Less hardy algae may be effectively killed by this alone, especially if flow was good. The video did not show the process taking place, so we didn’t know exactly how much to apply. *Disclosure: We only recommend products we would use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. I tried this “1-2-punch” this morning. It has spread unbelievably fast after a couple of weeks. If needed, we were going to continue to spot treat with Excel and H2O2 until the BBA was eradicated. To answer your questions: 1. We soaked the log for about 2 months in a plastic bin on our back patio. The results are typically very poor, at least until you get into such doses that fauna are at risk; and after a few failed attempts, most folks understandably write this option off. 3% H202 Hydrogen peroxide can be bought online or at many chemists or supermarkets and it’s an inexpensive solution. While we bombed the tank, the fish and shrimp were swimming around frantically. Best for Algae - Hydrogen Peroxide. They say Siamese Algae eaters love the stuff. While light does break down H2O2, this is measured in days - even in direct sunlight. My thinking was that giving the plants CO2 along with my current lighting and fert dosage would give the plants the advantage to out compete the BBA for nutrients. If the cause for BBA was the co2 then I understand that it is the “infamous” imbalance between light, co2 and photoperiod, but to find this so called balance is like mission impossible. Now, I can tell you this method worked, but we did make some costly mistakes in the process. I just dosed my tank 4 hours ago. I recently set up a freshwater DSB tank which is about 50% planted with swords and crypts. Thanks again for sharing. So overall, I had about 30 minutes of “soak time” at full strength before I began diluting with the fresh water. Bombing a tank with large amounts of H2O2 and Seachem Flourish Excel is dangerous to the animals. BBA primarily grows on my driftwood, but it also shows up on the top of the leaves of vallisneria and on slow-growing plants. Don't subscribe I feel like a slave to my planted aquarium. I did not want to reintroduce animals to the tank because I was not sure we weren’t going to have to spot treat in the following days, and after seeing what happened to the fish, didn’t want to take the chance. Here's what I found: What's the ratio for 6% bleach to water? Robert, you need to use the "1-2-punch" method. I left my canister filter on the whole time. I've added amazon frogbit and it's helped slow down new algae growth. Your plants may take a hit though... Jun 8, 2017 #3 Ken Ooi Active Member. Just please, make sure that you pay careful attention to how much H2O2 you are using because it can be harmful or fatal to the animals. If you weren't already using Excel, or were using it at the recommended dose, add Seachem's recommended initial dose of 5ml per 10G. You can get hydrogen peroxide (3%) from the local stores near you and use it to remove BBA from your tank. Java moss was unaffected. Basically, our setup was a ghost town for a month while the BBA was dying. We kept forgetting to change the water. We documented the process with video and photos along the way, and have created a step by step guide showing the process we used to remove black beard algae. I've read that people have used 2 ml per gallon with no ill effects, but I'm nervous about going that high. I initially researched EI dosing while setting up our first scape in 2015, and due to information overload with being new to the hobby, soon lost track. Depending on the algae species, we recommend different dosages: 1. Last night I noticed that three reddish swords (maybe red Rubin?) I used a dip method 1. "NOTE: Others have reported deaths of shrimp, snails, and fish - particularly known sensitive ones. We tried to pick some of it out of the tank, but it wouldn’t budge. For areas that can't be exposed, I deliver the hydrogen peroxide using a turkey baster with a thin straw attached to the end to give me more reach and precision. I don’t think I noticed it before as the BBA didn’t stand out as much on the dark leaves as is does on lighter plants and hardscape. I should have known right away they were suffering. I also started to dosing EI method including 50% weekly water changes but most of all I stopped using co2. You just cannot dump that much of a foreign substance into their home and it be safe. If you're doing it in a tank with fish in it. If you have particular trouble spots, try to ensure they get direct flow during part of the treatment. On one of my low-tech tanks, mulm was building up on the substrate. Even though the algae on it was was dying, the wood was heavily infested. I like to use a paint brush that is “almost” dripping. But it falls hard to the "One-Two Punch", and I relied on this treatment heavily when trying to figure out how to keep it from growing. To strike a proper balance, it requires the correct levels of lighting, ferts, and CO2. So, let's know what are the most effective ways to battle the Black Beard algae. I am happy to say that our Mr. Aqua 12 Long aquascape is clean and algae free, and has been for a few weeks now. per 10G, down from 4 tbsp. Over the years, the tanks have sometimes been quite laborious, so with our busy lives, the less time it takes to maintain our aquariums, the better. Something more effective/safe? We could see that the treatment had an adverse affect on the algae. In this case, we reached out to the pros, World Wide Corals, to get some advice. I decided I needed to look into the peroxide method and found this thread. I did not test the water parameters after treatment. Dip them in Excel or another glut solution. Still trying to decide if I should get another little one or treat the driftwood with a Hydrogen Peroxide dip. Only through many more tests in a wide variety of tanks can that be established. Below is what I did. BBA bloomed. Otocinclus, Amano Shrimp, and Nerite Snails won't eat BBA. Thanks for reading Susan, we are happy that this information was useful. If they're also infested with undesirable algae, they can be treated simply by keeping them in the bucket in a dark place for a week. Like any ... how do you treat aquarium plants with hydrogen peroxide? This may be a bit conservative, but was a best guess and a round number. In a day or two the BBA turns red. This has been performed by me many times, and by others only a few. Depending on the algae species, we recommend different dosages: In the case of blue-green algae: 8 to a maximum of 15 ml of the 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide per 50 liters of water. We wish you the best of luck removing this stubborn plague. In the case of green algae: 25 to a maximum of 35 ml of the 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide per 50 … Bear in mind that the more gentle plants (Japanese Moss balls being one) may take damage as … Use of Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Bath. It has been a couple of years since we did this, and it still makes my stomach turn a little when I think about what it did to the animals in this tank. I don't think you have too many plants seems like they have room to swim. After fighting with this algae for several months, we were considering just tearing down the scape and starting over. 2. Before long, the little black dots started sprouting into tufts of what looked little black bushes. Off-topic but related. In brief: It uses a properly executed H2O2 whole tank treatment, followed by a whole tank Excel treatment, to provide a much greater algicidal effect than either alone; without noticeably increased risk to fauna or plants. We still use a 50/50 mix of Excel and H202, but these days we spot treat BEFORE the BBA gets out of hand. No improvement. Feed your plants by boosting Carbon Dioxide. Member. We still have bouts of algae here and there, but tend to them quickly to eliminate it. I’ve also noticed that the H202 begins to lose its effectiveness once the bottle has been opened. When I stopped using co2 there is nowhere BBA to be found. This stuff smothered our mosses, covered all the plant stems, and started growing on our substrate. First, prepare the tank. Hydrogen peroxide can only be used to get rid of algae on zoas and other softies. Peroxide is the most effective way to clean and protect your zoas, and it keeps rapidly-growing algae at bay. I have an idea why this occurs different from other hypothesis I've seen, and how it might be avoided, but that's a topic for another thread I'll soon post. 55 gallon and it is stocked yes. I had gone a long time without trimming my java fern. About a week after I planted my swords (ordered online from a reputable small company) I started to see BBA crop up on the edges of the leaves. I still did some research to make sure that I had correctly identified it, and started looking for ways to rid ourselves of this eyesore. Black beard algae are one of the worst algae in the aquarium hobby because of how hardy, persistent, and stubborn it is. I've used this treatment many times over the course of the last year. Keeping a clean tank is a must for heavily planted tanks due to the mulm buildup on the substrate. I guess the takeaway is that if you have a situation like we did where BBA has grow out of control, this method will eliminate it. He outgrew my tank and I took him to the fish store and now that he's gone, the BBA is growing on my driftwood again. After soaking, rinse everything thoroughly in freshwater. Like I send in my original post that I tried everything. I hope that by sharing our experience, you can learn from our mistakes. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Keep the lights on. Like most algae it likes high light, but will thrive in medium light if flow is high. I don't use Excel on a reg basis other than to spot treat rocks, wood, power heads etc., with a spray bottle (50/50 H2O2 & Excel) at water changes outside of the tank and that works great. Thanks for the info! Should I ever have an invasive clado problem, I expect this might be able to eliminate it. Dec 18, 2019. I also replaced the liquid in my drop checker. I’m sure most aquascaping purists would scoff at what we did, but we are still pretty new to the aquascaping hobby (3 years) and we let this outbreak get out of hand before we could put a reign on things. When we were done nuking the tank, it was plain to see that we had covered all the algae with this mix because every bit of BBA was covered with bubbles. By the time I got about 30g out of the tank, it had been 30 minutes of “full strength” peroxide (2Tbsp per 10g of water). Then, out of nowhere, these little black dots starting appearing on the wood. This has worked very well on filter components, the top of my heater, and on driftwood. Because the amount is small, I need to dose multiple times to hit all of the areas in the tank that have BBA. Thanks for your reply. I do believe that with EI dosing, we would be less likely to have any algae issues (hair, dust, diatoms, etc. After about 2 weeks of CO2, none of the spots of BBA had grown and the plants looked great with a lot of new growth. We used a 50/50 mixture of 3% hydrogen peroxide and Seachem Flourish Excel. The algae should turn red, then greyish white, meaning it has died. We have a video of our process and the results after 6 months that I will post as soon as I figure out how to make a quality video. The slowly add Hydrogen Peroxide until you start to see bubbles forming. Messages 355. While I've provided this info in several threads now as personalized help, I feel it deserves a full write-up in its own thread. They were starting to mature nicely, especially some of the more expensive and hard-to-get species like our Cameroon Moss. You can add algae eaters to the tank. Our hope is that those visiting this post will learn from our mistake. Hydrogen Peroxide Dip Ratio And Time. 3 mins; Java fern? ), but with proper maintenance, trimming, lighting and CO2 level adjustments, we have found the right balance for our scapes without having to purchase and use various fertilizers. There were still spots that were purple, but clearly suffering. I've never seen any adverse effect on the more sensitive inhabitants of my tank; including otos, cories, bamboo shrimp, ramshorn and pond snails. It looked like cotton in our mosses. I used to read the Barr Report every night, and I fully agree with Tom Barr’s research. I’m sure there are less invasive ways to remove Black Beard Algae, and if you scour the internet long enough you may be able to find them. Great information! Your email address will not be published. also you can just combine the proper excel dose above with the H202 ratio above (not a strict 50/50 mix) and do it that way…. I use both Excel and H202 to treat algae when necessary (i also keep plants,shrimp,snails and fish in those tanks). Cameroon Moss, Fissidens fontanus “Phoenix Moss”, Riccardia chamedryfolia “Coral Moss”, Hemianthus callitrichoides “Dwarf Baby Tears”, Annubias Nana “Petite”, Cambomba carolinianas, Proserpinaca palustris L.”Mermaid Weed”, and Java Fern Lace “Windelov”, and a couple of other species of plants that I can’t think of right off the top of my head. How big is your tank and did you have any fish in it? But as I started to trim my java fern last week, I had noticed inside the bush that there were brown plants that were deteriorating due to age and being shaded. Since I didn’t shut off my filter, I am going to test my ammonia, nitrites and nitrates every day for a week or so to see if this process killed enough bacteria to start a new cycle. And will diffuse into water and oxygen after 24 hours. It was about 5 minutes from the time I began spot treating to the time I poured the remainder in the tank. I have a cheap Koralia clone that with 1,320GPH flow, turned out to be too much for any of my tanks; but I keep it around because it's ideal for this treatment. During this time, redirect flow a few times if possible, to make sure all areas get covered. But the fish are already getting close to suffering noticeable stress. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Once done, I poured the remaining mix into the tank. And I mean everything that I've read on all forums and others. Member. The BBA had turned a deep purple. As you can see in the picture above, we replaced the original log with some Malaysian Driftwood. Recently I see the use of AlgaeFix being more freely discussed, now that certain people have finally softened their views on it, and mentioning it no longer results in guaranteed chastisement. Russell Whitmyer on Aug 17, 2020 Leave a Comment. In my experience, CO2 is the most important nutrient, and combined with a quality substrate under a quality light spectrum, we are rarely disappointed. There were a few small spots I missed, but decided to leave there as a “controll group”. For anyone who wishes to try this, I am changing my initial recommendation for H2O2 to 2 tbsp. The enjoyment of this hobby is gone. I will post the results in a week or two. As the mulm kept becoming brown over time, black beard algae started to grow. By Marios Alexandrou on August 8, 2018. Then I use a syringe to squirt Excel onto the BBA under the water. There are several methods for removing black beard algae. I then took my circulation fan off the glass and blew it all over the tank for another five minutes to make sure there was good circulation. Name Email Message. Our tanks are stunning right now, demand to be trimmed weekly, and continue to stay that way. You want as much flow as possible. Do a 50% water change, or more if you know it's well tolerated. HYDROGEN PEROXIDE. We had problems with hair algae for a couple of weeks, but nothing we couldn’t eliminate. To get rid of the black beard algae in your aquarium for good you should: Dip all of the affected decor in Hydrogen Peroxide. Then on some of the rocks and substrate. So sorry for your loss. Not any that I bought. My plants are ok, but not as green and lush as when I was suing co2. Livestock: At the moment we have 15 Chili Red Rasboras (Boraras brigittae) and half a zillion Red Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina sp.). For areas of my aquarium that can be exposed with water changes, I will use a spray bottle to cover the BBA with hydrogen peroxide. 3 mins; Anubias? Using these metrics, I stopped spending the time and money on an EI dosing regimen. And with flow restored, the H2O2 is at last starting to have some effect on the algae. 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