# The best way to get rid of BBA



## hank (Apr 11, 2011)

I've been looking through this forum about Algae problems. I can't find one thread about BBA! Is it possible that no members here has had BBA? I was hoping that you could help me out. How would you get rid of BBA?


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Kill your lights until it dies off?

I usually just ignore the very small amount I get.

If nitrates are unmeasurealbe then try bumping up nitrates with potsasium nitrate (stump remover) or calcium nitrate (from feed and seed stores).

Try dosing ferris gulconate by dissolving a capsule in an old 12-20 oz coke bottle and adding a capful each week.

Some say with high lights co2 is required.

Or remove the affected leaves.


But then what do I know? I just ignore it.


my .02


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

I use a veritable army of shrimp - about 20 Red Cherry Shrimp (RCS) in my 29 tall, 5 Amano shrimp in my 10 gallon, and any pregnant RCS get transplanted into my 3 gallon. They'll eat any BBA that's not ridiculously exposed (like on the tips of really long leaves).

I've heard that fiddler crabs and crayfish also enjoy BBA, but fiddler's need to get to the surface occasionally, and both crays and crabs are big escape artists. They will eat EVERYTHING, including excess food, garbage, dead fish carcasses, any tasty plants, BBA, and any live fish they can catch, so most times they (especially the big crays) make horrible tank mates for anything in there, ESPECIALLY other bottom dwellers like plecos and frogs. Shrimp are a lot more docile, hence why I have them.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Flourish Excel works pretty good.


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## hank (Apr 11, 2011)

beaslbob said:


> Kill your lights until it dies off?
> 
> I usually just ignore the very small amount I get.
> 
> ...


I googled Ferrous Gluconate and It's used for treating Fe deficiency Anemia.

So how does it rid BBA?


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## hank (Apr 11, 2011)

jrman83 said:


> Flourish Excel works pretty good.


I know this will work but it must be over dosed. The cost is now $31.00 for two L.....


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

hank said:


> I googled Ferrous Gluconate and It's used for treating Fe deficiency Anemia.
> 
> So how does it rid BBA?


Yep that's it. A bottle of pills is like $5 at wallgreens.

Sometimes plants can become iron starved. Iron is a minor nutrient for plants and the idea is to insure the plants have the nutrients to out compete algaes.

another idea is the BBA is a form of cyano bacteria. Which is actually a plant and bacteria kinda combination. It also has the ability of getting its nitrogen from nitrogen gas vrs ammonia/nitrate the plant use. So if a tank becomes nitrate limited cyano can thrive and rob the plants of other nutrients like phosphates. At that point it is possible for the tank to become cyano dominated vrs plant dominated.

the light killing is to kill off the cyano and return nutrients (nitrates) back to the plants. Also the dosing of nitrates is supposed to help that also.

Marine tank really have a problem with cyano and after a few months of operation can be amlost totally covered with a red mat of cyano. in those cases the light killing really really works.

FW are much the same way with cloudy water or blue green slime algae.


my .02


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## hank (Apr 11, 2011)

Beaslbob,
I'm interested in your Ferrous Gluconate as a supplement for Fe and not for treating BBA. This is the first time I see this mentioned. Just to give you the primary fertilizers I'm using are the macro nutrients, Nitrogen(KNO3) Phosphorous(KH2PO4) Potassium(K2SO4) Magnesium(Mg2SO47H20) and the Micro nutrients-trace elements, Plantex CSM+B (Fe) The dosing method I was using Estimative Index (EI) Coined by Tom Barr. Now I'm using PPS PRO method of dosing. I'm not going to bore you with my dosing regimen. Hmm! I don't know why I told you about my Fertilizing*old dude 

My thread Is about BBA and not Cyanobacteria, Different from each other. BBA is a red Algae and Cyanobacteria which I know is a bacteria. Treating BBA with a 3 day black-out will do nothing to BBA but it will kill Cyanobacteria.
Yep, you are on the right track for Cyano


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Cidex will also work. I use it in place of Excel. It has about twice the amount of the active ingredient in Excel and is only about $25 a gallon.


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## hank (Apr 11, 2011)

Ben, Thank you! I wii research it....


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

hank said:


> Beaslbob,
> I'm interested in your Ferrous Gluconate as a supplement for Fe and not for treating BBA. This is the first time I see this mentioned. Just to give you the primary fertilizers I'm using are the macro nutrients, Nitrogen(KNO3) Phosphorous(KH2PO4) Potassium(K2SO4) Magnesium(Mg2SO47H20) and the Micro nutrients-trace elements, Plantex CSM+B (Fe) The dosing method I was using Estimative Index (EI) Coined by Tom Barr. Now I'm using PPS PRO method of dosing. I'm not going to bore you with my dosing regimen. Hmm! I don't know why I told you about my Fertilizing*old dude
> 
> My thread Is about BBA and not Cyanobacteria, Different from each other. BBA is a red Algae and Cyanobacteria which I know is a bacteria. Treating BBA with a 3 day black-out will do nothing to BBA but it will kill Cyanobacteria.
> Yep, you are on the right track for Cyano


May be but cyano has many many different forms not just the blue green slime we see. From another board:

[quote='other baord"] In heavily planted tanks, 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. As long as a usable (5-10ppm) level of Nitrate is maintained, the the plants will continue to use up the available phosphate, effectively controls BBA and other phosphorus-dependant algaes. Just to see, get you nitrates phospiates and potassium checked. These are the main building block of plant nutrients. If you find that you have no nitrates this could be your problem and before you do a complete clean try adding nitrate. [/quote]

Which sounds to me to be exactly the same methods as treating cyano. So even if BBA is not just another form of cyano the same methods are employed. And cyano is pervasive over all eco systems on this planet.

(at least from what I read anyway. *old dude)

I am familiar with the Tom's EI method. What I use I think is called the perpetual method. 

The Iron supplement was by dr. randy holmes farley for marine tanks to keep macro algae healthy. The dosing level is so low as to prevent any overdosing of the delicate corals. I just started adding some to my planted tanks and it didn't seem to hurt anything. Of course if slime or bba just didn't show up I wouldn't have noticed the difference.


my .02


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## DL Lawrence (Jul 31, 2012)

jrman- can you enlighten me on where one can get some cidex? Also, another question for you- if you overdose Excel, how much is that?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Cidex | SALE BUY Glutaraldehyde Solution, Cidex Opa," CidexDisinfectant, Johnson and Johnson I found this site.If you search "cidex in aquarium use "it will offer you other forum discussions on this topic and answer some question.I have never heard of this before but does seem to interesting option.On the cyano is bacteria and BBA is not ;if cidex works as claimed then the two(cyano/BBA) are in deed similiar as cidex is a steriliser used in hospital/Drs. offices and dental facilities to disinfect.Very Interesting in deed!


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

I had it pretty bad in my 220 when I was getting ready to switch from planted to a cichlid tank and what I did was after I removed the fish I turned off the filter, and added 2 large bottles of peroxide. I let it set for 24 hours changed out 100% of water turned filter back on and put my fish into the tank. within a week there was no sign of bba. Once it starts dieing the plecos made short work of it.

Since I had turned off the filter for 24 hours there wasn't much loss of bacteria as the media remained wet.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

DL Lawrence said:


> jrman- can you enlighten me on where one can get some cidex? Also, another question for you- if you overdose Excel, how much is that?


You can find Cidex on Amazon. bradberry first turned me on to it almost a year ago. I started using it and finally found about the right strength to use in my tanks and only apply it once a week just after my water change. If I start to see any BBA, only usually happens if my CO2 gets off a tad, then I'll just add another dose. Overdosing with Excel can be adding as much as double recommended dose. You have to watch and make sure it is not killing your plants though. Goes for Cidex too. I was adding so much cidex when I first started that I was melting Amazon Sword leaves...very tough leaves. I put 2 capfuls in my 75g and 3-4 capfuls in my 125s once per week.

If you get it off of Amazon, don't get the one that says it has surfectants and if it comes with the little bottle attached to it I just throw that away. Never have looked into what it is, lol.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

reports of extra bottle being "activator" which is not to be used.One such report said they took it to pharmacist to dispose of properly.(seems to be responsible action for fish minded people).


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