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BBA outbreak


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A few weeks ago I started noticing black beard algae beginning to grow on some of my plants. I have no idea where it came from since I hadn't introduced anything new in a while. It's not that bad yet (see first two pics) but I want to keep it from spreading.

I have a low tech planted tank that's about 4 months old. I run a Fluval 3.0 light with a very modest lighting schedule. (Pic attached) My nitrates are consistently around 5 and pH 6.6. The algae is popping up mainly on the plants on the left side, mostly amazon swords and crypts. I added a pic of my whole tank just for reference.

Here is what I have done:

1. I used to have an in-tank filter top left corner. Even on the lowest setting, the flow was fairly high and the output was located about half way down the tank. I was worried that the flow was what caused the BBA, so I swapped it for a sponge filter.

2. I started dosing easy green. Maybe my plants are lacking some nutrient which prevented them from growing, meaning the BBA had an opportunity to grow.

3. I treated a few times with excel, both in the water column and on the leaves. But I haven't seen and positive changes.

Any other suggestions to try for now? I generally don't do large/frequent water changes since my parameters have been really good, but I can try that as well.

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Tank looks good.  Just a tip for you, if you edit your pics they don’t flip over.  I will crop them even if I only take a sliver off one edge, it keeps the software from flipping the pic.

I think you actually have a form of staghorn algae, not black beard algae.  BBA is very soft and only beard like in that it is black and fairly even length.  Either way, my recommendation is the same.  Shut down all filters until the water is still, DO NOT REMOVE WATER.  Then squirt peroxide into the water (standard 3% drugstore stuff, make certain it’s the right concentration) over the algae you want to clear (try not to douse any curious fish or shrimp).  The peroxide is heavier than water and will trickle down through the water to the treated area and below the treated area.

Do NOT spray or squirt straight peroxide onto plants or anything else out of the water.  This in-tank technique is only safe because the peroxide mixes with the water in the tank so it is NOT full strength.  You can dose up to 3 mls per gallon very safely but do NOT USE MORE.  This is roughly equal to 1 ounce per 10 gallons.  Measure carefully since overdosing can cause mild to serious problems.  Leave the filters off for 10 to 20 minutes, then turn them back on.  There is no need to turn off the lights.  It is better to observe your tank while it is happening and if any stress is seen in the fish, immediately turn the filters back on.

You should see the algae turn red or white after a day or do and many species of tank cleanup crew will eat it for you - shrimp of all sorts (that aren’t exclusive filter feeders), many snails, even scuds will.  Some fish will even eat it after it’s killed with peroxide.  You may need to repeat this peroxide treatment every few days for a few times to fully clear the algae if it’s very thick.

Peroxide degrades into oxygen and water so is no risk to animals that don’t get doused directly or can move away swiftly as long as it is NOT OVERDOSED.  It appears to cause minimal, if any, problems for plants doused this way since the peroxide is diluted into the tank water fast enough to not cause issues.

Next, read the Reverse Respiration thread for what appears to be a very safe and effective way of treating any new plants before they are put in your tank.  If you have plants you can easily remove, you can use this RR method, but it can NOT be used in a tank with fish, shrimp, or snails since it would suffocate them.

 

Edited by Odd Duck
Edited to clarify since tragic consequences can happen if directions aren’t followed closely.
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Thanks @Odd Duck, I'll try the peroxide trick today! And thanks for the cropping tip, I had no idea why my pic kept getting flipped but it was very frustrating.

 

@lefty o I heard that blue lights can cause algae growth if left on all the time. Are you saying that just having blue in the spectrum during the photo period also contributes to algae growth?

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I have the blue off. Certain algae does prefer blue light. A few snails will help. I would personally only use nerile or mystery snails. The nerile don’t breed in fresh water and the mystery snails lay eggs and a bunch out of the water so if you keep your tanks full they may lay some on the lids or sides and then you just pull the eggs out or drop in the water and they die. The other snails like ramshorn or Malaysian snails reproduce fast and you cans stop them. 

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On 7/1/2022 at 7:03 PM, IHOctopus said:

I heard that blue lights can cause algae growth if left on all the time. Are you saying that just having blue in the spectrum during the photo period also contributes to algae growth?

There’s a lot of debate about the blue light and algae and I don’t think anybody has definitively won the debate yet (after all there wouldn’t be a debate any longer if it was settled).  Some say leave it on so the plants outcompete the algae.  I tried putting black tape over the blue LED’s on a few lights for a while (I don’t have fancy adjustable lights).  It didn’t seem to help at all.  It may not have blocked the blue light effectively enough.  🤷🏻‍♀️ I don’t worry as much about that as I used to worry.  I mostly try to focus on “Stop overfeeding” is my usual chant to myself as I go around and do my feedings.  Who doesn’t like to see their fish eat?

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On 7/1/2022 at 7:03 PM, IHOctopus said:

Thanks @Odd Duck, I'll try the peroxide trick today! And thanks for the cropping tip, I had no idea why my pic kept getting flipped but it was very frustrating.

 

@lefty o I heard that blue lights can cause algae growth if left on all the time. Are you saying that just having blue in the spectrum during the photo period also contributes to algae growth?

it does. is it the sole cause, no but it is one of the big ones.

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On 7/2/2022 at 5:33 AM, Odd Duck said:

There’s a lot of debate about the blue light and algae and I don’t think anybody has definitively won the debate yet (after all there wouldn’t be a debate any longer if it was settled).  Some say leave it on so the plants outcompete the algae.  I tried putting black tape over the blue LED’s on a few lights for a while (I don’t have fancy adjustable lights).  It didn’t seem to help at all.  It may not have blocked the blue light effectively enough.  🤷🏻‍♀️ I don’t worry as much about that as I used to worry.  I mostly try to focus on “Stop overfeeding” is my usual chant to myself as I go around and do my feedings.  Who doesn’t like to see their fish eat?

You definitely need SOME blue light.  I think the debate is really about how much and what ratio.  I would guess this algae showed up just because of some slight imbalance. Could've been dosing one too many days or missed a WC for slightly too long or a span and something got deficient.  Manual removal is usually the "best option" as well as any other methods you want to try.

Let us know how things are doing.  If you would like to know what happens when things go bad.... I unhappily recommend sharing my struggles in the journal I keep.

Edited by nabokovfan87
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On 7/3/2022 at 4:14 PM, nabokovfan87 said:


Let us know how things are doing.  If you would like to know what happens when things go bad.... I unhappily recommend sharing my struggles in the journal I keep.

Well @nabokovfan87 it didn't go well and I'm gutted. This is my first major booboo as a beginner in the hobby. Here's what happened:

I drained half the water and cut the lights and filters. Then I squirted hydrogen peroxide on the affected leaves with a syringe. I waited 20 min and filled it back up and turned everything back on. Within 30 minutes I lost my entire school of Espei and everyone else was gasping at the surface. I immediately check the pH and see it's above the 8.8 limit of my test kit. (Tank is usually at 6.6 due to the aquasoil I have in my tank.) I begin adding small increments of vinegar until it's back at 6.6 and the fish seem stable. 24 hours later I get a bacteria bloom and my fish start gasping for air again. I tested the water: ammonia is 0, pH is 6.6, nitrite is 0.15ish. I transferred all the poor fish to a hospital tank. So far all my amano shrimp have died as well as 2 congo tetras. The 6 corydoras, 6 glowlight tetras, and apisto look rough, but hanging on. The tank is still cloudy with the same parameters as the day before.

I know H2O2 dissociates into H2O and a free O. Since my tank is normally acidic, maybe the extra free oxygen bonded with the excess of H+ to form OH-, and that swung the pH to very basic, which damaged the fish gills and killed off beneficial bacteria? Or is there another component I'm overlooking? Why did the fish seem to recover for a day and then declined again. Either way, in retrospect I'm certain I underestimated how much hydrogen peroxide I had used total. I do hesitate to share any of this because of how guilty I feel, but feel like I won't learn anything if I don't....

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I do NOT drain water from the tank when I treat.  I turn off the filters until the water is still but the water is still in the tank at the normal level.  I would very specifically have stated to remove the water if that was the way to treat.  When you drain the water and use straight peroxide it is much too strong.  You will damage plants at the very least plus it will be much too concentrated.  If you used the same amount of peroxide as the stated 3 mls per gallon but your water was at half volume then your peroxide was at 6 mls per gallon in the remaining volume of water.  It is also very important to measure the peroxide volume, which is why I stated the volume and concentration of peroxide to use.

I feel horrible that this happened to you, but it’s vital to follow directions and not start making changes at random.  Please, if you ever have questions, ask before making such big changes and doing things so very differently than recommended.  It’s a very painful lesson, but it’s one you will never forget and I know you will do better next time.  It’s sooooo important to closely follow directions for treatments like this.  I’ll make certain to be even more explicit in my directions next time so it’s a lesson for me, as well.

I’m so sorry for your loss.

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Odd Duck, the idea to drain the water came from multiple other forums and videos that showed this kind of treatment during water changes, since it exposes affected leaves and makes them easier to treat. (It was in Irene's BBA video as well.) However you make a very good point that I didn't consider; you have to account for the decreased water volume when calculating how much H2O2 that can be used. And you're right, I won't be making that mistake again. I think for now I'll stick to just trimming off affected leaves.

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On 7/3/2022 at 9:25 PM, IHOctopus said:

Odd Duck, the idea to drain the water came from multiple other forums and videos that showed this kind of treatment during water changes, since it exposes affected leaves and makes them easier to treat. (It was in Irene's BBA video as well.) However you make a very good point that I didn't consider; you have to account for the decreased water volume when calculating how much H2O2 that can be used. And you're right, I won't be making that mistake again. I think for now I'll stick to just trimming off affected leaves.

I’ve seen the posts about draining water out then spraying peroxide on the exposed areas, but I believe they use diluted peroxide with that technique and still have issues sometimes.  I’ve never had any issues with keeping the water in the tank and letting peroxide drizzle over the area for treatment.  The total amount of peroxide is important.  I measure my total peroxide before I start and don’t exceed that amount.  I’ve edited my directions above to clarify so hopefully this won’t happen to anybody else.

Edited by Odd Duck
Clarify.
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On 7/3/2022 at 7:26 PM, IHOctopus said:

Well @nabokovfan87 it didn't go well and I'm gutted. This is my first major booboo as a beginner in the hobby. Here's what happened:

I drained half the water and cut the lights and filters. Then I squirted hydrogen peroxide on the affected leaves with a syringe. I waited 20 min and filled it back up and turned everything back on. Within 30 minutes I lost my entire school of Espei and everyone else was gasping at the surface. I immediately check the pH and see it's above the 8.8 limit of my test kit. (Tank is usually at 6.6 due to the aquasoil I have in my tank.) I begin adding small increments of vinegar until it's back at 6.6 and the fish seem stable. 24 hours later I get a bacteria bloom and my fish start gasping for air again. I tested the water: ammonia is 0, pH is 6.6, nitrite is 0.15ish. I transferred all the poor fish to a hospital tank. So far all my amano shrimp have died as well as 2 congo tetras. The 6 corydoras, 6 glowlight tetras, and apisto look rough, but hanging on. The tank is still cloudy with the same parameters as the day before.

I know H2O2 dissociates into H2O and a free O. Since my tank is normally acidic, maybe the extra free oxygen bonded with the excess of H+ to form OH-, and that swung the pH to very basic, which damaged the fish gills and killed off beneficial bacteria? Or is there another component I'm overlooking? Why did the fish seem to recover for a day and then declined again. Either way, in retrospect I'm certain I underestimated how much hydrogen peroxide I had used total. I do hesitate to share any of this because of how guilty I feel, but feel like I won't learn anything if I don't....

I'm very sorry that this happened to you but we just have to learn as we go, sadly mistakes happen and this is one to definitely learn from. I've had a little bit of bba in my tanks in the past and since it was never overtaking anything I just usually cut it off whatever leaf it was on and then it was just gone. I did have a ton of plants though so that could also be why I never got the algae to come back. I do still have what I believe to be some hair algae on my pre filter sponge but it does not seem to be growing whatsoever.

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On 7/3/2022 at 4:26 PM, IHOctopus said:

Well @nabokovfan87 it didn't go well and I'm gutted. This is my first major booboo as a beginner in the hobby. Here's what happened:

I drained half the water and cut the lights and filters. Then I squirted hydrogen peroxide on the affected leaves with a syringe. I waited 20 min and filled it back up and turned everything back on. Within 30 minutes I lost my entire school of Espei and everyone else was gasping at the surface. I immediately check the pH and see it's above the 8.8 limit of my test kit. (Tank is usually at 6.6 due to the aquasoil I have in my tank.) I begin adding small increments of vinegar until it's back at 6.6 and the fish seem stable. 24 hours later I get a bacteria bloom and my fish start gasping for air again. I tested the water: ammonia is 0, pH is 6.6, nitrite is 0.15ish. I transferred all the poor fish to a hospital tank. So far all my amano shrimp have died as well as 2 congo tetras. The 6 corydoras, 6 glowlight tetras, and apisto look rough, but hanging on. The tank is still cloudy with the same parameters as the day before.

I know H2O2 dissociates into H2O and a free O. Since my tank is normally acidic, maybe the extra free oxygen bonded with the excess of H+ to form OH-, and that swung the pH to very basic, which damaged the fish gills and killed off beneficial bacteria? Or is there another component I'm overlooking? Why did the fish seem to recover for a day and then declined again. Either way, in retrospect I'm certain I underestimated how much hydrogen peroxide I had used total. I do hesitate to share any of this because of how guilty I feel, but feel like I won't learn anything if I don't....

@Odd Duckthis might have been the technique followed. It's one I saw randomly earlier today.  As mentioned above, it's a pretty common idea.


Octopus, I'm very sorry for the struggles. I hope the fish in the side tank recover.   Definitely drop an extra airstone if you can to increase oxygenation for them.

Did this at least take out the algae in any capacity?

I just had hands deep in the tank, moved all kinds of stuff trying to change up the tank and give the plants a fighting chance.  Rocks are covered in the stuff and it's just so frustrating.  I'll end up cleaning the HoB tomorrow after it takes in all the muck from tonight (hopefully) and then scrub the heck out of everything again and try to get through this last little bit of extremely persistent bba I have going on.

I wish you luck.  Keep us posted.

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