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GSA- BBA Suspect Imbalance

Cd2021

Member
Joined
20 Feb 2021
Messages
90
Location
Hampshire
Hi Guys,

I seem to be struggling again with BBA, but in addition now GSA more than what i have done before (BBA has always been a struggle of mine). I have tried points raised with @ceg4048 in my previous post, but i cannot seem to beat it. Main differences from that thread tank is the flow direction- neo flow v2 on each corner.

Tank- Custom from OA Aquaria (Same size as EA900)
Filtration- Biomaster Thermo 600 & Biomaster 350 (Aqua Rio Neo Flow V2- on diaganals.
Co2- Co2 art pro se- Approx 4-5 bps- checker is lime green. I will run a PH profile in due course.
Temp- 24 degrees
Light- Chihiros WRGB 2- 7 hours @ 35% currently.
Substrate: Tropica soil, ADA la plata cosmetic sand.
Hardscape- Azalea root and Zebra stone.
Fertilizer- EI- mixed as per one of the thread's on here same as 2hr Aquarist.

Tank was rescaped about 4-5 weeks ago, but even before the rescape struggling with BBA and partly the reason i rescaped. I have tried playing about with flow, popping one of the reducers on the Co2 outflow (front right), to blow the CO2 lower, but this hasn't helped potentially made it worse.

BBA has always been my nemisis from my first Aqua one Platform 37 to now, I've read multiple threads and researched to see if there is something that i'm doing wrong or an imbalance that i cannot figure out. I'd like to think the equipment that i run is pretty good, and using it correctly.

Appreciate any advise!
Thanks
Chris
 

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4-5 weeks is too soon to consider it as another failure. Mine had a hard time from beginning: most of the plants old leaves got black in the first week. It looked like ammonia from aqua soil burned them despite daily 60% WC. Then standard phases: diatoms, mould on the wood, bit of thread algae and thin layer of BBA on some rocks here and there. Only after 4-5 months I started seeing real progress. Thread algae disappeared, BBA stalled. Still seeing GSA on some Anubias petite but couple of weeks ago it started turning white in some areas so looking forward too see it disappearing.

My advice is to be patient and very consistent with maintenance, fertilising and tick all boxes re flow, distribution, light and CO2 balance.

Good luck
 
BBA is demoralising and a hobby quitter. It's an ugly prolific beast when it takes hold. Maybe it's me but I find it a bit embarrassing in my showcase aquarium. I find light probably the biggest issue that causes this brush algae and excess nutrients. I've also seen BBA growing in high flow areas so is that a real issue ???
I once started a new Aquarium and changed 50% of the water every day for 3 months. I still got BBA. Why ? The light intensity was wrong.
I personally wouldn't have epiphite plants that close to the light source. I have a love/hate relationship with them. I don't bother with them now. If I was to start another tank I would add them after 6 months or so.

You watch YouTube videos of well known youtubers and think why don't they suffer BBA.? They only seem seem to get the easy algae like dust or green spot etc to deal with. Don't always believe it. I've observed some of these setups in the background of other videos and noticed lights have been raised or replaced without any explanation. You rarely get to see the bad side of it.

Anyway, have you thought about using floating plants to help in new setups.? They really are king.
 
Hi Guys,

Thank you for your responses, greatly appreciated.

When rescaped the soil, plants and wood is all from my previous scape (which unfortunately had BBA and partly the reason i move on from it, and more practice in scaping). The crypts in middle left and the monte carlo are new plants.

I'm not sure if it's something i'm missing as always had BBA issues, previous tanks etc. My Malawi tank is completely clear of it. Water changes are 50-60% weeks, clean the pre filters weekly and dosing 10ml ferts per day. I think flow is certainly involved, but cannot but my finger on it, flow i have co2 come from the from right as your looking at the tank then straight down the front, then the other inlet/outlet in the back left corner forcing the other way. The maximum flow rate of both filters is 2350, and tank is 186l so approx 12x turnover.

I've always been unsure with floating plants, i see a lot of recommendations.

Thanks Chris
 
Inconsistent CO2 and high organics is what I think causes it.

Spot dose with glut and up your water changes/filter cleans for now. Honestly, it don’t seem like there is a great deal there. I’ve come back from a lot worse than that with bba so don’t be too disheartened.

Cheers
 
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Apologies, seen you clean the pre filters weekly. Maybe add another water change or two if you can.
 
BBA (Audouinella) grow naturally in streams with a high flow rate.
Hi Everyone,

I seem to recall Tom Barr having said that the high flow rate ensures an adequate supply of phosphate to Audouinella, which secretes substances that glue itself to rocks, etc. Fascinating stuff, eh?

JPC
 
Looks to me like the rocks are trapping food and detritus at the base of the wood which is making it difficult for the fish to get to and the flow to sweep up. Its also where the bba is occurring. I will replace the rocks - which look a little bit big..

Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk
 
Hi Guys,

Thanks for responses, and sorry for delay coming back. Stag weekend, so feeling a bit sorry for myself.

In the 3 days of being away this were noticeably different, and not for the better. Co2 comes on at 12:00, light on at 3, with a 30 mins ramp up. Co2 off at 9:15 and light off at 10:00, again with a 30 mins ramp down.

I’ll plan to do a ph profile this weekend. I think it may be an idea to drop my light to 6 hours and 25%. The BBA seems to be over the epiphytes, the new crypts, wood, rock and decorative gravel.

A couple of thoughts that I had that may not be helping with my tank:
  • Not topping up during the week. So would my co2 be inconsistent as 4-5 days in I have more surface agitation? Allow more gas to escape.
  • Am I over stocked? Or not enough algae grazers or scavengers. 9 kuhli loach, 5/6 merited, about 10 armano.
  • Flow and filtration, do I have too much? Oase biomaster thermo’s 350 and 600? And flows on diagonals of the tank?
  • My EI mix, do I up phosphate to combat the gsa, apparently our local water had a lot in. But seem to get missed information of it being iron phosphate therefore useless to an aquarium and therefore difficult to measure.

Thanks
Chris
 
BBA is demoralising and a hobby quitter. It's an ugly prolific beast when it takes hold. Maybe it's me but I find it a bit embarrassing in my showcase aquarium. I find light probably the biggest issue that causes this brush algae and excess nutrients. I've also seen BBA growing in high flow areas so is that a real issue ???
I once started a new Aquarium and changed 50% of the water every day for 3 months. I still got BBA. Why ? The light intensity was wrong.
I personally wouldn't have epiphite plants that close to the light source. I have a love/hate relationship with them. I don't bother with them now. If I was to start another tank I would add them after 6 months or so.

You watch YouTube videos of well known youtubers and think why don't they suffer BBA.? They only seem seem to get the easy algae like dust or green spot etc to deal with. Don't always believe it. I've observed some of these setups in the background of other videos and noticed lights have been raised or replaced without any explanation. You rarely get to see the bad side of it.

Anyway, have you thought about using floating plants to help in new setups.? They really are king.
+1 for floating plants, they always seem to mininise algea problems but often get over looked as a solution.
 
+1 for floating plants, they always seem to mininise algea problems but often get over looked as a solution.
Why would floaters assist with Algae issues? I can't see how floaters would assist in my situation with BBA issue?

Thanks
Chris
 
Hi all,
Why would floaters assist with Algae issues?
I can't see how floaters would assist in my situation with BBA issue?
We really don't know what causes "outbreaks" of "Red Algae" (Rhodophyta), but their abundance often declines in <"more established, more stable, tanks">.

In my own tanks I think BBA is reduced by <"Ramshorn snail grazing">. For whatever reason they don't tend to get GSA, so I don't really have any experience of that.

I'd actually like a <"bit more algae"> in some of the tanks

cheers Darrel
 
Hi Darrell,

Okay, that makes sense. Any in particular you'd recommend for my setup. I'm going to look for some faster growing plants too, and after watching George's latest video change the co2 output to the back of the tank too. Just don't want to change too much too quickly.

That makes sense, as i always play about with the setup etc, make it look at a little better.

I'd love a period without the algae haha. I'll send some over!

Thanks
Chris
 
Hi all,
Any in particular you'd recommend for my setup.
In terms of the job they do? Then any (or all) <"of them">.

I keep "Water Lettuce" (Pistia stratiotes), "Floating Fern" (Salvinia auriculata group) and "Amazon Frogbit" (Limnobium laevigatum).

If I only kept one it would be Amazon Frogbit, mainly because it has a <"nice green leaf"> which means I can use it as my <"Duckweed"> of choice for the <"Duckweed Index">.
I'm going to look for some faster growing plants too,
I like "Hornwort" (Ceratophyllum demersum) and "Indian Fern" (Ceratopteris "thalictroides"), they are <"sub-surface floaters"> and easy to remove, should you wish to.

cheers Darrel
 
Hi All,

Thanks Darrel. I’ll have a look into them and get some.

Ph profile carried out over today:
Tank water: cup left to sit for approx 18 hours. 7.6.
12:00- co2 on- 7.03
3:00- light on- 6.62
4:07- 6.64
5:00- 6.41
6:00- 6.40
7:00- 6.49
8:00- 6.49
9:00- 6.51.
Co2 goes off at 9:15 then light off at 10:00.

I think I need to adjust gas to come on 1 hour earlier.

Thanks,
Chris
 
I have tried to take a picture of my surface agitation. I always thought it would be best to have minimal to minimise gas escaping, but with enough flow to oxygenate at water. I have the Aquario Neo Flow at the lowest point but can higher this and up the gas level.

Do you have any advise how to set out my outputs or leave as they are?

I have also been thinking about in tank diffuser rather than inline. And I’ve kept the light lower whilst we’re messing about and dosing excel which seems to be helping.

Thanks
Chris
 

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