Black Brush

[hoang1912]

Anyone here experiment about Black Brush before? It look like this

[MrShrimp]

Looks like black beard algae. Very easy to get rid off. Just spot dose with excell or peroxide. Works every time.

[hoang1912]

It is, but u dose directly into the tank? and how do u mix peroxide?

[blindfisherman]

Pick up a bottle of hydrogen peroxide from the supermarket or chemist

Turn off the filters and squirt the peroxide directly on the bba

Watch it fizz :)

Wait about 15-30 mins and plug the filter back in and you are good to go

I worked out the dosage rates to be about 2 ml / 3 l is safe and can be done daily

[hoang1912]

Really? I saw it in the lib. But I prefer take it out and treat it outside as it appear on my sponge filter, such annoying and ugly >"

[fishmosy]

For those with larger tanks, SAE or Siamese Algae Eaters are effective removers of BBA when young, less so as adults. I regularly trade larger SAE out of my six foot planted tank for small SAE and they work really well at stopping the BBA from appearing. I have removed the SAE once and it wasn't long until I noticed little bits of BBA appearing on some plants. Never been without an SAE since. Note SAE get large (>10cm) and there are several fish that look similar but don't eat BBA. Make sure you get the right one.

However for a substantial outbreak that you need to get on top of quickly in order to prevent it spreading, I'd be reaching for the peroxide.

[Dostalgia]

I am unable to see your images, but anyway this is what i do for BBA for my planted tank. I am not sure how excel will affect a shrimp tank though :/

I have a 500ml measuring cup, i measure 1.5-2x the dosage rate for 500ml and mix it into the 500ml cup, i use a syringe, turn off my filter and just slowly squeeze out the liquid mixture onto the plants, the rate i squeeze out from the syringe is when i can see the brush of the bba moving slightly. i do this till i finish my 500ml, turn my filter back on, and do it every alternate day, if i start my first treatment monday, by friday they would have turned grey/red and die off. I won't dose again on saturday and i do a 30-40% waterchange on Sunday.

I get BBA when i have too much light and my slow growing plants like anubias will get them. You need to find the cause of this else it will keep coming back again and again.

SAE are one of the few fishes that eats them, mine eats them when they are small and less bushy. Once they grow out into a bush, my SAE won't touch them, so what i do is just pluck at them and when they grow out young brushes the SAE will eat them. :) I ever had a fussy SAE that won't touch them at all!

[MrShrimp]

Excell is safer then peroxide. Some mosses will melt when I spot dose peroxide so always do a little spot first and wait a few days to see if moss is ok. I found pearl moss can't handle my 35% peroxide solution.

[Wraithie]

Which part of the supermarket do i find peroxide in? The cleaning section?

[hoang1912]

Chemist warehouse, priceline? my chemist. Just walk in and ask them, they will show you. As I remember, only ~$6 each :)

[torface]

Which part of the supermarket do i find peroxide in? The cleaning section?

You find it in the first aid section. In my supermarket it's on the bottom shelf. Brown bottle.

And Hoang, i dont know where you're shopping, but ive only ever paid about $3 a bottle lol

[Squiggle]

You can get 3% & 6% solutions, correct me if I'm wrong but I think the best for this job is the 3%. :encouragement:

[hoang1912]

I bought that long long time ago so I dont remember exactly how much is that bottle :). I got the same one did mention in our library.

[blindfisherman]

You can get 3% & 6% solutions' date=' correct me if I'm wrong but I think the best for this job is the 3%. :encouragement:[/quote']

I use 3 % aswell. It seems to be the right concentration to get max coverage whilst making it fizz.

When I have used the 6% in the past I diluted it 1:1 to get 3% anyway.

[Wraithie]

How does spot treatment go if you have nosy fish that are always interested in what you're doing?

[blindfisherman]

It wont affect them, I have had shrimp swim through immediately after and haven't noticed any ill affects.

If they are big fish, you may need to fence them off so that the H2O2 can sit around the algae for a little while.

[Wraithie]

Just some rams and kribensis :) thanks!

[Rambozo]

Black Brush

Just a question. Can I spray the peroxide on to the leaves of plants? Or will it melt them as well.

[OzShrimp]

ARRRRRRGH got this crap on all of my sponge filters and it has come out of no where not impressed! Is no where else but on my sponges!