eatyourpeas Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 I would like to start a new pico tank with BBA. Yes, just BBA. Has anyone done this? I can only find information on killing it, but not growing it. I think it can be beautiful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 lots of hours of high intensity light, and a splash of fertilizer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted January 2, 2022 Author Share Posted January 2, 2022 On 1/1/2022 at 5:37 PM, lefty o said: lots of hours of high intensity light, and a splash of fertilizer. Thank you, @lefty o. Any fertilizer or should I push the Fe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 i honestly couldnt tell you what fertilizer. just have some nutrients in the water, and crank the lights. lots of light is the prime grower of BBA, but it has to have some nutrients to go with it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyGenusCaps Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 On 1/1/2022 at 7:22 PM, eatyourpeas said: Has anyone done this? I did try this with my algae ecosystem, but never got a chance to get much growth. Once you have some to inoculate a tank with, it should be pretty easy to get it going. It seems to like growing on driftwood more for me than rocks, but I've definitely had two different kinds. I'm looking forward to seeing what come of this! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted January 2, 2022 Author Share Posted January 2, 2022 I was going to do a rock only tank, but will now be adding a piece of wood I found on the beach before the ice age came. I will play with fertilizers I have and see how that goes. Once I get the tank going I'll start the journal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted January 2, 2022 Author Share Posted January 2, 2022 This is what inspired the BBA tank (I wish I could have the fish too, but not suited for a pico tank!): Credit goes to Rachel O'Leary for the inspiration! 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 As I am starting this tank, @Streetwise, could you move the thread to the Journals category, please? 🙃 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 (edited) Here is the setup. - 6 gallon cube, making it a nano instead of a pico, with a few rocks and wood. Planning on getting more wood soon. - ONF Nano light running at full brightness for 12 hours a day. - Powerhead with ACO prefilter sponge, hose going under a 30 ppi matten filter inspired by @gardenman and his cool UGF/matten tank. May get a spraybar if flow is too high. - ACO airline valve. This tank will not have a heater. I am trying to locate some BBA to add and watch it grow and take over, hopefully. No livestock planned for it yet. Lots of research to be done and learn what could live happily in BBA wonderland. Edited January 4, 2022 by eatyourpeas 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 Partially filled to start the cycle... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 @eatyourpeascan't wait to see the results! Have you thought about residents yet or will it be algae all by its lonesome? Do you have the tube from the mattenfilter in the center of the foam or just below where you placed it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 (edited) On 1/4/2022 at 2:55 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: @eatyourpeascan't wait to see the results! Have you thought about residents yet or will it be algae all by its lonesome? Do you have the tube from the mattenfilter in the center of the foam or just below where you placed it? No idea regarding livestock. Waiting to see if I can grow the algae, but will have some company for sure. The tube under the matten filter leaves the powerhead in the corner, then coils around towards the center back and mimics the flow direction on the top of the matten, the out point is under the triangle made by the fake ornament, the wood, and the stone. I am not sure if this would work, but the idea is matching flow above and below. Here is a top view: The duckweed will go away. It is there to help me see the flow. Also, I increased the light period to 14 hours. Edited January 4, 2022 by eatyourpeas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 Following advice from @lefty o I dosed the tank with Flourish and Leaf Zone, and added some flake food to feed the bacteria. There is a little piece of PSO with BBA parked on the intake sponge, so I am hoping it takes off. Looking at cold water nano fish for stock. Any suggestions? It will be easier once the tank is cycled and going, but a 6 gallon tank, with what I would assume to be the same parameters as my other tanks: pH: 7, KH: 40, GH: 150 per ACO strips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 I keep all my fish in unheated tanks, including ember tetras in a 7.5, so you might enjoy those. I would also consider Otocinclus and/or Pygmy Corydoras, and neocaridina shrimp once the tank is well-seasoned. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 On 1/5/2022 at 1:40 PM, Streetwise said: I keep all my fish in unheated tanks, including ember tetras in a 7.5, so you might enjoy those. I would also consider Otocinclus and/or Pygmy Corydoras, and neocaridina shrimp once the tank is well-seasoned. All of them great choices. Thanks! 😍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted January 13, 2022 Author Share Posted January 13, 2022 The first signs of algae, but I do not think it is BBA... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 This is a cool idea! I'm glad you're doing this journal. And good luck. Because the way my luck goes, this is when I wouldn't be able to grow BBA 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted January 14, 2022 Author Share Posted January 14, 2022 On 1/13/2022 at 2:26 PM, Chad said: This is a cool idea! I'm glad you're doing this journal. And good luck. Because the way my luck goes, this is when I wouldn't be able to grow BBA 🙂 The jury is still out as to whether I can grow it or not. We shall see... 😎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted January 14, 2022 Author Share Posted January 14, 2022 I am not going to shave today! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted January 15, 2022 Author Share Posted January 15, 2022 Maybe this is going to take longer than I thought! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 Shoot for a fastidiously maintained aquascape. You’ll have a BBA garden in no time! 😆 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 On 1/15/2022 at 11:50 AM, Patrick_G said: Shoot for a fastidiously maintained aquascape. You’ll have a BBA garden in no time! 😆 May need to do that. 16 hours of intense light, overfeeding, dosing fertilizers, and nothing, nada, niente, nada, zip... 🤨 I even went to the LFS yesterday to buy some BBA from them, as they always have some in their tanks, but every tank had fish that look diseased. After my last experience, I decided to forgo the BBA from them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyGenusCaps Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 On 1/21/2022 at 3:36 PM, eatyourpeas said: but every tank had fish that look diseased. After my last experience, I decided to forgo the BBA from them I'm really glad you are doing this project, but I'll say that was a good call. My grabbing brush algae from the LFS was one of two possible sources of the creeping death that moved through my aquariums. I can see if I can find any remnant BBA from my previous planted tank to send you in the spring if you still can't find a source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 On 1/21/2022 at 2:05 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said: I'm really glad you are doing this project, but I'll say that was a good call. My grabbing brush algae from the LFS was one of two possible sources of the creeping death that moved through my aquariums. I can see if I can find any remnant BBA from my previous planted tank to send you in the spring if you still can't find a source. I think it will be a while before I put anything from there in my tanks. I have another possible source, but thank you for the offer! 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing Matt Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 Have you tried 24/7 lights? I accidentally left my tank on 24/6 when I went on vacation and came back to a small amount of what looked suspiciously like Black Beard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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