AlgaeFix Marine to control Hair Algae
- Thread starter HighlandReefer
- Start date
cnaegler
New member
Dosed my 5th dose today...still no difference that i can see. Haven't tried pulling any more manually. On a positive note....everything still looks good in the tank. Maybe the 6th or 7th dose will start working but i'm not holding my breath. Should i/ can i do water changes or will this dilute the Algaefix?
What are you guys using to strain your frozen food...looking for ideas. I want to minimize my phosphates and this is the only thing i haven't tried.
If all this doesn't work, I guess i'll buy new live rock / sand and cook the crap out of it. Replace it all when it's done.
What are you guys using to strain your frozen food...looking for ideas. I want to minimize my phosphates and this is the only thing i haven't tried.
If all this doesn't work, I guess i'll buy new live rock / sand and cook the crap out of it. Replace it all when it's done.
iFisch
New member
Well, larger quantity tanks usually take a lot longer than my 14g tank.
Can't comment on doing a WC. I dose AlgaeFix AFTER the WC. And a typical WC last's me two weeks.
For frozen food, I use RODI water (TDS 1)
IF all else fails, and HighlandReefer replies, just buy 80% base/dead rock, and a handful of real LR, if you don't mind waiting for colors to appear. I personally don't like the look of dead base rock (white), so I went for 100% hand-picked DFS rock. Mostly the aquacultured stuff from DFS that my LFS orders.
Last edited:
iFisch
New member
God, what was I thinking? LOL my grammar just slipped.. have no idea how/why it came out that way.
Well, I have just been using a small cup with a teeny tiny chunk of Rod's Food. Pour in a little RODI water, let it break up, swirl it around for a few minutes than I do my best to drain the water, by using the lid to control the flow. I mean I let some go, but I catch a decent amount, enough to feed my little 14g 1-2x a week.
There's got to be better ideas for larger tanks. I use a "pinch and a half" or about the size of a nickel for food.
I am also using a "micro" phosban reactor as well to catch any/all phosphates.
cnaegler
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15204378#post15204378 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by iFisch
God, what was I thinking? LOL my grammar just slipped.. have no idea how/why it came out that way.
Well, I have just been using a small cup with a teeny tiny chunk of Rod's Food. Pour in a little RODI water, let it break up, swirl it around for a few minutes than I do my best to drain the water, by using the lid to control the flow. I mean I let some go, but I catch a decent amount, enough to feed my little 14g 1-2x a week.
There's got to be better ideas for larger tanks. I use a "pinch and a half" or about the size of a nickel for food.
I am also using a "micro" phosban reactor as well to catch any/all phosphates.
Thanks for the clarification. That's what i figured...just thought i'd ask. I've got a few fish so i feed 3 cubes of something, daily. If not, my angel gets ****y and starts picking.
Can anyone tell my HOW much PO4 is in a cube of , let's say, anything frozen and "meaty"? It'd be interesting to know the info on something like that. I just figured there wouldn't be enough to amount to anything.
I also use the full size phosban reactor with Rowa Phos GFO.
iFisch
New member
There's nothing about how much P04/nitrate/nitrites etc. are in any given cube. Depends if they were frozen with/without any % of water, and if so, was is filtered (RO or RODI water), the contents, etc. etc.
Anything uneaten can be turned into phosphate so I'm told. Hence why I feed Rod's Food only 1-2x a week. Depends on my mood for the second feeding.
For some reason my fish like it, but don't go nuts for it, so I feed accordingly. They eat it, but some fish go NUTS for this stuff. Not mine... but regular feeding of Elos Complete (Nitrate/phosphate FREE!) pellet every day though.
HighlandReefer
Team RC
Necessary Nutrition, Foods and Supplements, A Preliminary Investigation
http://web.archive.org/web/20010720071031/http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish/data/foods.asp
http://web.archive.org/web/20010720071031/http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish/data/foods.asp
tony varrell
New member
I did my third dose last night. I have noticed some improvement in the regrowth of my GHA from the initial dose which is positive. I don't see any falling off the rock however. I am now sure it has killed all 8 of my large mexican turbo snails, The rest of my CUC and all other inhabitants remain unfased by the dosing.
nrannalli
New member
I contacted Technical Service and Research Mars Fishcare to ask what the difference is between Algaefix and Algaefix Marine here is the response.
Nick there is no difference between the Algaefix and Marine Algaefix. The products are the same the Marine simply tells you what algae can be treated.
If you have any other questions or wish to discuss this further, please email back or give us a call at 1-800-847-0659.
Best Regards,
Nathan Fekula
Technical Service and Research
Mars Fishcare
50 EAST HAMILTON ST
PO BOX 218
CHALFONT , PA 18914-0218
Nick there is no difference between the Algaefix and Marine Algaefix. The products are the same the Marine simply tells you what algae can be treated.
If you have any other questions or wish to discuss this further, please email back or give us a call at 1-800-847-0659.
Best Regards,
Nathan Fekula
Technical Service and Research
Mars Fishcare
50 EAST HAMILTON ST
PO BOX 218
CHALFONT , PA 18914-0218
HighlandReefer
Team RC
Thanks for the info. That settles a lot of questions. 
A quick update
A quick update
OK, here's an update:
For those who have lost track, I have a 75g (90g total volume) reef tank with no detectable nutrients and severe hair algae issues, and after fighting with this pest for 2 years, AlgaeFix was my last resort for this tank. My initial assumption was that the algae was derbesia, and this has now been confirmed. Of the 3 tanks I presently have, only this tank was affected.
I went through an initial round of 17 doses (every 3 days), during which time I was running all but exhausted GFO, GAC, and polyfilter. All were due to be changed at the time I began treatment, and I simply left them alone. The night before each treatment, I siphoned out as much of the derbesia as I could, along with 5-10g of water. After the first 3 doses, I thought I began to see some improvement. By the 10th dose, I realized that the improvement, if any, was very slight, and probably was more a result of my siphoning every three days than anything else. By dose 16, my pocillopora had bleached, but no other corals, urchins, shrimp, crabs, or fish were noticeably affected. I did lose quite a few snails along the way, but snails keel over pretty regularly anyway, and I could not pin this on the AlgaeFix.
After dose 17, and the derbesia mostly unaffected, I decided to take a break for a couple of weeks, do a couple of regular water changes, and start again with no chemical filtration whatsoever.
Three weeks and two 25% water changes later, I started treatment Round Two. 24 hours after the first treatment most of my snails acted disoriented. I was constantly turning the Astreas right side up after they fell from wherever. After dose 3, one of the big turbos in my fuge began spinning around in a circle, which continued for 4 days. I lost 4 astreas, 2 huge turbos, a peppermint shrimp, and an 8 year old bumble bee snail. And that was that.
I give up. Algaefix has no useful or meaningful affect on derbesia, which is almost certainly the most common form of nuisance green hair algae (GHA) in marine tanks. If the product worked on your GHA, then you almost certainly had a cladophora species. The two look very similar.
My point would be this: As others have noted, even when dosed conservatively, this product is not harmless to inverts, most notably snails. It most definitely has a narrow range of target alga. And it will not work on derbesia, bryopsis, nor, it appears, bubble alga, arguably the three most prominent pest algae types in marine aquaria. If you're considering beginning this treatment, please do everything you can to first confirm the species of algae you are dealing with. I would advise caution and strongly urge responsibility. It should not be used in an attempt to eliminate a couple of small tufts of unidentified green stuff. We have all been the guinea pigs, and by now it seems rather clear that if you have an algal pest other than one of the species listed on the container (or on AP's www site), it is almost certainly not going to be effective.
I did manage to make one other possibly useful observation during this trial, but I'll save that for another post. For those still reading, I apologize for the length.
A quick update
OK, here's an update:
For those who have lost track, I have a 75g (90g total volume) reef tank with no detectable nutrients and severe hair algae issues, and after fighting with this pest for 2 years, AlgaeFix was my last resort for this tank. My initial assumption was that the algae was derbesia, and this has now been confirmed. Of the 3 tanks I presently have, only this tank was affected.
I went through an initial round of 17 doses (every 3 days), during which time I was running all but exhausted GFO, GAC, and polyfilter. All were due to be changed at the time I began treatment, and I simply left them alone. The night before each treatment, I siphoned out as much of the derbesia as I could, along with 5-10g of water. After the first 3 doses, I thought I began to see some improvement. By the 10th dose, I realized that the improvement, if any, was very slight, and probably was more a result of my siphoning every three days than anything else. By dose 16, my pocillopora had bleached, but no other corals, urchins, shrimp, crabs, or fish were noticeably affected. I did lose quite a few snails along the way, but snails keel over pretty regularly anyway, and I could not pin this on the AlgaeFix.
After dose 17, and the derbesia mostly unaffected, I decided to take a break for a couple of weeks, do a couple of regular water changes, and start again with no chemical filtration whatsoever.
Three weeks and two 25% water changes later, I started treatment Round Two. 24 hours after the first treatment most of my snails acted disoriented. I was constantly turning the Astreas right side up after they fell from wherever. After dose 3, one of the big turbos in my fuge began spinning around in a circle, which continued for 4 days. I lost 4 astreas, 2 huge turbos, a peppermint shrimp, and an 8 year old bumble bee snail. And that was that.
I give up. Algaefix has no useful or meaningful affect on derbesia, which is almost certainly the most common form of nuisance green hair algae (GHA) in marine tanks. If the product worked on your GHA, then you almost certainly had a cladophora species. The two look very similar.
My point would be this: As others have noted, even when dosed conservatively, this product is not harmless to inverts, most notably snails. It most definitely has a narrow range of target alga. And it will not work on derbesia, bryopsis, nor, it appears, bubble alga, arguably the three most prominent pest algae types in marine aquaria. If you're considering beginning this treatment, please do everything you can to first confirm the species of algae you are dealing with. I would advise caution and strongly urge responsibility. It should not be used in an attempt to eliminate a couple of small tufts of unidentified green stuff. We have all been the guinea pigs, and by now it seems rather clear that if you have an algal pest other than one of the species listed on the container (or on AP's www site), it is almost certainly not going to be effective.
I did manage to make one other possibly useful observation during this trial, but I'll save that for another post. For those still reading, I apologize for the length.
HighlandReefer
Team RC
PhreeBYrd,
Thanks for the informative post. I agree with your findings as this is what I have found in my own tank. I have Derbesia mixed with a blue green cyano, probably an Oscillatoria sp. I was not able to identify my pests until recently after a purchase of a microscope.
Interestingly Derbesia and Bryopsis are both very closely related. They are both siphoning algae, which makes them much more resistant to damages by the AlgaeFix. The Oscillatoria cyanobacteria are very tough also, since they are able to derive nutrients in the same manor as the true bacteria. Some research has demonstrated that there is a distinct possibility that the cyanobacteria (in this case Oscillatoria) will provide needed nutrients for the Derbesia and bryopsis when closely interwoven together. This would account for the Derbesia and bryopsis being able to survive in extremely low N
environments.
If high levels of magnesium work on Bryopsis, perhaps this will work with Derbesia also, since they are so closely related.
The best article I have read regarding controlling bubble algae is this article:
Bubble Algae: Selected Description, controls and Comments
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/hcj/feature/index.php
Thanks for the informative post. I agree with your findings as this is what I have found in my own tank. I have Derbesia mixed with a blue green cyano, probably an Oscillatoria sp. I was not able to identify my pests until recently after a purchase of a microscope.
Interestingly Derbesia and Bryopsis are both very closely related. They are both siphoning algae, which makes them much more resistant to damages by the AlgaeFix. The Oscillatoria cyanobacteria are very tough also, since they are able to derive nutrients in the same manor as the true bacteria. Some research has demonstrated that there is a distinct possibility that the cyanobacteria (in this case Oscillatoria) will provide needed nutrients for the Derbesia and bryopsis when closely interwoven together. This would account for the Derbesia and bryopsis being able to survive in extremely low N
environments. If high levels of magnesium work on Bryopsis, perhaps this will work with Derbesia also, since they are so closely related.
The best article I have read regarding controlling bubble algae is this article:
Bubble Algae: Selected Description, controls and Comments
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/hcj/feature/index.php
marc nichols
Premium Member
I've found Algafix Marine to be a great tool in controlling various algae. I've had no negative reactions from my fish, cleaners, clams, hard and soft corals. I did have two clumps of algae that resisted and taking Mg up to 1650 with Tech M (different result from my usual Mg supplement), took down this stubborn pest.
I did have a few bouts with cyano which I have treated with a cyano specific med.
I did have a few bouts with cyano which I have treated with a cyano specific med.
HighlandReefer
Team RC
I agree that AlgaeFix is a useful tool for many of your green algae. One big problem that has been noted is the proper ID of your particular pest.
In my case, possibly using Erythromycin to control the cyano and elevating my mag. levels for the Derbesia may help in gaining control. This will be my next attempt down the road. What effect AlgaeFix may have on this recipe is also a possibility. I am contemplating setting up a small aquarium to experiment with.
It would be nice to come up with proper control measures for all the pests we run into in our reef systems.
In my case, possibly using Erythromycin to control the cyano and elevating my mag. levels for the Derbesia may help in gaining control. This will be my next attempt down the road. What effect AlgaeFix may have on this recipe is also a possibility. I am contemplating setting up a small aquarium to experiment with.
It would be nice to come up with proper control measures for all the pests we run into in our reef systems.
