Black beard algae

[Olympia]

Please has anyone more thoughts on the zebra neright snails for BBA. I have tried most other things online they are about 10 pound for 2!. Massive outbreak that aint going anywhere i exhusted my last algae eater not easy to purchase here atm.

 

[Uberhoust]

I had BBA 6 months ago, my nerites did not touch the stuff. I managed to get the Algae under control by reducing the light and removing and scrubbing all algae from the wood, and removing as many plant leaves I felt the plants would handle. It seems to grow slow at first but then at some point takes off. The fish like it, they seem to scrape organisms from it, rotifers and the like.

 

[FranciscoB]

Merited will do nothing about Bba.

 

[Byron]

The only control is establishing or restoring the balance of light and nutrients, if this is a planted tank. Noting else is safe nor really effective. Like disease, you need to fix the cause.

 

[MiracleTank]

Please has anyone more thoughts on the zebra neright snails for BBA. I have tried most other things online they are about 10 pound for 2!. Massive outbreak that aint going anywhere i exhusted my last algae eater not easy to purchase here atm.

My tank also had very stubborn black hair algae. After a thorough cleaning (removing as much as I could) I woke up one morning and one small plant was covered in it again. I introduced Apple snails immediately! The next day, the plant was completely cleaned of the algae. It never came back again.

 

[Olympia]

My tank also had very stubborn black hair algae. After a thorough cleaning (removing as much as I could) I woke up one morning and one small plant was covered in it again. I introduced Apple snails immediately! The next day, the plant was completely cleaned of the algae. It never came back again.

Thankyou ive bever heard of the apple snails i will look out for them

 

[Olympia]

The only control is establishing or restoring the balance of light and nutrients, if this is a planted tank. Noting else is safe nor really effective. Like disease, you need to fix the cause.

Thankyou what ive noticed is our tap water has changed much high ph and kh

 

[Essjay]

Thankyou ive bever heard of the apple snails i will look out for them

It seems many places are now calling them mystery snails. All Pomacea snails were banned by the EU about a decade ago, and the UK government repealed the law after Brexit. After so many years not being able to sell them, shops, both real and on-line, appear to have adopted the American name for them - mystery snails.
If you do see snails labelled as apple snails, make sure they are Pomacea diffusa, also called brig apple snails (named after the wrong snail species ) and not cana apple snails (P. canaliculata) as they grow huge.

 

[Olympia]

Thankyou for the information

 

[PewPewChris]

I had a decent breakout of BBA a few weeks ago. I cut back the light during the day (basically set the light to reduce for about two hours mid-day) and I started using Excel when I do larger water changes...seems to be helping quite a bit

 

[Byron]

I had a decent breakout of BBA a few weeks ago. I cut back the light during the day (basically set the light to reduce for about two hours mid-day) and I started using Excel when I do larger water changes...seems to be helping quite a bit

If you mean a siesta method for light, being light on for a period, then off for 2 hours or whatever, then on again, this is stressful on fish. The brightest light needs to be a continuous period.

Excel is a highly toxic disinfectant, detrimental to fish, plants and bacteria. The very fact that it may kill some algae is a very good sign it has no place in a fish tank.

 

[PewPewChris]

If you mean a siesta method for light, being light on for a period, then off for 2 hours or whatever, then on again, this is stressful on fish. The brightest light needs to be a continuous period.

Excel is a highly toxic disinfectant, detrimental to fish, plants and bacteria. The very fact that it may kill some algae is a very good sign it has no place in a fish tank.

The light is not completely turned off, just dialed back a bit in some of the color spectrum's.

As far as Excel goes, to each their own, but it works for me and I guarantee my fish are treated with just as much care and are just as healthy as any I've seen.

 

[Olympia]

I had a decent breakout of BBA a few weeks ago. I cut back the light during the day (basically set the light to reduce for about two hours mid-day) and I started using Excel when I do larger water changes...seems to be helping quite a bit

Had tried it didnt seem to work i have been using treatment called esa anti algae but it doesnt work now i have probabky gitvtoo bright a buld but its the old type flouresent bulbs very hard to get nowadays

 

[Olympia]

If you mean a siesta method for light, being light on for a period, then off for 2 hours or whatever, then on again, this is stressful on fish. The brightest light needs to be a continuous period.

Excel is a highly toxic disinfectant, detrimental to fish, plants and bacteria. The very fact that it may kill some algae is a very good sign it has no place in a fish tank.

I thought it was meant to be beneficial for plant growth

 

[Olympia]

I generally think the bba does not go easily it is probably a mixture of too bright light and not enough plants over feeding i tried a uv seemed to work until the bulb broke again( about a month ) then it came back with a vengence esha used to work well but its a super strain now ive tried other agae treatments tetra and excel during times ive run charcoal cleaned and regular water changes but ive still tested water and ph and gh kh all out tried almond capata leaves