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Identify and destroy!

Tom Raffield

Member
Joined
18 Apr 2017
Messages
175
Location
Coulsdon, UK
Hello everyone,

I have been in the fish keeping game a while but only last September started a fully planted, CO2 injected, Juwel Vision 260l tank. I took great care setting everything up, using a high nutrient substrate (on one side), lined all substrate with root tabs and squaped everything to my liking. I dose to EI suggestions (75ml macro then micro on alternate days), run a 7/8 hour lighting period with CO2 on an hour before lights and water change 45/50% weekly. I have also invested in a koralia circulation pump for improved water movement. In terms of stocking: 4 corys, 1 small plec, 5 amino shrimp, 1 SAE, 13 neons, 4 harlequin rasboras, 3 cherry barbs, 3 rummy nose tetra and 3 ottos.

Everything seemed to be going well (see first pic) until recently I noticed a number of concerning issues. Now, these issues are not huge but to a keen eye and someone who is quite OCD they are quite irritating. A black outline has started to form on quite a number of the leaves and this is accompanied by black smears on the leaves themselves(see photo). Furthermore some plants are also showing leaves that appear to have been eaten (see photo) but they are only ever the top most leaves in the tank. I also have a small amount of green spot/dust algae on the glass each week but a brief scrub removes this. I have read a lot of information and played around with ideas in my head, so what follows are my random thoughts thrown onto a page:

- Is the black outline a cyanobacteria or BBA? I have spot treated hydrogen peroxide today for the first time (no results as yet).
- Is it a nutrient deficiency of some kind? 75ml a day seems more than enough? Should I just simply dose more and increase the water change each week although some people think 45/50% is too much in any case.
- The tank can't be overstocked with that fish stock? Or can it?
- CO2 runs throughout the photo period with the drop checker always in the green if not yellow.
- I run the Juwel stock filter which I clean (half and half) every month or so in tank water. I managed to get down the side of the filter with a ruler and remove some of the detritus that accumulated there after setup and grew a whole side of algae. A lot remains though, could this be a problem?
- Tank lights are those stocked with the tank; could they be old? Spectrum changed?
- Could water circulation still be poor; do I need a second circulation pump?

I would be really interested to see what people think as I am unsure what to try or what information to go on as there is so much out there.

Thanks in advance folks,
 

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Although the last picture the last one is not close enough to be sure but the black outline looks like BBA (black beard algae—welcome to the club).
 
Here is a closer viewer of a few leaves I removed today. If it is BBA what are the likely causes and prevention methods.

Also thought I'd show the side and front of the Juwel filter. This was before it was cleaned. The front had a scrub down to remove the black marks and I got down the side with a ruler to get ride of the muck. The brown algae there remains but I might cover the glass there in card to stop light reaching the algae.
 

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Still too far and the out-of-water picture is not very useful for ID'ing algae because they don't fluff up showing their character. I still think it's BBA by the way.

Cause(s) of BBA? It's still debatable. It has been like a moving target to me. In my case, previously it went crazy when Phosphate was increased or not having enough CO2, just like what Tom Barr has been saying (BBA is CO2 related, the reason limiting PO4 seems to help the issue is because PO4 deficiency reduces CO2 demand). But these factors seem no more applicable to the current state of my tank. Now it tends to multiply when I overfeed or overdose micro fert.
 
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If it helps in anyway there is no 'elevation' or 'length' on the black algae. It is flat and follows the leaf edge along with the splashes on the leaf. It also does not scrape off when rubbed. The hydrogen peroxide dose hasn't rendered any of the black more red in colour but we will see tomorrow what else happens.
The issue could with my EI dosing as I mix powders in water to create my micro and macro. I use a 'starter EI kit' purchased online so perhaps there is a deficiency or over used nutrient in ether my micro or macro.
 
Just back from work today and the hydrogen peroxide treatment appears to have made headway. Some of the leaves I 'painted' have lost all of the black and returned to green. I may dose again today to really get it.

What are your opinions on my tank routine? Water changes, EI dosing, light periods etc? I am always on the look out to modify or improve my methods.
 
I am using 3% H2O2 and used 1.5ml per US gallon which worked out at roughly 100ml of H2O2.
I turned off all filters and pumps and let the water settle for 5 minutes. I then 'painted' the leaves with the most back markings using a syringe, left the water for a further 15 minutes before turning everything on again.
As mentioned above, the difference is noticeable and I will repeat the dose again now.

I am still quite a novice as far as heavily planted , high tech tanks go and trying to get a balance is tricky. All the plants I purchased were sold as 'low tech' that could survive without CO2. But as I supplement injected CO2 anyway and EI dose nutrients (I imagine my errors are in the EI dosing) I thought it would be easy. Clearly not!
 
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