# Bba,hair algae, and anubius



## Linsanity (Feb 23, 2012)

I have the same problem, BBA is killing my anubius nanas. My BBA came from my old tank when I transferred the driftwood without getting rip of the BBA on it then it spread out to the Java Ferns, I trimmed out the bad leafs and new leafs grew back out fast and very nice, but anubius nana grow so slow I really don't want to trim of the leafs.
I took out the driftwood tried to kill BBA with very hot water and then used h2o2 2ml per gallon, left it over night. I just put it back in the tank but I still see some BBA on it, they are really tough. I'm also dosing excel everyday and dosing h2o2 every other day. Bought 2 amano shrimps just today in addition to my 1 chinese algae eater, 3 otos and 2 SAE algae fighting team. The bad thing is I don't see any of them eats the BBA Hope you will do better than me


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Eventually you will decide that having so much light that BBA is a big problem isn't worth the trouble it gives you. I don't know what size tank you have, or what light fixture you have, but that much BBA almost surely means too much light and not enough CO2 to let the plants grow as fast as that much light is driving them to. By reducing the amount of light you won't need as much, if any, CO2, and algae either won't start growing at all, or it will grow so slowly it isn't difficult to control it.


----------



## blizowman1 (Jan 16, 2012)

Should I cut back my lights to like four hrs in the morning and then another say three hrs at night after I get off work


----------



## JackFu (Jun 6, 2011)

What lights / tank depth? Without CO2 you want low light and an 8 hour light schedule, in general.


----------



## blizowman1 (Jan 16, 2012)

I have a dual t5 one bulb is 6500k and the other is a color max I think it's like 62 watts total and I dose excel daily I've been dosing half a cap a day but was thinking of upping it to a whole cap a day


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

You still haven't told us what size tank you have - its dimensions are more important than how many gallons it holds. And, there are T5NO lights, T5HO lights, very cheap poor quality T5HO lights, very good quality T5HO lights, etc. Each type of light fixture gives a different light intensity. So, what brand is your light? What length bulbs and what wattage bulbs?


----------



## blizowman1 (Jan 16, 2012)

They are coralife T5HO. 30" bulbs Each bulb is 31 watts. One bulb is 6700k and one bulb is a colormax. And they are about 7 months old
The tank is 30"L x 18"H x 12"D


----------



## JackFu (Jun 6, 2011)

Yeah, thats way too much light. To use that fixture without CO2, you'll need to raise it more than 12" off the top of the tank.


----------



## blizowman1 (Jan 16, 2012)

But I dose excel daily it's hard to say how much I dose cause of the child proof like cap that they use but I'd say maybe half a cap daily would it help to up the the dose to a whole cap a day cause there is no way for me to raise my lights really and I've got a decent amount of plants and I'm not reall done adding more yet either


----------



## Forumsnow (Feb 22, 2012)

That is a stupid amount of light for that tank. I have on t5ho bulb 10" above tank with pressurized co2 and I am still battling algae. Get a new light or get co2, excell will do NOTHING!
You are setting yourself up to fail in a monor way sorry.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

A typical T5HO light, with a fair quality reflector, with one bulb, at 16 inches from the substrate would give you about 60 micromols of PAR, medium light. A 2 bulb light just doubles that, to about 120 micromols, which is very high light. This light is used by some people as a reef tank light, with appropriate color temperature bulbs, and reef tanks tank much more light than planted tanks.

A more appropriate light would be http://www.bigalsonline.com/fish/li...uble-strip-6-700k-cf-fixture-2-x-65-w-30.html which would still give you medium intensity light. That alone would greatly reduce your algae problems.


----------



## blizowman1 (Jan 16, 2012)

This is the fixture I have
http://www.aquarium-supply.biz/Coralife_Aqualight_HO_T5_30_inch_FRESHWATER_p/res08611.htm


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

blizowman1 said:


> This is the fixture I have
> http://www.aquarium-supply.biz/Coralife_Aqualight_HO_T5_30_inch_FRESHWATER_p/res08611.htm


Yes, that is what you told us. It is too much light for that tank.


----------



## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

blizowman1 said:


> But I dose excel daily it's hard to say how much I dose cause of the child proof like cap that they use but I'd say maybe half a cap daily would it help to up the the dose to a whole cap a day cause there is no way for me to raise my lights really and I've got a decent amount of plants and I'm not reall done adding more yet either


Excel is really a toxin.

Most organisms have ways to protect themselves completely against reasonable doses. Plants protect themselves by breaking it down, and in a happy coincidence, it breaks down into a small amount of usable CO2.

But they can only break it down so fast. So at some point, adding more exceeds their ability to break it down; resulting in increasing toxicity, without increasing CO2. The exact point differs by species. Some plants like anacharis and hornwort can't even tolerate a normal dose well. Others, like vals, may initially be harmed by a normal dose; but later adapt as their protective mechanisms increase.

But under no circumstances can you get enough CO2 from Excel to support plants in a high light tank.

The advice you've received is solid, you will have to reduce light. There is always a way, even if you have to tape a few layers of window screen to the bottom of your fixture.


----------



## blizowman1 (Jan 16, 2012)

Ok I'm just saying how is the fixture the guy recommended me any different than the one I have except the one he recommended was higher wattage than mine. Im confused and I have been thinking of starting out with maybe a fluval 88 system or maybe this sicce system my lfs has for sale that runs off the carbon blocks. My tank is only 29g so I don't need a fullon system yet not till I can afford to buy my 75 gallon I want


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The fixture I recommended uses PC bulbs, which are not as good as T5HO, largely because a reflector doesn't work as well with them. But, this particular one, the Coralife one, has very poor reflectors, so you get a lot less light from it, even though it uses more electricity. (Watts is just a measure of how much electricity the fixture uses, not a measure of how much light it gives you.)


----------



## zonamav (Feb 27, 2004)

I wouldn't recommend that pc light without co2 either. I have it on my 20" tall tank and without co2 correctly adjusted I get bba. 

Sent from my VM670 using Tapatalk


----------



## Stevenicoloconnor (Feb 21, 2011)

JackFu said:


> Yeah, thats way too much light. To use that fixture without CO2, you'll need to raise it more than 12" off the top of the tank.


...or, a shorter photo-period; try this for five days:
4 hours on, 20 hours off.

Too much off time? Get a rapidly growing plant like elodea, or java moss: be prepared to prune. Until the plants show they have the algae at bay, try a photo-period of less than 12 hours with the light on.


----------



## blizowman1 (Jan 16, 2012)

I only keep my lights on for a 8.5 period set on a timer. Do you all have any thought on CHEAP co2 systems


----------



## Stevenicoloconnor (Feb 21, 2011)

blizowman1 said:


> I only keep my lights on for a 8.5 period set on a timer. Do you all have any thought on CHEAP co2 systems


...our 29 gallon gets it's CO2 via a 20 oz. paintball canister, a Fluval regulator, and some fittings hacked together from directions I got on this site about a year ago. Maybe somebody who knows how to set-up a CO2 system will chime in.

A 20oz. canister usually lasts 6-8 weeks.

BTW, I have the exact same light fixture: HO T5. This is not too much light; however, it is a lot, so we have to have a lot of plants, and be willing to dedicate a lot of time! Thus, be prepared for disaster! I have had every kind of algae imaginable: BBA is nothing compared to sticky spirogyra. All-in-all, it took about 10 months to go through the big algae struggle with unimaginable plant death, a lot of glass scraping, and too much skimming that sticky, hairy slime off the surface. 

I follow Tom Barr's Estimative Index fertilization technique.

So, there is a lot of time, money, and effort that needs to go into our highly-lighted 29-gallon underwater jungle. Buy more plants!

Good luck!


----------



## blizowman1 (Jan 16, 2012)

So Steven your saying buy more plants and the algae should go away or at least be out competed. All I've got is a little hair algae or something on my older java fern leaves and some of the black algae on one of my anubius I'm thinking about getting some dwarf sag and another crypt of I can get ahold of one of the florida sunset cryPts. I have 4 otos and 17 Amano shrimp in my tank( just added the shrimp)


----------



## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

If you can't get new lights, block it. Getting more plants and floating plants can block the intensity. Raising the light up can lessen then intensity, so can a cover. There are lots of strategies.


----------



## blizowman1 (Jan 16, 2012)

What kind of floating plants would work I've not really had any experience with floating plants I've always felt like they would end up pushed to one side where my filter pushes ten and then they would collect the algae from being so close to the light


----------



## Stevenicoloconnor (Feb 21, 2011)

blizowman1 said:


> So Steven you're saying buy more plants and the algae should go away or at least be out competed. All I've got is a little hair algae or something on my older java fern leaves and some of the black algae on one of my anubius I'm thinking about getting some dwarf sag and another crypt of I can get ahold of one of the florida sunset cryPts. I have 4 otos and 17 Amano shrimp in my tank( just added the shrimp)


No, just more plants may not always be the case; otos will work some on the glass, but these fish can be difficult to keep.

Amano shrimp are great; however, red cherry shrimp reproduce like crazy, and they love BBA.

Crypts are hearty, and they seem to out-battle the algae; however, a rapidly growing plant like elodea seems to take a lot of the nutrients that algae may use. Also, elodea will float to the surface and "block" some of the light.


----------



## blizowman1 (Jan 16, 2012)

Well I don't think I could keep cherry shrimp with them being so small I got a dwarf graoumi, 6 cardinal tetras, and 8 pristella tetras, 4 corys and 4 otos and now 16 Amano shrimp. I think I may new to get more fish really. And my otos have been fine no problems what so ever


----------



## Stevenicoloconnor (Feb 21, 2011)

...cherry red shrimp are larger than than amano shrimp.


----------



## blizowman1 (Jan 16, 2012)

Really cause my Amano are like 1 or 2 inches long I thought the cherry shrimp were teeny tiny I already have 16 Amano I think I'll have to add more plants before I add to many more shrimp of any kind


----------



## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

Stevenicoloconnor said:


> ...cherry red shrimp are larger than than amano shrimp.


Um I think it's the opposite. Amanos get to be 2.5 inches while cherries top off at an inch or so.

Floaters would definitely diffuse the light entering the tank as well as absorb the excess nutrients in the water column. Famazon frog bit and dwarf water lettuce shoot longer roots to soak it all up. If you prefer something smaller, spangles/ salvinia is a wonderful furry leafed plant that's also easily contained.

I would recommend avoiding duckweed, though the large duckweed isn't so bad having red leaves and roots beneath without being too invasive. The large duckweed is about four times larger with shorter roots. Much easier to control as well. I've been offering these in my raok in sns incase you need it. Good luck


----------



## blizowman1 (Jan 16, 2012)

So I was reading last night that Marimo balls help combat algae cause they're a algae in them selves and my shrimp would like them. I'd this true?


----------

