# BBA Experiment



## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

that's a first

i've never read a story where co2 kills BBA. especially since its a neccessary component to photosynthesis


----------



## Zorfox (Jun 24, 2012)

Thanks for posting that. Very interesting. I did something similar. I added DYI CO2 (single one gallon jug to ensure fluctuations) to a BBA free tank. The drop checker was usually deep yellow for the first 4 days and tapering off to a nice blue over the next 4-6 days. Two weeks into it I saw a BBA outbreak. I let it grow and spread for two more weeks. I then stopped the DIY CO2. The spread stopped but the BBA survived. Removed or killed what I saw and it was BBA free again. Repeated the same with the same results.


----------



## stlouisan (Jun 8, 2006)

I've read that keeping your CO2 high(30ppm) could control it, but I've also read that co2 fluctuations bring it back, so it needs to be kept high?


----------



## VAtanks (Feb 1, 2013)

Once the CO2 was back and stable and circulation was back it died right off. I had very unstable CO2 for a while since my reg was terrible, after lots of reading and advice about cheap regs, I paid for a better quality rig and got better at actually operating it so now CO2 is at about 30 ppm from an hour before lights come on till an 20 minutes before lights go out. The BBA was very small not well established tufts and it was mostly confined to a few Anubis leaves and my background is rubber coated with sand, so not sure how much of a solid grip it can get on that, one Anubis leaf did have to be culled off the plant (BBA had covered the whole out edge of the leaf) because it didn't die off. Everything on the back ground did go away with out me doing anything to it.
Once CO2 and circulation was restored BBA didn't spread a lot died off and what remained could be removed manually. I just wanted to report what I found worked in my tank. If you have BBA look at your flow and CO2. CO2 wont kill it 100% and as HD Blazingwolf mentioned it may not kill it at all for you but it will stop the spread where you can physically remove what's left. Mind you this is just my .02$ in no way shape or form am I claiming expert wisdom, just what I found while messing with my tank.


----------



## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

well
i'll post this as fact, co2 cannot nor will it kill BBA.
also BBA is rooted into plant tissue, it doesn't just come off. u can kill it, but the roots will still be there... some hardy plants like anubias can deal with some bleach or peroxide to kill the bba, but it is an ever lurking present danger for those slow growers.

True consistent co2 will help control bba, but this has more to do with proper plant growth than co2 limiting BBA growth.

Physical removal is the best method for BBA control after plant growth has been optimized


----------



## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Yeah, I wish it was this easy to get rid of BBA. 

I'm sure your observations are correct but many of us have not experienced this. I finally got my BBA under control after a year with consistent CO2, plant trimming, and spot treating patches of BBA on hardscape with excel and or H2O2.

What plants do you have in your tank btw? Maybe the plants are doing something.


----------



## Zorfox (Jun 24, 2012)

HD Blazingwolf said:


> well
> i'll post this as fact, co2 cannot nor will it kill BBA.


I agree with this. 

My test was to see if CO2 fluctuations alone would induce BBA; it does. I removed an anubias from the BBA tank and put it in the CO2 injected tank. The BBA did not spread but it also did not die (3 weeks or so).

It's been about three weeks since DIY CO2 for the BBA tank. The BBA hasn't spread after stopping the DIY CO2. The only BBA that's dying off is in the hair grass. It appears to me at least this is due to the death of the leaf it's anchored to. The BBA on the sword leaves seems healthy but not spreading. The sword leaves, oddly enough, seem healthy as well.


----------



## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

I use excel. I have just a Ehiem 2234 filter. I had chronic BBA until I added 3hrs siesta period in light period. Also dosed with KNO3. Came back when I deleted 3hr siesta period


----------



## VAtanks (Feb 1, 2013)

I kinda figured the rubber background didnt provide a home for a root system for the BBA, because that crap bores into the anubis leaf, and it did have to be removed manually. SO what would you think killed it off so quick? I don't dose Excel, but I do Dose ferts PPS-Pro style 5 mils a day. HD Blazingwolf, since the root tendrils remained, this would explain why it seemed like it dissapeared and then returned so quickly...and my second thought, is maybe what I thought was totally BBA was staghorn mixed in? THink I will repeat this and take some pics and see what you think, I could be off totally here and this not be BBA at all.


----------



## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

staghorn is pretty durable is well and can survive many changes.

i'd love to see some pictures!! and one could only hope that co2 realyl kills rhodophyta type algaes. they are the bane of this hobby for may people


----------



## VAtanks (Feb 1, 2013)

School has put my tank on the back burner but i did cut the CO2 kept ferts and light schedule the same, and BBA is back I will snap some shots and post them tomorrow night, then I will refill my CO2 and track the changes I will do like a time stamp daily photo to see the difference


----------

