On 2004-11-10, Matt C. wrote:
I am having a real tough time with some GBA. I have four oto's and they
don't touch it. I can not locate a local source for real SAE's either. It is
really starting to take over some of my small Echinodorus Tennellus (pygmy
chain swords).Its on my Ludwigia also. I am worried about whether or not
this plant can cause harm to my chain swords. It has fully engulfed several
leaves and even some runners. will my sword still get enough light through
the algae? Is there a way to kill it? I would possibly even consider a
chemical if necessary.
thanx!

SAE's will help if you're not feeding them anything else. If you have
other fish, you really have no choice but to feed the tank. And, the
SAE's will go for the easy food before working on the algae.

The slower, less toxic way to go is try using some barley straws. The
decaying barley straw is suppose to release some acid that prevents the
growth of new algae. When I did this, the brush algae seemed not to
have stuck to surfaces as tightly as before. There's a bunch of
websites that talk about the barley straw theory. It's mainly used to
control algae in ponds.

--
"I have to decide between two equally frightening options.
If I wanted to do that, I'd vote." --Duckman