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Re: BBA  tnbue-@earthlink.net
 Oct 07, 2004 15:13 PDT 




Of course, boilng the stuff would kill it anyway and  bacteria would eat it if the fish didn't.  At any rate, that would be very difficult in my tank.  What about H2O2?  Allelopathic plants?  I've tried barley extract, with no discernable effect.  Algicides?  Incantations?-----Original Message----- From: Michael Laflamme Sent: Oct 7, 2004 12:19 PM To: detr-@topica.com Subject: [detritus] BBA Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor:
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BBA is usually a sign of excess nutrients in the tank, most likely nitrate.  Before I ventured into planted only tanks, It was a common occurence in my 55 gallon.  Mainly because my fish load was too high.  I had two large Bala Sharks, One gigantic pleco, one very large black ghost knife, and a few medium sized fish, all adding to the nitrate load on the tank.
I would say your vacation feeder added the nutrients needed to cause the BBA to grow.
Here is the problem with BBA.  It grows so slow because it puts energy into making itself not taste good.  In this way, it ensures it's survival, because fish don't want to eat it...including, but not exclusive to, plecos.
The only way my algae eaters would touch it, is if I removed the items it was growing on, poured boiling water on, or soaked them in boiling water,(even hot water from the tap works) and then placed them back into the tank.  Evidently, this kills whatever bitter taste the BBA has, blanches it to a brown color, and the algae eaters go nuts on it.
If you can remove and burn it with hot water, you will see a reduction, provided your tank returns to its nutrient poor (nitrate limited) conditions.
That's my observation.
Good Luck.
Michael Laflamme



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