What is causing this algae?

[Sgooosh]

i have this problem too, i heard some seachem execel works?

 

[Byron]

i have this problem too, i heard some seachem execel works?

In post #10 I point out the danger of using this highly toxic substance. Don't, if you value your fish and plants.

 

[Advanced Aquarist]

i have this problem too, i heard some seachem excel works?

Yes, Excel will kill it. However if everything remains the same it will come back and you will have to continually dose Excel to keep it in check.

This is not really a permanent fix since it requires constant Excel dosing. Delicate plants and mosses do not like Excel at all.

Another way is to fight a war of attrition using SAEs:

It will STILL be there BUT the rate the SAEs eat it will be greater than the rate it grows to an annoying length, so it's kept in check and you "won't have to worry about it".

Of course for places where the SAEs can't reach it will grow. Also I've heard over time the SAEs get lazy and prefer to take the main course of fish food etc. . .

Both these methods do not fix BBA, they only manage it.

Here is a video of someone who has no clue at all telling how wonderful this liquid carbon dosing is and how it's made a difference for his large tank.

Apparently he was gassing his fish with too much CO2 (just because some idiot expert say go for 30 mg/l and he follows them), so now has switched to using Excel like solution to supply the much needed carbon instead. He is, of course, using EI and poisoning his tank without really knowing it. It's a shame that the other posters on the forum he's in don't bother to correct him.

 

[Sgooosh]

Yes, Excel will kill it. However if everything remains the same it will come back and you will have to continually dose Excel to keep it in check.

This is not really a permanent fix since it requires constant Excel dosing. Delicate plants and mosses do not like Excel at all.

Another way is to fight a war of attrition using SAEs:

It will STILL be there BUT the rate the SAEs eat it will be greater than the rate it grows to an annoying length, so it's kept in check and you "won't have to worry about it".

Of course for places where the SAEs can't reach it will grow. Also I've heard over time the SAEs get lazy and prefer to take the main course of fish food etc. . .

Both these methods do not fix BBA but manage it.

Here is a video of someone who has no clue at all telling how wonderful this liquid carbon dosing is and how it's made a difference for his large tank.

Apparently he was gassing his fish with too much CO2 (just because some idiot expert say go for 30 mg/l and he follows them), so now has switched to using Excel like solution to supply the much needed carbon instead. He is, of course, using EI dosing and poisoning his tank without really knowing it. It's a shame that the other posters on the forum he's in don't bother to correct him.

oh no, i want saes but they will kill my guppies

 

[Beck106]

Thank you all for all your advice. It's genuinely appreciated and taken on board. There's a lot of knowledge here which is great! To get the worst of it under control we boiled and scrubbed the lava rock and got the worst of it off, and cut down leaves on plants that had it on. We are hoping to keep on top of it now. The difficulty of deep cleaning the substrate is that it's mainly sand so not easy. We have been pinching the tube and doing it like that but obviously we can't get it all. Between the gravel is well cleaned every water change. I'm not overly concerned with it being eradicated completely as it sounds a complex issue but as long as its not overtaking the tank we're happy. Thanks all! ?