# Heat and BBA/Hair Algae? (pics provided)



## Ryzilla (Oct 29, 2005)

I Have the same stuff in my tank, and my temp is at 76 degrees. I dont think temperature hase anything to do with it. Have you intoduced any new plants to the tanks without bleaching it?


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

Looks more like staghorn to me not BBA.


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## Georgiadawgger (Apr 23, 2004)

kzr750r1 said:


> Looks more like staghorn to me not BBA.


Or a combination of both...but it does have the "gray" look of staghorn. That can be fixed...but you need to get in there and prune out what you see!


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## John P. (Apr 10, 2004)

I bet your CO2 is lower than you think it is.


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## dissident (Oct 15, 2003)

I’ve had algae spring up from out of no where, usually from some kind of imbalance in your ferts.
I would break out the test kit to make sure, manually remove all you can, do a waterchange. Then redose the tank, watch it, if signs of it are coming back then repeat. Its a battle but with regular waterchanges and cleaning of infected plants it is easly won.

BTW what are you all adding as far as ferts? You don't mention anything that will lead us to really give you an idea of what may have caused it or help us determine if there is a way to help prevent it. Throw us a bone here, tank size, lighting, co2 levels, etc...


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## [RK] (Aug 11, 2005)

John P. said:


> I bet your CO2 is lower than you think it is.


I'm also leaning to this now. My guage is in the red zone, even though the co2 coming out and constant. i'm going to get it refilled anyway this weekend.


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## cbennett (Oct 20, 2005)

i don't know if it's staghorn (i'm guessing it is) but it ain't BBA. I have had both (and then some) in my tank at the same time. Disappeared once I switched from DIY to pressurized CO2 - just melted away. Had the same stuff in my 12 gallon that melted away once I started dosing with Excel again (had run out and been lazy about getting replacement). Could be other factors too, but I don't think I changed any other variables other than CO2. My tanks always run in the low 80's.


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## esarkipato (Jul 19, 2005)

Is it possible that the plants in the tank have a harder time competing for nutrients at a higher temp?


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## [RK] (Aug 11, 2005)

That could be true, cause i've noticed that they grow less due to higher temps. I'll just decrease my dosing abit to make up for it. Getting CO2 refilled this weekend, and hopefully a DIY reactor a week later.


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## Mojo Troll (Oct 25, 2005)

If you dont have a CO2 reactor, definatly get one. I'm not sure what your CO2 set up is, but the more CO2 thats dissolved before it reaches the surface, means more absorbsion from the plants. Big CO2 bubbles running to the surface does little, if any good in a planted tank.

Does'nt look like BBA to me either. Get your CO2 flowing more efficiently and maybe increase it a little. More than likely the plants will starve out the algae. Frequent WC's help when combating most algaes as well.

As for high water temps. The only thing I can think of that would cause an algae bloom at higher water temps is over feeding. Due to the fishes higher metabolism from warmer water. Over feeding can cause Phos to rise, due to the uneaten food sitting on the bottum of the tank.


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## GraemeK (Apr 8, 2004)

Hi,

I've been struggling with the same problem i.e that algae in the pic. i have had some BBA as well. I have started to feed the plants properly again i.e kno3 3 times a week (small dose) and Flourish 3 times a week (1.5ml per dose) and K2SO4 once a week. at the moment there is still bba and that algae above but i think its getting better. i will have to monitor the co2 because i dont know what it is but the plants are pearling. i personally think that the plants are starting to take up the ferts and soon the algaes will die!!! my vallis and dwaf sag are sending out new runners fast!


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## [RK] (Aug 11, 2005)

mine is still invested with staghorn, but i think my issue was co2 related. my powered intertal reactor was behaving funny the last few weeks prior to that. the last week ive shut off the co2. turned half the lights off and stopped dosing. just so algae didnt get worse. i will be installing a DIY external reactor tomorrow  and i will crank that up and see how things go after a few weeks.


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## GraemeK (Apr 8, 2004)

sounds cool...i'm sure my problems are more to do with an inbalance in nutrients. its been a juggling act what with plant mass and fish load, light levels etc as to how much nutrients i add. things are much much better than they were but still not purfect! a guy at the fish shop i go to has a outstanding looking tank which is low light, no co2 and he doesnt feed his plants, only uses Tetra easy balance and his tank looks out of this world. the java moss, cyrpts and others grow well and look so healthy, not a single piece of alage in sight either. so i'm more convinced my alage issues are fert related and not co2 as my tank is medium light and a lot of the plants are slower growing apart from the vallis and hygrophillia.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Looks like two things are occuring, low CO2, and you recently did a major uprooting etc and did not do a water change afterwards.

Trim it off, then correct the CO2 and remember to do water changes asap when you work on the tank.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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