Algae Outbreak PLEASE help!!!

MidTnMike41

MidTnMike41

New member
What would you do if this was your tank? I have tried everything and waited months and I cannot beat this. My tank has become an eyesore. I really need some advice on how to handle this major algae outbreak. I have spent many many hours researching and reading forums on the subject, and feel like I am doing everything correct but with zero progress, in fact I think it's getting worse. The tank is about a year old and has looked like this for the last 3 months, before that it was a beautiful tank that was thriving.

Parameters
Nitrates 0 (Red sea)
Phosphates 0 (Hanna)
Calcium 430 (Salifert)
Alk 9.3 (Hanna)
Mag 1350 (Salifert)

Here is what I have done so far:
Increased water changes to 20% per week with Red Sea Coral Pro, checked my RODI, it read 0 TDS, decreased light intensity and length, and manually remove all I can every time I have to hood off.

Here are my export methods:
Changing filter socks every 2 days, carbon dosing, skimming, running GFO and carbon in reactors. I have a pretty large cleanup crew of snails and crabs.

What should my next steps be? Please HELP!!!!!!


<a href="http://s1357.photobucket.com/user/mabernathy9/media/Mobile%20Uploads/0520160756_zps9w6mfujf.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q750/mabernathy9/Mobile%20Uploads/0520160756_zps9w6mfujf.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 0520160756_zps9w6mfujf.jpg"/></a>
 
I would probably try this or even get a grout brush and scrub the heck out of the rocks. Continue running the GFO but I would increase the amount in the reactor. You are showing 0 phosphates because all that algae is sucking it up so fast...nitrates too. Mass removal of that or boiling is the way to go and then make sure you have chaeto in your sump to absorb the nutrients and outcompete the algae in the tank. Do a blackout on the DT for 3 days and turn on the lights in your sump so that your sump outcompete a the DT for nutrients.

Many people with it that bad would start over and boil the rocks but you have to be careful when doing that and suggest doing it outside if you go that route. This would be a nuke option and a last option.

Also make sure you have a good skimmer that is dialed in.

Could also consider adding a ATS to your sump as an alternative.

As bad as that tank is looking, I would get ultra aggressive with that crap.



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bryopsis? That sucks.. mine was about that bad...
you can try to raise the mag level.. (Kent Tech M)
google "bryopsis magnesium"
 
I believe its just GHA but I could be wrong. I posted on another forum as well. I think my next step is going to be to pull out a test rock and hit it with peroxide and see how well it works. If it works the miracle that people say it will I plan on doing just a few rocks a week until its gone. I dont want to create a cycle by doing it all at once.
 
Don't you have a clean up crew? snails/crabs,etc..?
If its GHA normally they would take care of that easily.. Bryopsis.. heck no they don't touch it..

closeup pic?
 
I do have a cnc. Crabs and snails. Doesn't seem to be as many as there use to be though. I just added 20 snails and Havnt seen them since I put them in the tank.
 
Here is a little better pic of the algae.

<a href="http://s1357.photobucket.com/user/mabernathy9/media/Mobile%20Uploads/0520161240a_zpsxry6vift.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q750/mabernathy9/Mobile%20Uploads/0520161240a_zpsxry6vift.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 0520161240a_zpsxry6vift.jpg"/></a>
 
Did it used to be green all the way through, and now it's faded to look clear except for the green base? If so that's what happens when it weakens. It could be that your export is catching up and you're getting close to the end.
 
CStrickland said:
Did it used to be green all the way through, and now it's faded to look clear except for the green base? If so that's what happens when it weakens. It could be that your export is catching up and you're getting close to the end.
Click to expand...

I was scrolling down and ready to post the same thing.

Looks to me like you are making headway.
 
I really hope so. It turned brown once I got the nitrates down to 0 but that was 2 months ago. It still grows though. It's really green at the base.
 
You're gonna have to manually remove most of that. Even if it dies, it will still be in the tank.

Vaccum or grab handfuls of if. Just get it out. Consistent wc and use of gfo will/should prevent it from growing back.

This is why I cured my rock for 2 months before adding it to the tank and still had a small outbreak.

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For quick clean up and looking right away, you have to do some water change then keep old water to clean up every single rock. Move one rock at the time the using hard tooth brushes or iron brush is more effective then brush the rock and keep doing that until all rock clean. Landscaping the rock again then your DT will look better. Next step is doing whatever everyone up here said then you will be ok.

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I clean filter sock every day, it is 150 micron because I want collect every dust, food as it can and I set wet skim mate. You won't believe the filter sock is very dirty everyday. My return pump flow around 6000gph so my drain will collect dust faster.

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You have to manually remove it. That alongside weekly 10% wc, and monthly or bi weekly gfo changes is THE ONLY thing that will help you situation.

You aren't getting a phosphate reading because the phosphates are leaching out of your rock, and getting absorbed by the algae before being released into the water column.

Think of the algae as a filter sock... and the only way to clean them out, is to remove them.

Do all this and your problem will be solved.

Honestly, this is your only option, and it will work. There is no secret sauce you can sprinkle in and make your algae disappear. You have to maintain a weekly regiment, and if you dont, well, the proof is in the pudding

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Just an update. I did a test rock. I soaked it in peroxide, let it sit for 5 min, and scrubbed it. Here it is back in the tank. My tank my have hope after all. I am going to see how the algae growth goes for a few days before doing more.

<a href="http://s1357.photobucket.com/user/mabernathy9/media/Mobile%20Uploads/0521161018_zpst0cxgef0.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q750/mabernathy9/Mobile%20Uploads/0521161018_zpst0cxgef0.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 0521161018_zpst0cxgef0.jpg"/></a>
 
I like peroxide for spot treating, and frag plugs. By killing the whole algae it sets it back a lot ore than just yanking what you can break off. But the down side is that I think it kills other stuff too and it doesn't remove the phos bound to the rock. Since you have so much rock with algae, I'd proceed carefully. The more you can yank or scrub without chemicals the better. The instant gratification is nice though! You can dilute it 4:1 water to peroxide and save some $
 
I plan on doing it over a few weekends. I don't want to cause my tank to cycle again. Right now I am reading 0 phos and 0 nitrate, but not sure what I will read once the algae starts to disapear. I'll just watch it close and adjust as needed.
 
MidTnMike41 said:
I believe its just GHA but I could be wrong. I posted on another forum as well. I think my next step is going to be to pull out a test rock and hit it with peroxide and see how well it works. If it works the miracle that people say it will I plan on doing just a few rocks a week until its gone. I dont want to create a cycle by doing it all at once.
Click to expand...

This will melt the algae giving you a fresh start. But you need to drop the nutrients really really low and not let them back up for a while. Many people don't change their GFO often enough. Blow off the rocks & capture detritus during this period but don't clog up the foam filters in your GFO reactor.

Once the algae is short on the Rock and hammered by GFO, the right CUC seems more interested in eating the algae. Nothing but herbivorous fish seem to want to eat big long patches of algae.

You may want to combine peroxide spot treatment with full tank treatment (not simultaneously) if needed. But read up on the topic as overdoing it can have negative consequences. Good luck.
 
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