AlgaeFix Marine to control Hair Algae
- Thread starter HighlandReefer
- Start date
Re: Re: Re: Re: At the end of my rope!!!
Re: Re: Re: Re: At the end of my rope!!!
That's good to know. I'm getting a little bit of film algae on my glass (acrylic, whatever).
Someone should start a sticky thread about battling the various pest algaes & cyanobacteria, there are many of them scattered through RC's sub-forums.
Re: Re: Re: Re: At the end of my rope!!!
That's good to know. I'm getting a little bit of film algae on my glass (acrylic, whatever).
Someone should start a sticky thread about battling the various pest algaes & cyanobacteria, there are many of them scattered through RC's sub-forums.
Re: Re: Re: Re: At the end of my rope!!!
Re: Re: Re: Re: At the end of my rope!!!
That's been my own experience as well, both in my own tanks and in those of friends and acquaintances.
It doesn't mean there aren't blennies that will eat GHA, but I have yet to experience a personal verification of what is typically sold as a "Lawnmower Blenny", Salarias fasciatus, doing so. There are always exceptions... but I've never personally seen any blenny, including "Lawnmower"s, eat the stuff.
Of course, they are still awesome little fish, so even if you get one that doesn't, you still have a wonderful addition to the tank.
Re: Re: Re: Re: At the end of my rope!!!
That's been my own experience as well, both in my own tanks and in those of friends and acquaintances.
It doesn't mean there aren't blennies that will eat GHA, but I have yet to experience a personal verification of what is typically sold as a "Lawnmower Blenny", Salarias fasciatus, doing so. There are always exceptions... but I've never personally seen any blenny, including "Lawnmower"s, eat the stuff.
Of course, they are still awesome little fish, so even if you get one that doesn't, you still have a wonderful addition to the tank.
I used Algeafix, in combination with raising my mag levels to just over 1500 with great results. I follwed the twice a week schedual but under dosed slightly for my tank volume (80%) of the recomendation and after the 4th dose noticed a bit of browning out on the algea. I pulled what I could and lightly scubbed the rocks and rockwalls to put it into the water column then siphoned out the floaties. After the 5th or 6th dose the die off was pretty impressive, with no noticable effect on any of the corals (sps,lps, and zoo's) or the macro in my sump. I went out of town for two days after my last dose (7th) and came back to a clean GHA free tank...
The majority of the algea in my tank was the feathery looking bryopsis blended in with GHA and it just vanished leaving clean rock work. I am pretty impressed with the results and am not sure if it was the Algeafix or the elevated mag levels that did the trick, but since stopping the algeafix I am keeping my mag up around 1500 and have just a few little spots of GHA that the hermits, snails and Bicolor blenny seem to be keeping in check.
The majority of the algea in my tank was the feathery looking bryopsis blended in with GHA and it just vanished leaving clean rock work. I am pretty impressed with the results and am not sure if it was the Algeafix or the elevated mag levels that did the trick, but since stopping the algeafix I am keeping my mag up around 1500 and have just a few little spots of GHA that the hermits, snails and Bicolor blenny seem to be keeping in check.
HighlandReefer
Team RC
I have put together a few thoughts on a program for algae pest control and at the end is a statement from Boomer regarding control of cyanobacteria. Hopefully it helps. 
There are a lot of hobbyists in your same position. Reducing your nitrate and phosphate levels to a zero reading will help in getting rid of many type of algae pests. IME, reducing nitrate and phosphate levels too low can kill or cause problems for many types of coral. Running GAC & GFO will all help in reducing the growth of these type of pests. In many cases they will not eradicate the pest. Vodka dosing will help reduce the nitrate and phosphate levels also, but will not necessarily eradicate the pest either.
A common problem is being able to identify your pest to a catagory correctly: true algae, cyano, dino, bacteria & other assorted pests that look similar. In many cases a micro look at your pest is best to properly ID it to one of these catagories.
IMHO, if you are faced with an algal type pest problem, it is best to implement an algae pest control program strategy:
1) Wet skimming with a good quality skimmer. Clean your skimmer cup at least once per week.
2) Reduce your nitrates and phosphates to a zero reading using the hobby grade test kits. See Randy's articles regarding this:
Phosphate and the Reef Aquarium
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php
Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm
3) Proper lighting. I find that the higher wavelength bulbs are less conducive to algae growth. I now run 20,000 K bulbs from using 10,000 K bulbs.
4) Proper day length is a good thing also. I would not run your lights for more than 12 hrs total. Keep in mind that light entering from a window nearby is added to this figure.
5) Running GAC is a good practice in my book. It will help reduce the total dissolved organic carbons in your tank water and this is a food source.
6) Proper 30% per month total water changes will help export the DOC as well as some of the pests in the water column. It will help maintain the micro-nutrients as well.
7) Physical removal of the pest by hand, scrubbing and siphoning is important as well. If the amount of pest in your aquarium is overwhelming, perhaps dealing with one section at a time is a better idea.
8) Proper water circulation in your tank to prevent dead zones. When dealing with cyanobacteria pests increasing the flow where it grows seems to help.
9) Use RODI water for all top-off, salt mixing, additive mixes... etc.
10) Dosing iron may have benefits for macro-algae, but if you are experiencing algae pest problems than I would stop dosing it as it can add to the problem in many cases.
11) If you are dosing other supplements such as vitamins, amino acids, or others that contain a mix of supplements other than the basic alk., calcium and magnesium, I would stop these until you gain control of your pest. This includes many of the store bought products with unknown ingredients. Dosing Vodka or sugar to reduce your nitrates and phosphates would be an exception in my opinion.
12) Proper feeding habits. This can be the number one problem when trying to reduce your nitrate and phosphate levels. Use low phosphate fish foods.
13) IMHO, lighted refugiums may be a problem when trying to deal with an algae type pest problem. They are wonderful when it comes to reducing nitrates and phosphates. However, the light over most refugiums is conducive to the microalgae type pests. If the refugium becomes infested with a microalgae pest, I would clean it throughly of all pests as best as possible, remove the macro and turn off the lights until you gain control of your pest. Re-using the same macroalgae later may serve as a source for re-infestation of your pest.
14) Adding fish and other creatures that will eat your algae pest will help.
15) There are other items that can be added to this list if others care too share and some of the items listed may be disputed.
_______________________________________________________________________________
If after you have tried all these procedures and you are still loosing the battle, I would recommend that you initiate the use of AlgaeFix Marine based on the reports I have seen in this thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1595003
I hate to see anyone give up on this hobby due to algae type pest problems.
=============================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This a quote from Boomer regarding Cyanobacteria control:
"Some added thoughts from over the years from many
The only known fish to eat Cyano is Amblygobius stethophthalmus and it needs to be the real one not its close relative that is often Mis-ID with it.
A 2- 3 month scheme
1. Water changes. 25% weekly.
2. Bare bottom refugium only for cheato nutrient export and not for critters.
3. Siphon, sump, refugium, etc. every week during water change and clean all filter you have.
4. Blow off all the Cyano and settled stuff you can so it can be siphoned off.
5. Clean out skimmer and cup every week.
6. Carbon, 1 cup per 50 gallons / 2 wks. Try to use ROX
7. GFO -HC , change every month.
8. Purigen, every month
9. Soak frozen food in RO/DI and discard water before use. This is especially true for brine shrimp. Matter of fact I use to pour off the water, and then fill it back up, to repeat it until there was only whole brine shrimp in the container.
10. Read what is in the food and look for things low in phosphates.
11. Keep the pH in the very low 8's or very high 7's, as Cyano will out compete other algae's in higher pH water.
12. The # 1 limiting nutrient for Cyano is N, not P based on studies in various microbiology texts.
13. During these water changes and blowing stuff off and siphoning it up run a Diatom filter with a second cake of PAC (Powdered activated carbon)."
14. Increase water flow where Cyano are growing, as they do not like high currents.
15. Shutting of all lights, almost total darkness for 48 hr. every few days.
Last resort is Chemi-Clean by Boyd.
99.9 % of the time if nothing eats it and it looks like yours it is Cyano.
There are a lot of hobbyists in your same position. Reducing your nitrate and phosphate levels to a zero reading will help in getting rid of many type of algae pests. IME, reducing nitrate and phosphate levels too low can kill or cause problems for many types of coral. Running GAC & GFO will all help in reducing the growth of these type of pests. In many cases they will not eradicate the pest. Vodka dosing will help reduce the nitrate and phosphate levels also, but will not necessarily eradicate the pest either.
A common problem is being able to identify your pest to a catagory correctly: true algae, cyano, dino, bacteria & other assorted pests that look similar. In many cases a micro look at your pest is best to properly ID it to one of these catagories.
IMHO, if you are faced with an algal type pest problem, it is best to implement an algae pest control program strategy:
1) Wet skimming with a good quality skimmer. Clean your skimmer cup at least once per week.
2) Reduce your nitrates and phosphates to a zero reading using the hobby grade test kits. See Randy's articles regarding this:
Phosphate and the Reef Aquarium
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php
Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm
3) Proper lighting. I find that the higher wavelength bulbs are less conducive to algae growth. I now run 20,000 K bulbs from using 10,000 K bulbs.
4) Proper day length is a good thing also. I would not run your lights for more than 12 hrs total. Keep in mind that light entering from a window nearby is added to this figure.
5) Running GAC is a good practice in my book. It will help reduce the total dissolved organic carbons in your tank water and this is a food source.
6) Proper 30% per month total water changes will help export the DOC as well as some of the pests in the water column. It will help maintain the micro-nutrients as well.
7) Physical removal of the pest by hand, scrubbing and siphoning is important as well. If the amount of pest in your aquarium is overwhelming, perhaps dealing with one section at a time is a better idea.
8) Proper water circulation in your tank to prevent dead zones. When dealing with cyanobacteria pests increasing the flow where it grows seems to help.
9) Use RODI water for all top-off, salt mixing, additive mixes... etc.
10) Dosing iron may have benefits for macro-algae, but if you are experiencing algae pest problems than I would stop dosing it as it can add to the problem in many cases.
11) If you are dosing other supplements such as vitamins, amino acids, or others that contain a mix of supplements other than the basic alk., calcium and magnesium, I would stop these until you gain control of your pest. This includes many of the store bought products with unknown ingredients. Dosing Vodka or sugar to reduce your nitrates and phosphates would be an exception in my opinion.
12) Proper feeding habits. This can be the number one problem when trying to reduce your nitrate and phosphate levels. Use low phosphate fish foods.
13) IMHO, lighted refugiums may be a problem when trying to deal with an algae type pest problem. They are wonderful when it comes to reducing nitrates and phosphates. However, the light over most refugiums is conducive to the microalgae type pests. If the refugium becomes infested with a microalgae pest, I would clean it throughly of all pests as best as possible, remove the macro and turn off the lights until you gain control of your pest. Re-using the same macroalgae later may serve as a source for re-infestation of your pest.
14) Adding fish and other creatures that will eat your algae pest will help.
15) There are other items that can be added to this list if others care too share and some of the items listed may be disputed.
_______________________________________________________________________________
If after you have tried all these procedures and you are still loosing the battle, I would recommend that you initiate the use of AlgaeFix Marine based on the reports I have seen in this thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1595003
I hate to see anyone give up on this hobby due to algae type pest problems.
=============================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This a quote from Boomer regarding Cyanobacteria control:
"Some added thoughts from over the years from many
The only known fish to eat Cyano is Amblygobius stethophthalmus and it needs to be the real one not its close relative that is often Mis-ID with it.
A 2- 3 month scheme
1. Water changes. 25% weekly.
2. Bare bottom refugium only for cheato nutrient export and not for critters.
3. Siphon, sump, refugium, etc. every week during water change and clean all filter you have.
4. Blow off all the Cyano and settled stuff you can so it can be siphoned off.
5. Clean out skimmer and cup every week.
6. Carbon, 1 cup per 50 gallons / 2 wks. Try to use ROX
7. GFO -HC , change every month.
8. Purigen, every month
9. Soak frozen food in RO/DI and discard water before use. This is especially true for brine shrimp. Matter of fact I use to pour off the water, and then fill it back up, to repeat it until there was only whole brine shrimp in the container.
10. Read what is in the food and look for things low in phosphates.
11. Keep the pH in the very low 8's or very high 7's, as Cyano will out compete other algae's in higher pH water.
12. The # 1 limiting nutrient for Cyano is N, not P based on studies in various microbiology texts.
13. During these water changes and blowing stuff off and siphoning it up run a Diatom filter with a second cake of PAC (Powdered activated carbon)."
14. Increase water flow where Cyano are growing, as they do not like high currents.
15. Shutting of all lights, almost total darkness for 48 hr. every few days.
Last resort is Chemi-Clean by Boyd.
99.9 % of the time if nothing eats it and it looks like yours it is Cyano.
racingrich
New member
How many people ran there skimmer from the start after adding the algae fix. I would like to run it but will it take away any of it's power
Thanks Rich
Thanks Rich
HighlandReefer
Team RC
AlgaeFix will brake down within 24 hrs once introduced into your system. Running your skimmer will help remove organic matter including the dead algae which is important.
waynem
New member
I have a question, if this brakes down in 24hrs then why does it say dose again in 3 days?
I can understand a certain time to allow die off but 3 days would allow recovery and maybe that's why so many people need 6 dose before it really works?
Would would happen if you dosed , say every 2 days?
Better effect or worse?
HighlandReefer
Team RC
One hobbyist tried just what you are asking. He was dosing AF every other day. Resulted in problems. You can find this buried somewhere within this thread. I would not recommend trying this, with the exception of when there are no fish, coral or invertebrates present in your system. The exact reason for this, I do not know. One possibility would be not to interfere with the symbiotic relationship within your coral. The dinos and other symbiotic organisms within the coral tissues are protected to a degree from AlgaeFix, how much, I am not sure. Doing this may cross that line. Concerns about invertebrates is another factor.
So after reading the thread I decided to buy and dose AF. I must say after the 2nd dose I saw some major improvement. I started doing water changes and plucking as much as I could out and tomorrow will be my forth dose. What I have noticed is that while the areas that had hair algae growing are dying off new areas are springing up in areas that I never had hair algae before. So my question is has anybody else experienced this and if so how did you deal with? It is it related to the pieces that are dying off and unattaching being blown over to another area and starting to grow back?
HighlandReefer
Team RC
badewilly,
Most hobbyists report decline in algae after about the 3rd or 4th dose. It is still to early yet to make any statements. My best guess, would be that this algae was already there and is just now starting to grow enough to be seen.
I recommend removing as much of your algae pest as possible using whatever means at your disposal (siponing, had picking......), before you dose the algae fix on the third day. The less algae present, the quicker the control.
Most hobbyists report decline in algae after about the 3rd or 4th dose. It is still to early yet to make any statements. My best guess, would be that this algae was already there and is just now starting to grow enough to be seen.
I recommend removing as much of your algae pest as possible using whatever means at your disposal (siponing, had picking......), before you dose the algae fix on the third day. The less algae present, the quicker the control.
HighlandReefer
Team RC
Can you post a focused close-up pic?
Perhaps your pest is not an algae or it is one of the algae that AF is not effective on.
Perhaps your pest is not an algae or it is one of the algae that AF is not effective on.
HighlandReefer
Team RC
This is Chieuxuan algae type pest:
HighlandReefer
Team RC
My guess would be Derbesia. This is a siphoning algae which can be difficult to control.
HighlandReefer
Team RC
There are many species of Derbesia. This is an example of but one:
Take a look at this search result:
http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&q=derbesia&sa=N&start=18&ndsp=18
Also, you will find cyanobacteria commonly living in close harmony with Derbesia, which helps feed it when living closely together. This makes it even harder to control.
Take a look at this search result:
http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&q=derbesia&sa=N&start=18&ndsp=18
Also, you will find cyanobacteria commonly living in close harmony with Derbesia, which helps feed it when living closely together. This makes it even harder to control.
