me, even though in this case I don't think I provided any incorrect info and I elaborated further on your one sentence response to TOS.
 
Honestly, believe it or not, in my case(I'll skip the exprience word

), I've been dosing the "recommended" dose of liquid carbon for months, before I even got BBA. I increased to double when I got the BBA. It did not magically disappear. From your statement I understand you claim it will go away on it's own? I've been waiting for about 2 months, how much longer?

 

[SLIM]

Well im sorry youve had such a tough time with it. Its unsually for it to be that stubborn. Maybe some other underlined issue you have. Too much light not enough flow perhaps. But you have to understand not every tank is the same as your tank. Every tank is different. And also people on this forum have lost fish due to overdosing carbon so I really wouldnt recommend giving this advice to other people even if you have had success this way.

 

[snazy]

Well im sorry youve had such a tough time with it. Its unsually for it to be that stubborn. Maybe some other underlined issue you have. Too much light not enough flow perhaps. But you have to understand not every tank is the same as your tank. Every tank is different. And also people on this forum have lost fish due to overdosing carbon so I really wouldnt recommend giving this advice to other people even if you have had success this way.       

  
Yes, every tank is different, so is mine. Hence I mentioned it. And I have 5 tanks. I am on the edge of figuring out my BBA problem, and it doesn't seem to be just CO2 in my case, but that's another story.
As for light, I decreased it when the BBA appeared, although for over a year prior the light didn't cause such a BBA outbreak. From 3x39W for 8hrs, I cut down to 2x39W on 6hrs because of advise by someone else, which it didn't, but I kept the lights for that amount of time since because my fish like it more like that.  Liquid carbon has been dosed long before this outbreak,I just increased it in desparation, and yes, my fish don't like it but some folks have no problem with double dose, so that's just personal experience.
 
 
I missed the flow part, 20x the volume of the tank an hour, 10x in filters, 10x powerhead. All possible combinations positioning them, everything moving inside the tank. BBA loving the flow, growing just where a powerhead blew.

 

[This Old Spouse]

I think I'll start looking for Siamese algae eaters. Again.
 
Honestly, I've been reading every single thing I can about lighting, ferts, CO2, flow, etc., and there's just too much conflicting information for me to be able to figure out what to do in my situation. Maybe someday I'll be able to get a pressurized CO2 system, but then it appears I'll have to dose a bunch of other ferts for it to work right. 
 
I seem to have at least slowed the growth of the BBA but it's still there, just slower growing. Now I have hair algae. Then there's the red algae. I've cut my lighting, cut my feeding, tried to remove the worst of the leaves. I'll just keep plugging along at that, I guess.
 
I do appreciate everything said. And by the way, I found a video that said dipping the plants in a 1:19 bleach solution, then rinsing thoroughly, got rid of the BBA for this guy. I'm thinking about trying it. Anyone else tried it?

 

[SLIM]

Listen lets start again yea. Im quite good when it comes to algae believe it or not, if you like il go through everything with you tomorrow and try to help you find a solution? Interested?

 

[snazy]

Listen lets start again yea. Im quite good when it comes to algae believe it or not, if you like il go through everything with you tomorrow and try to help you find a solution? Interested?      

   
No problem. Thanks Slim.

 

[SLIM]

Well im sorry youve had such a tough time with it. Its unsually for it to be that stubborn. Maybe some other underlined issue you have. Too much light not enough flow perhaps. But you have to understand not every tank is the same as your tank. Every tank is different. And also people on this forum have lost fish due to overdosing carbon so I really wouldnt recommend giving this advice to other people even if you have had success this way.       

  Yes, every tank is different, so is mine. Hence I mentioned it. And I have 5 tanks. I am on the edge of figuring out my BBA problem, and it doesn't seem to be just CO2 in my case, but that's another story.As for light, I decreased it when the BBA appeared, although for over a year prior the light didn't cause such a BBA outbreak. From 3x39W for 8hrs, I cut down to 2x39W on 6hrs because of advise by someone else, which it didn't, but I kept the lights for that amount of time since because my fish like it more like that.  Liquid carbon has been dosed long before this outbreak,I just increased it in desparation, and yes, my fish don't like it but some folks have no problem with double dose, so that's just personal experience.  I missed the flow part, 20x the volume of the tank an hour, 10x in filters, 10x powerhead. All possible combinations positioning them, everything moving inside the tank. BBA loving the flow, growing just where a powerhead blew.

wow you do have it bad

 

[snazy]

Yeah, it loves me and one particular tank. I had it once in another, but very easilty fixed within a week.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Listen lets start again yea. Im quite good when it comes to algae believe it or not, if you like il go through everything with you tomorrow and try to help you find a solution? Interested?

I am!

 

[SLIM]

Ignore the bad or mis spelling, iv been replying on my phone and the auto correct isnt very good.

Just a thought but how much water change do the pair of you do weekly?
And do your plants pearl shortly after a water change?

Algae, all algae always boils down to fluctuations or nutrient deficiency within a planted tank.
The trick is finding it and balancing it out and patients. Simples