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Thread: BBA and Me

  1. #1
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    BBA and Me

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    Hi guyz, just got my marine running and now back to my FW tank problem, BBA. Got this a year ago. I always had a win-lose-win-lose battle with it. Unable to eradicate them with a barrage of counter measures finally making me surrender. I got my 4ft overhaul recently. This is what I did.
    1. throw away all plants and gravel including my lush field of HG.*sigh*
    2. Quarantine all fish.
    3. Clean tank and accesories(including filter) with Clorox bleach. Rinse well and dump anti-chlorine solution in. Rinse and dry tank.
    4. Dump dennerle deponit (2 bucket) and gravel 4cm thick.
    5. Add DI water. Run filter and plant E-tenullus sparsely and 1 pot of cabomba.
    6. No fertilisation and C02 injection until 1 week and lighting only 4hrs 36w.
    7. Once water is cycle add the fishes in.
    Anyway anyone have a success story on this BBA. I only manage to control them not remove them. I had various liquid anti-algae stuff used, SAE, Yamato,Pencilfish,Farowella,black molly, Light siesta, stop fert, phospate checks, straw barley, proper tank maintenance, UV sterilizers and the works done but cannot beat them. Only way is to nuke(bleach) them. Since I'm restarting my tank, those newbies maybe can follow thru. Intend to use hg again but will work with e-tenullus first to mature the tank further. Anyone had a 100% success story combating BBA? I doubt no, but maybe I'm wrong.

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    i fully use stemmed plants or fast growers, seem to work

  3. #3
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    ----------------
    1. throw away all plants and gravel including my lush field of HG.*sigh*
    ----------------
    Wah .. I bet there are some aquarists who may be interested in your plants or gravel. What a waste to throw them away.

  4. #4
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    from this


    To this

  5. #5
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    Ninjafly, unless u want my BBA that comes with it.

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    Simon, can help me on the pics, don't know why cannot open. Thks.

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    Anyway thks simon, got pics upload from another fileserver.





    B4 and after pics.Even though cannot see BBA but they are all over the tank under the HG. To attain it's full glory again - I mean the tank.

  8. #8
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    Hi
    So sad to see such a nice tank become a bare tank.
    I though SAE will do the job. Remove all the BBA.
    So what r the thing we can do to prevent BBA attack?
    Maybe we should train our SAE army to attact them back.

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    I have stopped the BBA in my tanks. I did it just by increasing CO2 and ensuring that there is enuf nutrients for the plants. Learnt this from the infamous APD. Tried it and it works. You have to ensure that CO2 in the water is well circulated. Cut off all leaves with BBA.

    The wrong move was to cut CO2, nutrients and light. This will probably kill your plants before you get rid of the BBA.

    This is what I gathered through my little experience.

    Brown algae - usually in new tanks
    --> introduced some algae eaters like ottos
    GW - caused by NH3
    --> black out, stop feeding, water change
    Green spot algae - nutrients
    --> green algae is most similar to the plants we have. Almost impossible to pevent. Just control by periodic scraping
    BBA - due to low CO2 and plants not growing well due to lack of certain nutrients.
    --> Increase CO2. Check nutrients. Trim leaves with BBA.

    Just my S$0.02.

    BC

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    Hi
    How do i know how much of CO2 i need for my 5ft tank?
    Eg How many bubbles it need in 1 min?

    Thanks

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    I go for 30-35ppm. Bubbles per minute varies according to tanks and diffuser/reactor. Check pH and KH to calculate or use the pH/KH charts.

    BC

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    bclee, those bba are not really gone from ur tank.Once they are there nothing can remove them.The only thing is they cannot propagate anymore and floating ard as spores.Try reducing ur Co2 and other stuff to the condition b4.U will see what I mean.Have tried that stuff but one wrong move, eg C02 finish while u on a long trip, that's it, Hello BBA!

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    I've always managed to control bba whenever I get out break.

    a) take out soft plants like hornwort. cut plant leaves with bba
    b) water change 50%.
    c) use azoo anti algae, all the bba will die at this point.
    d) watch the feeding after that, don't overfeed.

    it only happens when I decide to go all crazy and feed beefhard twice or three times a day,,

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    On 7/2/2002 2:31:31 PM

    bclee, those bba are not really gone from ur tank.Once they are there nothing can remove them.The only thing is they cannot propagate anymore and floating ard as spores.Try reducing ur Co2 and other stuff to the condition b4.U will see what I mean.Have tried that stuff but one wrong move, eg C02 finish while u on a long trip, that's it, Hello BBA!
    ----------------
    Of couse not , nobody can wipe them out. Just by understanding the nature of the BBA will help to STOP them from blooming... at least you do not have to tear down the whole tank every few months to get rid of them.

    The most important thing is to do a weekly or fortnightly water change. Trim the old leaves. This will surely help.

    BC

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    Agree with bclee. Shame to tear down just becos of some stubborn single-cell protoplasts. My established high light/CO2 tank had horrendous BBA (BBA balls were rolling merrily on the bottom) last year until I added some hornwort to soak up excess nutrients. This cleared up the critters in no time. Other nutrient hungry plants should do the trick as well. Apart from adding less liquid fert, methinks those tricks like light siestas, less CO2, worse strange chemicals, just add stress to the tank's denizens, and if the plants aren't happy, algae will win out.

    More recently, I have been throwing out most of my stem plants and putting strong rooted species like Barclayas, crypts, ferns, Aponogetons in their place. As expected, all other factors being equal, this resulted in a reemergence of some BBA, which I am countering with more hornwort/frogbit and cutting down light (since the light hungry stem plants are gone). We'll see how this round ends, but it shouldn't get so bad that a tear-down is required. Algae will always be there, it's just a question of whether the tank favours them or the other plants.

  16. #16
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    On 7/2/2002 2:50:34 PM

    I've always managed to control bba whenever I get out break.

    a) take out soft plants like hornwort. cut plant leaves with bba
    b) water change 50%.
    c) use azoo anti algae, all the bba will die at this point.
    d) watch the feeding after that, don't overfeed.

    it only happens when I decide to go all crazy and feed beefhard twice or three times a day,,

    ----------------
    loupgarou,
    Will the Azoo anti-algae kill shrimps and plants?

    Setiardi,
    How do you grow your hairgrass until so lush and green?

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    After starting planted tank and reading lots of books and websites about it, I had idea of using those garden compost as base fert. Since gardening is my hobby since young though with potted plants and been a science freak and nature guy, tried using it. It works,no need expensive "for aquarium only" base fert. Thats what I use to make it lush.Only downside they contain other things like phosphorous that algae loves.U can try on a small scale tank, maybe 1 footer.The trick is to plant in the beginning and not uproot the plants later which will release the unwanted stuff.Remember to top up with gravel ard 1 - 2 cm when setting up.Lighting must be strong too maybe a 36w PL and C02 can use diy.I redo my tank coz I want to have a peaceful mind maintaining my tank.I want to enjoy it, not get full stress out of it.Now at least looking at my e. tenullus with new creepers is enjoyful.hey! u just gave me an idea to propagate HG on my spare pots.

  18. #18
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    Kingpin, just to add that u don't really need liquid fert.All minerals are provided by the base fert and water changes.Liquid fert is only for plant system without roots like riccia or algae. Plants grow roots not for fun . But if the base fert is depleted of minerals doses of it is useful.Just think for a moment here ,the HG I got at Teo plant farm are in square wooden pots.They just get minerals from the soil. So why must we dose with liquid fert if the base fert has plenty of minerals. I think many liquid fert co. might not be happy with me now.he..he..he

  19. #19
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    setiardi, how to make your B. japonica into a pom-pom shape? thanx!
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

  20. #20
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    Bunch them close.Give lots of light, mine total 216w. And also optimum Co2, this one must experiment ur self. Water surface must be clear, use surface skimmer.If not only waste electricity bill.Good luck!

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