AlgaeFix Marine to control Hair Algae

[HighlandReefer]

I agree with sneeyatch.

I would continue dosing AF on the weekly basis for a while after eradicating the algae, but would stop after that. If the algae does make a come back after that, I would start at the every three day dosing schedule again, until eradicated.

 

[Jmason95]

Alright guys that's what I'll do. Hopefully this will rid me of the remaining algae that by all other means I just can't seem to shake. Thanks again...

 

[SimonSKL]

Here is an update to my Derbesia/Bryopsis problem. As I stated earlier I tried in two different occasions using AF to eradicate my algae problem without any success.

1. 5 doses of AF at recommended doses and intervals in Aug - no improvement
2. 10 doses of AF at recommended doses and intervals in Sep PLUS raising Mg level to 1800 with mixture of MgSO4 and MgCl2 - no improvement.

This was the picture taken 10/15/10

I ordered a gal of Kent Tech M about two weeks ago and started using it on Friday 10/16/10. Using a Aqua Lifter pump, I sprayed the algae every 1-2 days while keeping my Mg level below 1900. In addition, I resumed dosing the AF with the recommended dose but every other day instead of every 3 days. With daily pruning and brushing of the live rocks, this is what the same spot looks like today (10/28/10).

I still have quite a way to go before all the algae are gone but I am pleased with the result so far. I hope in another two weeks, my algae problem is gone. Even with the every other day use of AF, I have not noticed any obvious negative effect on my livestocks.

I thought I would update my battle with derbesia/bryopsis with a new picture taken today (11/7/2010)

I have been dosing AF every other day since Oct 16 and keeping my Mg around 1800 with Kent Tech M. The algae is not completely gone but at least they are not growing back. I wish the result is quicker and I am a little nervous in dosing AF so frequent and maintaining such a high level of Mg in my tank.

 

[Ycore]

Just wanted to say that after about 10 treatments are so, my GHA has been totally wiped out..

HOWEVER, the dinoflagelates, which I initially thought were being controlled by Algaefix, have literally exploded to plague proportions in the absense of competing algae. So Algaefix has no effect on Dinos, or at least not my variety.

Ironically, the dinos are WAY worse than the GHA. The GHA was unsightly, but the brown snot is simply ghastly and have taken over every available surface in my tank. Siphoning and scrubbing has proven futile, they just grow back the next day, coating the glass, powerheads, and sand. Snails have kicked the bucket though hermits seem unneffected.

Nitrates are undetectable and Po4 registers .05 with a Hanna Meter.

Going to try lights out for three days, as it's my last resort.. These Dinos are like a cancer.

 

[bertoni]

I'd stop feeding entirely, and try siphoning as much of the dinoflagellates as possible before and during the dark treatment. Having a lot of water on hand for changes might help as well. A lot of GFO and carbon might do a lot for cleanup. As the dinoflagellates die, the nutrients and any allelopathic compounds could end up in the water column, not necessarily in skimmable form.

 

[Ycore]

Hmm, not feeding will be tough. My copperband butterfly starts to nip at LPS if he goes unfed for more than a day. Also have a dendro and not sure how it would react to no feeding for 72 hours.

I have recently started feeding live blackworms almost exclusively as they are consumed whole and leave no mess. I did this to minimize phosphates and detritus.

Will do on the GAC.

GFO, I am really scared. For whatever reason, my previous two attempts at adding Pura Phoslock (GFO) inside a 300 micron filter bag placed in my filter sock resulted in severe bleaching and even killing some LPS within 48 hours. The first time it happened I thought it was maybe coincidence or some other tank factor at play. My second attempt with even less GFO (1.5 tablespoons) had the same results.

I then tried Brightwell's Phosphate-R and though it had no effect on the tank, it didn't seem to have any effect on my Po4 level either. Expensive shiny useless beads..

Don't want to try Aluminum based products, since people say it leeches aluminum in tank. Dosing Lanthanum seems like a pain and requires a drip into a 10 micron filter sock..

I installed a reactor with 250ml ecobak pellets three weeks ago, but so far no effect on Po4. Always registering between .04 and .08 on Hanna meter

I'd stop feeding entirely, and try siphoning as much of the dinoflagellates as possible before and during the dark treatment. Having a lot of water on hand for changes might help as well. A lot of GFO and carbon might do a lot for cleanup. As the dinoflagellates die, the nutrients and any allelopathic compounds could end up in the water column, not necessarily in skimmable form.

 

[bertoni]

Hmm, given the reaction to the GFO in the past, I might stick with large-ish (maybe 20%) water changes as the dinoflagellates (or whatever) start to die, and a lot of carbon.

 

[Ycore]

Yeah, that would be my inclination as well, however after reading about 500 posts on Dinos including the "dino's: The Mother of all Battles" thread, it seems the key is not doing any water changes, at all, for a month. Consensus seems that Dinos can live almost totally without No3/Po4 but need trace elements to survive. Water changes seem to fuel the problem. The only consistent reports on success against this menace seem to either involve:

1) Extended lights out with siphoning and no water changes. 2-3 cycles of lights out per month may be necessary. Those who did lights out but did water changes always reported them coming back.

2) Prolific use of Ozone.. Supposedly ozone will wipe them out in 24 hours. Unfortunately, I don't have access to an ozonizer and have no experience using one.

3) Fauna Marine Algae-X: Too many negative reviews involving fish and coral death.

Hmm, given the reaction to the GFO in the past, I might stick with large-ish (maybe 20%) water changes as the dinoflagellates (or whatever) start to die, and a lot of carbon.

 

[bertoni]

Ozone won't affect dinoflagellates directly, unless you're willing to kill the tank. I agree that avoiding water changes can help reduce dinoflagellate growth over the long term, at least in some cases, but a lot of rotting dinoflagellates can be a more immediate concern.

 

[sneeyatch]

Although this is from my own experience with aluminum based PO4 removers, they become very hot when introduced to saltwater. It's very important that you rinse them in a separate container until all of the fines and heat are gone. Then add it to your sump and you should be fine. I've used SeaGel by Seachem and it works pretty well IMO.

 

[ramtmac]

I'm about to try AFM and was wondering if it effected coraline algae?

 

[HighlandReefer]

I'm about to try AFM and was wondering if it effected coraline algae?

The label for AFM states it will not harm coralline algae. It did not effect my coralline after prolonged dosing of it. Many other hobbyists who have used AFM have not expressed any problems from using AFM regarding coralline as well.

 

[milkman55]

I am frustrated with what seems to be an out of control burst of HA and bubble algae throughout my system. I started Warner Ecobak in August (when my tank was 8 mths old) and saw the first HA about the first of Oct. I really had low Nitate and PO4 even before I started EcoBak. The HA was bright green at first and then about two weeks ago, turned brown and can now be blown off the rocks with a baster. Unfotunately, the HA pretty much covered the tank before it started dying and there has not been any new "bright green" growth. Now I am starting to see "bubbles" in the strings of the HA and have full blown bubble algae in my frag tank. All the rock was BRS dry Pukani rock and I saw nothing bad during the first nine months, just since Oct.

I bought some AF marine back when the HA first started, but did not start using after the HA turned brown. It still just won't go away and looking for suggestions. Would you start AF at this point or just continue to clean it off. I have "stringers" of dead HA hanging off all the SPS like icicles, but the corals all look great.

The bubble algae is worrying more than anything since it is harder to remove. Just can figure out the cause of all this since the nitrate and PO4 are near zero. I do have a fuge with cheato and it is growing and a lot of algae like "skim" on the walls of the fuge. I have an RO that I keep TDS at zero and do a 20 gal water change on my total volume of 250 gals. Would raising the mag from 1350 where I keep it to 1600 or higher slow down the bubble algae. Does AF slow the growth of bubble algae even if it does not remove it?

Not sure what other info would be useful in diagnosing the problem.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[zaitmi]

Air Bubble & Green Algae.

Air Bubble & Green Algae.

Here are current pictures of tank. On the live rocks and back glass of the tank their are lot of air bubbles (mercury type shining) bubbles. What are these ?

There are very beautiful green algae growing under and beside them. The bubbles are manufacturing beautiful light green algae. Do i need to remove it ?

I am also having lots of deep brown algae on my sand. I have to stir the sand the sand weekly.

 

[zaitmi]

Air Bubble & Green Algae.

Air Bubble & Green Algae.

Here are current pictures of tank. On the live rocks and back glass of the tank their are lot of air bubbles (mercury type shining) bubbles. What are these ?

There are very beautiful green algae growing under and beside them. The bubbles are manufacturing beautiful light green algae. Do i need to remove it ?

I am also having lots of deep brown algae on my sand. I have to stir the sand
weekly.

 

[HighlandReefer]

The term bubble algae can be used by hobbyists to represent completely different species of algae. The true bubble algae are discussed in the article below, which AF does not seem to control very well. The control measures for the true bubble algae are also discussed in the article:

Bubble Algae: Selected Description, controls and Comments
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/hcj/feature/index.php

From this article:

Ventricaria ventricosa is the most infamous of the bunch

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In other situations hobbyists refer to hair algae or other species of algae that produce bubbles throughout their mass of growth. These bubbles are actually oxygen bubbles produced during photosynthesis. This is what your algae Zaitmi, is doing. Removing the algae by brushing and scrubbing the rock is a very important part of controlling your algae. (This is my opinion based on what I can see in your photos)

 

[zaitmi]

Thanks. I dont want to remove them as they are looking very beautiful. What worse can happen in my tank if i let them grow partially(only on rocks).
My water para. are all fine:

Nitrates : nil (vinegar dosing)
Phosphates : nil ( rowa phos)
Calcium : 400ppm
Alk : 10 dkh weekly dosing randy's 2 part
Ph : 8.3

Can i keep this algae?

 

[HighlandReefer]

In most cases that I have observed in my own system. The bubbles seem to be produced by algae and/or cyanobacteria that you don't want growing on your rock like coralline algae. The coralline algae don't seem to produce oxygen bubbles to any extent in my experience. Therefore, I would recommend scrubbing the rocks with the bubbles to help establish coralline algae.

 

[HighlandReefer]

One thing to keep in mind regarding the micro-organism world is that new rock surfaces, sand beds and even tank glass are sites that represent a place to attach and grow for all your bacteria, cyano and algae. The micro-organism world is a very harsh, survival of the fit world where they all use chemical defenses to establish their new place of residence. Once established many of these unwanted organisms are hard to replace with more desirable organisms like the coralline algae. Coralline algae don't seem to compete as well as many of the others. Coralline algae are the flowers (of a garden) so to speak when comparing our tanks to gardening.

Unfortunately, many of the cyano and algae can survive in very low nutrient systems found in natural pristine reefs where phosphate is down to 0.005 ppm and nitrate is less than 0.2 ppm. They are the weeds of a garden so to speak. They grow where flowers can't grow because they require less nutrients.

When you have a reef tank it is similar to a garden. You have to constantly remove the weeds until the flowers can establish themselves and then weeding is greatly reduced.

Reducing nutrients like phosphate and nitrate in a reef tank is similar to reducing nutrients in a garden, if you reduce them too low the desirable organisms can't grow. So in this respect reducing phosphate and nitrate will not control many pest cyano and algae. This is where the scrubbing comes in. :lol:

 

[bertoni]

I always left my bubble algae alone. With nutrient control, I only ever had one or two around, at most. They died out, eventually, in at least one or two tanks. I was sad about that. They are a symptom, not a problem, IMO.