Bba

[DaveW]

Can some one PLEASE tell me what causes BBA.

 

[simonbrown403]

Have a look at this

http/www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumap...hp?do=view&id=7

Simon.

 

[DaveW]

Interesting Simon, but it only says that it could be introduced from another plant or fish.

 

[Themuleous]

I think low NO3 can allow it to grow, whats the reading i the tank? if you can get it up to 20ppm that should help stop it.

Thats if I remember it right, can someone confirm or shot me down in a blaze of flames and utter humiliation?

 

[craynerd]

Hi Sam,

I have been struggling with spot algae, small areas of hair algae and bba.

Increasing NO3 to +20ppm has completely rid of the first two but hasn`t budged the bba. !!!

I just came on the forum to post an EXACT same question, lol...so BUMP!

Chris

 

[simonbrown403]

Do a search for a post zig wrote about treating BBA by overdosing on seachem excel, turning you co2 to its upper limits dose halt the growth, but dose not kill it.

He also wrote another about spot treating it with NO3 in a syringe, which i have tried and seams to work, but it is a slow process

I don't think there is anything that cause's it apart from the lack of a nutrient in particular co2, which allows it to get hold

 

[DaveW]

Cheers guys.

I had a few bits on the wood and Java fern about 2 weeks ago. Cut the leaf of the fern and scraped the bits off the wood. Then I turned up the co2 to about 40 ppm and left it on 24 hours a day. After 4 or 5 days I could not see any so turned the co2 back to 30ppm and only when the lights are on.

Wednesday night, after having a busy few day, I had a good look at the tank and found more bba. I cleaned up most of it and turned up the co2, but would like to stop it. I have shrimps, so overdosing excel might be to dodgy. I'm going to try to clean the rest of it tomorrow with the water change. Then if any more arises then use NO3 on it.

I think my failing is that I forget to dose the NO3 and PO4 on the second day. So I end up only dosing at the water change and half way through the week. Which is not keeping the NO3 and PO4 levels up enough. I'll have to get it through my thick head that I have to keep to the routine!

 

[zig]

bba is caused by low or inconsistant CO2 levels, i have never read about the growth of established bba being due to low nitrate levels, maybe Sam is confusing it with bga.

Bumping up your CO2 will slow the growth of bba but it will not get rid of it, once you have bba in a tank it is very difficult to get rid of, i have had some bba in my main tank for at least the last 6 months, you need to manually remove it if you dont want to use excel, using the KNO3 trick will help but will take forever, its easier just to remove it as you see it.

Just make sure the CO2 is consistant, make sure the reading is at 30ppm+ when the lights come on and remains there throughout the photoperiod.

But overall i think you have to OD with excel to really get rid of it, you will only contain it otherwise, with shrimp in the tank i probably would not try it at high doses but thats up to you, if they could be removed to another tank then i would definatly OD with the Excel, im fed up with the bba in my tank and will probably nuke it with excel one of these days, atm im only containing the growth of bba in my tank by having the CO2 levels high, but it still grows, not at major levels just nuisence spots here and there, like i say V hard to eliminate totally if not impossible without excel, but keep removing what you can see and watch the CO2 or the bba may get out of hand.

 

[craynerd]

whats upsetting me more than anything is its getting on my glosso !!!


I still havent got my prssurised system up and running yet! i feel i have it due to the CO2 issue!

Chris

 

[Themuleous]

crash and burn! I was indeed getting confused! Cheers for clearing that up Zig and co