Easycarbo

[okla03]

Hi all,

I have a question about using Easycarbo in tank with Co2 already being injected.
I have tank nearly 2 months old, so I’m getting some BBA I read that easycarbo can help with that.
So, my question is would it be ok to use it and if it is how much is safe to use.

I have some amano, ottos,rosbora and cherry barbs.
I appreciate any advice
Thanks

 

[Wookii]

To be honest you are better getting to the root of what is causing your algae and fixing that. Though glut can be useful for spot dosing stubborn BBA once you have addressed the underlying problems, whole tank dosing glut is only really detrimental to overall tank health in the long run, in my experience.

You might be better starting a new thread for support on the algae issue directly, following these guidelines: Please read the guidelines for Algae help!

 

[okla03]

Thanks, I have two other tanks without Co2 injections I started two days ago adding easycarbo would that be a problem too.

 

[Wookii]

Thanks, I have two other tanks without Co2 injections I started two days ago adding easycarbo would that be a problem too.

In my experience, whole tank dosing does seem to have a mild preventative action on new algae growing, but also has a damaging effect on some plants - Buce in particular (see my thread here: Holey Buce Batman! . . .).

However it seems to have little effect on existing algae, for that you need to spot dose. To spot dose, mix some glut with water (2:1 or 3:1) - do not exceed the suggested whole tank dose of glut - turn the filter off and let the tank flow settle, and then use a syringe to locally mist the solution over the algae under water. Leave for 15 minutes and then turn the filter back on. Be careful of nearby plants when misting this solution though, many plants (particularly some crypts and most moss) will melt and die in the localised area where they come into contact with the solution.

The BBA should turn a light colour, often pinkish with a few hours, and if you have shrimp they'll likely start chowing down on it in short order.

As I say though, you'd be better tackling the cause of the algae first - prevention is better than cure.

 

[MarcusA]

APT Fix is great for spot dosing on BBA. My experience is that existing BBA can survive even after the underlying problem has been addressed and needs to be eradicated.

 

[okla03]

At the moment is not to bad, I have it on some of the plants, I’m worried about spreading all over so before it dose I’ll try everything to stop it.
Thanks for your advice I really appreciate.

 

[MarcusA]

What kind of plants do you have? I’ve actually never grown slow-growing plants but in the case of fast growing plants (stems and grasslike plants such as vals) once the plant has bba, that part of the plant is done for and should be thrown out. Even if the bba is removed it will not recover. But I should say I’m not a big plant expert so maybe somebody else can chime in. For me, the parts of plants with bba are just waiting to die and decay. Two months is still early and usually a time when the tank is pretty ugly and lots of dying stuff needs to be tossed.

 

[okla03]

I have mixed set of plants, but most is fast growing plants.
I may use easycarbo for spot treatment as suggested by Wookii and try to find out what is the cause. Now I’m getting quite a bit green algae too so balance is not right.
Thanks.

 

[MarcusA]

The tank looks great. I would spot treat the hardscape but trim off the parts of plants that have bba. Dying plants signal to algae that it’s time to set up shop. I used to think that the algae was killing the plant and if I removed it the plant would rebound but usually it’s that the plant or part of it is already unhealthy and removing the algae alone doesn’t help, the plant needs to be trimmed or removed. At any rate you are off to a good start.

 

[okla03]

Thanks, I did trim some yesterday today may start spot treatment