# BBA & hair algae



## Yaouch (Jan 21, 2011)

Hi there,

I have a Mr Aqua 12 gal long, and its getting infested with BBA and hair algae. I tried to take out the hair algae with a tooth brush but it just keeps coming back. Anyone have suggestions on how to get rid of these w/o triple dosing excel....

Thanks in Advance


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## T-PHAN (Jan 27, 2011)

For the BBA, 
have you try the Siamese Algae Eater? it is work for me (get the small one, the big one will not eat the Algae any more.)
For the hair Algae,
I use the Algae fix, it work for me also.
good luck.


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## ermd (Nov 23, 2010)

Hi

I used to double dose excel and it got rid of 90% of the hair algae.
I have put 4 angel fish in my tank and I have noticed that they are eating the hair algae so I stopped using the excel, the algae doesn’t seem to be getting any worse so I think the angels are doing just as good a job as the excel.


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## barbarossa4122 (Dec 31, 2009)

H2O2 2-3 ml/g when you have fish and plants. In my BBA case I did this 3 days in a row. You can also use Excel and h2o2 together.


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## kimcadmus (Nov 23, 2008)

+1 on the H2O2. Dispense with syringe directly to the algae with filter off and let sit for 15-30min.

You should also evaluate your water flow/filter cleanliness. You did not mention filtration and I am not familiar with that tank.

My experience has been that BBA in particular grows on decomposing elements like wood and old plant growth. Once it gets going it likes rough surfaces like filter output and power head parts. IF the BBA is heavy on old plant growth --- remove those leaves as it starves them of nutrients an light and adds to the problem.


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## staskutnik (Oct 12, 2010)

kimcadmus said:


> +1 on the H2O2. Dispense with syringe directly to the algae with filter off and let sit for 15-30min.


do I have to change the water after this process? How many times do I have to dispense the H2O2 and how often? (I have some BBA, I've clean the leaves as I could, but it has left on the stones, I can't pick them up).


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## HolyAngel (Nov 3, 2010)

kimcadmus said:


> You should also evaluate your water flow/filter cleanliness. You did not mention filtration and I am not familiar with that tank.
> 
> My experience has been that BBA in particular grows on decomposing elements like wood and old plant growth. Once it gets going it likes rough surfaces like filter output and power head parts. IF the BBA is heavy on old plant growth --- remove those leaves as it starves them of nutrients an light and adds to the problem.


I added a zoomed 501 canister filter in my 5gal to go along with the topfin 20 HOB i had. BBA was all over the front of the tank growing right on the floramax substrate, but once i added the canister filter, the BBA turned red and died literally over night. ^^


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## barbarossa4122 (Dec 31, 2009)

staskutnik said:


> do I have to change the water after this process? How many times do I have to dispense the H2O2 and how often? (I have some BBA, I've clean the leaves as I could, but it has left on the stones, I can't pick them up).


I did not change the water. I did it once a day for three days in a row.


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## staskutnik (Oct 12, 2010)

> H2O2 2-3 ml/g


Do you mean gallon? If yeas, what of one do you mean? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallon Excuse me, but we don't use gallon in Ukraine, we use liters. I saw that many people on this forum use gallon, what gallon do they usually mean?


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## SueNH (Jan 17, 2005)

A gallon is 3.785 liters


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## staskutnik (Oct 12, 2010)

Thanks, I just didn't know what kind of gallons is meant.


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

T-PHAN said:


> For the BBA,
> .................................For the hair Algae,
> I use the Algae fix, it work for me also.
> good luck.


Please dont use Algae Fix and similar products. They put a real 'HURT' on the tank inhabitants.

I have found that BBA usually needs 2 things to be out of whack. Such as low nitrate + low or fluctuating CO2, high iron and high organics, etc. Make sure lighting is not too strong and photoperiod isnt too long either. Depending on the type of hair algae it might be high iron. Manually remove as much of the affected plant material to reduce amount of algae. If using H2O2 make sure to keep water changes frequent and suggest keeping phosphate levels 1ppm of under until algae is under control.


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## staskutnik (Oct 12, 2010)

I've used H2O2 three days in a row. It seems BBA feels bad, it becomes white and disappears. But my Monosolenium tenerum dies too, riccia also feels bad but continues growing. So mosses like that can feel bad because of some h2o2 in water. I've dispense 10 ml per 25 l water h2o2 on BBA every day(three day in a row) when my filter and light were off. (I had read that h2o2 can break down under light), Other plants feel well.


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