# Black beard algae help



## Liplant (Oct 7, 2015)

I can't get rid of this stuff 
What are the causes of it ? 


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## WaterLife (Jul 1, 2015)

Usually attributed to co2 fluctuations (which can happen through frequent large water changes) and/or too much light.

You can spot treat with Hydrogen Peroxide. I think you can spot treat with Excel too. But that doesn't address the root cause of it.

James' Planted Tank - Algae Guide
http://www.bubblesaquarium.com/images/home mid_photo/Article on Algae/freshwater_algae.htm


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## Mum1957 (Aug 1, 2017)

*Black Algae*

As an amateur fish keeper I had a problem with Black Algae and wanted to share with everyone reading how I have managed the problem. I removed all the plastic plants, bog wood, thermometer & filter. I cleaned what I could in boiling water, scrubbing all the algae off. I cleaned all the growth from the glass. I removed about half the water from the tank as I still had fish in there. I then refilled the tank and treated the water with Interpet Anti Hair Algae for 3 weeks. I then went on holiday for a fortnight leaving the aquarium lights off. On my return I checked the tank and there has been no regrowth of the algae. It has been 6 weeks now since I treated the tank. I have taken on the advice about only putting on the aquarium lights for a couple of hours in the evening and everything seems good. Should the problem reoccur I will do the same thing again.


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## PTC (Jul 16, 2017)

Mostly not having consistent Co2 and too much light. I had this in my 55g tank before I had pressurized Co2 and it absolutely just ruined everything eventually

You can try the 1-2 punch 
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/23-algae/203684-one-two-punch-whole-tank-algae-treatment.html

This worked for me before but if you don't fix the root of the problem then it will come back


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## sandybeach (Jun 19, 2014)

Usually light and an excess of nutrients are the culprit. If you overfeed that will also provide nutrients to the algae. I feed my fish every other day now. How long are your lights on each day? I had an issue with BBA, took a while to clear up. I scrubbed the tank down, boiled my logs, applied excel directly onto my plants and did 2 water changes a week. I also stopped adding my fertilizers for a week and turned my lights down to 6 hours a day. You can overdose with excel but that doesn't really treat the problem, it's more like a bandaid and some fish (especially scaleless) may die from it. I do dose excel every day but only the recommended dose, which also helps with algae but I mostly use it for my plants as I don't have Co2 (yet).


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