What algae can't you get rid of?

[CK Yeo]

Just wondering what is the worst algae you have been facing for the pass months and can't get rid of?.... or have learned to live with it.

ck

[brianclaw]

Been getting quite a bit of BBA and Hair Algae in my non CO2 set-ups. The set-ups with BBA have got pretty good circulation in them and plants are all green with no signs of nutrient deficiencies. The tanks with Hair Algae are set-up exactly the same as the tanks with the BBA - same fert regime, same equipment, only difference is that the Hair Algae tanks are in air-conditioned rooms.

[Ah_ZhaN]

I do have some algae that's developed under my aquasoil which I cannot reach...However as time goes by, it slowly diminished. Should be BGA ?? My nerite snails do dug into the soil and consume at times...

[fi5hkiller]

actually some algae is quite beautiful and natural.
unfortunately it is consider a failure in planted tank.
but it is very natural to see some algae on places like rocks and driftwoods but not on the leaf of our plants.
if only this can be achieved.

[KeIgO86]

I have some green brush algae (I think) in my tank and it seems beautiful. Its like a green version of BBA. Don't want to remove it.

Claudophora was my worst enemy before. Though easy to be physically removed, it is a super hardy algae, it seems immune to Excel. Once it entangles the delicate plants like HC, trying to physically remove them will destroy the lawn.

[medicineman]

GSA. Pesky and always there to bug me, right by the glass. It is not a real threat for most plants (expect for some extra slow ones) but who can cope with algae on glass to obstruct your beautiful tank view? I've suceeded in controlling this algae in some of my tanks, but it has never been eradicated to unvisible level.
BBA. Not too wild but also not too easy to remove.

[Weirong]

I really hate green water. The only algae problem for me recently and it always comes on for no reason, and in the tanks where I least expect them.

[CK Yeo]

I think the poll results this far are but not surprising (but quite interesting). Certain algae still seem to be the problem despite all the methods proposed by experts. Especially BBA. Does it mean that nothing works really well right now? Are we still in the dark about BBA biology? E.g. If CO2 really is the cause, then why I have no BBA in my sunlit, no CO2, corydoras tank by the windowsill? Cory ate them??

GSA comes and goes in my tanks depending on how I dose the tank.

I have seen Greenwater unexpectedly in low stocked tanks with ADA substrate full of plants. Go figure.

And, no one has yet claimed that their tank is algae free. I wonder why... All the veterans too shy to share the state of their tanks?

ck

[PeterGwee]

I think the poll results this far are but not surprising (but quite interesting). Certain algae still seem to be the problem despite all the methods proposed by experts. Especially BBA. Does it mean that nothing works really well right now? Are we still in the dark about BBA biology? E.g. If CO2 really is the cause, then why I have no BBA in my sunlit, no CO2, corydoras tank by the windowsill? Cory ate them??

GSA comes and goes in my tanks depending on how I dose the tank.

I have seen Greenwater unexpectedly in low stocked tanks with ADA substrate full of plants. Go figure.

And, no one has yet claimed that their tank is algae free. I wonder why... All the veterans too shy to share the state of their tanks?

ck

BBA loves CO2 as well for your info but up to a certain point. You either need to keep it high or very low at stable levels and not bump it up and then drop it down into the mid range and then up. Water current is another issue if you add CO2 since you would current to move the CO2 to the plants and it is especially difficult in a larger tank.

GSA is both a CO2 or PO4 issue. EI rules out the nutrient part and all that is left is CO2 and of course good mixing within the tank.

ADA aquasoil has NH3 in them, you do not need the critters to induce it to trigger greenwater. Try having quite a bit of emergent plants in the tank to soak up the NH3 since they have no trouble getting enough CO2.

I do get BBA sometimes but I do know why (due to lack of current in some places when the tank grows in and become a cess pool of weeds). You might have miss the cause of it without knowing and when you actually tested the CO2, it seems good. That is why Tom Barr ask folks to be focus on the CO2 instead of so much on the nutrients since EI rules it out pretty good.

CO2 has much variability due to equipment we use:
1) Diffuser - Gets clog easily and need constant maintenance but you know you need to clean them via visual cues.
2) Reactor inline with filter - Folks don't clean filters that often and what happens to the flow when the filter clogs? The flow slows down and the CO2 mixing rate lowers hence a potential of CO2 level dropping or does not mix the CO2 well throughout the tank evenly.

You will always have doubts about why BBA is associated with poor CO2 unless you focus real good.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[KeIgO86]

A little algae here and there is inevitable i guess. For me, I have a little of all the different types of algae all around my tank, although they can only be spotted upon very (and i mean very) close observation, with exception to GSA on the glass because its right in my face. However it can be easily scrapped off.

But what is the fuss about BBA. Most of us here know that a squirt of Excel on it kills it. BBA is by far the least of my algae worries.

[CK Yeo]

Did I mention that I have a partially sunlit tank with no circulation? au natural. No algae other then some brown algae on the glass. Maybe I should add CO2 and see if BBA grows.

I also have a high tech tank with moderate light, which I pump CO2 until fishes turn blue and gasp for air even though it was bubbling like crazy. And BBA still grows.

ADA aquasoil has ammonia??! I just googled it. Apparently a few people reported it. wow!

Excel kills BBA. It kills other things too. Shrimp, Vallisneria, Riccia just to name a few. H2O2 does the same though it is not as "in" now. Bleach works too, but that's frown upon for some reason or another.

Still no claims of algae free tanks. Is it possible???

ck

[ranmasatome]

Tanks will never be 100% algae free... both will coincide..it just depends how controlled the algae is.

BBA control requires high and CONSTANT co2 levels.. you can have high co2 levels but having it fluctuate around will still cause bba to grow... fish will still die due to co2 poisoning.. but since its not constant and evenly spread in the water.. the bba will grow.

[Fei Miao]

IMO as long as you can narrow to what's lacking in the parameters, you can tackle all visible algae, but as Justin points out, there will always be some algae in all planted tanks, it's a matter of keeping it under control.

[valice]

If you have ADA soil and ADA has NH3, should we still dose high on KNO3? Or increase the PO4 to counteract the GSA?

Just can't seem to solve my GSA problem which will come back 4 days after water change, with 2 doses of KNO3 and KH2PO4 in between... No other algae problems. No BBA or other algae... Just GSA...

How? Still CO2?

[Fei Miao]

I had the spot algae, especially on the glass, usually I scrap them off and do a water change. If they are on plants like A. nanas, I cut off the affected leaves, once I got my nutrient parameters and CO2 right, and with good current flow I don't see them anymore.

[PeterGwee]

If you have ADA soil and ADA has NH3, should we still dose high on KNO3? Or increase the PO4 to counteract the GSA?

Just can't seem to solve my GSA problem which will come back 4 days after water change, with 2 doses of KNO3 and KH2PO4 in between... No other algae problems. No BBA or other algae... Just GSA...

How? Still CO2?

No, you do not lower the fert dosage. Plants would go after the NH3 first before the NO3 but the NH3 shouldn't be that much or else you would have greenwater.

Either not enough PO4 dosage (2ppm 3-4x a week should be the max) or poor CO2 (rate dropping off during the week? Poor water current in some spots.)

Regards
Peter Gwee

[CK Yeo]

Point taken. My idea of "algae-free" is no clearly visible or nuisance algae. The purpose of this poll is to have an idea of what problem algae our members are having and possibly share experiences in dealing with them. I suppose the different ways of getting rid of specific types of algae will/should be discussed in separate threads for easy future reference for others.

Just for the purpose of clarity here, are we saying that BBA (and many other algae) is a result fluctuating CO2 levels? It is either you have it high or you don't have it at all. If we want to keep it at bay, we should pump lots of CO2 (with favorable nutrient conditions of course) and have a good circulation in the tank? Although the fish might start gasping for air, we just have to find other ways to deal with that?

There are many ways to enjoy the hobby. Constantly meddling with CO2, water parameters, test kits etc is not my idea of a relaxing hobby.

ck

[PeterGwee]

Just for the purpose of clarity here, are we saying that BBA (and many other algae) is a result fluctuating CO2 levels? It is either you have it high or you don't have it at all. If we want to keep it at bay, we should pump lots of CO2 (with favorable nutrient conditions of course) and have a good circulation in the tank? Although the fish might start gasping for air, we just have to find other ways to deal with that?

There are many ways to enjoy the hobby. Constantly meddling with CO2, water parameters, test kits etc is not my idea of a relaxing hobby.

ck

You do not need to have CO2 that high till it causes gasping fish to get good plant growth and no BBA. What you need to is to find the max rate of CO2 that will not produce much more growth when more is added and ensure that the rate remain stable (some regulators or needle valves are downright wacky. The other thing is to have enough surface current so that O2 would always be in a good range even if the plant growth is poor.). Circulation is important since plants cannot get to the CO2 or nutrients. Filters clog over time and that affects the amount of current in the tank.

Do the non-CO2 method type of tank then if you find the work of a CO2 enriched tank taxing.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[ranmasatome]

Point taken. My idea of "algae-free" is no clearly visible or nuisance algae. The purpose of this poll is to have an idea of what problem algae our members are having and possibly share experiences in dealing with them. I suppose the different ways of getting rid of specific types of algae will/should be discussed in separate threads for easy future reference for others.

Just for the purpose of clarity here, are we saying that BBA (and many other algae) is a result fluctuating CO2 levels? It is either you have it high or you don't have it at all. If we want to keep it at bay, we should pump lots of CO2 (with favorable nutrient conditions of course) and have a good circulation in the tank? Although the fish might start gasping for air, we just have to find other ways to deal with that?

ck

If thats your idea of algae-free then yes...its possible..may past 3 tanks have been like that.. no visible algae...but it did take sometime to figure out the right parameters for each tank...but still.. i think its possible.

If common sense doesn't strike you NOT to pump in so much co2 that your fish dies.. then i guess go ahead. You dont see us saying to do that do you??

[michael lai]

I've been battling BBA for a few months now, excel overdose, CO2, waterflow, you name it, I've tried it. This is like the algae from hell! and worst now it seems to have grown immune to excel. OMG! If it weren't Bolbitis, I would have thrown away the whole lot. Geez..