# Chronic BBA in El Natural setup?



## dawntwister (Sep 29, 2007)

I have found that if I don't dose KNO3 or K2SO4 I get BBA. 
I had this problem in a 10 gallon tank that got some indirect sun light. Thus when I set up the 29 gallon tank I put it in a place where no sun light reached. Still it occurred.
The tap water ph is 8.4, gh and kh not readable. I found on the Internet that soft water with a high ph
means that the water has been treated with phosphates. 

The tank My ph is 7.5, gh2, kh 3. 
Does anybody else have this problem?


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

nope did in the beginning but it goes away after bout a month or so.its cuz u soil as released alot of the organic matter it had. do some water changes and u should be good also cut your light back a bit


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## Tominizer (May 13, 2009)

sorry......... I'm a moron........ what's BBA ???


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## dawntwister (Sep 29, 2007)

bratyboy2 said:


> nope did in the beginning but it goes away after bout a month or so.its cuz u soil as released alot of the organic matter it had. do some water changes and u should be good also cut your light back a bit


The first tank had just organic top soil with sand over it. I don't have it anymore since I dose potassium. Just trying to find out if anybody else with similar parameter has the problem.



Tominizer said:


> sorry......... I'm a moron........ what's BBA ???


BBA is Black brush algae. You are not a moron, just a newbie. It takes a while to get use to the abbreviations used here.


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## NatalieT (Mar 20, 2007)

Tominizer said:


> sorry......... I'm a moron........ what's BBA ???


It's some kind of algae. I can't remember what all the abreviations stand for either, so either you're not a moron, or I'm one too


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## prBrianpr (Nov 18, 2007)

I think you have high on organic in the water. make w/c. If you dont have fish make the w/c and dose kno3 so the nitrate gets 40-50 mg/l. Then not make another w/c.

If you get a considerably quantity of Green spot algae then make the w/c.


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## dawntwister (Sep 29, 2007)

prBrianpr said:


> I think you have high on organic in the water.


I think the problem is in the water. The 1st time it occurred in a tank that had been set up for 3 months. Nitrates never get past 4.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

dawntwister said:


> The tap water ph is 8.4, gh and kh not readable. I found on the Internet that soft water with a high ph
> means that the water has been treated with phosphates.
> 
> The tank My ph is 7.5, gh2, kh 3.
> Does anybody else have this problem?


I suspect your low GH (meaning ultra-soft water) is the problem. Plants won't do well with a GH less than 4. The water doesn't have enough calcium and magnesium, two major nutrients (see my book, 114-117).

BBA is a softwater algae that can easily outcompete plants under softwater conditions like yours.

My prescription: increase your water hardness. See my book (p. 87) or the Calcium Dosing Procedure in the archives of this forum.


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## dawntwister (Sep 29, 2007)

dwalstad said:


> BBA is a softwater algae that can easily out compete plants under soft water conditions like yours.
> 
> My prescription: increase your water hardness. See my book (p. 87) or the Calcium Dosing Procedure in the archives of this forum.


I don't excess to your book and since I am living on unemployment I can't buy it. This is the info I was looking for. Thanks!!

Just reset the tank up with a version of mineralized soil. Potting soil, Cactus soil, Organic charcoal Reptile coconut bark, Calcium sulfate, Sodium Bicarb, Pond Tabs, and Seachem tabs. Then topped with River sand. Hoping this will help add minerals to the water. When I am home I can keep the algae under control. But their are times I leave town a few weeks. Thus been trying to understand the cause.


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## NatalieT (Mar 20, 2007)

dawntwister said:


> I don't excess to your book and since I am living on unemployment I can't buy it.


Have you checked your local library? If they don't have it, they may be able to borrow it from another library for you. (Some libraries will do this for free, and some charge a fee, so just ask and see.)


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

dawntwister said:


> Just reset the tank up with a version of mineralized soil. Potting soil, Cactus soil, Organic charcoal Reptile coconut bark, Calcium sulfate, Sodium Bicarb, Pond Tabs, and Seachem tabs. Then topped with River sand. Hoping this will help add minerals to the water.


The Pond Tabs and SeaChem tabs may be adding fertilizers that will stimulate algae. And I would not add calcium sulfate to an organic soil. Whatever benefits the calcium provides will be cancelled out by the sulfates. Sulfates added to an organic soil will be converted to toxic hydrogen sulfides, which will kill plant roots.

The only safe thing to add to an organic soil is calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonates come naturally from oyster grit, crushed coral, sea shells, dolomite lime, etc.

The Calcium Dosing Procedure is a more complicated but effective means to increase water hardness. It consists of adding mostly calcium chloride and some magnesium sulfate to the water. By using calcium chloride, you are providing calcium without loading up the water with sulfates. The sulfates in the minor addition of magnesium sulfates addition shouldn't be enough to cause problems.

In your situation, I would have simply added a little oyster grit or dolomite lime to your cactus soil.

Your substrate may still work if you didn't add too much of all those chemicals and fertilizers. But be prepared to do water changes and poke the soil to release toxic gases if you see (and smell) problems.

Good luck!


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