# Black streaks on plants



## thomp-c (Nov 6, 2009)

I have had the tank running for about 2 1/2 months. It is a 65 gallon tank that has eco-complete substrate and 4 T5NO 21w bulbs for lighting. I only dose excel once a week with water changes. Recently I have noticed black streaks on the leaves of Anubias lanceolota, Anubias barteri v. ‘Coffeefolia’, and 1 Amazon Sword. The Anubias barteri v. ‘Nana’ does not have any. All of the Anubias to tied to either driftwood or rocks. The streaks will not wipe off. The new leaves do not have the streaks. Any ideas on what this is?


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

It's BBA.

To prevent it, light must be the sole limiting factor for plant growth. Since you didn't mention any CO2 supplementation, or nutrients other than what's in the Eco-Complete and fish waste, it appears that light is currently unlimited and everything else is limited. That's perfect conditions for algae growth.

Excel does help the plants a bit, but it's not a replacement for real CO2 at higher light levels. It also only lasts about a day in your tank, so once a week dosing isn't doing much good.

You have two options:

a) Reduce light to make it the limiting factor by raising the lighting away from the top of the tank, or by turning off some bulbs. I'd suggest a 50% reduction to start, and make sure lights aren't on for more than 8 hours a day. If BBA continues to grow after a couple of weeks, reduce light even more.

b) Add/increase CO2 and other nutrients sufficiently that your existing light becomes the limiting factor. Ensure circulation is good enough that all plants move at least gently in the current (all the nutrients in the world don't help unless they're flowing over the plants' leaves). Also add more plants, especially fast growers to your tank. 

Which one you choose ultimately depends on your goals, budget, and how much time you want to put into maintenance and education.

The existing BBA can be reduced by exposing it to high concentrations of Excel. A whole-tank overdose treats it all at once, but the line between toxicity to the BBA and the rest of the plants/fish is thin; if you want to pursue this, I suggest you spend some time reading up about people's various experiences and protocols before you attempt it. A spot treatment, where you shut off all water circulation for a few minutes and use a syringe to squirt your normal dose of Excel directly on BBA-affected leaves, is safer for the tank and more effective on the treated BBA; but you'll only be able to treat a few leaves at a time. Neither treatment solves the underlying problem or prevents new algae growth, you must still alter the lighting/nutrient balance.


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## thomp-c (Nov 6, 2009)

Thanks for the help. I will reduce lighting by removing 2 bulb and adjusting to 8 hours. The one thing that had me curious was that it didn't come off when rubbing on leaves. Will the streaks go away when the BBA gets under control?


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

thomp-c said:


> The one thing that had me curious was that it didn't come off when rubbing on leaves. Will the streaks go away when the BBA gets under control?


Yes, but since this is a tough algae, it may take weeks to die and decompose enough for you to see any appreciable reduction in the existing algae. Excel/H2O2 spot treatments will accelerate this some.

Complete stoppage of new growth is the goal and what you should be watching for.


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## Elohim_Meth (May 8, 2010)

*thomp-c*, can you feel these streaks with your fingertips?
I have a suspition that this is not BBA, and not even algae at all...


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## thomp-c (Nov 6, 2009)

No you can't feel the streaks. Feels just like any other leaf without streaks.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

It looks like algae to me. Even if it's not bba, it definitely looks like some kind of algae.


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## Elohim_Meth (May 8, 2010)

If it were algae, it could be felt. 
I guess it is some kind of Anubias decease. Here it the thread on russian forum describing similar symptoms: http://www.aqa.ru/forum/vt158231
It affects Anubias species only.
Actually nobody knows what it is.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Well, it seems like I can see algae on the leaf edges. It must just be the pictures, I guess.


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## rushr (Jan 11, 2010)

That is spooky looking. It does look like bba but if you don't see or feel tufts (or beards lol) of algae then it's not bba. It looks like someone played with a magnet and iron filings...bizarre.


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## thomp-c (Nov 6, 2009)

It looks exactly like that rushr. I was doing some trimming last night and noticed the affected leaves has a slight "slimey" feel to them. And on the leaves with the marks on edge, nothing pulls off. Its like the leaves are slowly dying.


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

I was thinking this:










Described as Rodophyta Sp. 5, a type of BBA. Had it a long time ago on a banana plant, and couldn't feel anything on the leaves except with my fingernail on the sharper boundaries. It was like a lacquer-thin plaque.

But the pic on the Russian forum does look a lot more like your issue. Although if it truly is an Anubia-specific disease, that doesn't explain why it's on your sword too. I would try an Excel spot treatment on some of the affected leaves and see if there is any effect, just in case it is BBA. Better that than an unknown and untreatable disease!


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

:icon_eek:

Here is a list of thing to try. Do one or All!!!

-Hand pick that crap off or cut off the affected leaves.
-Double dose Flourish Excel or other Liquid Carbon.
-Up the Co2
-Lower the amount of lighting time.
-Make sure water parameters are where they should be (high anything is bad)
-Kill the tank lights and cover the tank for a few days, no fish feeding.

A stable tank should grow much if any of this stuff. If I ever get a small group of this on a leaf, I know something has changed in my tank... 

Good luck my friend, dont let this stuff discourage you. It can be a major pain, but its worth battling it!


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## thomp-c (Nov 6, 2009)

After 5 or 6 days the streaks are starting to fade. The leaves look healthy where the streaks were. I reduced lighting by half and overdosing excel daily. Thanks again for all the help.

Chris


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