oil slick

A little off topic, but how did you use it for the BBA?

 

I believe it's a dip?

 

You can use H2O2 (Hydrogen Peroxide) as a spot treatment for BBA.
I prefer to use a syringe with a piece of air tubing on the front, and then carefully apply the H2O2 to the affected areas.

 

Inside the tank, or you remove the affected driftwood/plants/etc and treat?

 

i had this stuff in my tank a while back but it was due to poor water agitation on the surface. just move your filter around to try give the best flow or maybe buy a cheap powerhead to give surface agitation. you may aslo be feeding a bit much which can cause an excess of proteins in the water

 

I apply it under water.

 

Interesting - I thought it would harm the livestock

 

I had the same issue on my discus tanks caused by feeding. I made a surface skimmer out of a dophin corner filter and it's doing an excellent job. I can post pics if you guys are interested.

 

What they said.

In my 3 footer, I use about 5ml to 10ml (clicks 30 vol H202 ) in a syringe and spot treat the effected areas as needed under the water.
You will actually see it start fizzing and a day or 2 later dose again.
When the BBA is dead you will notice an pink / purple colour.

Did not loose and stock as yet whiles doing this.

 

I you use to much h2o2 it will kill your livestock. I do a whole tank h2o2 treatment.

Remove filter media from filter as h2o2 will kill the good bacteria. Add another powerhead to your tank , coz you want good flow for this.

I dose 50ml 3% h2o2 on my 3ft 100l tank. Let it run for 15 minutes and remove extra powerheads. Do a 70 to 80% water change and add you filter media back, followed by a 3 day blackout.

Add some SAE's

I have not lost any livestock doing this.

Oily film also disappears.

Use at own risk.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk

 

You get various concentrations of H2O2 at Dischem as well.
3%, 6%, 9% and 12% 100ml bottles cost in the region of R10-R12 each.

My routine for spot treating BBA is much the same as others have mentioned.
1. Switch off canister filter, but leave the wavemaker on.
2. Using a syringe with a piece of plastic tubing on the front I spot treat BBA, using 6% Hydrogen Peroxide.
3. After a few seconds the BBA starts fizzing. This is the H2O2 reacting with the organic matter (BBA), and breaking down to its individual molecular components (Oxygen and water)
4. After about half an hour I do a 50% water change.
5. Start the filtration again, and within a day or so, the BBA turns pink, red, or purple.
6. Fish will eat the dead BBA, but not touch living BBA.

 

Fantastic, thanks so much for the explanation @Pezulu @Clappies @DerikPelser

 

I solve the oil slick problem slightly differently. I take a 2L beaker and a 200 ml plastic cup. Then I lower the cup upright into the tank and press it down so that water flows slowly over the rim on all sides. Before it is full, I lift it out and decant into the 2L. Repeat until the 2 L is almost brim-full. Most of the slick should be gone (otherwise repeat). The slick can now be wiped off the top of the 2L into a basin, with the side-palm of your hand or something similarly flexible. Then, the rest of the water can be returned to the tank. If you do this before or during a WC, then no need to return the water.

 

I find that the H2O2 treatment works best with no circulation, as it allows the liquid to hang about the area where you injected it. Alternatively, I put a glass or some sort of container over the clump of plants that I am treating. It does not work for uneven rocky areas or tight corners, or really big plants etc. So that is typically where one has to reduce circulation. I have placed a plastic bag over bigger plants, and held it closed and in place with clips, then injected with a needle and syringe through the bag. That does work, but is tedious and sometimes doesn't work as well as hoped for.

After treatment, the RCS swamp the treated patch, before the algae even turns brownish. The H2O2 doesn't seem to bother them at all.

 

This was the best equipment I bought in the last month.Relatively cheap and works like a charm!