# Black Beard Algae (BBA)



## Hypoxic (Mar 20, 2017)

I would love to create a BBA sticky thread about observations made concerning the battle against BBA. Should the moderators of this forum deem the subject worth the cause. We are all a part of a community which appreciates aquatic life, right? What can we do to ensure budding aquarists achieve success? 

What did you do to overcome your own BBA epidemic? Certainly not all water parameters are the same, but maybe we can build some sort of database which others can bounce off of to nail down their own BBA issues. The internet is all about information sharing, right? So let's put our heads together and Build a knowledge base! 

List your complete parameters to include your tap water and where you found your sweet spot (and why?). Let's find the cause, and possibly a cure for BBA.

I really hope this thread goes somewhere because I personally believe in the power of collective knowledge. Ive been working on my own problem for a while now, and as soon as I find a cure for my own ailments, I will post here.

Maybe it will go nowhere. We'll see!


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## mbkemp (Dec 15, 2016)

I got bba with a t5 light, long photo period and basically no ferts. Water is 3 dkh, 4 dgh, ph about 7.5, nitrate generally below 20. I still have a little. Changes I made, went to led lights and a timer, photo period about 6 hours total. Pps pro and co2 at about 25-35 ppm. 50-75% water change weekly. Bba is basically minimal


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## Hypoxic (Mar 20, 2017)

I have BBA. 

Water is hard: GH 18, KH 14 (RO unit on the way, will update results after use).
pH 7.5 with CO2
CO2 registers in at about 15ppm (after I dialed it back a bit). I use a reactor to inject the CO2.
I also have T5 lighting; 2x24W, photo period 6 hours
NO3 around 15-20ppm
NO2 less than 0.05ppm
NH4 = 0
Well oxygenated 
Eheim Proxima 175 L tank
Medium planted tank
Presently EI dosing with GLA EI kit.
Temperature (summer) between 26 and 29 degrees C. winter 26 degrees C.
JBL Manado substrate (inert).
Also using Seachem root tabs and JBL root balls for sword plants and Val.
Plants:
Anacharis
Anubias
Sword
Val
Anubias nana bonsai
Gymnocoronys Spilanthoides


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## Doppelgaenger (Jul 20, 2015)

I got it while dosing EI ferts in my 6 gallon low tech, it was growing on my bolbitis fern and on my java ferns too. I killed it with direct peroxide application and seachem excel dosing, the peroxide also did damage to the bolbitis fern, but the BBA never came back

Every time I get algae I vacuum my substrate and that seems to knock it down a bit too


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## lisals (Jun 21, 2017)

I've had BBA for a while, but it got worse when we upgraded the lighting on my 125 from crappy t8 bulbs to LEDs.
Some of the plants I put in to it had it on them already and it spread super fast on to everything else.
I just overdosed the tank with excel and spot treated by squirting the excel on to the really bad spots w/ a syringe. I wasn't dosing with ferts at the time. May have had an ammonia spike due to restocking the tank too quickly. Not sure if that contributed to the problem. Now that my plants have finally settled and are growing well and ammonia is finally back to 0, no new BBA spots.


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## Deedledee (Sep 13, 2016)

I think everyone experiences BBA at some point . I had a small problem with it about a month ago. Hard to pinpoint what caused it, however I suspect it had something to do with fluctuations with my c02 ? It started growing on my small water pumps first, then found some on an older leaf on one of my swords. I have been using the E.I.dosing for a while, so no changes in monthly maintenance. I removed what I could by vigorous scrubbing of equipment & removed any plant matter that had bba. I have dimmers on my lights, so I reduced intensity & duration. Lights on at 8:00 , off at 4:00.
Since putting my c02 on a solenoid, flow is now consistent 30 ppm. For me personally I believe it's a combo of proper lighting/ co2. I'm happy to report that I no longer have any BBA !
Water parameters:
NH3 :0
N02 :0
N03 :20 ppm
KH :120 PPM
PH : 6.6
C02 : 30 ppm
A final thought,
The only thing that changed now that I think of it , was adding a new Tropica fertilizer. The Specialized Fertilizer. Nitrate/ Phosphorus. I later looked at their website and it says to be careful using this if you have ANY algae , as it will promote it as well as plants. Ok , so rambling now. All I know is it's a slippery slope when it comes to aquatic gardening. That's all 😊

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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

I do not feel it's due as much to specific water parameters but more something out of balance. It's very fast to take advantage of high light and co2 and or ferts not right. I started getting BBA when I had too much light and my co2 flow was not great to some areas of the tank. Found/fixed the issue and it subsided. Killed off what was ther by triple dosing excel. Point is you can have a wide range of water parameters but if your co2 not right or nitrates too high and phosphates too low or k to low or ca or mg too low then it will show. 


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## LegumeWeirdo (Apr 24, 2017)

I experienced a minuscule outbreak. It would only grow on dead leafs and happened when the CO2 supply was starting to end.


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## Hypoxic (Mar 20, 2017)

Took a week long business trip so I installed an auto doser and mixed my fertz into solutions. The doser worked but I've since discovered that I need to install backflow preventers into the system. The fertz were siphoning back into the bottles just enought to create air gaps in the lines. Therefore, when the doser would pump, the amounts dosed would vary according to the size of the air gaps.

Boom! BBA explosion! My fertz were being dosed in varying amounts so the tank got way unbalanced. Not that it was perfectly balanced to begin with, but it was better than what it is now. So now I see how getting off the dosing schedule affects the BBA. how disappointing to take such a big step backwards like that. Time to start plucking algae again....


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