Squidlet Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hey everyone A little while ago I had some java fern that grew black beard algae on it. I took it out and soaked it in a bleach solution before putting it back in and the algae disappeared. Its now about 6 weeks later and my plants were doing really well, except I have notice this last week it seems to be coming back in little tuffs. Now it is growing on my driftwood and on the glass and filter outlet. There are small amounts appearing everywhere. The only change I've made is in the last two weeks I haven't used plant fertilizer (nutrafin plantgro), as the bottle smelt really sour and there appeared to be white particles in it? Unsure why as its not out of date but I thought it would be safer to get a new bottle but haven't been able to get down to animates. Now that I have had black beard will it always be there? My tanks are not big enough for a siamese algae eater so can't put them in, and I have millions of baby bristlenoses who won't touch it :facepalm: My other plants have a small amount of standard green algae or diatamos growing on them but otherwise still look good and healthy. Any suggestions for getting rid of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 i got rid of it by using Flourish Excell, dose as directed and it should die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidlet Posted March 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Did you find that you had an increase in other types of algae when you used flourish? This is what I have been told but would prefer to hear from someone who has used it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Flourish Excel not Flourish. Excel is a carbon alternative/suppliment and plain flourish is micro/macro nutrients which can give more of a headache if the nutrient balance is out. I use Excel and swear by it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidlet Posted March 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Ok great thanks Simon!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Li@m Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 I also swear by excel, its great stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#!CrunchBang Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 could get a siamese algae eater Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidlet Posted March 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Ok so I have bought some flourish excel today, but am slightly confused by the directions. It says: On initial use or after a major water change, use 1 capful (5ml) for every 40L. Thereafter use 1 capful for every 200L daily or every other day. Dosing may be slowely increased in high growth aquarims. DO NOT OVER DOSE. Do you have to use flourish every day to get rid of black beard algae and what will happen if you stop using it? In a week I'm going away for 3 weeks and my flat mate will be feeding my fish, but I can't expect her to dose my tanks with flourish also. Would I better waiting until I get back to start using it? I have a 40L and a 75L, so the daily or every other day dosing would be 1ml for the 40L and 2m for the 75L. I would be interested to know how other people use it Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 To reduce it and keep it under control yes you do need to dose daily or every second day. Personally I would recommend every day for the first couple of weeks and then every second day. If you go away it will not regrow significantly so it is worth starting the regime now. I use a syringe and squirt it directly onto the worst growth. In 2-3 days it turns a deep red and dies. You can use a syringe on the smaller tanks. It also pays to pick off as much of the stuff as you can and also remove any you see floating around the tank as that is how it spreads so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 i used it until bottle ran out then stopped and never got it back. i got mine from plants i bought from my lfs, check any new plants you get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidlet Posted March 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 Ok thanks for the hints Get it now while its still small haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angus Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 I double dose with Excel every so often when the BBA gets unsightly. For my ~70 gallon tank, i dose 70ml on the first day, then 12ml for a few more days. The BBA turns red and dies in a few days. It always comes back after a while. I'm not bothered by it too much. I've read opinions by planted tank experts that a highish level of consistent CO2 supply will help prevent regrowth, but i haven't managed to replicate that in my setup... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 I've read opinions by planted tank experts that a highish level of consistent CO2 supply will help prevent regrowth, but i haven't managed to replicate that in my setup... This is basically what flourish Excel is doing. Its a carbon alternative so doing the same thing CO2 will do. As mentioned by Adrienne. Squirting directly onto the BBA will be most effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angus Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 This is basically what flourish Excel is doing. Its a carbon alternative so doing the same thing CO2 will do. My reason for offering that advice, was that adding Excel can be an expensive way of combating BBA if you're already injecting CO2. Sorry for not clarifying that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneeyedfrog Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 One of my 3 foot planted tanks had an infestation of BBA. I tried the Excel which helped and kept manually removing but the BBA kept coming back and slowly started to take over. It was in the gravel, all over the plants/driftwood and glass. I manually removed alot and added a small internal filter to increase the water flow ( tank has a canister filter) and all the BBA disappeared. I also had two small tanks that get alot of sunlight and just have bubble filters. They were getting cyno. I did the same - added a powerhead in one and a small empty internal filter in the other and the cyno disappeared. Nothing else has changed. It would be interesting to see if it works for anyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidlet Posted March 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 I love this forum. This is the only one I have found that you can come to to get sound advice :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Adding an Internal Filter, to my 3 tanks, to keep the water circulating has certainly worked for me, made a huge difference. I don't add CO2 or Ferts, and yes I do have plants that are doing well :thup: Hoping to add CO2 soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxximuscool Posted April 4, 2012 Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 Adding an Internal Filter, to my 3 tanks, to keep the water circulating has certainly worked for me, made a huge difference. I don't add CO2 or Ferts, and yes I do have plants that are doing well :thup: Hoping to add CO2 soon Ah ha! I had that on my anubias nana but it has been a few months now (Bought it like that) my anubia is doing fine, no spread or infestation at all. I guess that is because I change my water every week and no CO2 or Fertz in the tank other than fish poop lol. I'm not too fuzz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted April 4, 2012 Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 As well as supplying carbon and helping plants out-compete algae for resources, it has a direct anti-algae effect, too. They just don't advertise it as they'd have a bunch more regulations to meet in the U.S market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeebee Posted April 4, 2012 Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 Yup tried and tested flourish excel.. The BBA goes red after a day or 2 then dies. Double dose everyday for a week. No harm to fish/snails.. Only do not use if you want to keep your vals alive if you have any.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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