Black Beard/Brush Algae

Thanks Vee...

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

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

 

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?

 

Thread Revive!

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? 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

 

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.

 

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?