[hamsterman]

I was wondering if anyone has a bottle of flourish excel they don't need for a cheap price...I'm battling some BBA and I can't find the stuff in 3 pet stores near me and the shipping prices on ebay are a bit much...

Thanks!

I can also trade a handful of java moss, some riccia, and some water sprite...

 

[rich815]

I was wondering if anyone has a bottle of flourish excel they don't need for a cheap price...I'm battling some BBA and I can't find the stuff in 3 pet stores near me and the shipping prices on ebay are a bit much...

Thanks!

Absent Excel, drain your tank down as much as you can and treat the BBA spots with H202, or consider this too:

http://forum.sfbaaps.org/viewtopic.php?p=29819&sid=b5a82ab74007b2d04222ea0c78a9aec3#29819

In the end the only way to get rid of BBA is to remove ALL the leaves it's affected, and then find out why you got it in the first place and solve that. Otherwise it's only a matter of a few days before it's back again.

 

[clifford]

I would second the peroxide treatment. That's almost 100% assuredly your cheapest option.

You can also look for gluteraldahyde online, but in the concentration most often used, you have to pay for hazardous material shipping. Even then it costs around 1/20th of what Excel runs (note: it's not the same thing as excel, just very similar to the active ingredient, and is used as a hospital disinfectant, so you would have to use with Extreme Care).

I've been using it in several of my tanks for a week or so, and am already seeing increased growth in the vascular plants, and the algae seems to be taking a hit. From what I understand it can take several weeks of treatment before algae like bba starts to die completely.

I keep all kinds of plants, fish, and shrimp, and have seen no negative side effects, but I've heard that it will melt vals. YMMV.

Cliff

 

[hamsterman]

Well the thing is I don't have too much BBA so excel should do the trick...I think it would be too much of a hassle to drain my tank and look carefully at each plant to spot treat it with hydrogen peroxide.

 

[dawntwister]

I have bought flourish excel for $7 including shipping.

 

[hamsterman]

The algae just keeps coming so I decided on the cheaper alternative- hydrogen peroxide. I recently bought it and will see test the results soon.

 

[dawntwister]

How big is your tank? Can you possible post a link to show pictures of your tank? What plants do you have? Where is the algae?

The peroxide may get rid of it with that, if it is just a small amount, but that won't get rid of the cause.

Causes of algae
1.Dirty filter.
2.Insufficient, fluctuating or poor distribution of CO2.
3.Low CO2 and/or poor water circulation.
4.A tank with overfed fish and accumulated mulm
5.disturbing dirty substrates without doing water change afterwards.
6.High phosphate levels can cause algae outbreaks. can be introduced to your aquarium mainly from tap water, dead plants and fish food.
7.BBA will often show up when the plants have used up all the nitrates. This causes plant growth to slow or stop, which leaves the excess phosphates available to the algae. By supplying extra Nitrate to a planted tank, we allow plant growth to continue until all phosphate is consumed. Then plant AND algae growth will slow/stop.

Cures
1.target dosed it with Excel. Turned off the filter and blew Excel right on the algae with a dosing syringe. Turned the filter back on after half a minute. do this daily for a few days the algae turned gray and died off.
2.Increase nitrate level 5-10ppm with potassoum nitrate gradulally.
3.Clean as much of that mess out you can add N03 and aerate the tank daily preferably with surface turbulance or add an air stone, good flow is a plus.
4.Accu-clear with extra filtration and water changes.
5.BLACKOUT METHOD
blackout means covering the tank for 4 days, no light whatsoever is allowed into the tank during this time. Cover the tank completely with blankets or black plastic trash bags. Be prepared, killing the algae will result in dead decaying algae that will decompose and pollute the water. Water changes are needed at the beginning and end of the blackout time and ammonia should be monitored. Can also kill plants
7.Bleach dip
1 part bleach to 20 parts water. Soak for 2 min. Have another bucket ready with water the same temp and with dechlorinate added to stop the the bleach action. Gently rub the leaves (anubias) to get rid of any dead algae before you place them in your tank.

 

[hamsterman]

Well, the BBA didn't originate in my tank. It was on some vallisnaria I bought from a LFS, and it has just started to spread. So far it's just on a few plants.