Free Black Brush Algae

[MrPurplePickle]

Hi Guys,

Seem to be having an issue with BBA.
Primarily on top of a big chunk of driftwood.

Its a Juwel Rio 240, 108 Watts of light, works out to be roughly 2Watts/Gallon. (7 hrs on a timer)
Gravel substrate, fairly well planted, nothing too adventurous some Hygro Poly, 2 amazon swords (large), pretty large java fern,java moss
and some hair grass. No Co2. I do dose with Seachem Flourish, excel, and have Seachem trace,potassium,and phosphorous as well.
To be honest don't really know what/when I should be using those last 3. Eheim 2026 canister filter and a koralia 1 as well.

I was suffering from some green spot algae, I bought the Koralia to help improve flow around the tank, which it has quite well i think.
The green spot algae has subsided alot, but now I have a pretty good breakout of BBA, it is in a high flow area.

I understand fluctuating Co2 is the cause of most algae..??
I do 30-40% weekly water changes using a python straight from the tap, so I have stopped adding Excel straight after a water change.

Do you think my flow is enough?
How would you dose the seachem products?
Anything else


<sing>
Algae to the left of me, Algae to the right...Stuck in the middle of you...
</sing>

Thanks

 

[snowflake311]

The black brush grows in high flow areas so your flow is helping it. They say adding more excle can help clear it up. If you are doseing more one day then none the other that can cause this to take over. Make sure you dose excle the same time same amout all the time.

I have had this come and go in my tank. When I stoped doseing everything due to treating ich that help lessen it. Then I cut down my flow big time and it was all gone but another algea took it's place. But I have it all under control now.

Make sure you dose the same amount of excle you might want to add more.

 

[RadaR]

You do want good flow. 10x the volume of the tank turned over every hour. This ensures that nutrients and CO2 are being delivered to the plants at a efficient/ constant rate. Your problem is you have too much light and not enough CO2. Either cut down the lighting to 54W and keep dosing everything as normal (Excel included)and water changes of 30-50%. Or purchase a pressurized CO2 system.

 

[MrPurplePickle]

Thanks for the replies, there has also been some great reading in some of the other threads regarding this.

I have toyed with the idea of pressurized Co2, but I have very soft water, (KH test, one drop and its yellow)
and a low Ph 6.0-6.5, adding Co2 to this environment concerns me. Or is my caution in this not warranted?

Cheers

 

[RadaR]

Not sure, I'd be hesitant as well. I know people that inject CO2 where the KH is "0" so that should be fine. I'm just wondering whether the pH will go as low as 5.5 . Alot of people would say that this is too low for the nitrifying bacteria and they will die off, however I'm sure I've heard a very knowledgeable person dispute that on another forum.
Alternatively you could block out some light via floating plants such as Salvinia and other plants such as Lotus Lilies, Amazon Swords. Fundamentally that's why you need CO2, because of the amount of light you have. A combination of blocking out/reducing light and dosing Easycarbo (at 1ml per 20litres) should help you.

 

[MrPurplePickle]

That might be a good option, I'll have a look to see what I can get in the way of floating plants.
Being in Aus, it may be a bit tricky ie: Salvinia is not allowed.

Else I'll see what I can do in the way of lighting.

Would reducing the lighting period from 7hrs down to say roughly 5hrs help?

 

[RadaR]

Would reducing the lighting period from 7hrs down to say roughly 5hrs help?

Not massively. Not enough to do it IMO.

 

[baron von bubba]

BBA is co2 related. lowering the light wont do much to affect it.
the water changes are possibly causing it.
you should be able to get away with one change every 2 weeks or once a month.

i use a butt, fill it day before W/C and preheat etc, then use this to do a W/C if you did this then the excess CO2 in the tap water would have chance to gas off.

the excel will kill the existing algae if you spot dose it.
use a pipett or syringe to put the excel straight onto the algae, it'll die after a couple of doses.

 

[MrPurplePickle]

I used a syringe on my last water change (Sunday) to directly spot dose the BBA.
Do I wait until my next weekly change to do so again, or should I do it more often?

I have thought a few times to myself that the algae problem appeared to worsen after a water change.
I can see the merit in BVB's suggestion, but the practicalities of doing so pretty much rules that out as an option.

Just as a side note to all this, for arguments sake I did nothing, what would happen? Would the BBA take over literally everything?

Thanks guys, really appreciate the help and ideas.

 

[baron von bubba]

I used a syringe on my last water change (Sunday) to directly spot dose the BBA.
Do I wait until my next weekly change to do so again, or should I do it more often?

I have thought a few times to myself that the algae problem appeared to worsen after a water change.
I can see the merit in BVB's suggestion, but the practicalities of doing so pretty much rules that out as an option.

Just as a side note to all this, for arguments sake I did nothing, what would happen? Would the BBA take over literally everything?

Thanks guys, really appreciate the help and ideas.

do it in the water daily, it'll all be white and dying within a few days.
what amount are you dosing anyhow?

you could always leave the light off on water change day, or do the W/C after lights out?
i guess that could have a good effect?

i think if the conditions do not change the BBA will continue to flourish.
if you fix the problems it may die back eventually, but i wouldn't think it'd continue to get worse.

 

[MrPurplePickle]

Ok will do.

Dosing 1 capful per day, except on a water change day since I figured extra c02 would be entering into the system anyway.
Sorry should really say 'most' days, I do normally miss one day during the week

 

[RadaR]

BBA is co2 related. lowering the light wont do much to affect it.

It should, because light is the driving force for the plant growth. Less light = less demand for CO2. Therefore if low CO2 was causing it (it's either low or fluctuating), we lower the lighting, and so the CO2 that is in the tank might now be at a level which is fine for the now reduced plant growth rate.

 

[Nick16]

you shoulod be dosing more than normal of W/C day becuase normally say on a tuesday, you might have alittle excel left in the water from monday so you are bumping it up. whereas after your w/c you will have removed most of that or diluted it so much. Therefore you need to dose alot.
you should get a pipette so you really can tell how much you are dosing. on a 240L tank, using liquid carbon is pointless and a total waste of money. The only way to go is using pressurised.

 

[baron von bubba]

you should get a pipette so you really can tell how much you are dosing. on a 240L tank, using liquid carbon is pointless and a total waste of money. The only way to go is using pressurised.

http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2988

a litre bottle for £15, should last a few months, maybe use 3 bottles a year?
i use pressurized CO2 in a 240 litre and it costs me £10 every 2 months plus the initial outlay.

its not really that expensive!!

why are you saying its pointless??

 

[Nick16]

you have quoted prices based on AE liquid carbon, which is more diluted than products like Easylife EC. therefore you will be using alot more.
this is quoted from elsewhere.

In calculating the costs you have only used the base cost and not any delivery costs and products bought from AE.

Cost of AE Aqua Carbon 500ml = £8.00 + £4.95 p&p = £12.95 500/ 4 = 125days (10.36p per day)

Cost of Easycarbo (cheapest place) 500ml £9.90+ 2.90 p&p = £12.80 500/ 4 = 125days (10.24p per day)



There is not a lot of difference despite the AE price seeming cheaper for their own brand. and this is before you factor in using more of the AE stuff as it is more diluted. so that 4ml daily would probably be 6ml. (and this is only on a 100L tank, not a 240L)

also, what happens if you are not in on a particular day/weekend/or a whole week. you either miss dosing or have to nag someone else to do it and hope they get it right. i dont find the cost of setting up and FE that costly tbh as most products like reg and soleniod can be brought at non aquatic shops. as soon as the work aquarium is written on something the price goes through the roof.