Would You Do This?

[stanleo]

There is a little out of the way LFS here in town that has a bigger selection of plants and fish. My issue with them is the only time I have stopped in there to look was a few weeks ago and at that time they had a big issue with BBA. It was in all of their tanks and on most of the plants. Would you buy plants from them? Would you buy fish from them?

 

[catfish4ever]

I wouldnt tbh

 

[techen]

Fish sure, Plants not unless it was clear of BBA.

 

[Ch4rlie]

HMM, like Techen says, I'd probably be ok with purchasing fish from there but not plants really as BBA will more than likely be on the plant, unless of course its clean of BBA....
 
BBA is difficult to get rid of at best of times really, so BBA is not something you would like to have in your tank for sure.

 

[SeanTrollope]

i would not buy plants from them but i would buy fish

 

[DreamertK]

I would concur about not buying any plants. I'd probably ask them why they havent used any of their own products to clear the BBA or did anything about it.

 

[Alasse]

It would depend how badly affected the plant is and how much they wanted for it. If i could get them cheap i would treat them in a separate tank

 

[Byron]

I don't know the extent of the BBA (assume this to be brush or beard algae), but it would not deter me from buying any fish or plants, generally speaking.  Algae can be controlled by proper tank maintenance, and if you have a balance between light and nutrients, you will not have algae problems.  I have battled brush algae more than once, and always when the balance gets out.  This can vary from tank to tank.
 
Algae will appear in any aquarium on its own and does not need to be introduced directly.  Different species can appear in different tanks, even when they are all in the same room and receiving identical maintenance.  It is one of those mysteries.
 
I would not treat plants for algae; as Rhonda Wilson writes, anything strong enough to actually kill algae is almost certain to harm the plant.
 
Byron.

 

[Alasse]

Havent killed a plant yet treating for algae *shrugs*

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Byron I will have to disagree on this one. I have bleach dipped plants for many years. Using a 19-1 water to bleach mix and a 90 second dip has worked fine for me. Some plants can only tolerate a 60 second soak and a few cannot stand any at all. But for the most part they all do fine. the ones at risk tend to be the more finely leaved like water sprite. Things like anubias and ferns are pretty hardy.
 
After the dip they get a good rinse and then a dip in a strong dose of dechlor and back into the tank. The algae does not vanish, its dies and changes color and boy do the fish like eating a lot of varieties then. And what they don't eat degrades and end up in ones filter.
 
BBA basically turns gray when dipped. The only thing I know that will eat BBA are SAEs and you have to stop feeding a tank to get them to do so. For most forms of algae I now have a special tank with lots of amano shrimp and ton of small bn growing out. But, if its bba. I still reach for the bleach.
 
And while Rhonda may be correct in what she said, I think out of control BBA or other hard to remove algae will harm a plant even more.
 
So in response to stan's question, if they gave me enough of a discount, yes I would buy them, but not at full or near to full price. Then I would bleach dip them and hope for the best.

 

[Ch4rlie]

I have to say that I too, have done diluted bleach dips on various plants like Java Fern and Anubias when had BBA on them.

To this day, these plants are doing perfectly fine and the BBA that was on them has long since disappeared, assume my fish and shrimps has eaten the algae or it degraded in the tank.

As TTA says, could well depend on the plant species or how severe the algae is.

While there is truth in that the balance being out of kilter can cause algae issues, much easier said than done to find that right balance that works, plants and algae are continuously growing so the balance in a planted tank is ever changing. In an ideal world, ut would be simple as tweaking the light hours or dosage of co2 or the flow etc etc IF you know what is out of balance