I’ve tried to wipe off BBA from decorations with hot water, and it was really tough. I use fishing line to secure the plants. How do I do the bleach method or/and liquid co2 method? Despite its color, Black algae, also known as Black Beard Algae is a member of the red brush algal family in the Rhodophyta division. Black algae on Anubias leaves Here’s a cheat code for providing algae from growing on your Anubias leaves. With the right approach, permanent removal of beard algae is possible, however. The nice thing about peroxide is that it leaves virtually no residue and you can instantly put your plants and rock back in the aquarium. Flourish Excel is basically liquid carbon, which is a relative good alternative to CO2 injection. As I mentioned in the article, I don’t recommend overdosing Flourish Excel; this was only an experiment done by me. Black beard algae from your aquarium plastic aquarium plants weird black algae on my aquarium gl black beard algae in aquariums anubias black algae the planted tank anubias black algae the planted tank. Hi everyone, I've been reading some article saying that, diluting excel (1 part) with water (5 part) then submerging the infected leaves can kill them. Thanks The lack of CO2 or its fluctuation can also cause the appearance of BBA. A 19:1 bleach/water dip will generally clean them up nicely. After months of fighting it, I really got to know it and finally, I found the cure. You can add a CO2 system to your tank. I have added garrar to the tank and they are eating the black beard algae. Most people will recommend you to cut off all the leaves from your plants that are infected with black beard algae. You need to differentiate these from Chinese algae eater. Seachem Flourish Excel is an algaecide in its nature, however, and though it’s very easy to add and it works, you should be careful with the dosing. So what is this brush technique all about? I spoke to the pet shop where I bought the product from and they said that fish that had plates rather than scales, such as the catfish and the loaches were vulnerable to this product so I have stopped using it.… Read more ». However, if you’ve developed a liking to one of the other species that eat black beard algae you should totally go for one regardless, as there are actual reports of them clearing the thing up. Substrate is black diamond sand with root tabs. The Siamese algae eater fish (scientific name: Crossocheilus oblongus) is the only freshwater aquarium fish, that will consume black beard algae. Especially the long-lived, hardy leaves of all kinds of Anubias species. It has… Read more », Hi Curt, You do seem very knowledgeable and I can only assume you work somewhere in the chemistry field. So that means that doing absolutely nothing provides 15-25× more than “liquid carbon”. Research shows, that black beard algae is caused by excess of vitamin B12 in the water column. You’ll be surprised at how diverse the reports are on what else eats black beard algae in aquarium habitats. I will be following your instructions! And now I have one question for you. If the black brush algae is not completely gone in one week, repeat the process. My tank is heavily planted with live plants and has around 2/3 cover with floating plants (water lettuce and guppy grass) I think the problem started when we were away for a week a while back and the light timer had stopped working, so the tank had constant lighting for around 4 days. Spores can swim around for weeks or months in your aquarium, and when the conditions are right, the BBA will start growing and spreading. It’s very persistent and is often difficult to remove because it has a tendency of returning. The simple way out is the usage of the biological methods. Simply dosing teaspoons of peroxide in your fish tank water won’t cut it. I would really appreciate help from you guys! 3. Black brush algae will start growing on the tip of the slow growing plant leaves and will spread overtime to the whole leave. Can you help with a dosage that won’t kill my fish but will kill the BBA. In this case algae eating fish and shrimp will not even touch it. In the past I have been able to do the bleach dip on my smaller Anubias Nana (Petite) plants to get rid of the black algae that grows on their leaves. This is my Geophagus aquarium. If all your plants are covered with BBA, it might be worth removing the affected leaves to remove as much algae as you can, get some fast growing plants and dose Flourish Excel as recommended. SmartAquariumGuide.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Are their any snails that eat black algae? When there’s an imbalance of the incoming light and the amount your plants actually need algae comes in the picture. Blue light is heavily employed by algae and it should be kept at the bare minimum in planted tanks (read about 10% of the diodes on your fixture should emit a blue spectrum). Use Hydrogen peroxide and water in a 1:4 ratio and let the new plants soak for a couple of minutes. When this happens your pH will elevate, which is a really good sign that a poor CO2 level is your problem. Both methods will render the algae weak and soft enough for your SAEs to feast on it. I have a 30L tank with 3 various size platies in it. This method is often used for fungi treatment on new seeds right before their germination. If you notice these tiny little dots, don’t panic. Killing algal spores before the bloom occurs is your best bet. If so, what would be good to get rid of it? They probably mostly belong to the green algae of the genus Coleochaete, which have a plate-like multicellular "body". Here are the steps you should follow: In just 1-2 days, you will see the black beard algae losing its color or share. The issue, however, should be resolved at its core. But it’s important to follow this checklist once you’ve defeated the unwelcome invader. I tend to find in most of the older established tanks you don't get much algae, other than a bit of BBA on sponges etc. If neglected, BBA will take over your whole Anubias plant. If these sound like way too many possible causes, know that I haven’t even revealed the main one yet. Brown algae on Anubias--what to do?