[Roarke]

Hi All.

I'm having trouble with BBA (at least I think so). My plants have black spots and are dark brown around the edges. They are also wilting a little bit. Here are my specs:

20 gallon long tank
Finnex stingray on from 4:00 - 8:30pm daily.
~2 bubbles per second of co2 from 4:00 - 8:30 pm. The drop checker is a darker green.
I've been adding a little less than a cap full of seachem flourism potassium every sunday and thursday.
I do a 3-4 gallon water change weekly.

I'm seeing BBA on my dwarf sag and I think the beginning of BBA on the crypt spiralis. I'm also seeing spots of brown algae on the glass that I clean off weekly with a scraper.

I have phosphorus and nitrogen that I can add but I haven't been. I wanted to add one fert at a time.

pics:

BBA: Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

Plants losing color: Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

 

[bluesand]

i think they are GSA or GDA, diatom and a lilttle bit of bba. Plants need macro and micro nutrients to grow. I suggest you to follow some kind of dosing regime, either PPS PRO, EI Dosing or Seachem guideline. Depending on how things go you slowly tailor your dosing regime to fit your plants needs. To eliminate BBA maintain a stable amount of co2. IMO certain amount of BPS may work for one tank but not other, it depends on the amount of plant mass. Low tech tanks needs lower nutrients than a high tech. Is recommended to inject co2 1 hour before light on and turn it off 1 hour before end of photoperiod.

 

[Willcooper]

i think they are GSA or GDA, diatom and a lilttle bit of bba. Plants need macro and micro nutrients to grow. I suggest you to follow some kind of dosing regime, either PPS PRO, EI Dosing or Seachem guideline. Depending on how things go you slowly tailor your dosing regime to fit your plants needs. To eliminate BBA maintain a stable amount of co2. IMO certain amount of BPS may work for one tank but not other, it depends on the amount of plant mass. Low tech tanks needs lower nutrients than a high tech. Is recommended to inject co2 1 hour before light on and turn it off 1 hour before end of photoperiod.

Agree with all this. Wilting I think is typically from not enough light and yellowing from lack of nutrients. Did you lower the photo period because of algae?

I have always thought a minimum light time to be 6 hrs!?!

 

[Brian727]

Your light period is very low. From 4 - 8:30? That's 4.5 hours right? I don't think that's enough light for the plants to thrive. I use an 8 hour period. From what I've seen elsewhere, everybody uses around 8. But not as low as 6 or 4.5.

And from my experience, your plants are either not getting enough nutrients and light or your water parameters are bad. Phosphates/nitrates/nitrites/ammonia levels are off is some way. With fertilizers, you need to do wayyyy too much research to understand what you need to add to your tank depending on what's in the tank.

I have recently done an algae treatment Hair Algae Killer ? ElevateShrimp and it worked wonders. It takes a few weeks to notice progress but satisfaction is the end result. Do the regiment as it states and fix your water parameters and light schedule.

If I were you, I would:
1. Put the lights to about 7 hours each day. Start with 6, then 7 after a day or so. Just so you don't somehow fry your plants or something crazy. You can never predict the craziness that comes with this hobby.
2. Dose fertilizers accordingly. I think you need to be dosing with everything instead of just flourish.
3. Get my water tested and fix the water parameters
4. Pick off algae as you can and do massive water changes.
5. Try out the product, it has made me the happiest guy ever. I had a serious problem with hair algae and BBA. Not anymore.
6. Come back and thank me in a month

 

[Hoppy]

I have recently done an algae treatment Hair Algae Killer ? ElevateShrimp and it worked wonders.

I don't believe that legitimate products have no ingredients list. There are substances that kill algae, like hydrogen peroxide and glutaraldehyde, so this product may contain one of them. But, they are relatively cheap, so when a product doesn't list the ingredients it is likely that they don't because if they did you would just buy the very cheap ingredients and not that product. Of course if it does what you want it to do, and you don't mind the cost, there is no reason not to use it.

 

[houseofcards]

...5. Try out the product, it has made me the happiest guy ever. I had a serious problem with hair algae and BBA. Not anymore.
6. Come back and thank me in a month

This reads like an infocommercial :laugh2:

 

[Brian727]

Hahahaha. Yeah I bet it does. It was only $20 and I'm happy. When I've already dumped over two grand into my 120 gallon, $20 seems petty. I feel you though with no ingredients. Sometimes you just have to trust the source! My tank has never been healthier. And yeah no infomercial here. Just a seriously satisfied customer! Wish the best for you and your war on algae! If you don't use the algae killer, at least check out my other steps. If it was an infomercial I wouldn't have given you other advice. ;-)