Loosing battle with BBA what next?

[Easternlethal]

It will be intresting to see if using loads of fast growers out competes the BBA but then won't this just cause increases in organic waste requiring incresed water chnges etc.

Personally I'm doubting that despite the excellent results some get with EI that lower levels of nutrients, excellent water quality ie like chalk streams/coral reefs is the better way as excess nutrients in these systems we know causes major problems with alge etc food for thought.

This assumes that algae needs your ferts to survive and won't be able to utilise whatever is being generated by the bacteria in the substrate or water column. Algae is much more efficient than plants in many ways and bacteria in the tank will continue to produce inorganic nutrients long after ferts are stopped.

In a tank, other than algae eaters, plants are the only other competitors and affect algae in many ways. But you're right that sometimes even that may not be enough, because you also need the right kind of bacterial action (not too much ammonia being produced, not anaerobic etc.), which is itself driven by organics.

Thus is why, to control nutrients (not only the types of but also their levels) we still need to control organics. In a highly planted tank this will include a lot of cleaning.

 

[andyone]

Hi all

Well I thought I'd update this. Good and bad to report. Put into practice the advice suggested and paid the price by increasing the liquid CO2 with a complete wipe out of all my shrimp, a massive series of water changes failed to save them and the fish had a free early Xmas dinner.

As to the algae no change, still a plague and one fed up hobbyist. So what to do? Well having had good results with planted set ups over the past 20 years I've reverted back to type with a relativley low tech approach in terms of EI has stopped and the dosing pump retired, circulation is halved the spray bar is 50% shorter, the surface skimmer has gone, temp reduced back to 24c and CO2 is now 3bpm direct into a CO2 reactor from my last set up from the filter output, light is still at the reduced level and water changes reduced to 25% every two weeks.

I could not get any true SAE in my area so added 6 platies and 3 Mollies as algae hoovers. Result the fish look much healthier/happy, no surface scum, and the plants you ask? Growing new healthy algae free leaves. The exsisting algae is reducing and I suspect a balance is been achieved in the tank which with more time is going to give me a nice display. I'll add some shrimp soon and more crypts which should like the amazonia soil.

Would I try EI again?

No.It doesn't sit well with me as a concept given what we see in nature where nutrients are effectivly locked up within the biotope. Asking creatures to endure high levels of chemicals just can't be right given the reaction of my fish. I accept I might have to compromise a bit on plant choice but consider this; even the most demanding of plants we try to grow within an aquarium can be found in their natural enviroment in water devoid of excessive nutrients, variable seasonal temperatures/flow and light level and they thrive or would die. So far from us providing rock solid parameters with excesses should we not be trying to emulate these natural conditions (within reason) and allowing the plants we grow for want of better words be hardier and better able to resisit algae attack.

Only reef systems I suggest need very narrow spectrum of control to remain healthy the seasonal variance is less but nutrients are near zero and algae intestingly are still the basis of the reef system any loss in stability see's them expelled.

Makes me wonder if EI is the way we should be going despite the results some undoubtedly achieve.

 

[andyone]

Thought it would be good to do another update.

Well I stuck to the regiem above and my fish, plants and I are very happy. All the plants are growing very well with zero BBA just a little spot on the glass. Current parameters are 24c, spray bar no circulation pump, Co2 2 BPM fed into a CO2 reactor, light green on the indicator, 25% water change every two weeks, lights 2 T5 6 hours with an extra 2 T5 boost for 1.5 hours.Ferts weekly 10ml dose of Easy Life and 10ml of Easy Life Potassium.

The plan is now to gradually replace the "fast growers" with other I want and see were we go along with some shrimp to replace those I effectivley poisioned. I think for me I've found the level of where I'm comfortable to go forward with.