# Blackbeard algae... i dont mind it, should i?



## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

Hey guys,

I just won the battle over a massive Diatom algae outbreak on my new 20 Long, the other day i noticed a few patches of BBA, i was wondering if it has any ill effects? I only see it on the hardscape, not any of the plants, and honestly, i like the way it looks. 

should i battle this algae too, or as long as it doesnt become an infestation, let it be?


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## r45t4m4n (Feb 12, 2014)

kill it. it can become a pain in the ass.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

BBA tends to take over the whole tank if you don't get rid of it at a very early stage. It does kill the plants, permanently damaging any leaf it grows on.


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## Calbears (Mar 1, 2014)

I have some too. What's the best course of action?


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## cjstl (Mar 4, 2013)

Excel shock or H202. It is hard to get rid of once it takes root.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

Calbears said:


> I have some too. What's the best course of action?


Remove as much as you can manually (though it may be difficult, as it attaches itself quite strongly to anything). You may need to heavily prune affected plants.

For anything removable (decor, equipment, etc), a dilute bleach dip is the easiest way. Just leave it to soak for 15-30 minutes (or at least until the algae turns white). Then it should scrub away easily. Be sure to rinse well and to soak the parts in a bucket of water containing 2x the recommended dose of dechlorinator to get rid of any remaining free chlorine.

If you want to treat things within the aquarium, using a dilute solution of glutaraldehyde (e.g. Excel) or hydrogen peroxide will also work. The best way to do this is to turn off your filter and allow the water current to settle first before using a syringe (or something similar) to spot dose the peroxide/glutaraldehyde onto the afflicted parts.


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## bennyjam (Nov 6, 2012)

You should try to get it under control before you end up with a furry log like me.


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## Steve001 (Feb 26, 2011)

A consistent supply of carbon will eliminate BBA. Conversely an inconsistent supply will favor its growth.


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

BBA can be caused by too much co2 and organic buildup, you may ask i thought co2 suppose to fix the bba but in fact it makes it worse, when the ph drops, the bacteria that suppose to handle the organic buildup is less active in acidic environment. 

take a look:
http://www.prirodni-akvarium.cz/en/index.php?id=en_algaeTOC


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

happi said:


> BBA can be caused by too much co2 and organic buildup, you may ask i thought co2 suppose to fix the bba but in fact it makes it worse, when the ph drops, the bacteria that suppose to handle the organic buildup is less active in acidic environment.
> 
> take a look:
> http://www.prirodni-akvarium.cz/en/index.php?id=en_algaeTOC


I have never seen any demonstration of high CO2 causing BBA. But, there have been lots of demonstrations of low CO2, with high light, causing BBA. Also, inconsistent CO2 concentration from day to day has also been demonstrated to cause BBA.


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## Aquadawg (Aug 18, 2012)

If you can remove the hardscape easily and h202 or hit it with a big dose of excel, I'd recommend it in a heart beat. Next let's talk about the cause. your lights? co2?


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## lamiskool (Jul 1, 2011)

bennyjam said:


> You should try to get it under control before you end up with a furry log like me.


holy **** I thought my dw was bad haha that things furrier then my hamster


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

Hoppy said:


> I have never seen any demonstration of high CO2 causing BBA. But, there have been lots of demonstrations of low CO2, with high light, causing BBA. Also, inconsistent CO2 concentration from day to day has also been demonstrated to cause BBA.



i can demonstrate the high co2 causing BBA.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

happi said:


> i can demonstrate the high co2 causing BBA.


I would suspect that another variable (not CO2) is causing the appearance of BBA.

From the link that you previously posted, from a quick look, I already have some concerns with the methodology in which the experiments were conducted.


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## birbaliktanki (Jun 18, 2014)

bennyjam said:


> You should try to get it under control before you end up with a furry log like me.


looking at it in another way, if all the bba attach themselves to that driftwood and leaving the plants/gravel alone, i would just be contented in removing/cleaning it on a regular basis. its like you have an algae scrubber.


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## Little Soprano (Mar 13, 2014)

Before I upgraded lights, I always had it on my lava rocks, and tbh I loved the look. Never really spread much either.


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## Calbears (Mar 1, 2014)

After looking at these and other pics of BBA I now believe the algae I have is staghorn. Now I'm off to find solutions.


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## serenityfate (Jan 29, 2014)

Imo manually removing it is a bad move because it can send spores throughout tank and cause more infestation in diff. Areas, try doing the "one-two punch" theres a thread on here somewhere in this forum.. It worked best for alot of people ... And i just used it two days ago and saw all those nasty buggers turn pinkish haha


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## g4search (Aug 10, 2014)

serenityfate said:


> Imo manually removing it is a bad move because it can send spores throughout tank and cause more infestation in diff. Areas, try doing the "one-two punch" theres a thread on here somewhere in this forum.. It worked best for alot of people ... And i just used it two days ago and saw all those nasty buggers turn pinkish haha


serenityfate,
I wholeheartedly agree. Spot treatment only kills the BBA in that spot, but not in the entire tank. Scraping will make it come loose and distribute all over the tank. 
Also, too low CO2 and too high fertilizer etc will not CAUSE an algae outbreak (BBA). Something (like spores) has to be there in the first place (and that's not always a given), or it will NOT be a problem in your tank, no matter what you.


bump:
bennyjam,
who told you that the BBA on your wood ornament is actually "BBA" ? Since it grows ONLY on the wood, I am convinced it it's a fungus that uses wood as a food source.
If it were BBA, spot-treating it would make it turn pink, right?


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## bennyjam (Nov 6, 2012)

I just assumed it was BBA. I haven't really tried to spot treat or really treat at all. It's not ONLY on the wood. It's attaching to the substrate now. It's on some plants too, but not even close to the level that it is on the wood.


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## Bananableps (Nov 6, 2013)

Looking at that picture of the BBA driftwood makes me want to start an algae hardscape tank! I remember once seeing a really great looking scape on the AGA website that was just algae on rocks. The person managed to cultivate some pretty exotic looking species! I can't find that particular scape at the moment, but here are some similar looking tanks.

1

2

3


EDIT:
I think this was it.


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## serenityfate (Jan 29, 2014)

To add on, once you have bba you will always have bba in your tank.. Its all about prevention after that... 

Someone out there needs to find a fish/snail/shrimp/ anything.. Unicorns 
..to eat these bba for us


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## r45t4m4n (Feb 12, 2014)

SAE eat it, I have one in my tank, they grab a bite and quickly tug at it to break it away.


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