Is this BBA and what should I do?

[PaulLB]

Past week seen appearance of this algae for first time. Is it BBA? If so what should I do?

Tank is 45L heavily planted after recent (1m) strip down.

Light is for 8 hrs a day with Chihiros WRGB 2 with 2 hr ramp up and ramp down. Tank has Co2 injection and drop checker is green.

Stock is 6x rummy nose tetras and about 40x cherry shrimp.

 

[MrClockOff]

I think it’s staghorn algae

 

[PaulLB]

Here’s another photo. BBA ?

 

[hypnogogia]

BBA=black brush algae. Your algae is green, ergo not BBA.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I think it’s staghorn algae

So do I.

Cheers Darrel

 

[PaulLB]

Ok so is staghorn worse or better than BBA? How do I get rid of it?

 

[hypnogogia]

Ok so is staghorn worse or better than BBA? How do I get rid of it?

James' Planted Tank - Algae Guide

 

[PaulLB]

Another closeup. I don’t see much evidence of branching so is it staghorn or just generic filamentous algae?

I’ve tried removing with a tooth brush but this stuff is stubborn and I don’t get any at all on the brush.

I’ll try lowering the water level and “painting” with Gluteraldehyde and see if that helps at all.

 

[G H Nelson]

Before you do that I would advise you to complete the help questionnaire!

Please read the guidelines for Algae help!

Dear Member Please give as many details as possible regarding your aquarium set-up, when requiring advice/help! The above will be posted at the start of each help request. Why do we ask these questions? It will stop the member posting multiple times, plus adviser's don't need to scroll through...

www.ukaps.org

 

[G H Nelson]

I’ll try lowering the water level and “painting” with Gluteraldehyde and see if that helps at all.

If that's Vallisneria or Sagittaria that wouldn't be a good idea!

 

[PaulLB]

1. Size of tank in litres. 45L
2. Age of the set - up. 6m
3. Filtration. External canister with UV
4. Lighting and duration. Chihiros WRGB 2 8hrs with 1.5 hr ramp up and down to 100%
5. Substrate. Tropica soil
6. Co2 dosing or Non-dosing. CO2 dosing
7. Fertilizers used & Ratios. Flora Grow Pro 1 squirt per day
8. Water change regime and type. Weekly 75%
9. Plant list + When planted. Rotala Hra/Green/OJuice, H Micranthemoides, P Erectus, Monte Carlo, R Bonsái, Rotala Pearl, Hottonia Palustris, L Palustris
10. Drop Checker. green
11. Inhabitants. 35x cherry shrimp, 6x rummy nose
12. Full tank image & Surface image. See below

 

[PaulLB]

If that's Vallisneria or Sagittaria that wouldn't be a good idea!

It’s a close up of Pogostemon Erectus

 

[G H Nelson]

Hi Paul
I wouldn't use Liquid Carbon as it will probably destroy your plants if painted on!
Its been a month or so since you had a re-vamp, therefore its basically a new set-up!
When was the last time you cleaned the inside of the filter?

 

[Andy Pierce]

4. Lighting and duration. Chihiros WRGB 2 8hrs with 1.5 hr ramp up and down to 100%

Dropping the maximum lighting intensity down to 70% is worth a try. I don't know about staghorn specifically but high lighting intensity drives green spot algae growth pretty good.

 

[G H Nelson]

My Plan of action would be to lower the light intensity to 75% and keep it at 8 hours with no ramp-ups!
You could try starving the algae by not adding fertilizers for a few weeks plus dose Liquid Carbon and using the tutorial below.

Using stem plants as a filtering aid at Start Up!

The subject of using fast-growing stem plants as part of a filtering aid has cropped up a few times recently. This idea has been around for a long time so not new, it has benefits especially for a new set - up. I try and cover at least 50% of the water surface minimum. 1. Improves water...

www.ukaps.org

Or chopping the plants that have algae on them and letting them re-grow!

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Ok so is staghorn worse or better than BBA? How do I get rid of it?

It is another Ref Algae (Rhodophyta), <"Compsopogon caeruleus">.

Its been a month or so since you had a re-vamp, therefore its basically a new set-up!
When was the last time you cleaned the inside of the filter?

Yes, we think that Staghorn "outbreaks" may be caused by <"high levels of organic pollution">, which may originate from <"thick biofilms in the filter">.

Cheers Darrel

 

[PaulLB]

Hi Paul
I wouldn't use Liquid Carbon as it will probably destroy your plants if painted on!
Its been a month or so since you had a re-vamp, therefore its basically a new set-up!
When was the last time you cleaned the inside of the filter?

A month ago

 

[G H Nelson]

A month ago

Open it and give it a good clean!!!

 

[PaulLB]

I’ve given the filter a clean and will keep on top of that more often. Some of the algae has turned pink after I “painted” it with Gluteraldehyde. Oh, and two of my rummy nose tetras are dead.

 

[MichaelJ]

I’ve given the filter a clean and will keep on top of that more often. Some of the algae has turned pink after I “painted” it with Gluteraldehyde. Oh, and two of my rummy nose tetras are dead.
View attachment 207629

WC’s, cleanups, lower the light intensity , manual removal… yes, some badly infected plants/leaves you may need to sacrifice, look into your CO2 application … lots of algae issues in CO2 tanks stems from poor application of CO2… stag horn often correlates with high Fe levels according to some reports … the causes are numerous, but don’t add toxic chemicals straight to your tank … at least not before removing the livestock ! Sorry about the loss of livestock!

Cheers,
Michael