What am I doing wrong…round 2

[Imperfect_aquatics]

This crazy blue/purple algae just took off in one of my tanks. It’s pretty much on all the different pieces of woods but what’s pictured is the thickest. I only run the lights on an 8 hour timer. I’ve got two other tanks in the same room on the same lights/schedule, and they aren’t growing this stuff. The thick algae flowing in the current is actually kinda pretty in its own way but I’m not sure I want it covering everything…what am I doing wrong?

Thanks!

Edited March 10, 2022 by MattHasMTS

[Mmiller2001]

That is black Beard Algae. Most people agree it's caused by fluctuating CO2 and elevated levels of dissolved organics. You will also see it favor high flow areas.

My go-to method is increasing water changes, lightly gravel vacuuming and now I prefer spot dosing hydrogen peroxide to kill it. 

[Imperfect_aquatics]

On 3/9/2022 at 8:17 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

That is black Beard Algae. Most people agree it's caused by fluctuating CO2 and elevated levels of dissolved organics. You will also see it favor high flow areas.

My go-to method is increasing water changes, lightly gravel vacuuming and now I prefer spot dosing hydrogen peroxide to kill it. 

Can you explain spot dosing hydrogen peroxide please.

[Mmiller2001]

I have been using 15ml per 10.gallons. Turn off pumps and let the water become still. Then paint the BBA with the hydrogen peroxide (using a syringe) Let it sit for 20 minutes and then turn your pumps back on. You can repeat this every 24 hours. 

You can use Seachem Excel too, but it can be harsh on plants and animals.

[Guppysnail]

Be careful with the amount of h2o2. A tiny bit goes a long way. Several folks  have lost fish by using to much (not trying to scare you just help with use sparingly)  I believe @Odd Duckknows dosing per gallon measurements .

edit to add. If it is only on wood I take my wood out and douse with h2o2 let sit them wipe and rinse and return.  I do not know how large or securely imbedded in the scape yours is but it may be an option. 

Edited March 10, 2022 by Guppysnail

[JoeQ]

Peroxide works great but if it is mainly on the wood I'd remove the wood and apply the peroxide.  IMO, it shouldn't be used in the tank unless it's absolutely necessary, and only by more advanced hobbyists. Also, keep in mind peroxide is only a bandaid fix, if you don't fix the root of the problem you'll always be using it. With that said, another quick easy solution is using Excel to spot treat (safer than peroxide, but still a chemical) or adding a molly / siamese algea eater who will clean it for you. Then there is the harder way of figuring out exactly what is triggering it.

The color blue on lights is usually a huge trigger, so adjusting the blue spectrum down usually helps. What are you putting in the tank, ferts/food? How is this different from your other tanks? Is there more dead organics in this tank? Dead plant matter could be another contributer. Do you have a bubbler running, running one even at night might help level your co2 issues (at night plants use oxygen and release co2, creating a co2 rollercoaster if not off gassed) Also substrate, are you using an iron rich substrate? An example would be Flourite which is clay based. One thing people also don't think about is window placement. Is this tank getting more sunlight from surrounding windows. Solving your algea issue is a heck of a lot harder and slower this way but in the end you will understand more about your aquariums, and improve your eco system long term without the use of chemical additives. 

[Odd Duck]

I dose the 3% peroxide at 3 mls per gallon, focusing on the specific areas vs just adding it to the tank.  I try to avoid flooding it around any livestock, but I’ve had fish, shrimp, and snails go right through it with no apparent adverse effect.  It decomposes to water and oxygen, so minimal risk as long as you don’t over dose.  I’ve sometimes needed multiple doses to get BBA under control after I made the mistake of letting it get established, but you have to get the inciting cause controlled, too, or it will eventually restart.  Usually more frequent water changes and less food are going to correct the underlying causes.

It does like to start on wood since the wood provides nutrients, so usually that’s when I need to treat more than once when it’s growing on relatively “fresh” driftwood pieces.  If you have one fish or shrimp in the tank I’ve been known to go up to 5 mls per gallon for 2-3 treatments over 5-7 days (treating every 3-4 days).

[Torrey]

On 3/9/2022 at 9:28 PM, MattHasMTS said:

Can you explain spot dosing hydrogen peroxide please.

Do you have any infant medicine syringes? Suck the H2O2 into the syringe.

Turn off everything that causes flow in the tank, and wait for the water to get still (just like prepping for photographs).

Slowly syringe the H2O2 onto the affected areas, like "painting" the algae using the syringe as a paintbrush. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes, then turn the tank back on.

Next day, you should notice the algae "bleaching", give your clean up crew a couple of days to eat it, or manually remove it. If you notice it coming back, or if it's a large amount, repeat dose.

I find 1 mL will not do much, it typically takes 3 to 5 mL slowly released into the patch of algae. If you have several patches in a small tank, treat one patch at a time, and wait 2-3 days between treatments.

[Imperfect_aquatics]

On 3/10/2022 at 3:40 PM, Torrey said:

Do you have any infant medicine syringes? Suck the H2O2 into the syringe.

Turn off everything that causes flow in the tank, and wait for the water to get still (just like prepping for photographs).

Slowly syringe the H2O2 onto the affected areas, like "painting" the algae using the syringe as a paintbrush. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes, then turn the tank back on.

Next day, you should notice the algae "bleaching", give your clean up crew a couple of days to eat it, or manually remove it. If you notice it coming back, or if it's a large amount, repeat dose.

I find 1 mL will not do much, it typically takes 3 to 5 mL slowly released into the patch of algae. If you have several patches in a small tank, treat one patch at a time, and wait 2-3 days between treatments.

Sounds good! Thank you! I’ll give it a try!