Switch to EI method

[StanChung]

I'm still trying to decide if CO2 is really the main problem because I find i get BBA really quickly if i overload on fauna and feed. [all things roughly equal]

Because this hipothesis is quite the fall guy. I find it's too convenient to blame EVERYTHING on CO2 issues.

[|squee|]

Why do you think that overloading on fauna and feed leads you to BBA? I couldn't think of a logical explanation for it.

[Shadow]

I've been reading that BBA is due to lack of CO2 and circulation. Does it mean that CO2 kill BBA? Excel do kill BBA but excel is not gas CO. I confuse

[|squee|]

CO2 doesn't kill BBA, it does not allow it to start growing.

If you have existing BBA and you correct conditions, the BBA won't die off by itself (at least not in short term). You need to manually remove it, so there's where Excel comes in. Excel is not an algaecide, it just contains an ingredient that blasts BBA to smithereens.

[Shadow]

So can I say that CO2 is hindering BBA grow?

[StanChung]

Nope, BBA loves CO2 too. [read: you have to remove the BBA]
Right here is when the proponents of CO2 as fall guy lose the mark IMHO.
They can't explain it without asking us to believe.

I find that overloading Fauna leads to more wastes. The water I notice then has a lot of suspended particles as compared to when there's less fauna.

[|squee|]

So can I say that CO2 is hindering BBA grow?

Tom Barr has shown that fluctuating/insufficient CO2 levels induce BBA. So you could say that good CO2 will hinder BBA growth.

Right here is when the proponents of CO2 as fall guy lose the mark IMHO.
They can't explain it without asking us to believe.

I don't understand

[StanChung]

It's ok, the point is BBA is going to come sooner of later. lol

[Shadow]

Nope, BBA loves CO2 too. [read: you have to remove the BBA]
Right here is when the proponents of CO2 as fall guy lose the mark IMHO.
They can't explain it without asking us to believe.

If BBA loves CO2 too, then it does not explain why increasing the CO2 and water circulation reduce it grow. Infact, increasing CO2 and water circulation should increase BBA grow as well. I never experiment with BBA myself but thats what I read from different thread. I'm totally confuse

[StanChung]

Don't worry about it. I've tried upping the CO2 and BBA doesn't blink. You need to remove it then do all that's needed to grow plants + service your tank a bit including the filters.

[Shadow]

when you up your CO2 does the BBA stop growing or slowing down? You have to remove it manually, I agreed with that.

[StanChung]

IME, it didn't stop growing, it grew normally or more!

[aquarius]

Don't worry about it. I've tried upping the CO2 and BBA doesn't blink. You need to remove it then do all that's needed to grow plants + service your tank a bit including the filters.

Hey i'm facing the same thing. I did almost everything possible including upping the CO2 to >4bps using an external reactor but the BBA still grows! I tried removing as much BBA as possible but they kept coming back and spreading until i give up trying to remove them on the affected places.

The only reason i can think off is because there is inconsistent CO2 injection in the water which i find very strange cos external reactors are supposed to be more efficient at diffusing the CO2.

My inlet pipe which is covered with a small green netting to prevent shrimps and endlers from being sucked in is constantly being jammed with debris. Wonder is that the cause of the CO2 being inconsistent or not properly being mixed into the water???

[StanChung]

Great of you to say so because I seriously can't swallow anymore pump up the CO2 to 30+ppm to rid of your BBA problems.

It really doesn't work if you have or done any one of these situations below
Clogged filters/debris buildup in tank/fauna overload/overfeeding/wrong choice of food/nutrients limiting situation/missed WC/messed with tank and did not WC/flow too high/lighting period too long/CO2 run out.

I would say you have to eliminate all the problems one by one. If you have sufficient CO2, you should not experience anything serious.

I also have experienced long relatively BBA free periods. 6 months to a year with having to resort to tweaking the CO2.[never had gasping fish in my current tanks that are a year +. A couple times BBA appeared on filter out and on wood and some on glass and some tall plants. Trim and dip in bleach and it's all good.

BBA takes very long to grow. Anything you did/didn't do weeks before would have been the cause. You'd see black dots before it grows into tufts. So keep some fish that scrapes around. Otos and Garra flavatras are great for this purpose.

[ranmasatome]

i think people misunderstand the Co2 situation.. its not that you have to get Co2 to 30ppm which is a magic number.. but you have to be able to CONSISTANTLY MAINTAIN a Co2 ppm that is 20-25ppm or above. Anyone can hit 30ppm or even above or even kill fish by pumping in so much Co2.. but if it is not CONSTANT... then its going to fail and then people say Co2 doesn't work.

[StanChung]

I think what Tom Barr was saying is that we are over estimating the CO2 in our tanks and I agree with that statement.
What some believe however is getting the CO2 to 30+ ppm is the magic bullet. That's seriously wrong without considering all the other conditions.

[StanChung]

i think people misunderstand the Co2 situation.. its not that you have to get Co2 to 30ppm which is a magic number.. but you have to be able to CONSISTANTLY MAINTAIN a Co2 ppm that is 20-25ppm or above. Anyone can hit 30ppm or even above or even kill fish by pumping in so much Co2.. but if it is not CONSTANT... then its going to fail and then people say Co2 doesn't work.

Where is the proof that inconsistent CO2 is actually the cause of BBA?

[PeterGwee]

Using quality test kits and test methods over a time frame. If you are able to accurately determine the amount of CO2, you would know that the amount actually moves around quite a bit and that as plant biomass increases, the uptake increase as well. (If you did not up the rate to make up for the increase in CO2 uptake, your CO2 level would actually go down. The other part is rubisco issue which I would not say much.).

Regards,
Peter Gwee

[ranmasatome]

Proof???

Here loh..



After moderation of co2 levels for a week..3 times a day everyday. i finally managed to work out a bubble rate good enough for this tank. After that.. ZERO..yes.. Zero BBa.

[|squee|]

http://www.barrreport.com/estimative...?highlight=BBA

The first line in the above article is misleading

ranmasatome, that's a disgustingly good tank. I'm going to go tear down mine now