# Help! Black Brush Algae just starting in my planted 10 gal tank



## nature (Jun 8, 2016)

So I've finally gotten my 10 gal planted tank set up the way I want ... (alas my phone cam is okay but not great)










and Black Brush Algae is forming!!

I first noticed it on the ludwigia and I trimmed those leaves off. It seemed to be gone but yesterday I noticed it on the Cryptocoryne. The tank is five months old. The Crypt and the Lagenandra have been in it for the longest. The other plants have been there for varying amounts of time. Just added the Kleiner Prinz Sword and Staurogyne repens. I suspect that the algae came in with the Ludwigia. So far I have caught it when it is 1/4 inch or less.

No CO2 or ferts. Planted in New Amazonia which is only five months old. I had been dosing daily with Flourish Excel but got out of the habit for a few weeks. Could that be what is making the difference?

Any suggestions for dealing with the BBA without tearing up the tank would be appreciated. I've read and been told that Excel helps; but have read different ways of using it. What about water changes? I am doing at least two a week at the moment.

Links or personal experience very much appreciated.


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## Mossman (Mar 7, 2016)

Focus on the plants and everything usually falls into place. Get your fertilizers in balance. Can you reduce your photo period? Move your light up a bit higher? A fast growing stem plant or floating plant to suck up excess nutrients. 

Hydrogen peroxide works the same as Excel for killing algae. Should be able to find more info on youtube. You can manually remove it with a toothbrush too.


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## nature (Jun 8, 2016)

Hi Mossman,

Thank you. Yes I have heard about the hydrogen peroxide; I have read three posts on it but so far have not really felt comfortable in my understanding of exactly how to use it in the tank when there are fish and shrimp present. I know a fair deal about plants and am a bit reluctant to try it on some of the more delicate species. I have used it on Anubias for other forms of algae, but in that case I removed the plants from the tank and treated them separately. 

The plants in my ten gallon tank rarely pearl (the ones in my five gallon do) but they seem quite happy. When I had Limnophila growing in it I had to trim it at least once a week, and within two months I was able to divide E. bleheri into two plants which I had to move into my 29 gallon tank. I swear the leaves of that plant grew an inch or more a day. I was surprised I was able to get the Blyxa to grow but it's been in there for at least six weeks now and it came as cuttings from plants in my five gallon. I have experimented once, in another tank, with fertilizers, which led to a crazy outbreak of green algae (not sure which one) so am not so keen to try that again unless I see clear signs of deficiency.

On your advice I cut the photoperiod down (it was at eight hours) and will continue to do so gradually. Raising the lights is not an option, though I could get a lower wattage. The plants have been so happy that I've been reluctant to cut back on the wattage. I have been on top of the Excel since I last posted here, I cut off the worst offenders in terms of leaves. More might be forming on the larger sword (which I think is Ocelot, but I bought it on sale and it had no name) but it does seem to be diminishing. I also think that my red cherry shrimp might be eating it ... I rarely feed them. That's my hope at least.


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## Mossman (Mar 7, 2016)

Cool, Sounds like you have it under control.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

Using h2o2 to treat algae intank is not anymore risky than overdosing excel for the same purpose.

BBA I find is one of the most difficult algae to get rid of, they are not readily consumed by most algae eaters, are quite resilient to most additives, and they can thrive in almost any condition. To keep an eye out though, BBA that grow on plants is more of an indicator your plants or part of the plant is/was struggling, so sometimes fixing the deficiency or parameters is needed to keep BBA off.

Also, try to get some caridina japonica into the tank to further control spreading, cherry shrimps aren't the best at controlling BBA.

Good luck.


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## nature (Jun 8, 2016)

*Thanks all*

Just wanted to say that while I have had other problems in other tanks, this problem in this tank was resolved!!


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## planter (Jun 9, 2008)

How was it resolved?


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## Chorister (Nov 26, 2015)

I would also like to know as I've got an infestation in my nano tank.


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## nature (Jun 8, 2016)

*Resolution*

Sorry, I don't come on that regularly!

1) I was lucky, I caught it when the growth was TINY. I mean less than 5 millimetres tall. I am pretty sure that is what it was however, as the shape and colour are very distinctive, and it was on quite a few leaves.

2) It was almost all on one plant, the Ludwigia -- must have been introduced that way. So the first thing I did was cut off the parts of the plant that clearly had it. Per Default's point, it was always growing on the oldest leaves. I decapitated the plant, trashed the bottoms and planted the tops. It's doing well now.

3) I did what others suggested: reduced light time (also split into two periods), spot treated the few reappearances with Excel and now try to dose consistently: daily, roughly same time of day, at the beginning of the longest light period.

4) For a little while I stepped up water changes = 4 times in ten days.

5) I upped my population of both Amano and Cherry Shrimp (not sure how much they eat this kind of algae, but overall my algae problem in the tank is now confined to glass and stones, while that's not the case in my other planted tanks without shrimp). I do not feed my shrimp, and even when fish are sometimes in that tank, there is never extra food. So algae and whatever tiny organisms exist are what they are stuck with for food.

I have had other problems recently in that tank, both I think related to an accidental overdose of Excel, but thankfully no algae.

Something I have started using to try and deal with a different kind of algae in another tank is Algone. Big Al's sells it. It's still a little early to tell but it seems to be helping. I am about to invest in nitrate and phosphate tests as knowing what's going on in that regard will almost certainly help.

Not sure how much that helps, but good luck!


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