bba issues

[ccLansman]

Just trying to figure out why the bba is growing like crazy in my tank. I have my co2 levels in green all day, light is good, nutrients are in check. Should i just keep hacking away all my plants until it goes away? Will it go away?

 

[mrkookm]

BBA = poor co2 levels for your light level. Forget about the DC right now because the BBA is telling you thats it's not accurate.

Give us some more details about your tank setup and include your DC setup, change frequency, mounting location etc......

 

[rich815]

And be sure water flow and movement is good. I had BBA even with good everything else (CO2, ferts, lighting, etc.). As I soon as I increased flow it started to subside. I did not realize that CO2 was not sufficiently distributed around the tank. I got a Koralia circulation pump and it helped greatly when pointed towards "dead" zones around the tank. Now if I can only figure out why I'm getting GSA.....sigh....(yes, even with high phosphate levels)

 

[ccLansman]

just found out my dc soulution was 5kh not 4, fixed that. Will do a 50% change, and clip plants today.

 

[ccLansman]

what would be considered good movement of water? All the leaves of my plants are lightly swaying in the water. What kind of movement on the leaves should i be looking for?

 

[mrkookm]

Give us some more details about your tank setup.

 

[ccLansman]

60gals, 4x65w pc lights, EI dosing, eheim 2026 filter, with spray bar on one side, and powerhead opposite blowing back towards the spray bar. light fish load, pressurized co2.

here is a pic with some of the bba issues


and...

 

[Gerryd]

Hi,

4x65w = 260 watts / 60 gals = > 4wpg.

That is a lot of light and will drive high nutrient demand.

You may want to remove a bulb or two, or not have all 4 on all day.

Are they on separate switches?

What is your lighting duration?

I would reduce your light by at least 30-40% and go from there........

Your EI and c02 levels are most likely insufficient for that amount of light........

 

[ccLansman]

14hour days for the lights. I have my nitrates at 20ppm, phosphates at 1ppm, micros are dosed every other day. I can pump as much co2 and ferts as i want, so how can that be a limiting factor? The leaves are pearling normally.

 

[VaughnH]

Algae grow in response to light, just as plants do. When you have super high light, as you do, any slight problem with CO2, fertilizing, water circulation, tank cleanliness, lack of adequate plant mass, etc. will let any algae get the upper hand, and BBA is especially persistent with that much light. If it were me I would remove two of the bulbs and go with 130 watts over the 60 gallon tank. That gives you a fighting chance against the algae.

If the BBA is far worse on the higher leaves of the plants, you can benefit a lot by raising the light higher too. The higher the light is above the water, the more uniform the light intensity in the water.

 

[Panda]

..or you can set the lights with a timer. Two of them (130 watts total) for about 10 hrs and the other set to run during the day for 3-4 hours. That's the way I have it on a 90 gallon tank and plants are growing like crazy....almost all of them are near or at the surface ( that's more than 20 inches !!---it's a jungle!! )

But first you need to control the algae issue with less light

 

[guy tillmans]

And add some fast growing aquatic plants. I only see anubias, some of the slowest growing plants you can have. They dont need that amount of light!!!

 

[ccLansman]

thanks for the heads up guys, im going to get a few more plants and have the lights cycle during the day so all 4 are not on at once.

 

[Gerryd]

Hi,

14hour days for the lights.

I would cut the duration from 14 hours to 7-8 for a couple of weeks as you resolve these issues. This will still be plenty of light.

I would also remove two of the bulbs outright.

You can always add them back in when things are cooking along. Just have them come on for a short 2-3 hour 'NOON TIME' burst.

However, I would wait until things are better to add them back in.

I have my nitrates at 20ppm, phosphates at 1ppm, micros are dosed every other day. I can pump as much co2 and ferts as i want, so how can that be a limiting factor? The leaves are pearling normally.

It is a limiting factor for THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT you are using. Also, with no higher plant mass to utilize the light and nutes, the algae will take advantage.

As an FYI, I am dosing at least 2-3 times the recommended EI dosing and have two drop checkers at yellow (fish are a-ok), and I still need to increase my c02 due to a bit of hair algae, and BGA will show up if I decrease my Kn03 in the slightest.

All I am saying is that each tank is different. EI is an excellent starting point, but each tank may need some subtle adjustments based on application, equipment, plant species, bio-mass, etc.

As already advised, I would get some of the following stem plants and stuff your tank with them.

You can always remove them as your tank gets healthier and get your final scape.


Ludwigia sp.
Hygrophila sp. Wisteria is ez and grows very quickly.
Mexican water oak.
Rotala sp.

The other thing that will help is if you can do 2-3 50% WC weekly for 2-3 weeks.
This will help a great deal in conjunction with the lower light level and increased mass of new plants.


Hope this helps.

 

[ccLansman]

if i where to get a uv sterilizer would that help significantly?

 

[Gerryd]

I think it would help, not sure how significantly.

I think it will help more to prevent algae once it is under control.

Adding it in addition to all the other changes would be beneficial IMO.

I do not use one myself, but am now investigating one.

 

[ccLansman]

thanks. I removed two lights and will up my weekly water changes and see how it affects the bba. I also read that dosing 2-3x excel can help, i am also going to try this, see how things go.

 

[Gerryd]

Careful of the overdose of Excel, as it can affect shrimp..........

I would just dose as directed, but with each WC........

Doing more frequent WC with excel each time should help a lot.

 

[VaughnH]

thanks. I removed two lights and will up my weekly water changes and see how it affects the bba. I also read that dosing 2-3x excel can help, i am also going to try this, see how things go.

When you dose 2 to 3X the recommended Excel dosage you have to accept that you may have problems as a result. Some plants may die, shrimp may die, and the BBA may love it. It isn't a magic potion, based on my experience.

 

[ccLansman]

When you dose 2 to 3X the recommended Excel dosage you have to accept that you may have problems as a result. Some plants may die, shrimp may die, and the BBA may love it. It isn't a magic potion, based on my experience.

thanks for the heads up ill try and monitor the little guys as best i can. I think ill step down the overdose to 2x at most. Would hate to kill the shrimp.