# Time to Vote - "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest



## BryceM

Back in 2006 I started a little informal contest to see who could post the most disgusting algae photo. We collected entries for a few weeks and then put it to a popular vote. The entries were actually pretty funny. Zappins ended up winning - I'm not sure he ever claimed his prize, but oh well.

The award for this year's "Most Horrific Algae" prize will be a package of cuttings from my two hi-tech tanks. The quantity will definitely be large enough to set up a 40 or 50g tank.

I'll start off by just posting an example of what is possible with careful attention to detail:










Post your photos here. I'll leave the contest open for entries until April 15th and then we'll vote to see who the biggest looser is. One photo per person please.


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## Zapins

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Hehe! Good stuff! I love this competition!!!

I'll see what I can rummage up for this year's competition 

By the way, I had wanted the prize, but whoever was in charge of it last year never got back to me lol.

I forget, was the prize last year a book and an algae badge under the avatar picture? Because I'd still love that badge


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## Minsc

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

This isn't actually a planted tank, but I didn't see any qualifiers


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## nfrank

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

it can take a lot of patience to allow your tank to get this bad just to take a photo


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## maxima

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Argh Minsc ! Tell me those clown killies are not suffering


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## Minsc

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*



maxima said:


> Argh Minsc ! Tell me those clown killies are not suffering


No worries. Judging by the number of mini-clown killies that appeared, they were enjoying life quite a bit


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## Dan S

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Please wake me up from this nightmare!!:fear: This could be the scariest thread I've seen on APC! Who takes pictures of this stuff? I'd be too freaked out and in a panic to be thinking about taking pictures, and then to show it off!?! No Way!!!!!
All kidding aside, this could be real interesting and possibly educational


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## BryceM

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

I've seen bazillions of little fish swimming in and around stuff like this all the time in lakes & backwater chanels. 

Keep the photos coming.......


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## davemonkey

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Too funny! I just hope this doesn't become the "new age of planted tanks". Can you imagine all the aquascapers testing parameters, closely monitoring extended light schedules, purposefully overfeeding....all so thye can get that "perfect algae-look". 

I look forward to seeing more pics! Although I hope none of them are mine. 

-Dave


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## kid creole

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

If you follow this link, you can see my algae, and how it ended up:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/82307-kid-creoles-65-gallon-journal.html


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## davemonkey

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

You guys will probably think I'm sick, but kid creole's algae actually DOES look like a nice part of the scape. Nice color, good form and texture, nice height ratio/slope from one side of the tank to the other. :fear:

-Dave


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## HeyPK

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

My cyanobacteria is so bad that it has crop circles!


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## Tex Gal

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

oooouuuuhhhhh!


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## Dan S

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Bryce, this contest is completely priceless!!! Totally amazing! What would also be neat to know along with everyones "Most Horrific Algae Photo" would be a brief account of how they fixed it. For example.... countless water changes, recalculated fertz., started over, burned it, patience, reduced bio load, & the list goes on & on. Maybe include a photo of after! Please don't take away the point of this Thread but this could also be a huge help to the folks "Algae Growers" who have run into this problem or may in the future run into this problem. This could be a Thread members could look up in a time of need!!:yield: 
It is pretty cool that the award will come from Bryces' own aquarium! Well Done!!!:first: 
I just hope it's not the plants in his "Most Horrific Algae Photo"!:brick:


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## manifresh006

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

LOL thought my algae was bad...


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## BryceM

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

There's one smiley that sums it up perfectly:

uke: uke: uke:


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## kid creole

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*



davemonkey said:


> You guys will probably think I'm sick, but kid creole's algae actually DOES look like a nice part of the scape. Nice color, good form and texture, nice height ratio/slope from one side of the tank to the other. :fear:
> 
> -Dave


I was trimming it back daily.


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## bosmahe1

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

I am happy to say, I have no possibility of winning this contest. Even after suffering BBA for what seemed like a year.


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## Dryn

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

I used to feel bad about the (I know now was a very modest) amount of algae in my aquariums over the years, but now, I can look at my "blooms" and say, "Oh, now that's not bad... and I've seen bad!"


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## kimcadmus

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

absolutely horrifying! but I can't stop looking at the photos


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## longbowaj

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Of course this thread starts up the day after I removed 90% of my algae infested plants. I had some brown fuzzy stuff everywhere, still on some of my gravel. It's really my own fault for taking over I got lazy for about a month while I was deciding on how I wanted to change my layout. I think I would have been a contender if only I took a picture of that filth.


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## cs_gardener

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Yikes! Some of those algae outbreaks are really scary.

I've never intentionally taken pics of my algae. Once it's gone I don't want to remember it ever happened.


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## kid creole

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*



Dan S said:


> What would also be neat to know along with everyones "Most Horrific Algae Photo" would be a brief account of how they fixed it.


Here's my story, but it's not really breif:

So, as I'm setting my tank up, I know enough to know that 1-2 Wpg is low light, about 5 is high light. I was a little better established monetarily than I ever had been once I set up a tank before, so I set about making this a high light tank. The biggest light fixture I could get was _only_ 6x39W of T5HO, _only_ 3.6 Wpg. It cost an arm and a leg (which had some part in my bias towards it). So I threw some plants in, put 2 bps through my Red Sea 500, and started a giant algae farm.

After a week or two, I knew that my water had to have some sort of imbalance that was creating this. I'd kept non-planted tanks for many years without any algae to speak of. I got a phosphate test kit, and knew I had found my problem. So I got some of that phosphate remover crap, and the phosphates went away, but not the algae. Now I'm starting to ask for advice and listening selectively. I found Tom Barr's forum, and a member at another forum who actually works in a shop nearby. Everybody keeps telling me I have too much light, not enough ferts, not enough CO2, but I'm pretty sure they're all wrong, and that there is just something in my water. So some of the advice I got was to use RO (and cut the lights back). Ok, fine. I knew it wasn't too much light, but I decided that I'd do some water changes with RO, and cut the lights back a little. So I cut the light back to 10 hours per day, and continue to do water changes. What do you know, I was right about the water  and the algae was abated a little bit.

Then, Tom Barr pretty much yelled at me. You know how he is. He just tells you the science, his experience, and the chemistry. He wasn't yelling at me really, but it feels like that when someone who you don't know from Adam tells you something that conflicts with your beliefs. Anyway, suffice it to say, I cut the lights all the way back to 2x39W, and all of that algae (that wasn't the worst pic) went away. Almost instantly. It just stopped growing and died. It took a little while to be done with all of it, but 95% was gone within a week.

So, what did I learn that would be useful to a beginner?
-Start your light low. It is better to up the light until you get algae than to get algae and dial it back down.
-CO2 needs to be consistent, whatever it is. You don't need it, but having more of it makes it easier instead of harder, the opposite of light.
-Ferts should be consistent. Have some understanding of them before you put plants in the water. Not a phd understanding, but you should know the difference between micro and macro, and which ones you have.
-A little water change never hurt anybody. Changing water often minimizes any other dumb mistake you are making.
-Copy somebody else. Don't worry about it not being original. Plants are all original, and you won't be able to exactly copy a tank. Find a successful tank that you like. Go get exactly what they have and mimic their setup. Start with a formula that works, and then tweak it to match your goals.
-Ask what to do, don't ask for confirmation of your owned flawed beliefs. Don't ask questions to get the answers you want. The answer to almost any question is that you could make it work. If one of the experts tells you, "that might work." What they mean is that with their vast knowledge they could manipulate some other components of the system to make it work. You don't have their knowledge.


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## BryceM

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

OK now, too much talk, not enough gross pictures.......


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## demen45

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*



HeyPK said:


> My cyanobacteria is so bad that it has crop circles!


Holy moly, that's some ugly stuff. I shouldn't be complaining about my algae problem after seeing this. LOL


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## prBrianpr

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Horrific!!!


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## Gilles

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Allright, you might think this is basic BGA. But the Algue i was having, is so horrific, even Oliver Knott tells me by mail that he needs to see it in person and all the dutch anti-BGA treats don't work. Cyanocell, Aerocol all specific BGA treatments don't help.

And the ****ty part? It happens in a perfectly balanced tank (right Nitrates, right phosphates, right micro elements, right light and right co2 levels). I lost all my plants to it...




























Then after a blackout it was gone (so i thought).



















Then it came back, with a vengeance...





































Don't laugh, but i did another blackout and here is my result...




























The rest is lost...


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## abcemorse

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Gilles, what is the red plant in the last two photos? Those are some nasty pics:fear:, sure makes me feel pretty good about my tanks (which is not to say I haven't had issues, but those are impressive)


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## demen45

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Gilles, how long did you have to blackout your tank to get rid of the algae?


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## BryceM

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Let me redirect this thread a bit.

Photos posted here are to be submissions for entry to the contest.

Gilles, which photo would you like to enter?

Keep the entries coming. We really only have 4 or 5 at this point.........


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## Zapins

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

I'm going to have to resubmit the winning picture from last year to see if it *can* be beaten though actually *looking* at the sheer horror of the picture in all its glory is hard. I am sorry for everyone viewing this. I had no choice but the beast was called to defend his title battle 










Andddd another one...









The last one is nearly artistic, in a sickening I'm-glad-its-not-my-tank kind of way.


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## HeyPK

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

I can see why it was the winner! It looks like a nightmarish combination of sewage and algae, and there is an actual plant leaf underneath!


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## DGalt

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

I wish I had taken pictures of my diatoms outbreak. The stuff was everywhere. It had a particular fondness for my dwarf hairgrass, which it engulfed to the point that I had to remove all of it (just couldn't get it off of the little blades of grass)


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## SniperLk

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Cyanobacteria is really the worst looking algae, a real nightmare


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## brion0

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Heres some BGA in my 10 g. I like the color an had a nice section of ground cover growing. It's just the awful smell it put of during water changes that sticks in my nose, an hangs out in the bathroom when I pour the old water down the toilet. I've been trying to get rid of it for a few weeks, added air, a Mini Elite, now Erythromycin, an I think its fading. It was caused by not using a timer for the lights, an possibly a little over feeding.


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## Seattle_Aquarist

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Hi brion0,

I had BGA in my 10 gallon and 6 gallon tanks. I have been doing a lot of reading about it and lately I have have been making very good headway in getting rid of it. It is to the point where I am down to just a few pea size blobs in each tank, and it continues to subside.

I read of other of hobbyists having success with increasing the amount of circulation (and oxygen) in their tanks and by increasing the amount of nitrogen that they dose in their ferts. So I did the following: first I put an airstone in one of the tanks but not the other, second I increased the dosage of my PPS-Pro macro to 2X the normal dose, third (because I have had success with using Excel on regular algae) I dosed both tanks with 2X the normal daily dosage amount of Excel. Twice weekly I do 25% water changes and pulled out a few of the bigger blobs.

The results have been very promising, it has been about 5 weeks now and there has been a very noticeable decrease in the amount of BGA in both tanks. In fact, it appears that the is very little if any new algae growth and any original algae has clumped up into globs that I pull out with the water changes.

I am going to continue this "treatment" and see if I can attain a level of no visual BGA, if the current trend continues it should be attainable.


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## Gilles

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Well i am thinking about the first, or the 6th.

Problem with these "contest" is that you really should know the entire story behind the algue. Else you might say: "Oh.. that is just bga" in my case it is not really that explosive, but i am fighting the algue for about 6 months now, and nothing seems to work.

@demen; before the last 2 photos i did an 9 day blackout to kill it. Just before that, 2 medicines had to go in and UV had to be on non-stop. I removed all my filter media to prevent that from "keeping" the infection alive.

I think i'll go with this one:


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## BryceM

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

OK everyone. More entries are needed.

The bar has been set pretty high, but I'm sure there's plenty of ugly photos still awaiting a shot at eternal glory.

:retard:


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## Pinto

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

 OMG Zappin that some horrific algae you got there. I cant compare .


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## Zapins

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Hehe, thank you! there is not 1 spot in the picture that isn't algae


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## brion0

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*



Zapins said:


> Hehe, thank you! there is not 1 spot in the picture that isn't algae


Were you trying to grow algae? If so you did a great job.


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## Zapins

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Nope, just a terrible terrible (and interesting) time in that particular tank's life


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## Alex123

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Ewwe gross stuff. Horrific in fact. They say having aquarium lowers the blood pressure. I think having some of these aquarium will give cardiac arrest!


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## bosmahe1

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Zapins,

You must be a determined individual. I think if I would have seen that in my tank, everything would have been packed up for Goodwill.


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## BryceM

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

More pictures, more pictures.......


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## KraKen

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Ahh Man... I wish I saw this a couple of weeks ago when I was transferring everything (but the algae) from my 10 gal FEMA trailer tank over to my new (for me) 30 gal. When all was said and done i had a glob of hair algae and cladaphora the size of a basketball!:axe: I couldn't believe that much algae could fit in that tank.:shock:

Would the dried up remains of this horrific mass of algae count?


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## BryceM

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Post it, Post it!!!!

opcorn:


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## jaidexl

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Yuk, I think HeyPK has some bullfrogs laying eggs or something. :icon_oak:

Here's mine. How many are we aloud to enter?


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## art_b

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

dj2606 suggest that I join this competition. From the original post http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/algae/61675-hair-diatoms.html, here goes:

Hair Algae.










Another view of hair algae.










Some brown algae. (Notice the filter intake and side glass have hair algae)










They say I loss the battle and should start again


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## jaidexl

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*



art_b said:


> They say I loss the battle and should start again


Psshht, that's bogus advice. Look at my algae photos, the same tank looks great now. Lower your light.


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## BryceM

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Only a few days left for entry........

Keep 'em coming!!


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## KraKen

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Here's the remains of the wad of hair algae and cladaphora that I pulled out of my ten gallon over a month ago.










The meter stick gives you an idea of the diameter of the ball when I removed it. I didn't even know that filter floss was in there until after it rained a few times.


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## Gilles

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Please hurry up and send some more photo's! I'd love to see how you got rid of the algue.


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## 954baby

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*


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## PhoMan

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

my tank looks like that.... haha
I think it's because I have not cleaned the glass in a while, ever since my oto's perished.


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## BryceM

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Oh, oops!!

We were supposed to vote on this last week.

I'll get it made into a poll and we'll see if Zapins can defend his title.


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## Gilles

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

hehe shame on you!


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## Zapins

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Soo! When do we call it quits?! When is the competition over??


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## Jane in Upton

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Eeeeeeeew!

I haven't been this close to snarfing coffee out my nose in ages! *shudder*.... Wow, this really puts my own outbreaks in perspective!

Can you make a link to the poll when its up? Maybe I'm out of practice, but I can't find the area of polls (d'oh!).

Thanks for making my morning, folks! And Bryce...... your request "more pictures!" with the eating-popcorn smiley made me picture you, popcorn at the ready, gleefully pouring over the algae outbreak documentation.... whew, you have a twisted sense of "entertainment", LOL!

Fun, fun, fun!
-Jane


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## geneyoonit

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

i donno about u guys.. but some of these tanks look pretty beautiful with algae... XD


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## BryceM

*Re: Another "Most Horrific Algae Photo" contest*

Arright. Sorry I took so long getting back to this.......

The poll will be open for 1 month. The winner will get eternal glory and a nice "front-page" article here if they'll give us some details about how to acheive such a stunning display of putresence. Also, if they'd like, I'll be happy to send a nice plant package their way.


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## Jlanders001

"The difference between a plant and a weed is that one has yet to discover the virtue in the weed."

-Mark Twain


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## Newt

Minsc - there's just so much of it. Algae soup deluxe.


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## ollie78

I'd have to agree that some of the algae actually looks nice Sure as heck wouldn't want it in my tank though.


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## northtexasfossilguy

Jlanders001 said:


> "The difference between a plant and a weed is that one has yet to discover the virtue in the weed."
> 
> -Mark Twain


Yeah, but Mark Twain never battled BBA ...as far as we know. The use in that is to fizz and bubble when I dose it with Hydrogen Peroxide


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## Zapins

This is funny. We are all neck and neck!!


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## davemonkey

Very gross pics everyone...GREAT JOB!  
Only one actually made me "ill", that would be HeyPK's "crop circles"....YUCK!!! uke:

-Dave


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## Tex Gal

I had a hard time deciding!


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## Zapins

There might have to be 3 prizes the way this is going... lol


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## Zapins

Come! Keep voting!! Only 29 people have voted??


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## fl4ian

this is hilarious.


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## BryceM

The polls will be open for another 2 weeks. So far HeyPK's crop circles are doing quite well.......


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## Zapins

Ugh!!! Seems like the aliens are voting too 

We need more voters!!!


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## BryceM

Arright. I think it's time to declare the winner. HeyPK gets top honors this year for his fabulous rendition of crop cirlces using cyanobacteria.

Kudos.

Send me a PM and I'll get your prize on its way!


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## tenakoon

oh wow! though some of the pictures are horrific im fascinated at the size of the algea in some tanks.


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## Canyouhearthem




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