# Why does boiling Black Beard Algae turn it green?



## Mataca (Dec 2, 2013)

Hey there, I was just wondering if anyone might have an idea of whats actually happening to this black beard algae. I took some driftwood with it and boiled it, and it turned bright green. I also did the same with some lava rock. You can see behind it and example of some with it the normal black colour. Im going to be redoing my 55g into a full planted tank in a couple months, ada aquasoil, dragon rock etc. So I wont be using this rock, at least in that tank, so I figured i would see what happened if i boiled it since i didnt want to use bleach. Most posts online just say they bleach, heavy dose with excel in order to kill it, but nothing about just subjecting it to extreme hot or cold temperatures. Any thoughts or experience on the matter would help, thanks!


----------



## ksimdjembe (Nov 11, 2006)

I think it would depend on how long it was subjected to the boiling temperatures.
Generally speaking, really high heat denatures proteins. Effectively you heat the cellular structures to the point they don't have the same shape that is needed and the cells in the plants don't work and breakdown. Perhaps you are seeing the first point of the decay process. Given time, the material would likely lose its colour and fade away and decay as mulm.
At least I think so, This is all very speculative. I have had some algae like this in my tanks and I have had good results using hydrogen peroxide and then finishing it up with excel. Some people just swear by the excel, some just use the hydrogen peroxide.


----------



## w4x (Dec 13, 2014)

I found boiling rocks and driftwood very effective for dealing with BBA. Once it turns green, my fish just finished nibbling it off overnight. They would not touch it while it was black.


----------

