Just focus heavily on CO2 for awhile, see how it influences everything.
I think folks get tired of hearing add more CO2, but there's more to it than that.

You have to convince yourself that CO2 and BBA are related, not me
Many that have long been dogged by BBA believe it's something else or Fe, or PO4 or or or.........a never ending list and each rarely works as well.

That should be revealing in and of it's self

I've tried those while maintaining good control over the other parameters, never was able to induce it.

CO2?
Every time.

Now there are folks out there that have never mastered BBA and blamed a method of dosing or a nutrient still..........they are always 100% sure that they did everything right etc........I'm never 100% sure.........about anything and worry when I think such ways...........

I need to convince myself I did it right.
Same deal for other hobbyist, you need to convince your skeptical self that CO2 is the key here.

Do not be afraid to induce algae to learn more and gain a better understanding, once you know how to get rid of it, it's no longer an issue

You know the cause, so you can stop new growth. Some species go away without removal etc unlike some BBA cases.

Folks generalize between algae species also, they clump them all together.
that causes a lot of issues also.

Regards,
Tom Barr

If there is anything I have under control.... it is the ability to never assume I know what is going on in the aquarium. I have been focussing first and foremost on CO2 lately (while keeping all other variables constant) and I have seen many positive changes.

I will continue to play with CO2 to gain a better understanding and appreciation for its power.

It is interesting that you mention not to be affraid of inducing algae. In fact, the entire reason I started this aquarium was to study it and learn how to deal with the different situations that can arise (I have seen a large number of them!). I am involved in the marine aquarium industry and wanted to gain some experience in the planted aquarium arena. It has been a very interesting and challenging mission thus far.

Thank you Tom & everyone else that has helped me along the way.

Well, learning to grow a wide range of marine macro algae is the other thing I seem much more able to do than many Marine folks.

Same with FW algae.

They make good bioindicators, much like a test kit to measure environmental health.
The EPA also uses such methods to gauge water in natural/constructed systems.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Tom,

Very interesting approach. What genus/species are you working with?

Chaetomorpha?
Halimeda?
Caulerpa?

I am currently running my marine aquarium using a probiotic approach (Zeovit type). This has shown itself to be very powerful indeed. I am impressed at bacteria's ability to export nutrients (when used with a protein skimmer of course)