Hi Guys...

Have been extremely busy over the last month due to the recession and huge work pressure due to the same. Have sighed number of times thinking about the good old days when I used to log on to Barr report for the full office hours, those days are gone now.

Anyway, good thing is that the hobby has not left me, my tanks are doing good, touch wood and plant health has not been disappointing. More over I am in the process of starting a new 2/1/1 tank with ADA Amazonia ii, pressurised Co2, rocks and HC Cuba. It will be an Iwagumi project, and the hardscape is already layed and the substrate is soaking in water. I am on my way to procure HC Cuba for the flora. I am using 72 watts of hanging PLL fixtures for this tank of 15 gallon. Will post the pics in a day or two.
I plan to grow the HC emersed and then fill up water.

However, I am little concerned about algae, to be precise about BBA on the rocks as they are directly under the strong lights. I need all your expertise to ensure and prevent that the dreaded BBA does not ruin the looks of the barren rocks thus hampering the tank composition. Kindly help me.

Cheers and happy fish keeping to all.

I have been wondering how people avoid BBA on bare wood, but does it grow on rocks? I have to think it does, but I can't remember having any on rocks when I used them.

There' are a few easy simple common sense methods available here.
I hear this same type of comment often about algae on wood/rock etc.

Rocks that are closer to the light, up higher etc, can easily be exposed during a water change. Take some of the dry ferts, KNO3, KH2PO4, GH booster etc. Sprinkle it on.

Allow it to hit the algae infested spots and stay for a few minutes. You can do the same with Excel, H2O2, Sodium percarbonate, potassium Permangnate, with liquids, you can mist the salts etc on the rocks for even coverage using a spray bottle etc.

Not much will survive straight Excel

Big water changes every so often are not ideas anyway. Does not need to be done that often either. BBA and other species of algae typically do not bother me in such displays, because there's not a high CO2 demand and less CO2 variation is present.

Also, HC is very tolerant of Excel.........

Regards,
Tom Barr

Yes, it will grow on rocks and wood. I am eliminating mine now, but easily will cover rocks if you let it

I brush off using a toothbrush, and have been increasing c02, as Tom suggests.

Sometimes, I flip the rock over for a couple of weeks, and then clean and reposition..........

Going away now and not recurring, over 2-3 weeks of increased c02, flow, more pruning, etc.

Big thing is to PREVENT it by having optimal c02 and nutes at the start.

Hope this helps.

Thanks a lot, Tom, Vaughn and Gerry...Will follow this method and let you all know how successful it has been in my conditions. I have very hard water here, a PH test reads near 8.8

KH is the main concern, not pH.

Regards,
Tom Barr