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Dip recipe for BBA on driftwood?

3K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  DarkCobra 
#1 ·
Sorry for the lousy cell pic. I assume this is BBA. I have been in a battle with it ever since I purchased this driftwood 3 years ago. It was expensive (and from a reputable store), so I hate to give up on it yet. Low light, no ferts/high light, ferts, CO2...it makes no difference.

Since placing it back in this tank it has started to spread to the other driftwood and plants. I am ok dosing peroxide with a syringe to those, but I want to yank this piece out and give it a soak. Thing is, I am noticing some flame moss that I thought I lost starting to poke through. I would love to save it if possible. I would like to put the driftwood in a 5g bucket but most of the instructions I find are for dosing the tank.

Anyone have the perfect recipe that would kill this algae and ideally save the moss? If the moss will not make it that is fine, I'm just sick of looking at this mess. I can always pick off the moss before I go at it. Would rather leave it if I can though.

 
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#3 ·
Thanks for the link! I have been eyeballing it (and will keep it in mind), but as a last resort. I hate to change perimeters in the aquarium (possibly dangerously), when I can just yank out the offending piece and treat it alone. I've done a tip treatment (or brushed leaves) with Excel, but it seems cheaper to dose a large bucket with peroxide and dip the driftwood. I'm having a hard time finding the dosage for that.
 
#8 ·
BBA sinks rhizomes deep in driftwood. Chemicals will easily knock out what you see on the exterior, but don't fully penetrate to eliminate the rhizomes. So as long as conditions are favorable to grow, it comes right back.

The only complete removal method is heat. Boil or bake.

If that's not an option, my favorite is to alternately spray undiluted 3% H2O2 and white vinegar. Repeat a few times, waiting a minute between sprays. The vinegar makes the H2O2 a more potent oxidizer. This at least slows regrowth more than anything else I've tried, short of a long bleach soak. But I prefer not to use bleach, as it can damage the driftwood, and unlike H2O2/vinegar it can cause problems if not properly neutralized before replacement in the tank.
 
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