View Full Version : Black Beard/Brush Algae
LiftCrazy*
18-05-2009, 22:53
Anyone have any tips on getting rid of this stuff?
What has worked for you?
Some pics of the stuff...
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6578.jpg
This is how it starts, on the edges...
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6580.jpg
Here's some info for you (http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/red-algae.html)
I had the same problem for weeks and eventually I kicked the BBA's ass
What worked for me was that I dosed the tank with Florish Excel and I also allowed my plants to completely invade the tank. I removed some leaves that were heavilly covered in it; basically I removed as much of the algae manually before I started to do my dosing. This was one case where my std approach of fixing tank issues didn't work. Oh yes, I did a 80% water change before I added the chemicals
Must admit that SAE do a very good job at chomping this algae, so if you have a few, they'll do the job for you. THe one SAE I have has controlled BBA in my other tank....hardly see it anymore
LiftCrazy*
19-05-2009, 08:36
Thanks Dale, thats good info.
you can also get a Moolighlight Guorami. Flourish works well. Follow dosing requirements carefully. not all plants react favorably to it
Oh yah...that's right. Moonlight Gouramis & Black Mollies eat this type of algae. Trick to remember here is to not feed them too much food, else they won't be eager to eat the algae.
LiftCrazy*
19-05-2009, 11:43
Thanks guys, going to weigh up my options... will post updates later on.
In the interim, remove the hair algae manually as you see it. The longer they get time to settle in and grow thick on your plants, the more difficult it becomes to remove it later
LiftCrazy*
08-06-2009, 18:47
DALE!!! The algae has turned pinkish... does this mean it's dying?
I'm into my 3rd day dosing with Flourish Excel.
Well I'm not sure but I would think that the pinkish colour is a sign of it being trashed. Maybe give tomorrow a rest on the dosing and then continue the following 3 days....I only dosed my tank once and it did the job for me in containing it.
LiftCrazy*
15-06-2009, 10:51
Well the stubborn brush algae has finally been beat.
The flourish excel worked wonders, thanks for the suggestion Dale.
When the BBA became a big problem, i immediately set up my DIY CO2 again after some research. I then followed Solex's tip and got some flourish excel.
Within a few days of starting the treatment, the algae started turning pink; I am convinced this was the sign of the algae being starved. Over the past week the BBA has almost completely vanished. During this time my plants freaked out, growth was hugely boosted. I really need to start trimming the plants back... some update pics are definitely due, will post some this evening.
dont prune just yet...wait another while...make 100% sure the algae is completely gone by letting your plants grow invasively.
LiftCrazy*
15-06-2009, 22:42
Thanks Dale, will do...
Here are the pics.
The Vallis was put in this evening (Thanks Zafgak)
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6645.jpg
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6646.jpg
Hey Lee - A really good looking tank
Always a pleasure to be of service, At least now we don't have to post a pic of the Vallis :)
Sjoe but that looks awesome Lee! You really kicked the BBA's ass mate :)
Suggestion - Perhaps move the val behind the logs as it is really a backdrop plant and it is currently taking some focus away from your wood.
Correct. If it turns pink it is dying.
Henk Hugo
16-06-2009, 08:13
looks great
LiftCrazy*
16-06-2009, 09:22
Thanks guys...
Zafgak - Was nice to see your setup... massive operation.
Solex - That is exactly what i need to do, for now i just put it in. The plan is to move the vallis to the back and coner. I still have my other peice of mopani that needs to go back.
As soon as the baby cacatuoides are a little bigger i will do the "rescape"
At the moment the inmates are in the corner taking up the space... Anyone looking for 3 bumblebee gobies? Come and fetch.
Risen - Thanks for the confirmation
Pic of the BBA's end...
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6627.jpg
Might want to give the gobies to Gert as he is breeding with them at the moment. So I'll book them on his behalf in the interim.
LiftCrazy*
16-06-2009, 20:41
Cool, no problem
The tanks looking great Lee - well done! :D
LiftCrazy*
17-06-2009, 09:26
Thanks Vee...
Gilbertr14
30-06-2009, 19:01
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6578.jpg
What plant is that growing off, I am trying to ID it in anohter thread.
LiftCrazy*
30-06-2009, 21:02
Amazon sword? I'm not sure... Anyone?
It looks like a sword. Do the leaves sprout from a tuber/bulb, or from the roots?
PS: Nice Sunburst Cockatoo.
LiftCrazy*
01-07-2009, 14:28
Thanks Slagter.
The leaves seem to come from the roots.
Then it's definitely a Sword. Not sure which kind though.
Entire pic of the plant pls :)
Dirk Bellstedt
03-07-2009, 21:15
The sword plant is something like an Echinodorus bleheri, a narrow leaved sword plant. One cannot identify the plant accurately as it is not mature yet. As you come from Wynberg, I can see that it is suffering from the typical symptoms of plant feeding shortages here in the Western Cape, typical iron deficiency, but normal fertilizers don't work here, you need some of my plant ferts.....
Kind regards,
Dirk
LiftCrazy*
14-07-2009, 11:52
My apologies Dale, Professor
I have only noticed these posts now, i haven't been receiving the thread update notification emails due to our Mail Marshal marking them as spam.
I will post a picture of the full plant this evening.
Dale - What did you make of the plant when you came through?
Gert Combrink
20-02-2011, 19:10
We all have struggled with BBA. Now let us have some of my observations.
Let's see if we can understand BBA better...
1. I do agree that this algae like a lot of light (in the wrong spectrum)
2. Why does it like silika?
3. It mostly grow on the glass of the tank and on the silica substrate.
4. It does not grow on the Java Fern, but on the older anubia leaves and some old (yellow) Vallis leaves and the driftwood.
5. BBA is not supposed to grow in fast currents, but grow from the spraybar and the silicone airline tube above the airstone and airflow.
6. It also grow on one of the green heater suction cups, but not on the other different black one?
Lets try to understand this BBA better and share your observations, cures etc...
Awaiting in anticipation...
Gert.
what i have noticed like you said, it LOVES bright light..
many have said that its because of strong lights, a lack of / inconsistant co2(carbon) and low water flow.
when i had it i did notice that once i added water flow it was abit better.. when i added SAE, they were gone most of the time, when i added CO2 (or for other ppl the equivalent which is excel)it completely disapeared.
now with regards to anubias, i heard that with slower growing plants it tends to attach onto the leaves easier as the plant cannot fight it off fast enough..
Hi all
I have never had it grow on the glass or the silica substrate. Heater, filter, driftwood, rocks, older leaves and leaves of slow growers.
Excel is a quick cure. Consistent CO2 levels balanced to the light levels is the long term cure. Most people have too much light...
The question is this: how does it get INTO the tank? are the spores airborne? Or is it one of those that are introduced by adding new plants, etc. If you happen to kill it with, say Excel, then surely it should not come back if you don't add anything new into the tank, right?
i always thought it just developed from thin..water? :P haha.. but ya, from looking on the net, it seems that it does come from plants lfs etc.. my bba never really went away.. it always lurked in the shadows until i made a mistake again :P
Gert Combrink
22-02-2011, 06:44
I also think that it depends a lot on the water, like CT's soft slightly acidic water and ph.
The BBA in my setup, only grow in some tanks, but not in adjacent/same tanks! ???
BBA could also be introduced by nets.
But why does it have a preference for SILICA in my tanks?
Has is ever occured to us that there could be different types of BBA? One liking leaves, one liking silica, etc etc
My BBA seems to love my driftwood and those hardy very slow growing plants.
LiftCrazy*
22-02-2011, 13:57
I just have had BBA take over in my tank once again, this time accompanied by Cyano as well... water changes not helping.
I eventually put it down to old T5's, have replaced the tubes and started with Excel again.
yes, i do find that old lighting can contribute to it too.. weird..
Did this in my one tank. Drained it and sprayed the exell on all the affected parts. Waited a minute and filled up again.
The algae dissapeared after a few days.
but vis, dont u think that it does come back?
shihr, did it recently so would have to see if it does.
BBA is nasty. It seems to come back from time to time, no matter what you do. Mostly a problem in non-CO2 tanks, or DIY CO2 tanks. If you have constant high 30ppm CO2 then you will never see it. Best thing to do is lower the light levels and keep them low. To kill it, only Gluteraldehyde and bleach works. Also H2O2. But, as discussed that is dangerous stuff if used long term. So lower the water level to almost nothing, spray some Gluteraldehyde on the affected plants and hardscape items, trim off the worst leaves, take out the heaters, filter outlets, etc and wash those outside the tank in bleach, let dry, wash again thoroughly with clean water and return to tank. Maybe a few repeated treatments will beat it back for a long time, but until you solve the light vs CO2 balance it will return again. SAEs also eat this stuff, but only if you keep them hungry. Once they start liking your bloodworm and soft flakes they don't do much about the BBA. And they kinda just pick on it, so you need a school. Say maybe 1 for every 30 litres in the tank. I have found mine loves the hair and thread algae more, which is also great because those can be seriously annoying too. They constantly graze on that fine hair algae that sometimes grow on plants and have pretty much eliminated that in my tank.
But back to Gluteraldehyde. Overseas some people use Cidex, which is a medical grade equipment disinfectant. It is Gluteraldehyde and about twice as strong as Excel, but about 1/4 of the price. And needs to be handled with great care as it can cause skin irritations, serious issues if you accidentally get it in your eyes, and also respiratory problems. Just thought I'd mention this....
Just a thought... we all go through the pains of QT our fish. (Surely fish could also carry algae spores???) Some of us will QT our plants, some will do a bleech soak for 5 mins to kill any algae and snails, and some, at a bare minimum will just check the plants and rinse in normal water. We all agree that 90% of algae is introduced via our plants from LPS, and some of us take the correct precautions, yet algae still happens.
What are the chances that the algae spores could be slipping in through our tap water. Granted it is treated etc, but surely the chances of a few single algae spores surviving is out there?
Laure, ur right.. when i had 2 t8 30w over my tank with DIY CO2 back in the day, i had no problems.. so i decided to get stronger lights to see what would happen..guess what? bba happened.. it seems that there is a point at which the lights are too strong and thus leads to a shortage / imbalance of co2 = BBA..
even after draining the whole tank, letting dry for a few days then re cycling that thank, after few months, it came back!
Zoom, thats interesting.. but what im wondering is, for instance, in a pool, we add chlorine to kill everything.. but, unmaintained even if it hasnt rained, the algae will come back! whats up with that??
Leave a clean bucket of water outside in sunlight and don't touch it. Few days and you will have some algae growing. What does that tell you?
but even when you disinfect every thing.. after a few weeks of months, algae will develop.. so where does it come from? esp when you kill everything off in the bucket??
I think you answered your own question :)
Well either the disinfectant isn't killing everything, or it's in the air.
Let me give you another cryptic clue :)
The disinfectant will likely kill everything for as long as it remains active in the water.
But still.... if you disinfect 5litres of water... you can assume everything is dead... and remains dead for as long as the disinfectant is active. After "x" amount of days the disinfectant is no longer effective, you don't add anything, assume no rain, and algae will grow. Airborn!
I think you answered your own question :)
uh.. i still dont know where it comes from.. anyways.. guess we just have to take it as a way of fish keeping.. there will always be algae lurking in our tanks..waiting to strike when we make a mistake :P
But still.... if you disinfect 5litres of water... you can assume everything is dead... and remains dead for as long as the disinfectant is active. After "x" amount of days the disinfectant is no longer effective, you don't add anything, assume no rain, and algae will grow. Airborn!
thats what i thought too.. but i doubt its airborn though.. think i'll go do some googling :P
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