# BBA problem.



## Magnum (Apr 6, 2013)

Hi folks; a bit of advice needed. In my 65 gallon heavily planted, I have a bit of a BBA problem. It is appearing mostly on the leaves of my anubias nana, and amazon swords. Just recently some has appeared on the glass, but that is very easy to remove. The ecosystem is quite healthy, my anubias nana is flowering, all other plants are growing quite well and fish are quite happy and healthy. I have a large pleco and a golden algae eater that I was hoping would take care of the BBA on the leaves, but they do not. They much prefer the spirulina wafers I give them. So, any advice on how to remove and prevent the BBA from the leaves of my plants? TIA.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

your light, co2 and ferts are out of balance. maybe too much light, or not enough co2 or too much ferts or a combo of these.

A quick fix to remove that you have is to remove the plants and give them a 2 to 5 minute bleach bath which will kill the algae. But this is only a quick fix and doesn't address the cause


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## Magnum (Apr 6, 2013)

pyrrolin said:


> your light, co2 and ferts are out of balance. maybe too much light, or not enough co2 or too much ferts or a combo of these.
> 
> A quick fix to remove that you have is to remove the plants and give them a 2 to 5 minute bleach bath which will kill the algae. But this is only a quick fix and doesn't address the cause


My lights are the T8s. I have had the bulbs well over a year now. I am wondering if it is now time to replace them? I am pumping a fair amount of co2, so I cannot imagine there is too little of it. I am fertilizing with Flourish and Iron, once a week. Too much, do you think? Would a bleach bath not kill the plants along with the algae? Do you know of a link to a thread that describes the process? Thanks for your time!


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## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

A very easy solution to your problem. 
Remove the golden algae eater and add a true Siamese Algae Eater. I've kept one in all my tanks to get rid of BBA and keep any from growing. They never stop cleaning even when they eat other foods they go right back to cleaning.
--
Paul


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## Magnum (Apr 6, 2013)

Y2KGT said:


> A very easy solution to your problem.
> Remove the golden algae eater and add a true Siamese Algae Eater. I've kept one in all my tanks to get rid of BBA and keep any from growing. They never stop cleaning even when they eat other foods they go right back to cleaning.
> --
> Paul


How do you know the difference between the two?


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## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

Magnum said:


> How do you know the difference between the two?


http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/may08/siamese-algae-eater-id.htm
--
Paul


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## arturo (Jun 29, 2014)

Those bulbs need to be replaced!

also, you should give those leaves a spray in h202. you can do it in the tank with a small spray bottle if you turn off all filters and pumps, or you can take them out and give them a quick dip.

+1 on the SAE i got 2 in mine and they keep bba under control on my microsword.


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## Magnum (Apr 6, 2013)

Y2KGT said:


> http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/may08/siamese-algae-eater-id.htm
> --
> Paul


Fabulous! Thanks, Paul


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## Magnum (Apr 6, 2013)

arturo said:


> Those bulbs need to be replaced!
> 
> also, you should give those leaves a spray in h202. you can do it in the tank with a small spray bottle if you turn off all filters and pumps, or you can take them out and give them a quick dip.
> 
> +1 on the SAE i got 2 in mine and they keep bba under control on my microsword.


I'm off to replace the bulbs today and have a look for a couple of SAEs. On the hydrogen peroxide, again the question, how much to use? At what point will it become toxic for the fish and plants/inverts?
Thanks for all the great advice, guys, much appreciated!


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## arturo (Jun 29, 2014)

Magnum said:


> I'm off to replace the bulbs today and have a look for a couple of SAEs. On the hydrogen peroxide, again the question, how much to use? At what point will it become toxic for the fish and plants/inverts?
> Thanks for all the great advice, guys, much appreciated!


1ml per gallon of water if you do it in the tank. but if youre spraying you wont come anywhere near that. you could do a 1:1 mixture as well.

If you're worried about livestock, remove the plants and treat outside the tank.


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## Bullet (Apr 19, 2014)

Y2KGT said:


> A very easy solution to your problem.
> Remove the golden algae eater and add a true Siamese Algae Eater. I've kept one in all my tanks to get rid of BBA and keep any from growing. They never stop cleaning even when they eat other foods they go right back to cleaning.
> --
> Paul


Great suggestion Y2KGT
Thanks 
I've got a bit of the dreaded BBA myself - ahh, in one of my tanks I mean!


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

the old bulbs are probably the main issue


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## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

Before you turn your tank into a toxic soup, try the SAE and you'll see a noticeable difference in a week.

I've gotten BBA in all my tanks shortly after setting them up with brand new light fixtures/bulbs. I can't tell you what the cause is however I can tell you an SAE is invaluable in any tank as long as its big enough to handle a fish that will eventually grow to 6 inches.
--
Paul


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## Magnum (Apr 6, 2013)

arturo said:


> 1ml per gallon of water if you do it in the tank. but if youre spraying you wont come anywhere near that. you could do a 1:1 mixture as well.
> 
> If you're worried about livestock, remove the plants and treat outside the tank.


Arturo, thanks. I will give it a shot. Will let you know how it works out.
Cheers!


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## arturo (Jun 29, 2014)

Y2KGT said:


> Before you turn your tank into a toxic soup, try the SAE and you'll see a noticeable difference in a week.
> 
> I've gotten BBA in all my tanks shortly after setting them up with brand new light fixtures/bulbs. I can't tell you what the cause is however I can tell you an SAE is invaluable in any tank as long as its big enough to handle a fish that will eventually grow to 6 inches.
> --
> Paul


SAE are truly fantastic work horses, but depends on your tank size. I got 6 juvies for my 29 at finnatics under the terms that I'd exchange them for smaller ones when they got to big. But I have an open top and they get super territorial, and we'll.... Now I have 2 left

Also, h2o2 isn't that toxic. If you do it on water change day you're safe.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk


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## Magnum (Apr 6, 2013)

arturo said:


> SAE are truly fantastic work horses, but depends on your tank size. I got 6 juvies for my 29 at finnatics under the terms that I'd exchange them for smaller ones when they got to big. But I have an open top and they get super territorial, and we'll.... Now I have 2 left
> 
> Also, h2o2 isn't that toxic. If you do it on water change day you're safe.
> 
> Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk


Ok thanks guys. My main tank, the one with the BBA problem, is 65 gallons. Should be large enough to handle a couple of SAEs, eh?


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## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

Magnum said:


> Ok thanks guys. My main tank, the one with the BBA problem, is 65 gallons. Should be large enough to handle a couple of SAEs, eh?


Yes you should be able to add a pair without any issues. I have a large pair and a medium sized pair in my 120 gallon 5 foot tank. Both pairs stay together like partners almost all the time. Its really cool to watch.
--
Paul


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## Magnum (Apr 6, 2013)

Y2KGT said:


> Yes you should be able to add a pair without any issues. I have a large pair and a medium sized pair in my 120 gallon 5 foot tank. Both pairs stay together like partners almost all the time. Its really cool to watch.
> --
> Paul


Okay, replaced both T8 Lifeglow bulbs with new ones and bought two SAEs today. Paul, you are right, they do "patrol" the tank together. Will update you on the BBA situation as soon as I see some results (or not....) 
Once again, thanks for all your helps, guys. It is greatly appreciated.


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## philipraposo1982 (Mar 7, 2014)

Magnum said:


> My lights are the T8s. I have had the bulbs well over a year now. I am wondering if it is now time to replace them? I am pumping a fair amount of co2, so I cannot imagine there is too little of it. I am fertilizing with Flourish and Iron, once a week. Too much, do you think? Would a bleach bath not kill the plants along with the algae? Do you know of a link to a thread that describes the process? Thanks for your time!


I stopped reading here. There is no such thing as too much ferts for plants. Too much ferts doesn't cause algae issues. Flourish is only micro nutrients... you need to be dosing npk (nitrogen, potassium, and phosphtes) as well as micros.

I would be dosing twice a week macros and twice a week micros. You are deficient in ferts.

about sae's like everyon else says they are the best fish for any large planted tank. I have 6 adults in my 75g and they school non stop and destroy and sign of algae. I never have a spot of algae any more.

Just because you now have fish that will eat it still doesn't fix that fact that your plants re not growing to their potential. Even now by adding new bulbs you plant demand for ferts will be even greater. You really should look into EI dosing and get some dry ferts.


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## Jordin (Sep 14, 2011)

Magnum said:


> My lights are the T8s. I have had the bulbs well over a year now. I am wondering if it is now time to replace them? I am pumping a fair amount of co2, so I cannot imagine there is too little of it. I am fertilizing with Flourish and Iron, once a week. Too much, do you think? Would a bleach bath not kill the plants along with the algae? Do you know of a link to a thread that describes the process? Thanks for your time!


- Get new bulbs. Not enough or not proper lighting. Plants enjoy red and blue spectrum light generally between 6500k - 6800k.... You have T8... upgrade to T5 HO.

- Dose Potassium, Phosphorous and Nitrogen. Dose every three days.

- If you are currently only using Flourish and Iron once a week with nothing else, you are not dosing all the ferts you need and you are not dosing the ones you do use enough.

- Low Co2 can cause BBA problems, get a drop checker to make sure, you might be surprised.

- I do not agree with anyone about getting SAE fish. At best, all that does is hide a problem and your plants growth will suffer if you do not address the cause.

- You can take plants out that have BBA and give them a quick bleach/water bath.... Rinse them thoroughly before putting them back in the tank. Anubias are hardy plants and will be fine with this... Others may not. Personally, I would trim the leaves off that have the worst BBA on them.


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