Removing algae for new setup

[ann]

I have had my planted tank running for 8 months now and had to go away for work for 3 weeks. The fert regime go all screwed up by the person sitting the tank and I now have an algae growing all over my hair grass and val. I have to pull down the tank to move house in 3 weeks is there something I can do to reduce the algae before I pull it apart ie should I give the plants a good trim and remove as much algae as possible or treat plants while that are out of the tank.

Any advise

[Maazo]

Ann, do you know what type of algae it is?

Possibly a blackout would help in killing the algae and then letting them have a couple weeks solid growth before taking down the tank. Either way I'd be tempted to give them a bath on moving. A link to some handy plant baths

[ann]

It is brush algae. This weekend I was thinking of giving all the val and hairgrass a good trim and try to remove as much as possible. Does blackout work for brush algae.

[SueOB1]

Hi Ann
A blackout is normally only recommended for blue-green algae not brush
If it was me I would trim out as much as I could without scalping the plants too much and then spot treat the rest with either H2O2 or excel.
Any remainder could be nuked by a dilute bleach dip when the tank is broken down for moveing.
Good luck
Sue

[Hoppy]

If you have black brush algae, which may actually be green or dark red, you have to clean out as much of it as you can, kill any that is on hardscape or equipment with a bleach solution, then maintain enough CO2 in the water to stop it from growing back. Good water circulation is also essential, because CO2 enriched water may not be reaching stagnant areas of the tank, so BBA will grow there even if the tank water tests as having lots of CO2.