# Bba...



## Tikulila (Feb 18, 2011)

hey all,

my aquarium is being taken over by BBA. ( i think) 

i just cant seem to defeat it, and the plant cant either. i added soem shrimp now, but it wont help in the short term, any ideas on what to do, 

13G (50L) tank.

38W light

No CO2


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## rlswaney73 (Jul 21, 2011)

BBA, increasing CO2 helps get rid of it, you dosing excel at all? excel will kill it but if you have vals and few other plant types it can kill them as well.


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## Tikulila (Feb 18, 2011)

i dont want to go into CO2, but if there is no other option, i will do it. I live in israel, so no Exel here. mz new shrimp (wild type Neocaridina, although some look like snowball shrimp) thez seem to like the algea, but i dont think itll help...


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## jeff5614 (Feb 15, 2006)

The easiest thing would be to reduce the light. Raise the fixture or use fewer bulbs. IME, increasing CO2 doesn't necessarily always help since there seems to be more involved. Keep up with regular water changes, remove dead leaves, excess food, etc., but lowering your light will be the most effective at slowing it down and stopping it since I think you have too much light not to be using CO2.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Your tank is dirty.

It may look completely clear to you but it is dirty. You have organics floating all over and the BBA eats them. Something is or went wrong with your biofilter at some point.

Solution: Change 10% water every other day. Remove all BBA you can every day. Feed the fish less and more rare. Make sure your biofilter is large enough and the flow is not good today and slower 3 days later. 

Excel helps. With shrimp you risk killing them.

--Nikolay


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## Tikulila (Feb 18, 2011)

dont have a filter, its hard to find shrimp safe filters here.

i have just done a 40% water change, i took all plants out and am going to clean them all.

if there is any place you can offer a cheat shrimp safe filter, i live in israel, so its hard to finds some.

thanks

Edit:

light is not 38W, but 36.
how many Hours should i lower it to, is 8 ok, or should i do 6 and up it slowly?


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Any canister filter is good. Just wrap a piece of fine mesh fabric around the intake pipe. A sock, or a sponge.

Do not try to use mechanical filtration or activated carbon. Use 100% biofiltration. Once the tank has gotten clean from frequent water change the biofilter can actually keep up and maintain the tank clean.

Removing the plants and cleaning them is not going to get rid of the BBA. The problem is organics in your tank. That is where the cleaning needs to happen.

--Nikolay


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## Tikulila (Feb 18, 2011)

ok, so i have a canister,per Hour: 600 (tank is 50) L so X12.

the canister has normal sponge, i dont have spare socks, any other good idea for a fabric, and 1 canister or 2? also, i can make a Hydro sponge filter in a few days.


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## Tikulila (Feb 18, 2011)

will a DIY sponge filter work?
thanks.


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