AlgaeFix Marine to control Hair Algae

[iFisch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15048746#post15048746 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HighlandReefer
iFisch,

Thanks for posting your results. It has been added to my old memory banks for future reference.

I will try and get some FTS up. You should see the coraline already ridging out like a monticap does.

Well, partially due to the purplest rock I have ever laid my eyes on. But it's got some nice ripples to it. Really deep purple. Gorgeous stuff.



Give me a little time to play with the FTS. I have a crappy $100 point-n-shoot.

 

[nrannalli]

Algae fix marine worked wonders on removing HA from my tank unless it looks like this.

It also killed my cheato but spared my Neomeris annulata, sawblade and my mangroves seem to be doing fine. It also seemed to work on a small patch of cyanobacteria that showed up once the HA was gone. It didn't touch my outbreak of bubble algae or this red stuff

This stuff seems to be happy too which I wish it would die

I also did not turn off my protein skimmer.

 

[iFisch]

Can't you at least cut it down? God, that looks atrocious. Almost disgusting looking.

I'm sorry..

 

[nrannalli]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15049594#post15049594 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by iFisch
Can't you at least cut it down? God, that looks atrocious. Almost disgusting looking.

I'm sorry..

Your telling me it just keeps coming back and it is very difficult to get too since I don't have very good access to that section of the tank. The red stuff and the first picture are a couple of months old and since have perished now that my nitrates are down to 20 ppm. But I still can't get rid of the bubble algae.

 

[iFisch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15049667#post15049667 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nrannalli
Your telling me it just keeps coming back and it is very difficult to get too since I don't have very good access to that section of the tank. The red stuff and the first picture are a couple of months old and since have perished now that my nitrates are down to 20 ppm. But I still can't get rid of the bubble algae.

For stuff that bad, you'd think there's a reef safe sealant out there. Mow as much off as you can, apply sealant to rock, suffocate algae and ta-da! But of course that's too easy...

 

[nrannalli]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15049702#post15049702 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by iFisch
For stuff that bad, you'd think there's a reef safe sealant out there. Mow as much off as you can, apply sealant to rock, suffocate algae and ta-da! But of course that's too easy...

I guess you could pull the rock out and use a combination of baking soda and super glue to fry it and in case it in a plastic like shell. Maybe a tang might eat it I will get some next month when I have some extra doe.

 

[Logzor]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15048016#post15048016 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HighlandReefer
I would have like to see those pictures too.

I took some pictures last night. I am not sure how much they will help though. Once visible thing is the bleach white area where the algae used to be. Since I do not have a before picture this is the only real indication.

You would otherwise have a hard time guessing I have algae issues. I took a macro shot to show how the algae is like "skin" on my rockwork.

I will try and get a few uploaded this evening.

 

[HighlandReefer]

nrannalli,

Bring us up to date on your dosing of AlgaeFix. How many doses?

You have quite an assortment of unwanted pests in your tank.

What are your current phosphate and nitrate levels? I see Xenia in there, so you can not reduce nitrates too low.

If you are having problems removing the pest and keeping up, I would concentrate on one section of your tank at a time. Remove as much as possible of your pests in that one area. If you have too much growth, this will diminish the effects of the AlgaeFix. I have found that once you clear a section away it will stay that way if you continue dosing the AlgaeFix. The areas where the pest is hard to reach will have to be dealt with in some manor. Perhaps being creative with some device to hook the growth away will work if you can't reach it. There is too much pest mass to gain control IMHO.

Some of the hobbyists in this thread have mixed the AlgaeFix dose required in some tank water and then have used a turkey baster to apply it directly on their pest. This has seemed to help.

 

[HighlandReefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15049766#post15049766 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nrannalli
I guess you could pull the rock out and use a combination of baking soda and super glue to fry it and in case it in a plastic like shell. Maybe a tang might eat it I will get some next month when I have some extra doe.

IMHO, this will not work for too many reasons. If you give up on your pest, then you will need to pull everything out and bleach/vinegar soak your rock and sand using the proper methods stated in other threads. Otherwise the pests will come back through their spores released. This will be an involved process taking into consideration the corals and fish which can also serve as a source for re-infestation.

 

[HighlandReefer]

nrannalli,

Pulling rocks out and scrubbing them down will certainly help the AlgaeFix work also.

 

[nrannalli]

HighlandReefer

Sorry about that I dosed 6 tsp for 3 weeks and am now in maintenance mode 6 tsp once a week. It took a little over a week to start to see a difference but in the end it killed the HA like I wanted.

My phosphates read 0 on my test and my nitrates are a 20ppm. I am more focused on getting my nitrates down then fighting the algae right now. So I will be starting the Algaefix process again once my nitrates are down to bellow 5ppm.

The problem started because I had my tank running in the garage for over a year with no water changes. I had a chiller on it to keep it at 81 and a protein skimmer but that was not enough to keep the nutrients under control. I also had a 6 stage RO/DI unit with bad filters pumping nitrates into the tank from my float switch. But I wasn't willing to get rid 400lbs of live rock to have to buy it again the next year when I moved it to its permanent home. At one point I was about to give up the hobby when I lost 7 years worth of fish and corals (besides a few plys and a galaxea coral) moving to our new home. Mostly my fault in not tanking all the necessary precautions when transporting fish this won't happen again. But since one of the reasons I bought this house was because it had a 14ft wall with the garage on the other side perfect for an in wall unit. It has been running for about a year in its permanent home now with over 40 water changes and controlled feeding schedule my nitrates are down from over 200ppm which I didn't notice until 4 months ago when the algae started to take hold because of a bad test. I also just instatuted a sulfur reactor to get the last of the nitrates because it was cheaper than doing 5 150 gallon water changes. I also have very little room to get to the North East corner of the tank because I had limited space for my fish room on that side.

I will try the turkey baster trick and see if that works.

Once again thanks for the help
Nick

 

[nrannalli]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15050960#post15050960 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HighlandReefer
nrannalli,

Pulling rocks out and scrubbing them down will certainly help the AlgaeFix work also.

Done that twice.. now my rocks are in there permanent spot and I will live with what I can't get rid of. But I haven't given up yet so that algae still has a long fight ahead if it wants to stay in my tank.

 

[iFisch]

Highlandreefer :


Here's my beautiful rock.

And that purple has encrusted and is starting to "shelf" out. VERY neat. The best rock I have ever seen, from LFS.

BTW, the piece under the left outlet, was bare rock. Lots of coraline growth in about two weeks.



No lights on the tank today (JUST received my new T5's).

 

[HighlandReefer]

nrannalli,

Thanks for bringing us up to date. Sounds like you have a good plan.


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iFisch,

Tank is looking great. Your starfish looks like a Fromia. Great starfish even if it isn't.

 

[iFisch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15053858#post15053858 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HighlandReefer
nrannalli,

Thanks for bringing us up to date. Sounds like you have a good plan.


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iFisch,

Tank is looking great. Your starfish looks like a Fromia. Great starfish even if it isn't.

You are correct. I supplement a tiny rockful of seaweed twice a week. I place him ontop of the rock so I know he eats.

Otherwise, he grazes the rocks, glass and sand bed 24/7.

 

[HighlandReefer]

I had one for the longest time. Great starfish and neat to watch. They move fast from one end of the tank to the other. I had a nasty fish that for some reason kept picking on him and finally the starfish met his demise before I had time to react. May he rest in peace.

 

[iFisch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15053991#post15053991 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HighlandReefer
I had one for the longest time. Great starfish and neat to watch. They move fast from one end of the tank to the other. I had a nasty fish that for some reason kept picking on him and finally the starfish met his demise before I had time to react. May he rest in peace.

They are. Mine's not that big, about 1.5". My Mom LOVES to watch him for some reason.

I find every animal in my tank fascinating, in one way or the other.

 

[capture]

I'm joining the AlgaeFix Marine Club! I think we should add that to all of our signatures... Rimless Club, T5 Club, AFM Club :lol:

I'll give you all a rundown and even some photos for comparison in a sec.

I had a serious nitrate and phosphate problem a while back. I battled with some cyano and started seeing traces of HA in spots. I started dosing MicroBacter 7 and Vodka with great results. I currently have no cyano but my HA is out of control.

I've cut back my dosing of vodka and yesterday I picked up a bottle of AlgaeFix at Petsmart... Yup, they had the 'Marine' version there. I was reluctant to go the 'non-marine' route, so I turned the corner and there it was with two, pretty Petsmart Girls, it was a sign from the reef gods.

I added my first dose yesterday and have included some photos for later reference. I purposely didn't clean the glass so you can see what happens to it in a matter of about two days. So far, so good. If you'd like more info click on my red house. I will be updating here and on my blog when I have time.

 

[bshumake]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15055496#post15055496 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capture
[B

[/B]

Gee, that looks really familiar. :rollface:
So I am making a batch of fresh Saltwater to do a 20% change. My HA is returning slowly. One of my corals is showing signs of RTN. Could this be a sign of overdose, along with a couple faded monti caps and digitatas? No knowing. Thus the waterchange. And I will follow manufacturer recommended doses and time tables.

 

[iFisch]

Looking forward to the results. Some don't see results until the third or fourth dose, so don't loose your patience with it.