I have been in the hobby for 50 years, but only since I moved to Ottawa have I had issues with BBA (Black Brush Algae).
And until this year I had no cure, but I have found something and wanted to share it.
H2O2 (Hydrogen Peroxide)
The trick is to add 10ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide per 15 gallons of water for 3 days and wait.
https://neeness.com/black-beard-algae/
I did this to a 75 gallon tank after removing all the fish, but not the plants and it worked great. The article says that removing fish was not necessary, but I have 3 gorgeous Synodontis multipunctatus {?} that I've owned for over 15 years there and wasn't willing to risk them.
BBA all gone, and plants look fine.
I now have another tank with BBA that i started doing tonight, but i have left in the fish. i have started today but with 1/4 the dosage, and will watch if the fish distress, and report.
I've tried peroxide on one of my tanks that has BBA in it.
Both times I negatively affected the cycle.
I guess I may have added too much, even though I thought I had underdosed.
I refuse to use Flourish Excel in my tanks.
There's the One Two Punch as described here.
https://www.plantedtank.net/forums/23-algae/203684-one-two-punch-whole-tank-algae-treatment.html
Quote from: Black_Rose on January 11, 2021, 09:29:30 AM
I refuse to use Flourish Excel in my tanks.
Hi Blackrose. Can I ask why?
Quote from: Gowalkitoff on January 11, 2021, 09:56:33 AM
Hi Blackrose. Can I ask why?
Every time I used it (underdosed it) I had panda cories die within days.
Both of my tanks with BBA have panda cories in them.
One also has a decent sized group of pygmy cories, which also seem to be delicate.
Hydrogen peroxide is one of my go-to solutions for algae control. Buy it from the dollar store, where's it's way cheaper than anywhere else. ;)
Funny enough I just did a 1-2 punch a few weeks ago and the tank is very close to algae free. I do not do the Excel at the end though as that stuff is so bad. I'll have to spot treat a few areas that didnt have as much flow when doing the treatment but it works really well.
I also under dose my 35G tank with hydrogen peroxide, and the BBA is still there. Should I do a water change before doing it again?