# Questions for people with Black Beard Algae



## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

Hey fellow Black Beard Algae Sufferers, I've gathered you here today to ask you a few questions (just for interest's sake). They are:

1. How long is your lighting period?
2. How much light in the tank?
3. Do you have wood in the tank?
4. What is your Co2 levels if you use Co2?
5. What is your kh/gh?
6. Do you fertilize and with what? On a regular schedule?
7. What is your nitrAte level?


Thank you in advance for your answers  I want to see if there is a pattern besides Co2.


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

Oh, and for those of you who don't want to admit that you have BBA, you can PM me the information, hehe  

Thanks again!


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Piscesgirl said:


> Hey fellow Black Beard Algae Sufferers, I've gathered you here today to ask you a few questions (just for interest's sake). They are:
> 
> 1. How long is your lighting period?
> 2. How much light in the tank?
> ...


I have a 75g tank that has been set up in it's current location for almost a year and has been planted for two years. The only BBA is on the Eco Complete part of my substrate and a few Crypt leaves that actually lay on the substrate. The rest of the tank is BBA free. For what it is worth, I have a 30g with similar light levels and fert routine and the only BBA in this tank is also on the Eco Cmplete particles. Neither of my 55g tanks with Shultz Aquatic Plant Soil/Flourite/Florabase mixed substrate have or had any BBA.

1) Lights recently reduced form 12 to 10 hrs
2) 206w over a 75g - 96w T-8 for 10 hours, 110w CF for 8 hours
3) no wood
4) Not sure, see this thread 
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showthread.php?p=73304#post73304 I'm still trying to stress the fish by upping the CO2!
5) GH 8-10, KH 4.5-5.5 These readings vary depending on the time of year. Currently in the lower range
6) Daily fertilization with 2ppm KNO3, every other day with 0.6ppm KH2PO4 adn 15ml CSM+B with extra iron (2tbsp to 500ml)
7) I don't test nitrates any more so this probably isn't much help. I am assuming fairly low (5ppm or under) since P. stellata and L. aromatica get pinkish or reddish. I know it is getting too low when the P. stellata starts to stunt


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

Thanks MatPat! I'm not scientific in any way of the word, so that's great info for me. I kind of go by patterns really and my tanks are very odd. My 20long which has the most inconsistent co2 of them all, does not have BBA, and my lighting period is long -- 12 hours plus. It is the hardest tank, mostly having Onyx sand (and some gravel and recently a handful of laterite). I use DIY co2 on that tank -- obviously, inconsistent. No wood. 

My 55 has been battling co2 for over a year. It has Eco Complete and some sand, and now a few handfuls of Onyx sand. It has inconsistent co2 using a diffuser and pressurized co2, but has always had lowest lighting periods -- about 10 hours. This is a highly stocked tank, in my opinion. Had lots of driftwood, just recently removed.

My 29 has not had BBA since a very short stint in the beginning. Lighting periods were long and for a long time I had 148 watts on it and it did well even with DIY co2 although I switched to pressurized (actually had a crash with the pressurized b/c co2 was too high). This tank has Eco complete, Estes marine sand, and now a few handfuls of Onyx sand. All of a sudden, I had BBA on some newly added wood, and today I notice a lot on the pre-filter sponge (It could have been there for awhile but I don't think so -- I cleaned it yesterday! It's black so hard to see). I'd recently reduced lighting periods to about 11 hours. This tank is also in front of a window although light is shaded by blinds and light curtains, but light still gets through. Has really been algae free until now (other than spots of chladophora from time to time from moss balls long removed).


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

Yes, BBA is a puzzler sometimes!

I'm pretty sure that while low CO2 levels may have an impact on it appearing, there is something else playing a role as well.

I can compare two of my tanks, a 200l and a 250l. Both have the same exact lighting (4x 39w of T5). The older tank, the 200l, has a substrate of gravel with a layer of Dennerle's Deponit underneath it (useless stuff!). The 250l has Flourite. Fertilizing is the same on both. The 250l is in a location with water of KH 5 and GH 8, the 200l has a KH of 15 and GH of 18. Both have driftwood.

The 200l consistently has traces of BBA on the edges of leaves of the plants. The 250l doesn't have any BBA at all...


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

Thanks Laith....are your lighthing periods the same for both tanks?


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

No, slightly different.

The 200l has 2x 39w on for 8hrs and 4x39w on for 5 of those hours.

The 250l has 2x 39w on for 12hrs and 4x39w on for 6 of those hours.

Both have lots of CO2 added. According to the charts, my fish and shrimp should be dead.

Funny thing; I recently backed off the CO2 a bit (down to around 60-70mg/l according to the charts) and the plants actually seem better with more pearling... No change though on the presence (or lackof) BBA.


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

One of the things I'm wondering about is lighting period? I'm wondering if perhaps our habits of continually shortening is not indeed what the plants need? My longer lighting period tanks are the ones that don't have BBA. And, your tank with the shorter lighting period is also the one with BBA. But, perhaps you shortened it because of the BBA and then that would take away the lighting factor part of it?


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## Simpte 27 (Jul 16, 2004)

While I'm not having bba problems anymore (see excel got rid of my algae thread) I did have it with eco-complete. No other tank has had a problem with it but no other tank had eco-complete in it either. I wonder if there is a correlation between the 2. Not saying that eco-complete=bba because I know of people who use it and are bba free. Just wondering if there is something in the eco that makes it more succeptable.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

I recently purchased Kasselman's book and noticed that she recommends 10 hours as the least amount of light for a planted tank. I realize that light intensity has increased greatly since '99 or whenever the book was translated but the thought did hit me as strange. 10 hours seems to be about the time that my L. aromatica and P. stellatus closes up for the day so I would assume the light needs of these two plants are being met, but what about the others? 

Kasselman refers to some of the plants in the equatorial zones receiving as much as 14 hours of sun per day and this is for most of the year, in fairly shallow water up to 30cm (~ 1 ft) deep. The light intensity is way greater than anything in most of our tanks also. I realize turbidity and tannins may play a part since our tanks are usually clearer than natural waters but how much of a factor is it given her 100,000+ lux measurements in these locations? That is a great deal mre than we have over our tanks! 

One other note, my 55g tanks I had mentioned earlier have four 2x ODNO T-8 tubes (~ 4wpg) without BBA. There was some BBA on the driftwood and Java Ferns that were moved from my 75g to this tank back in June but it was not spreading or dying under 12 hours of the above light. The tank was filled mostly with Anubias, Java Ferns, and Mosses all transferred from my 75g tank. 

I'm getting more and more curious as to the effect of light on BBA


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

MatPat said:


> ...
> I'm getting more and more curious as to the effect of light on BBA


Now you've got me curious too!


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

Well, I'm increasing the length of lighting back on both my 29 and 55 from now on to 12 hours (although I do this manually for the 55 so it may not be consistent), and I'm decreasing the intensity of the 29 gallon light and I'll try that for awhile.

My thinking is really in terms of seasons -- Winter, with shorter light hours, plants sort of start to close up; Summer/Spring -- with longer light hours, plants start to grow, etc. 

It's just a thought....


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