Help!!! Need to get rid of Black Beard Algae

rommel39

rommel39

Large Fish
#1
Feb 7, 2004
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Alexandria, Virginia
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#1
Hi,

I have a 75 gallon freshwater tank with bristlenose plecs, cories, mollies, platies and some neon tetras. I need some serious help/information on how to get rid of some black beard algae that I'm guessing came from a LFS. I guess I should also mention that I have a sand substrate.

My nitrates/nitrites/ph are all at acceptable (normal) levels. The black beard algae thing is the worst thing I've encountered since I started fish keeping eight years ago and and to be honest, if I can't get rid of this, it may end fishkeeping days.

thanks in advance for your assistance, Shane
 

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OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#2
Feb 27, 2009
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#2
rommel39 said:
My nitrates/nitrites/ph are all at acceptable (normal) levels.
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What levels are considered 'acceptable' or 'normal' for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

Imbalance in light levels and CO2 levels are leading causes, especially if the CO2 levels fluctuate a lot. Is this a planted tank?
 

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OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#4
Feb 27, 2009
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#4
BBA does best when CO2 levels fluctuate. How often/how much water do you change each time? Tap water contains dissolved CO2, so large changes can cause the CO2 level to go up quickly. It is helpful, in most cases, to do smaller and more frequent water changes, so CO2 does not change much.

If you don't inject CO2 or use a supplement like Seachem's Excel to give a carbon source, you will not need much light. If you have excessive light in relation to the other nutrients (including carbon), this will also encourage BBA.

The best way to battle it is to physically remove as much as you can. You can use Seachem's Excel, or even hydrogen peroxide, to spot-treat. As it dies, it turns lighter in color and many fish will eat it as it dies.

You mentioned having java fern and some other unnamed plant(s). Java ferns do not grow quickly so may not be able to outcompete it. Many plants grow well directly in sand, and if you can get faster growing plants like some stem plants, they can help outcompete the algae.

Until the algae is under control, I would suggest keeping the nitrates at or under 10ppm.
 

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OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#6
Feb 27, 2009
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#6
High output T5 is pretty high light for having no carbon supplementation. If you supplement with Excel, you should see a more balanced light/nutrient ratio. Another option is DIY CO2 generation using yeast/sugar.

What is your total watts? How many hours is it on per day?

Any of the 'grassy' type plants work well in sand, and because they spread by runners, you don't need to trim the height like you do with stems. Also, crypts do well in sand. Amazon plants (if you have a deep enough area for their larger roots) can be put in the back as most get taller.

Depending on the size of your plecos, they could uproot the freshly planted plants. I have used the plastic containers that strawberries are often sold in to protect newly planted areas from active fish. After a week or so, the roots will grow and hold them down more easily.

Another thing I've done is used a piece of plastic mesh to divide the tank in half. Move all fish to one side and plant the other. Wait 2 weeks and remove the divider. If I wanted to spread the plants more quickly, I'd put the divider back in with the fish on the already planted side, then plant the other side. Otherwise, the plants will spread out to the other side on their own given time.
 

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exhumed07

exhumed07

Superstar Fish
#7
Apr 30, 2006
1,774
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#7
one thing that i found to help in my 55 was moss. I have christmas moss and it seems to take alot of the nutrients out of the water column preventing most algae from growing. I go 3-4 months without cleaning the glass cause there is no need. and slowly i watched the black beard in the tank die off. it's not completly gone but there is hardly any to notice. other things that can help are nirite snails. they will eat black beard. and as oc said flourish excel helps as well. just be carfull about the plants in the tank with excel. it will melt jungle val and anachris. i find 5ml a day in my 55 to be good. i would take an old tetra test kit vial and fill it to the 5ml mark and use an insuline syringe to spot treat as well. there was a large amount on the driftwood, and i just used the syringe to spot treat till i used up the 5ml in the vial. another good spot treatment is hydrogen peroxide. not the watered down 3% you find at a general store, but a concentrate of about 30% or more is best. I bought a large jug of it and poured it into a sauce pan on the stove and simmered it down a ways to concentrate it. boiling it will cause the hydrogen peroxide to decompose but simmer it and it will stay good. just remember to lable the bottle cause concentrations like that will cause chemical burns and if concentrated enough it can cause organic matter to burst into flame due to the heat it produces and the hydrogen and oxygen gas it creates. hope at least some of this info is helpful as black beard is a nasty thing to try to combat
 

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