Which Colour Spectrum

[elmo666]

Morning. Made numerous posts regarding outbreak of bba on a recently set up 300ltr fully planted discus tank. All equipment moved across from a 200 ltr corner set up, except lighting. Never had any issues in the past. Had lots of very good input trying to help me with bba and black hair algae, so have increased co2, cut back lighting time ( tho never felt 8hrs was excessive, was 10 on previous tank) ensure good flow in all areas....actually have over 3000lph moving from 2 externals and 3 pumps.
So, to my question. If the only change is the type of t5 tube, could that be the cause? I never bought the tubes, they came with the set up, Aqua One Euro 300. On removing them and looking they're Anubias 39w, one states white light, the other red. Now, there is a very notable colour difference. The worst affected annubias are at the front section below the white tube. There is a 6" gap between the tubes. I did have reflectors on, so the light was intensified in a given direction. Am I clutching at straws or could the tubes be a factor in the bba, especially as I went for slower growing plants as my last tank was overgrown and I was constantly thinning it out.

 

[Ch4rlie]

BBA tends to be a combination of factors and is usually tricky to remove to be honest

I have had this in my tank before and i believe it was sunlight that was a cause of this bba as it only affected a corner of my tank that just caught direct sunlight in mornings.
 
Since moving the tank have had no further issues, so was lucky in that respect I guess.
 
Here is a description of BBA with possible causes and removal ideas, taken from this link http/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm
 
 
Black Brush Algae, BBA
 


  
 
 


Description

Often grows on leaf edges of slow growing plants, bog wood and mechanical equipment. Also sometimes it grows in fast flowing areas of the tank. Grows in clumps or patches of fine black tufts up to about 0.5cm long.
 
 


Cause

In a high light tank it is an indication of low or fluctuating CO2 levels or not enough water circulation around the plants. In a low light tank it is often due to changing CO2 levels.
 
 


Removal
 


In a high light tank you will need to increase your levels of CO2 and/or improve water circulation around the plants. Scrub and cut off as much as you can first. Increase levels slowly to 30ppm or more but watch the fish to see if they are respiring heavily. Make sure you have good water flow around the whole tank along with some good surface movement. Adding a powerhead may help.
If you have a low light tank without CO2 injection then not doing any water changes will help. This is because tap water often has lots of CO2 dissolved in it which causes CO2 levels in your tank to fluctuate. The algae respond to this a lot quicker than the plants do.
Siamese Algae Eaters are known to eat BBA so can be used to control this algae.
Overdosing Flourish Excel, EasyCarbo or TNC Carbon will clear it up.
 

 

[elmo666]

Thanks for a very informative reply, much appreciated.

 

[DrRob]

An old entry to a site, but still relevant.
 
http/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/lighting.htm