Pissed off with BBA...

[aquascaping1982]

Hi bros out there.. need some help again.. here goes my non c02 tank parameter.

Tank parameter
-2ft tank support with a 12cm Profantec fan
-PL E-ballast 2x36watts but on 1 lights only
-Base fert: JBJ nutrients & Black Quartz Gravel
-Ehiem 2232 filter
-Liquid fert: Seachem Flourish, LushGro Aqua & KH2PO4 & KNO3
-Others: Ocean Free BB, Genesis

Flora
-Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis
-Fern Gametophye
-Red Tiger Lotus
-Anubias Nana
-Windelov Fern
-Rotala Nanjeshan
-Egeria Densa
-Elatine triandra
-C.Aegagropila
-Ammania sp
-Taiwan & Java Moss

Fauna
-1xOtos, 5xRummy nose tetra, 14xNeon tetra & 7xNeon Black tetra
-Few crystal shrimps,Bee shrimps,CRS & 3xYamato

Problem I met, BBA appear on driftwood & tip of the Windelov leaves.. so I got totally no idea how to get rid of it & furthermore plant growth is great!

Help is greatly apperciate, thanks..

[AquaObsession]

The plants are not growing! Just give it some time for the windelov to adapt and start growing. Meanwhile do not dose fertilizers or do NOT do water change!

Hope this helps.

[|squee|]

Stop changing water and only do top ups.

[ranmasatome]

you can crop your lights down to just 36 watts.. that should help also

[PeterGwee]

The plants are not growing! Just give it some time for the windelov to adapt and start growing. Meanwhile do not dose fertilizers or do NOT do water change!

Hope this helps.

The nutrients do not induce the algae, just not add the same amount as EI that's all since the uptake rate is 5-10x lesser. Stopping the water changes and picking on them manually or adding SAEs should help since they grow slow as well in a low light non-CO2 tank.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[uklau]

Hi, anyone mind to explain how by not doing WC helps in this case? Thanks.

[aquascaping1982]

The plants are not growing! Just give it some time for the windelov to adapt and start growing. Meanwhile do not dose fertilizers or do NOT do water change!

Hope this helps.

Hi Aquaobession, how do you know the plants are not growing? The tiger lotus & rotala are growing with new leaves & each day they getting longer & bigger..

Ranmasatome-I have cut down the lights to only 18watts so it is only 1.2wpg.

Squee & Peter-Will try to stop doing water change, because every week I will do a 50% water change.

[AquaObsession]

Windelov take time to adapt, and in my experience, they do better with lower temperature, and in my case too, windelov will adapt after about 3 weeks. When i just tie them to wood, or even just transfer to my tank, they will start to get dark ends, but after some time, they start to adapt and grow again. So I am saying it has not yet adapted and not is not yet growing, hence the BBA will come to the plants, and not the other plants.

For BBA, check also your Co2, its distribution! Hope this helps.

One advice; once u tied them or put them inside your tank, do not bother about disturbing them. Let them adapt and they will do fine later. And after a few weeks, you might wish to cut those leaves that have dried out etc. New ones will certainly be growing and need space.

[PeterGwee]

It's a non-CO2 type of tank so stopping water changes and only do so every 6-12 months or whenever you uproot plants. Make sure you have good amount of algae eating critters since they do more damage to the algae especially when they grow slowly.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[aquascaping1982]

Oh ok but I can't get use to it when can't change water for 6-12months! Anyway thanks everyone for the advise..

[KeIgO86]

No one mentioned nuking BBA with Excel spot treatment? It works like a charm.

[aquascaping1982]

No one mentioned nuking BBA with Excel spot treatment? It works like a charm.

Sure I would try but my tank do consist of shrimps just afraid Excel will killed the shrimps too..

[KeIgO86]

Just for your info, I have dosed up to 5 times the recommended amount with no signs of discomfort or deaths from the shrimps.

Recommended daily: 5ml for 50 gallons
My dose: 5ml for 10 gallons

I've dosed 10ml for 10 gallons daily before as well when I was getting HC to spread, and also no notable negative side effects on the fauna. I had pressurized CO2 into that tank too!