# Spot treating BBA with H2O2?



## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

Turn off filter/flow.
Take a syringe then spot treat it.
Turn flow back on.

I've never spot treated with h202 before but I'm assuming it's the same procedure as spot treating with excel as provided above. I wouldn't just dose it in the water column with the flow on, it defeats the purpose of spot treating. The dosage, time of exposure, and when you turn the flow back on is up to you.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Kelly, a good article with details is found here: http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquainfo/algae_peroxide.html


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

That's a good article on how effective H2O2 can be in spot treating algae ...and also how horribly detrimental it can be to plants and fish. That was clearly a ridiculous amount of H2O2 to add to a tank.

I would suggest Excel rather than H2O2, only because A) I already use it to dose my tanks, so I know it won't harm plants in reasonable amounts, and B) Excel is also used as a carbon source by plants. By Excel, I mean a mixture of glutaraldehyde and water at around 1.5% concentration, which means the same applies to Metricide and Cidex, as well as more concentrated mixtures of glut that have been diluted to Excel-strength.

If you read through the Excel sticky in the algae forum, you'll find that folks suggest a two to three times recommended daily dose to treat algae, with minimal damage to plants except for certain fragile varieties. Occasionally I will triple dose a tank using spot treatment with a syringe. I turn filters and blowers off, spot treat, and let it sit for 15-30 minutes before turning everything back on. The result is pink algae after 24-48 hours, and minimal damage to plants. With only 3x the recommended dose, this means you'll have to dose different areas on different days, which is fine, since you can't play the planted tank game without learning patience anyway 

It should be noted that algae generally is a result of an imbalance between light, CO2, and fertilizers. So if you don't fix the imbalance, the algae will come back. Treating algae is only a temporary fix, so you'd better be doing something else in addition if you don't want algae to return. Good luck!


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi kcrossley,

I spot treat for BBA with 3% concentration H2O2. I wait until the lights have been on for at least an hour (for maximum photosynthesis); turn off the filter 15 minutes prior to treatment; spot treat with a syringe using not more than 1.5 ml per gallon total per treatment; allow filter to remain off for at least 30 minutes (you should see bubbling in the areas treated), turn on filter. Repeat every 24 hours as needed.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

1mL per g or so with pumps off. Water change after is a good idea. Much cheaper than excel and less dangerous, but no upside of co2.


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## kcrossley (Feb 22, 2010)

Seattle_Aquarist said:


> Hi kcrossley,
> 
> I spot treat for BBA with 3% concentration H2O2. I wait until the lights have been on for at least an hour (for maximum photosynthesis); turn off the filter 15 minutes prior to treatment; spot treat with a syringe using not more than 1.5 ml per gallon total per treatment; allow filter to remain off for at least 30 minutes (you should see bubbling in the areas treated), turn on filter. Repeat every 24 hours as needed.


So spot treat full strength with H2O2, but use no more than 1.5 ml total treatment, which for me would be 43.5 ml for a 29-gallon tank, correct?


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## kcrossley (Feb 22, 2010)

kevmo911 said:


> That's a good article on how effective H2O2 can be in spot treating algae ...and also how horribly detrimental it can be to plants and fish. That was clearly a ridiculous amount of H2O2 to add to a tank.
> 
> I would suggest Excel rather than H2O2, only because A) I already use it to dose my tanks, so I know it won't harm plants in reasonable amounts, and B) Excel is also used as a carbon source by plants. By Excel, I mean a mixture of glutaraldehyde and water at around 1.5% concentration, which means the same applies to Metricide and Cidex, as well as more concentrated mixtures of glut that have been diluted to Excel-strength.
> 
> ...


Actually, this sounds good too. And yes, I've been neglecting my EI ferts. Plus, I accidentally let my pH controller probe dry out with the last water change, so I probably need to recalibrate it.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I could have sworn the dosage was 1mL per TEN gallons... might want to double check that!

You might mix the H2O2 with a bit of tank water if you need to stretch it out to make sure you've got enough to spot-treat all your affected areas.

Personally, if I were using H2O2 I'd pull the plants out for a dip rather than treating in tank. You do risk damaging your livestock if they happen to be too close to where you're treating.


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## kcrossley (Feb 22, 2010)

Laura, I take it you're suggesting spot treating with Excel instead of H2O2, which is fine with me. Is that correct? Is the Excel spot treating maximum dosage 1ml?

Thanks,
Kelly


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

I've killed livestock with H2O2 in the past... Excel, none yet. They're both effective at killing algae. Though I found that my java ferns don't like being OD'd with Excel. The leaves start developing black spots and slowly die.


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

Safe H2O2 dosage is usually considered 2ml/G.

There is a big difference between using H2O2 to spot treat, or do whole tank treatments; and take that into consideration when reading (or giving) advice.

If you use that dosage to spot treat, you're hitting the algae with concentrated H2O2, which is quite effective. Plus some of it reacts with the algae immediately, meaning there's less left to float around your tank and affect fish/shrimp/plants.

If you just dump it in your tank hoping to treat everything, it will have less impact on the algae, and more impact on other things. Some people, upon finding it ineffective, up the dose until they see an effect; usually at about 4-6ml/G. But it's still not as effective as spot treatment, and at greater risk.

BBA doesn't bubble much when spot treated with H2O2, sometimes it's unnoticeable. It's getting killed all the same.

I prefer:

1) H2O2 for most spot treatments.
2) Excel for spot treatments on algae that bubbles vigorously when treated with H2O2, because the bubbles tend to carry the H2O2 away before it has full effect.
3) Excel for whole tank treatments, always.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Yes, I personally would go for Excel with in-tank treatments, and H2O2 for "dips."

I might reconsider on a shrimp tank, as Excel has been reported to cause issues with molting when used for long periods of time, however.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

kcrossley said:


> So spot treat full strength with H2O2, but use no more than 1.5 ml total treatment, which for me would be 43.5 ml for a 29-gallon tank, correct?


Correct! I have used 1.5 ml 3% H2O2 per gallon will no ill effects for any fish including Cardinal Tetras, Corys, Rasboras, and Apistos.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I've killed fish from excel overdosing (only african fish died congo tetras and kribs, which is kinda weird). no problems with h202 so far...


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## kcrossley (Feb 22, 2010)

Okay, I tried something a little different. Most of the BBA was on three anubias plants attached to some driftwood. Rather than treat the tank, I did a water change last night, removed the driftwood, and used a spray bottle filled with Excel to mist the plants and driftwood. I let that sit for a 2-3 minutes and then submersed it in a bucket of water before putting it back into the tank.

My question is do you think that will work and if so, how long should it take for the BBA to turn red?


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

Maybe a couple of days. I have a large piece of driftwood that stands high in the tank. Every water change I spray Excel on the part that's exposed with the low water level. But if I get it on the Java fern that's next to it that soon gets brown dead spots on it. I haven't had good luck with directly treating plants out of the water.


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

fresh.salty said:


> Maybe a couple of days. I have a large piece of driftwood that stands high in the tank. Every water change I spray Excel on the part that's exposed with the low water level. But if I get it on the Java fern that's next to it that soon gets brown dead spots on it. I haven't had good luck with directly treating plants out of the water.


+1. A dilute solution, like that used for H2O2 dips (maybe 1 part H2O2 to 10 parts water), would be better for treating plants out of the water.

Algae on driftwood seems to be able to sink its roots deep, and the visible part protects them until it is killed/removed. So multiple treatments at intervals may be needed to achieve a complete kill and prevent regrowth.


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## scape (Nov 27, 2010)

So I just did spot dosing on my 29 with 43.5ml of h202 and my algae is pearling lol. Does this mean the algae is not BBA?


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## cradleoffilthfan (Jan 19, 2009)

The algae isn't pearling I don't think. I believe it's just the H2O2 breaking down into water and oxygen H2O and O=H2O2....anyway, I have had BBA let me tell you, it's not a fun thing to have in your tank. I will tell you first hand though, mine is going away and I am thrilled with the results of my battle with this stuff. Firstly, I found it was a co2 issue and it was because I was turning my co2 off at night. The fluctuations in co2 levels was the issue I am sure because as soon as I started running it 24/7, it stopped spreading. I then treated the tank. I had no fish in there at the time, but here's what I did and it worked for me. I did a very large water change, about 90 percent of the water. This exposed most of the tank to me. I removed as much BBA as I could by hand and scrubbed the wood surfaces and whatever I could get to with my long tweezers I have. I had already measured out the H2O2 and used 3ml per gallon of water which I would not recommend with fish, maybe 1ml per gallon at the most with fish, maybe less if your fish are a sensative type. Anyway, I used a syringe to squirt the H2O2 on the most affected areas and left the tank for about 10 minutes. I then filled the tank back up and plugged my filter and other equipment back up. Then the next day I turned off my filter and just used a syringe to spot treat again on the worst spots. I left again for about 15 minutes then turned on all equipment. I did this for about a week and boom, it started to really take effect. I just bought a siamensis and 4 oto's a couple days ago and they are making work of what was left, which wasn't much. I will have to post before and after pictures tomorrow of my experience and the progress of my battle with BBA.


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## scape (Nov 27, 2010)

cradleoffilthfan said:


> The algae isn't pearling I don't think. I believe it's just the H2O2 breaking down into water and oxygen H2O and O=H2O2....anyway, I have had BBA let me tell you, it's not a fun thing to have in your tank. I will tell you first hand though, mine is going away and I am thrilled with the results of my battle with this stuff. Firstly, I found it was a co2 issue and it was because I was turning my co2 off at night. The fluctuations in co2 levels was the issue I am sure because as soon as I started running it 24/7, it stopped spreading. I then treated the tank. I had no fish in there at the time, but here's what I did and it worked for me. I did a very large water change, about 90 percent of the water. This exposed most of the tank to me. I removed as much BBA as I could by hand and scrubbed the wood surfaces and whatever I could get to with my long tweezers I have. I had already measured out the H2O2 and used 3ml per gallon of water which I would not recommend with fish, maybe 1ml per gallon at the most with fish, maybe less if your fish are a sensative type. Anyway, I used a syringe to squirt the H2O2 on the most affected areas and left the tank for about 10 minutes. I then filled the tank back up and plugged my filter and other equipment back up. Then the next day I turned off my filter and just used a syringe to spot treat again on the worst spots. I left again for about 15 minutes then turned on all equipment. I did this for about a week and boom, it started to really take effect. I just bought a siamensis and 4 oto's a couple days ago and they are making work of what was left, which wasn't much. I will have to post before and after pictures tomorrow of my experience and the progress of my battle with BBA.




Good info roud: I would like to see progress pictures vs the BBA!


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## cradleoffilthfan (Jan 19, 2009)

I have tonight off, I will take some pictures tomorrow(later today really, since it's 4 in the morning) and post them. I have been very surprised and pleased at the progress of the tank in just a few weeks. See everyone tomorrow!


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## cradleoffilthfan (Jan 19, 2009)

I am posting those before and after pictures. Now, it's not totally gone, but the BBA that is still attached in a few places is not green and healthy, it's brown and dead and just needs to be eaten off, which my SAE is doing a pretty good job of so far. Well, here are the pics people!























































and after all that work:


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## cradleoffilthfan (Jan 19, 2009)

Now, there are still some remnants of the BBA that was there, but it's only been a few weeks, so another few weeks and it should be totally gone. The BBA is dead, you can tell it's no longer alive because it's brown and, well, dead. The SAE eats a bit of it daily and with the co2 issue fixed, it's not growing at all anywhere in the tank. It's a total 180. Thanks Complexity!


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## scape (Nov 27, 2010)

Wow  That looks great! I noticed the narrow leaf java fern seems to be quite resistant to the bba? Did you have to treat it very much?


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## cradleoffilthfan (Jan 19, 2009)

It has really come full circle. The narrow leaf java fern was hit hard actually, but only at the bottom of the plant. The leaves that were growing fast resisted it, but the ones that grew really slow that were shaded by the taller mid leaves were covered in it. I just had to cut them off and call it good. The BBA seemed to hit all my plants hard because they were all "Slow growers." My Anubias nana, java fern and C. Helferi were covered as well as the wood and rocks and substrate. I was also trying to grow Glosso at the time and was having a hell of a time trying to get it to grow horizontal even though I had a TON of light over the tank. I was running a 3 (24") bulb Catalina fixture over this 75P. Right now I am only running two of the bulbs. I took out the glosso, and replaced it with micro sword. And actually I have to admit, the micro sword looks more natural in this tank setup the way I have it(or maybe that's just what I am telling myself).  I guess cutting back on the light initially and taking as much out as I could, then treating with the H2O2 really saved this tank, and my sanity.... Now I have 1 SAE, 4 Oto's, and 8 Malaysian trumpet snails in the tank. I will be adding a few electric blue rams next week hopefully


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## scape (Nov 27, 2010)

lol your sanity, I know what you mean :hihi: Let me tell you the H202 is working great. I think I will do the next dose right before water change day.


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