# Battling BBA



## inkslinger (Dec 28, 2003)

Witch will work better for battling BBA.
Hydrogen Peroxide or Excel , I just add a HK2 to add circulation to my 110g {60x18x24} tank . I also have some new equipment that its not ready to put on line yet {BlueLine 55HD Pump,Nu-Clear 533 & 547 fiters and 2 Y split returns} I also need to replace some old t5 54w's that are at least 2 years old and start working on my DEY co2 reactor.
How much would i need to add in my tank of Excel or how do i use the hydrogen peroxide with out killing my fish and plants?


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

With Excel you can dose up to twice the recommended dosage for a tank your size. I use Syringes to dose the most accurately. Although I have not had the need to do so since I got pressurized co2 running at optimum levels.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Once BBA gets a good start in the tank, it can be hard to get rid of it. That was my experience. The last thing I did was remove the most BBA prone plants, anubias and Marsilea minuta, prune away all BBA infested leaves I could find, cleaned the tank good, cleaned up all of the equipment in the tank that had some BBA, changed a lot of the water, and now, over a week later, it looks like I am finally seeing much less new BBA growths. Another thing, leaves that have stopped growing, like crypt leaves, just aching to melt, attract BBA too, so I prune off those too.

I dose about 8 ml of Excel in a tank containing about 40 gallons of water, every day. And, I have good CO2 level and distribution.


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## jjp2 (May 24, 2008)

Hoppy said:


> I dose about 8 ml of Excel in a tank containing about 40 gallons of water, every day. And, I have good CO2 level and distribution.


 
Is that for preventative measures, hoppy?


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

jjp2 said:


> Is that for preventative measures, hoppy?


No, the last time I cut back on Excel the small amount of BBA grew much faster. I'm still working at totally eliminating it, and the Excel seems now to be killing off some of it. Before I got rid of the BBA prone plants, the Excel seemed to be doing little good. I still think BBA has a lot of surprises hidden from us.


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## inkslinger (Dec 28, 2003)

Will I end up plucking almost all the leaves that had a lot of BBA , I haven got the Excel yet so can some till me how much i would need. My fish seems to be doing all right since I added more co2 so I guess I can add a little more. 
The KH2 seems to be circulating the co2 across my tank better {60x18x24} I see the plants pearling on the other side of my tank now. 

:hihi:


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## joey2000uk (Feb 17, 2009)

Dont forget spot dosing excel with the filter turned off is the safest, most effective way to kill a patch of bba. use a pipette or serynge to pin-point the dose.

This will kill just about any patch of algae BBA or other.

I find the overdosing method a little hit n' miss and could be harmfull to fish or inverts. and should only be used in extreme cases, with fish removed


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## jinx© (Oct 17, 2007)

Great start by picking off as much as you could and removing any effected leaves as well.

You can dose excel and h2o2 together as well. Turn the filters off and spot dose up to twice the daily dosage of excel and up 2ml per gallon of h2o2. You can repeat the h2o2 dosage again later in the day as well.


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

There is one and ONLY one way to get rid of BBA. Increase the CO2 to ~30ppm. CO2 is the entire key to BBA.

There are two steps in getting rid of BBA. (1) Correct what is causing the BBA and (2) get rid of the BBA that's already in the tank.

While you should continue to remove as much BBA as you can, you will never win the battle no matter how much Excel or H2O2 you use if you do not fix the CO2 issue. So keep slowly inching the CO2 up. Observe the tank and fish. If the fish are okay after a day and full night, then inch it up a tiny bit more. Keep this up until you see signs of stress in the fish. Then bring it back down a tiny notch. That is the highest CO2 setting your fish can handle safely.

At that point, you should be at 30ppm or higher. That is enough to stop BBA from growing. Now when you clean BBA off or kill it off with Excel or H2O2, the BBA will not grow back. This is how the battle is won against BBA.

You'll see when things turn around. Areas that you clean, such as your intake screen, will no longer become covered in BBA again. It will stay clean. That's when you know your CO2 is up high enough and you're about to win the battle against the BBA. At that point, you just have to use the Excel or H2O2 to kill the BBA that's already in the tank. It won't die on its own even with the higher CO2. You have to kill it. But once killed, it won't grow back because it can't grow with the higher CO2.

So fix your CO2 problem first. Then kill the BBA. Personally, I find that H2O2 works just as well at killing BBA as Excel, but it's a whole lot cheaper. Use the "filters off" syringe method no matter which product you use. I'd also suggest turning the lights off if using H2o2. Wait 10-30 minutes, and then turn the filters (and lights if using H2O2) back on. The dead BBA will be eaten by some of your fish and inverts or just melt away in a few days.


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## jinx© (Oct 17, 2007)

Good point on the lights off with h2o2 Vicki. I had overlooked that with my post.roud: Good points about the co2 as well. Seems he's still getting that dialed in.


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## inkslinger (Dec 28, 2003)

I got some old t5's that i also got to replace {I think there over a couple of years old} I brought up the co2 and ph reading on my controller is at 6.3 the fish are doing alright and the co2 bubbles are all over the place so I'm planning on bump it up a little more.
I check my KNO3 and it was very low also ,KH at 4*, PH 6.3 and DC for the first time since I bought it is at dark green.
Now how much Hydrogen Peroxide due I use, up 2ml per gallon of h2o2 and leave the filter and lights off for a half hour? 
Can i use 1 pair of t5's so that i could see where I'm dosing then shut it off?
When buying Hydrogen Peroxide any brand will do right?


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Any brand will do, just get the regular 3% solution that's sold in most drug and grocery stores.

It's been a while since I've thought about the "how much" question. I bet if you run a search on the board, you'll find recommendations from older threads. But, mostly, I just get a syringe or two or three and squirt it right on the stuff. H2O2 breaks down into water (H2O) and oxygen (the extra O) so it's not harmful to your tank. I've even used a lot of it with amanos in the tank. No problem. 

And, yes, have the lights on when you dose it so you can see what you're doing. Just turn them off when you've finished. Light breaks down H2O2 so you don't want to undo your treatment by running your bright lights during the entire treatment. But to have them on when you dose the tank isn't a problem.

Be ready for a LOT of bubbles! It's actually funny to see. It's all those extra oxygen atoms releasing into the water as the H2O2 breaks up into H2O and O. Wherever you see bubbles, the H2O2 is doing its job.

Don't forget to take before and after pictures!


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

I found the thread. It's huge! Here's a link to where I was posting about using Excel and H2O2.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/algae/20172-excel-treatment-bba-experiences-23.html#post710289

I mentioned in the thread that I was using as much as 45ml in my 75g tank with no problems. I didn't say how much H2O2 I used. I think somewhere in that thread others talk about doing a "whole tank treatment" of H2O2, and that's what I used.

Hopefully, this gives you some idea. Just start out with what you feel comfortable using, and if all goes well, use more the next time. Keep it up as needed unless you see signs of stress in the fish or inverts. Be sure to have your python ready just in case when you first try a large dose, and don't do it at night. You want to do it in the day when you can observe or fish afterwards to be sure they're okay.


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## inkslinger (Dec 28, 2003)

Thanks Complexity for the post!
I'm going to wait until the weekend to read all of it, Since I crank up CO2 my PH reading at 6.3 and added a HK 2 the fish's has not shown any sign of stress , I did notice the BBA on the gravel turning a little whitish .


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## o snap its eric (Jan 12, 2004)

while i still have lingering bba here and there, all i did was buy a better diffuser and upped my co2 just by a little. I also cleaned and scrubbed away 95% of all the bba in my equip and glass. Only a few plants had bba on them so i kinda left them alone. I have seem to have kept bba at bay right now for a few weeks to a month.


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## inkslinger (Dec 28, 2003)

Will I did my first spot treatment with H2o2 I use about 100m or so , I did not do the whole tank . I shut everything down for about 1 1/2 hr I did notice some areas the BBA turning red all ready! my fishes are all doing fine in the next couple of days I will do it again.


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Yup, one treatment will kill the BBA. If you have amanos, they'll eat the dead BBA. Or it will just melt away as if by magic. Some of your fish might also graze on it.

You will have to keep treating it to get spots you missed and to keep killing it if you haven't been able to get the CO2 up high enough to stop it from growing.


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## inkslinger (Dec 28, 2003)

Will today I notice the areas that I spot treated is turn white!!  , Do I have to do a water change or is it safe to treat again, I have some BBA on my Nana P. will kill this plant if I spot treated? 
If I do the whole tank do i just pour it into the tank and shut every thing off or can I leave my HK 2 on too spread it around and how much would I need to use? with out killing my fishes?


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## reybie (Jun 7, 2007)

Nanas are hardy enough to withstand spot treatment. They can even handle a bleach dip!


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Good info on this thread. Off to fight my BBA!


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

inkslinger said:


> Will today I notice the areas that I spot treated is turn white!!  , Do I have to do a water change or is it safe to treat again, I have some BBA on my Nana P. will kill this plant if I spot treated?
> If I do the whole tank do i just pour it into the tank and shut every thing off or can I leave my HK 2 on too spread it around and how much would I need to use? with out killing my fishes?


I wouldn't just dump it in, spot treating seems most effective. Be careful when spot treating with H2O2, I once killed a BN plec by spot treating an area where the plec was under, I did admittedly add a LOT in one area so just pay attention and keep an eye on fishies when ODing. One more thing I always do a WC after spot treating... it just makes me feel better


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## inkslinger (Dec 28, 2003)

Will after 32oz H202 I kill about 3/4 of my BBA , Plants are are looking a little more better , I just got another 32oz for $1.69 My last bottle last me for 3x spot treatment and did not lose a fish yet. :angel:


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Sounds good! Now let's hope the CO2 is high enough to keep it from coming back.


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