bba problem in both tanks

What size tank is this and what kind of lighting system are you using?

sorry you got to it before i was able to ad it. the tanks are both 55 gallon and im using for both, two t8 6500k bulbs, shop light fixtures. could it be my bulbs? just reg fluorescent phillips bulbs.

rexpepper651 said:

sorry you got to it before i was able to ad it. the tanks are both 55 gallon and im using for both, two t8 6500k bulbs, shop light fixtures. could it be my bulbs? just reg fluorescent phillips bulbs.

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Do you have floating plants? This would definitely help. 2 T8's over a 55 puts you at the high end of moderate and floating plants are almost necessary. I have this same lighting over my 55 and dose twice weekly but have almost complete coverage of floating plants and have no algae issues. The key is finding balance between light and fertilizer. I don't see a problem with your lights being on for 7 hrs. Maybe up the fertilizer to twice a week and a few floating plants.

i have floating plants on both. ill have to move my filter outlet to try an not have them push the plants around too much. i figured too much ferts but ill try the twice a week as you suggested!

Smit has given ya some good advice so far. I had the same setup on my 55 gallon but my lights weren't shop lights. Still a dual 48" T8 fixture. I would get some NBA but mostly on my floating plants. I also had my lights on for 7hrs and dosed twice a week on ferts. I do have some questions tho. How old are the bulbs and does the tank get sunlight at all during the day?

sand tank bulbs be will yr old in feb and the dirt tank the bulbs are about 4 months old. they get zero sunlight.

Are you using bulbs intended for growing plants?
If not, this will be a contributor as the light from standard bulbs falls mostly outside the spectrum needed for plant growth.
If the plants aren't using the light for growth, they won't use nutrients in the tank either.
The algae will happily snag the unused nutrients and subsist on whatever light it can get.

havent had problems with these bulbs on my other tank since its been up and running since feb. they are just normal 6500k phillips light bulbs. i was actually looking into getting some zoo med ones from dr foster n smith. these bulbs i have now tho have been working just fine. my growth was fairly good till the algae game about.

Just wanted to add I have a generally proven correct rule of t8 tubes need replacement every six months give or take if needing any UV benefit from them(and I have had a couple bulbs read too low at 4months and got replaced..but for another application however same applies here) . While even after the 6month period they are visually ok a solar meter will read shockingly low. Never tested the bulbs you have however and not sure if it's the same but instinct say ..yes??.. But also it's a good idea to actually stop dosing or half your dose as well as replace lights. Excess nutrients are part of the cause of BBA and if the plants all look good it is a good idea to see how a few weeks of smaller dosing goes or no dosing. You may be shocked that the plants do great without it. However BBA doesn't go away fast or easy. While doing all above mentioned I would also manually remove it with all water changes.

Best of luck

Everything I have read about bba its generally from to much lighting for the amount of Co2 lvls in the tank or fluctuations in Co2 lvls in certain tanks. Adjusting light intensity or duration had always worked for me in the past.

Boredomb said:

Everything I have read about bba its generally from to much lighting for the amount of Co2 lvls in the tank or fluctuations in Co2 lvls in certain tanks. Adjusting light intensity or duration had always worked for me in the past.

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Yes, The lighting if enough of it is supplied is what makes your plants absorb the Co2.. be it naturally or by supplement. As long as you are stocked enough to supply Co2 then the supplements aren't fully needed. Yes they do help your plants but when too many nutrients are available or excess Co2 from dosing when you already have enough stock to create it ..well then there will be issues. Better light(but not too much) increases the absorption of Co2 so that would always be the 1st thing to look at.

the algae is mostly attached to my anubis and the tops of my jungle val. it isnt affecting my cyrps at all. my jungle val looks pretty raggedy. ill trim off the tops where most of the algae is and the yellowing. is there really a huge diff between the normal bulbs i use now ( just reg ol 6500k tubes from the depot) and the zoo med ones here? Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting: Zoo Med Ultra Sun Trichromatic Fluorescent Bulbs are these bulbs going to need to be replaced every 6 months as well?

rexpepper651 said:

the algae is mostly attached to my anubis and the tops of my jungle val. it isnt affecting my cyrps at all. my jungle val looks pretty raggedy. ill trim off the tops where most of the algae is and the yellowing. is there really a huge diff between the normal bulbs i use now ( just reg ol 6500k tubes from the depot) and the zoo med ones here? Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting: Zoo Med Ultra Sun Trichromatic Fluorescent Bulbs are these bulbs going to need to be replaced every 6 months as well?

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asside from my post in the other thread.. Yes every 6 months for t8 bulbs if you're wanting the full UV benefit from them.

i want the best for my plants/fish that i can provide! gotta try it