# BBA is PEARLING!!! Help.



## eaglesaquarium (Nov 12, 2013)

Hey folks, quick background and then to the main problem:

Lighting: 128W (4 x32W T8 shop lights)
Tank: 100+Gallons (6 feet long x18 inches high)
Plants: 3 different hygro species, 2 different bacopa species, roseafolia, cabomba, amazon sword, dwarf hairgrass.
Photo period: 9 hours.
Fertilization: Using EI dosing for 100 Gallons, with chelated iron.
Substrate: FloraMax where the plants are rooted, black sand in the other areas.


Problems with this tank: I've been struggling with BBA for a while. So, I started dosing liquid carbon at a rate of 2x the recommended for the volume of water. That didn't seem to be doing any good... BBA just grew in thicker and thicker. (I could actually remove it in sheets from the glass in the back and the rocks.)

So, I decided to add pressurized CO2. Have a 20lb. tank and am trying to get the levels with that just right. I am dosing CO2 24/7 (no solenoid), and the fish are responding well, no issues there, but the drop checkers aren't showing that the levels are quite high enough during the day light hours. 

Anyway, the stinking lousy BBA is now PEARLING. So, whatever I am doing the BBA is LOVING IT! But, the plants on the other hand are very slow to respond.


The bacopa in one section of the tank is growing GREAT! The bacopa in the other end of the tank is not. It is getting covered with algae.


I had a circulation pump on, and it didn't seem to be helping, as many of the bubbles of CO2 weren't dissolved fully. So, I've reverted the pump to a powerhead, and the powerhead is no sucking the CO2 in and chopping it up perfectly with the impellor. So, I'm now getting 100% efficiency (or nearly). But, I fear the circulation isn't high enough.


I have two Penguin 350s on the tank, plus the powerhead (170GpH). In circulation pump mode it was 750 GpH.


Is my problem just circulation, not enough CO2, or both? Do I need to add an additional circulation pump to raise the circulation in addition to the powerhead that's chopping up the CO2 bubbles?


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

Can you post a picture? BBA doesn't normally grow on glass. Especially in removable sheets. Or pearl. Sounds more like B*G*A.


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## eaglesaquarium (Nov 12, 2013)

I might have an older pic, but nothing up to date right now. Maybe tomorrow.

In the meantime, if by BGA, you mean cyanobacteria, I can tell you that's not it at all.


As for what BBA 'normally' does, I agree... but that's what's happening. Its growing so thick, it actually will tear off in sheets - thick sheets.

Here's an older video I shot of the tank... You can see the algae buildup on the rocks... not as bad as its gotten... this is the same stuff that is currently pearling. Its on the rocks, the back glass, etc.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/10748056336/

This video was taken before I started the pressurized CO2.


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

looking at the setup. there are no plants in the tank that requires a 9 hour photo period. Either add more plants or cut the photo period down to 6.5 hours.

Its difficult to see a reason for EI dosing when the plants in the tank are so sparce and undemanding. Is the tank purged and reset with a weekly water change? Otherwise there's just an excess of ferts + surplus of light which makes for what you are seeing today.

you are definitely raising the healthiest BBA i have ever seen on tpt.


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## eaglesaquarium (Nov 12, 2013)

Well, thanks for that 'complement'.

The plants are rather sparse, but I was thinking that the longer period and dosing ferts and CO2 would deal with the BBA... I suppose there's too much ferts for the amount of plants. Should I drop the fert dose until the plant mass increases more?

And I'll try the shorter photo period... thanks.

I am purging 50% weekly, yes.


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## eaglesaquarium (Nov 12, 2013)

I've raised the light about 6 inches to decrease the intensity of the light in the tank... Will be half dosing EI ferts and leaving the CO2 where it is. I am hoping to get some new plants after the new year.


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## Aganor (Oct 6, 2013)

with such fine tank you need more sword plants, more stem plants


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## eaglesaquarium (Nov 12, 2013)

Well, I made a fairly nice purchase on Thursday... I will list the plants that are going into this tank:

Alternanthera reineckii
Cabomba caroliniana, aka Green Cabomba
Hemianthus micranthemoides
Ludwigia Peruensis, or Ludwigia glandulosa
Ludwigia repens
Parrot feather 
Shinnersia rivularis
Potamogeton gayi
Myriophyllum (watermilfoil)


These should help take up the extra nutrients, right?


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## eaglesaquarium (Nov 12, 2013)

I have decided to do the "One-Two Punch" Algae treatment to eliminate the BBA that is currently thriving.


My plan is to remove the existing fish and temporarily house them in a 20 gallon tank I have set-up next to the tank whilst doing the treatment... I just don't want to take the chance with them...

And I plan to remove a large amount of the decor (rocks) and scrub them off before and rescaping them before the treatment - I figure the less algae needing to be treated inside the tank, the more effective the treatment will actually be.

Then, I will be pulling all the plants that I currently have out of the tank, and putting them into a dip of Excel to deal with the algae on the plants directly... 

And then finally dosing the tank...

Then rescaping with the plants... including the plants mentioned above.



The big question is this: Would doing a dose of Excel - maybe even a half dose (to keep the price down on such a large tank) in addition to the CO2 I am using, help to keep the BBA from returning? I am also adding a substantial amount of plants, decreasing the photoperiod, and even raised the lights about 6 inches higher above the tank to decrease the amount of light... (Although I might move them back down, given some of the plants being added.)

Any thoughts would be appreciated.


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

IME the One-Two Punch is only effective at treating staghorn/hair algae. The BBA was unaffected until I did direct H2O2 spot treatment with the filter off


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## eaglesaquarium (Nov 12, 2013)

Ok... I will try a DIRECT approach with the H2O2... I am going to be completely emptying the tank, so the algae will be exposed.


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## thelub (Jan 4, 2013)

That cobomba is an extremely fast grower. I would plant the heck out of that stuff and replant trimmings when it grows to the top of your tank. Use it for a nutrient sponge to suck up all the nutrients away from the BBA and it will hopefully subside.


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## Ras (Nov 7, 2013)

my oto's and snails love bba, I dont think the oto's touch any green algeas though, atleast not that I have noticed
they cant take out green spots cuz its too hard and they seem to stay away from that green strand like algae that is so common in most streams and creeks, i forget the name
snails on the other hand tend to eat just about all forms of surface algae, my oto's tend to only like soft darker algae like diatoms and bba

long story short you could just let it be another link in the ecosystem of your tank, I notice you have a pleco of some sort in there
is he not able to eat fast enough?


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## eaglesaquarium (Nov 12, 2013)

Just a quick update... about a week ago, I tore down the tank, almost completely. I moved the fish into a 20G tank I have set-up nearby, so that all this activity wouldn't affect them, although I'm sure they didn't like being moved.

Anyway, the water from the tank was COMPLETELY removed. The rocks were completely removed. And many of the plants (not all) were completely removed.

While the tank was empty, I took the opportunity to squirt H2O2 directly on the algae on the back glass, and all sides of the tank glass. Completely saturated it, and left it to sit for at least 15 minutes, but I believe a bit longer.

The rocks were placed into a sink which was filled with water and a mega dose (not sure how much I used) of H2O2 was placed into the sink as well, and allowed to soak for a bit... then all rocks were scrubbed with a plastic bottle brush to remove as much algae as was humanly possible. Then the rocks were replaced into the tank.

The tank was refilled and I turned on the circulation pump (~600gph) for about 30 minutes. During this time the removed plants were given a quick H2O2 dunk (1:10 dilution in water) and then placed into a 1:1 liquid carbon solution... The plants were then gently rubbed to remove the algae, as best could be done.

The tank was then emptied once again, and the plants replaced, in addition to the new plants I had just purchased. The tank was then refilled, brought to temperature and the fish readded.


After one week, this is a video of what the plants and tank look like now: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/11717379573/

Quick snapshots as well:

Left


Center


Right



I've since removed the bacopa species, and given them an algae removal treatment as well as the purple cabomba you see that isn't looking particularly well currently. I am hoping that it will bounce back. The green cabomba still looks absolutely fantastic.


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## eaglesaquarium (Nov 12, 2013)

Quick update:

BBA has returned in some spots, not in others. New plants are showing no sign of BBA. Some of the old plants still are. 

Going to try to do two more things to deal with this: 

Currently spot treating with liquid carbon for about a week.

Then, going to be getting some jungle vallisneria, which is believed to be sensitive to that, so I will be looking to get a powerhead with a spray bar attachment (if I can find one) and run the CO2 through that to try for better dissolution in the tank.


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