BBA in low maintenance tank

[Sleepy_lancs]

Hi All,

Just wondering what you guys would do in a low maintenace tank with BBA.

I have 2 tanks - 4 x 2 x 2 (Tank A) and 4 x 1.5 x 1.5 (Tank B). Both are low maintenace with no CO2 injection. I am having a little BBA problem. Can't seem to shake them off *sigh*.

Been trying to follow Tom Barr EI method but am unsure if I am doing the right dosage.

Tank A
=====
Primarily Crypts with a little Java Fern (10%).

Lighting is 4 x 55 watts PL operating for 10 hours daily

Substrate consist of mixed Aquabasis plus and Peat Moss (Horti Moss) and top with old SeaChem Flourite

Tank is about close to 1 year old.

Weekly Dosage:
- 1/4 teaspoon SeaChem EQ
- 1/4 teaspoon KNO3
- 1/8 teaspoon KH2PO4

Observation:
- tuff of BBA found on substrate.
- Glass panel seems to have a green dust algae coating.
- Fern seems to keep dying back. I am not sure if it was due to fertilising or because its too near the water inlet.


Tank A
=====
Mixture of Java (50%), Nanas (40%), Hair Grass (10 %) and floating on top is a bunch of Hydrocotyle Leucocephala covering about 10% of surface.

Lighting is 2 x 30 watts FL operating for 10 hours daily

Substrate consist of mixed Aquabasis plus and Peat Moss (Horti Moss) and top with old lapis sand

Tank is about close to 1 mth old.

Weekly Dosage:
- 1/4 teaspoon SeaChem EQ
- 1/4 teaspoon KNO3
- 1/8 teaspoon KH2PO4

Observation:
- tuff of BBA found on substrate and java ferns closer to light source.
- Green dot algae found on leaves of java closer to light source


I have 10 SAE added recently to help control it but I know it will not be a perm solution. I wonder what you guys do to at least keep BBA in check.

All advice welcome. Flaming will be ignored.

[mordrake]

how's the water circulation and any water changes?

[barmby]

My low tank has no fertilization and water change for the 1.5 years. Mayb you want to reanalyse your dosing regimen and etc. Low tech tank is really low maintenance.

[taygu]

I used to have the same problem with my 2 feet tank. What I have done is reduced light from 72 watts to 36 watts. Stop dosage of fert and weekly water change of about 30%.

Oh ya, make sure you vacuum the substrate..

[Sleepy_lancs]

Tank A has only been through 1 WC. Tank B hasn't gone through any WC since it was set up. The water circulation should be quite okay.

[mordrake]

Tank A has only been through 1 WC. Tank B hasn't gone through any WC since it was set up. The water circulation should be quite okay.

why are u dosing when there is no WC?
either cut down or stop.
clear up any uneaten or rotting plants if any.

oh yah, for tank A, reduce the lights.
4x55W is giving u more than 2wpg
4x36W would be better

[ast21]

ok. me once got this problem. add seachem flourish excel and pump some on to the bba. but you have to switch off your filter first..let it stay there for 3 to 5 min. then on back the filter. every two day change 10% of tank water then do the same thing again.rememder not to overdose.once bba is gone. you can stop adding excel. it is safe for shrimps. i try it in my crs tank before.as long as you don't overdose it.

[mordrake]

another thing. even though it's a low maintenance tank, it's not a no maintenance tank.
think it's time to clean out tank A since it's been a year. some filter cleaning, gravel vacuuming... nothing too major.

[Sleepy_lancs]

Hmm... I think you got it wrong, there is filter cleaning done. WC happens every 6 mths. How can I do gravel vaccuming when there are a layer of peat and aquabasis under it??? Perhaps the cut down of lights maybe the only solution.

ast21,
when you add SeaChem flourish, you are introducing CO2 isn't it? In that case it would be an CO2 enriched tank not a tank without CO2 injection.

[mordrake]

Hmm... I think you got it wrong, there is filter cleaning done. WC happens every 6 mths. How can I do gravel vaccuming when there are a layer of peat and aquabasis under it??? Perhaps the cut down of lights maybe the only solution.

just put the hose 1 inch above the gravel and give it a stir. the current created will stir things up. suck it out.
if you have hard scape, vacuum under if possible

[aquarius]

Hi sleepy_lancs, I used to have very bad BBA and have lived with this nightmare for years!! I tried almost everything but nothing seems to work!! Early this yr i changed to low tech thinking that the nightmare willl end but to no avail. These are the things i did when i changed to low tech :

1. Wash filter
2. Suck out as much BBA as possible from the substrate and manually remove them from the plants and DW
3. Only do weekly water top-ups

when that didn't help, i did the following one item at a time to see what's the problem :

4. Change light tubes - 2 x 39T5
5. Add NO3, PO4 and Traces
6. Change the direction of the rainbar a few times to ensure that the water is properly circulated round the tank
7. Add 1 SAE - I noticed that SAEs ONLY EATS Black Beard Algae NOT Black Brush Algae (i had both)
8. Add Excel by squirting it directly onto the Black Brush Algae with the recommended dosage
9. Add hydrogen peroxide onto the BBA

when it still didn't work :

10. INCREASE the Kh from 0 or 1 dkh to 4dkh.
After 2weeks of observations, it's FINALLY CONFIRMED that the BBAs are clearing!! I've maintained the Kh at 4dkh ever since and after 2mths plus, almost all the BBA on the plants have cleared!!! The plants are also growing much better!

Hope this info helps. GOOD LUCK!!

[|squee|]

My solution was too much light.

Scenario: 2ft tank with 36W of PL light 10 hours daily
BBA appeared by the score all over the leaves nearest to the lights.

I asked on the Tom Barr forums about this, and the general answer I got was there was too much light. Tom said something about more light = faster growth therefore faster rate of CO2 being taken up. I surmised that due to this the CO2 fluctuations at the top level of the tank would have caused the BBA, and BBA was not seen growing at the bottom levels of the tank because there CO2 levels were more stable due to slower rate of growth.

I covered the light set with a piece of tracing paper, and for a time BBA lessened, but it was still there.

Finally I reduced the light duration to 8 hours, and now BBA is only a trace.

[PeterGwee]

Intensity of the light is at issue here as mentioned by |squee|. Folks years ago don't have PC lightings and only use T8 or T12 bulbs which doesn't produce that much intensity even with equal amount of wattage. Try FL lightings rather than PC or T5 with no more than 1.5wpg.

Regards,
Peter Gwee

[Sleepy_lancs]

As much as I suspected. Thanks for all the confirmation. I guess I go on to reduce the lights.

As for the dosing regime, any complains?

PS: |squee|, I like the way you have explained it. Clear and Concise.