What exactly causes BBA?

[fablau]

Hey guys. Time for my BBA update for those who've read enough(too much) of this thread 🙂
My BBA is not just not growing anymore, it's disappearing and it's hardly seen around. My anubias is flourishing compared to before and maybe it will reach adulthood again(60cm) 🙂 I think my problem was definitely overstocking and lack of micros, specifically iron(and possibly too much organic macros). Good luck on your BBA journeys......😛

Congrats! This is very similar to my own experience. The increase of micros was definitively one of the factors helping BBA to disappear for me as well.

 

[sciencefiction]

Congrats! This is very similar to my own experience. The increase of micros was definitively one of the factors helping BBA to disappear for me as well.

Thanks fablau. This tank just started leaking today and is now empty!!! I am sitting wiping off my tears as I've crammed all my fish into one tank this moment.

Back on topic, I had to take out all the plants while emptying the tank. My anubias are lovely and green and BBA was definitely gone completely.

 

[fablau]

Thanks fablau. This tank just started leaking today and is now empty!!! I am sitting wiping off my tears as I've crammed all my fish into one tank this moment.

Back on topic, I had to take out all the plants while emptying the tank. My anubias are lovely and green and BBA was definitely gone completely.

Ouch! So sorry about that! Glad to know BBA was completely gone though! Are you going to start a new tank?

 

[Zak Rafik]

Thanks fablau. This tank just started leaking today and is now empty!!! I am sitting wiping off my tears as I've crammed all my fish into one tank this moment.
Back on topic, I had to take out all the plants while emptying the tank. My anubias are lovely and green and BBA was definitely gone completely.

First of all congrats on your attempt to get rid of BBA.
But sad to see your tank leaked. Such a waste as this happens after solving your BBA issue.
Which part of the tank started to leak?

 

[Zak Rafik]

Is there such thing as BBA completely out of the tank? Once BBA is out of the tank, can it reappear? Are the algae spores still present in the tank and awaiting the next imbalance to trigger it to bloom?

 

[zozo]

Algae is everywere and always around where water is, in any tank any pond and pool of water, it's even in the tap water. and if the conditions get in favor of the algae they will grow and show. Even if you just fill a bucket with tap watter and put it in the sun, it wont take that long for algae to grow in there.

Not seeing it or just very little is as good enough as completely out. But it's still in there without giving any problems the live stock keeps it under control as long as the balance is healthy. 🙂

You can introduce algae in your tank by getting a spore or cell under your fingernail after handling a bouquet of flowers you gave your mam for mothersday. Or working in the garden and sticking your hand i a pudlle of mud.

 

[sciencefiction]

But sad to see your tank leaked. Such a waste as this happens after solving your BBA issue.
Which part of the tank started to leak?

The bottom back corner. the seal seems to be somehow damaged there. It's a 5 year old tank.

Are you going to start a new tank?

I think I might have to try resealing the entire tank myself as I can't buy a new one right now. If I manage, I'll be putting a soil substrate.

Not seeing it or just very little is as good enough as completely out.

The algae is probably always around as you say but it seems once you shift the conditions against it, it just doesn't grow anymore. It just slowly but surely withered and I didn't even bother cleaning much of it, just the worst bits.

 

[sciencefiction]

Congrats! This is very similar to my own experience. The increase of micros was definitively one of the factors helping BBA to disappear for me as well.

I think that was a major factor myself if I have to be honest because I saw a visual response from the plants. I upped all micros, not just iron but I did put clay pebbles as media in all baskets of the trickle filter and the filter has huge amount of media storage. I hadn't seen my plants doing so well for years until now. It was nothing to do with CO2 at all in my case.

 

[fablau]

I think that was a major factor myself if I have to be honest because I saw a visual response from the plants. I upped all micros, not just iron but I did put clay pebbles as media in all baskets of the trickle filter and the filter has huge amount of media storage. I hadn't seen my plants doing so well for years until now. It was nothing to do with CO2 at all in my case.

Very interesting! Do you mean that you increased micros by adding media to the filter such as clay pebbles? Do they help that way? Please, tell us more!

 

[sciencefiction]

No fablau, I dosed extra dry micro ferts.

 

[Jose]

I think that was a major factor myself if I have to be honest because I saw a visual response from the plants. I upped all micros, not just iron but I did put clay pebbles as media in all baskets of the trickle filter and the filter has huge amount of media storage. I hadn't seen my plants doing so well for years until now. It was nothing to do with CO2 at all in my case.

Was upping the micros the only thing you did? Did you touch co2? Did you clean everything? Maybe did a trim?

 

[sciencefiction]

No, it wasn't the only thing I did. I posted in earlier posts what I did. I upped the water changes(but then went back again to one large a week), reduced the stock, put clay pebbles in the trickle filter. I did plant the trickle filter but without dedicated light they withered so they played no positive part. And I upped the micro ferts. That's all I did. I did not clean anything bar the air stone. I left the plants with the BBA on. It withered and died in not such a long time at all, in the space of weeks.

It's only a guess what did the trick or all things helped. I can't intentionally vary the CO2 in a low tech so I have no idea what levels there are and how they were affected by the changes I did.

 

[tmiravent]

Hi, the amazing BBA also visited me! 😉
Actually she's still there...😕
Made a huge mistake and increased (by accident) the macros 10x more...
When i saw my cory's swimming back down i tested and...
Now the levels are as used to be for macros (still waiting for micros test) but she's is very well installed! (maybe need to increase micros again...)

Here is the image,

Nice topic! here is my small contribution,
cheers

 

[sciencefiction]

Nice picture! The shrimp don't mind I see 🙂

 

[zozo]

That's a nice Moustache.. I'm jealous..

 

[Zak Rafik]

Ok a question related to BBA....well sort of.
A friend of mine had recently given me some stones and filter media from his decommissioned tank. But he did inform me that his tank had a bad case of BBA.

I soaked the stones in a pail mixed with normal bleach for a few hours and then managed to scrub off as much dirt and algae as possible. After soaking several times in fresh water and drying the stones under direct sunlight, almost 98% of all algae stains were removed.
But I noticed some small spots of alage deep inside the crevices of the stones and refused to come off.

As for the filter media, the only thing I did was to rinse in fresh water several times and have it sun dried for 2 days.

Now my question is, if these décor stones and filter media are reused in another tank, can it have BBA?
Does the drying and bleach water soaking treatment kill BBA and its spore completely?

 

[Dantrasy]

I remember Tom Barr saying he tried the sun method ... it didn't work.

Bleach, on the other hand, should kill the bba on the rocks. But, as mentioned above, filling with tap water will put bba back in (microscopic, but it has the potential to grow).

 

[Zak Rafik]

I remember Tom Barr saying he tried the sun method ... it didn't work.

Bleach, on the other hand, should kill the bba on the rocks. But, as mentioned above, filling with tap water will put bba back in (microscopic, but it has the potential to grow).

Even if the media or the rock are not used for say a month or longer? Can the BBA be brought back to life after so long?

 

[Jose]

BBA can appear in any tank. Just toss the stones in and keep co2 constant and high enough, enough ferts, water changes and it wont appear.

 

[Zak Rafik]

BBA can appear in any tank. Just toss the stones in and keep co2 constant and high enough, enough ferts, water changes and it wont appear.

Yes your're right about BBA appearing in any tank but why introduce it with the knowledge that there might be trouble in the near future?
Is there a way to completely get rid of these BBA spots? Maybe soak in high strength bleach?

How about if these stones were used in a low tech planted tank where there's no dosing of any Co2? What then?

Cheers. 🙂