AlgaeFix Marine to control Hair Algae

[HighlandReefer]

Have you tried elevating your magnesium levels to around 1500? Many hobbyists have had success with this when controlling Bryopsis. Derbesia is closely related to Bryopsis.

AlgaeFix does not seem to work well on Bryopsis, Derbesia or any of the siphoning algae.

 

[ssamick]

Instead of posting a new post about my experience with Algaefix I thought I would just add it here. Seems to be the place. I'm about one month into the experiment and have had decent results. I have been fighting off Caulerpa nummularia in my tank for over a year. It has never been a huge problem but I was getting tired of fighting it. like most tanks I have a very small amount of green hair algae and a little bit of bubble algae. so anyways I followed the instructions to a T. I have skimmed and used carbon and some phosphate removing media the hole time. And have also kept up on my water changes. The few bubble algae I have had seem to be getting smaller, and the hair algae is all gone. I can't tell you the last time I cleaned the glass. But as for the Caulerpa nummularia it has not done a thing. The algaefix does not seem to hurt it at all. I think I am done dosing and will go back to the old way of fighting it off with tweezers That is my experience with algaefix. On a side note with the die off from the algae that was there it seemed to put more nutrients into the water, and definitely had a positive effect on my coral colors. All my sps colored up and the polyp extension seems noticeably more. I guess it taught me that I had low nutrients in the tank before this. Or at least thats what I'm contributing it to. It was deffently a good side effect. Thanks for letting me share.

 

[HighlandReefer]

Ssamick,

Thanks for posting your results. It's good to hear that the AF helped with the algal problem you had.

Caulerpa is another siphoning algae. Very difficult stuff to control. Many hobbyists have good results with finding animals that will consume it.

This link may help (Note that there are other links for different species of Caulerpa):

Caulerpa prolifera & biological control
http://www.seaslug.info/display.cfm?id=9418


This article may help with controlling your bubble algae:

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

 

[chieuxuan]

I have not tried elevate Mag. level, read it a long time ago, well, will give it a try!!!

 

[64Texan]

Here we go...

Here we go...

No sump and just a standard 75 gallon. I dosed 5 ml about 15 minutes ago and we'll see what happens. Being Friday I will do a 15 gallon WC on Sunday as I usually do every other week. I'll pull what I can and see what happens with the rest as I go along.

These pictures were taken as soon as I turned the daylights on... Sorry for the quality, I don't have a good camera for this.

Closer on the left.

Closer on the right.

Shelf that I want to have some good stuff on eventually.

 

[HighlandReefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15531310#post15531310 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chieuxuan
I have not tried elevate Mag. level, read it a long time ago, well, will give it a try!!!

Keep us posted on your results.

 

[HighlandReefer]

64Texan,

Interesting pests you have there. I am not sure exactly what you have. I see a purple color mixed in. The purple pest looks like a cyano. AF will not have much effect on it. If the AF gets rid of your green colored pest then you will probably still have the cyano remaining.

Keep us posted on your results.

 

[64Texan]

LOL! Only me I suppose ; )

Actually I think the purple is because of the lighting and the camera. The tank shot is pretty indicative of the overall look of the tank.

Monday I will take a better pic with a different camera.

 

[jennmac415]

I am sorry, but I have tried reading all of this thread, and I WILL finish reading it, but I need an answer to a question... sorry if it is somewhere in this book...

I decided to begin dosing Algaefix after fighting some small patches of HA for some time... my tank is 180 gallon, with a 100 gallon stock tank sump.. I figure my total water to be around 200 gallons... I dosed as instructed, every 3 days, I got as far as 10 doses...I saw SOME results, before stopping, the HA receded a small bit, but not totally erradicated... but even more troubling, I saw some negative results on some of my corals. It is mostly on my blue or purple SPS...instead of being very brilliant in color as they have been FOREVER.. they began looking dull, not brown, but as if someone has sprinkled powder over them and dulled their color...I even ended up losing my prized very blue, green polyp valida... VERY sad about this

Has anyone else experienced this using algafix? I guess what I really want to know is what NEGATIVE effects has everyone experienced using algaefix??? Also, why did I not have a total erradication of this HA??? I have stopped dosing now because I am not seeing enough positive results and do not want to chance losing any other corals...

I can only attribute this color change and the loss of the one coral to this algaefix, as nothing else has changed in my tank...

my parameters are as follows...

temp 79-80
SG 1.025
PH 8.2
ALK 9 dKh
Cal 500
Nitrates...0
Mag... 1060... getting this higher with tech M

I use home made 2-part..dosing 40 ML about twice a week...

So, can anyone give me some insight to these issues with color of my blue/purple sps and how can I get their vivid color back... and why I may have lost the one and also why it did not totslly get rid of my HA?? I would like to know what negative effects people have seen using this also.

sorry to write so much...

 

[keaton]

reefmamma:

We too, lost an acropora valida and a beautiful pink birdsnest after my first dose of algaefix-completely bleached white. I was really dumb and dosed before going out of town for 2-1/2 days so I can't say FOR CERTAIN nothing else happened while gone, but I believe the algaefix was to blame.

I think our loss was due to overestimating the water volume of our system. I used about 1/3 less algaefix on subsequent doses and have virtually no HA in the system now. I only dosed about 3 times over 2-3 weeks and have dosed a couple more times over the past 4-6 weeks. The only other problem I am noticing is a sarcophyton that is very pale. I don't like using it and it really took a lot of nerve after that first dose but it absolutely did the trick on the HA. I think if I use it again I will use even less.

keatons momma

 

[jennmac415]

thanks, Keaton...



I was up to my 10th dose and only saw minimal results..I don't know if i want to try dosing it anymore...but I am seeing the small patches of HA beginning to grow larger again...I dose sugar to keep my nitrates at "0", but I am now looking into dosing vodka...I know I just want this stuff GONE!

On a side note, my 10 year old son's name is KEATON too!!!!!! I have only known 1 other Keaton since naming ours 10 years ago...how old is yours?

keatons momma too

 

[iFisch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15545708#post15545708 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jennmac415
thanks, Keaton...



I was up to my 10th dose and only saw minimal results..I don't know if i want to try dosing it anymore...but I am seeing the small patches of HA beginning to grow larger again...I dose sugar to keep my nitrates at "0", but I am now looking into dosing vodka...I know I just want this stuff GONE!

Pictures of the tank? Are you dosing with GFO/carbon at the same time?

 

[jennmac415]

No, I am not dosing with GFO/carbon but I do dose with sugar a few times a week to keep nitrates at 0...

I don't have a picture of this algae currently, but will try to take one.

 

[HighlandReefer]

There have been hobbyists who have reached around the 10th dose mark report problems to start to occur in some coral.

For this reason, I would not recommend dosing much more than 10 doses on the every three day basis, without watching your tank inhabitants closely. Once you start to see any negative signs with your coral I would stop dosing. Make sure you have a good estimate on your total water volume in your tank. One way to check this would be to use the Reef Chemistry calculator and add what you think will raise it given what you believe is the proper water volume, using baking soda. After you add the appropriate amount to raise the alk up a bit, re-check what your true increase is. You can then make changes in the total tank volume water to reflect what your true increase was.

Reef chemicals calculator
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

IMHO, if the AF is going to work on your particular algal pest it should be appearant by the 5th or so dose. AF does not work on all algae unfortunately, particularly the siphoning algae which includes algae like Derbesia.

 

[iFisch]

Cliff, even though I've been around since about half way through here (first one to use/report on the "FW" version), is there "another" product out there designed to rid unwanted algae? For instance we know the API stuff works here and there, what I'm really asking, is if there's another product or any competition to this stuff? Another avenue for those that use this product and are unsuccessful, want to get a leg up on their unwanted algae, and try and find the source.

Am I making any sense? lol

 

[HighlandReefer]

Yes, I have asked this same question. I have been looking for other products that would be reef safe to use to get rid of algal type pests.

Unfortunately my search has not been successful in finding something even as safe as AlgaeFix, which anyone who has read through this thread realizes it is not completely reef safe according to statements made by some of the hobbyists.

It's all Boomer's fault. Every time I come up with a possible product, he keeps shooting me down.

I have read through countless scientific books and articles. The best killing agents for algal type pests are copper compounds, which are not reef safe.

Do to the facts given above, I have become a firm believer in not using live rock or live sand. Using dead rock and soaking it in bleach is a much better way to go IMHO. Many hobbyists are fortunate enough to not bring in these problem algae into their system. Quarantining anything to be put into your tank, including fish, coral or anything else will help from bringing these pests into your system. Quarantining should include proper lighting and a long enough time to see if these type pests are growing in your Quarantine tank first. A little prevention can go a long way to prevent many headaches later on.

In some of the articles I have recently read, it has been found that many of the algae can derive their P needs directly from organic phosphate, like fish foods. Consequently, it is my belief and I am open to any criticism, that lowering your inorganic phospates level (PO4) will not prevent these type of algal pests from growing in your system. It will slow their growth considerably. This is one reason to watch the P being introduced as fish food, properly skim and do water changes and anything else you can do to remove this organic phosphate from your system. This will include mechanical removal using siphoning and hand removal and possibly a good filter to collect it out of the water (this filter would need to be changed frequently).

 

[iFisch]

Cliff, I have read from PaulB, that if one has an algae problem, it's possible your making the algae worse by doing WC's, since the problem may be feeding on iron, or trace elements as well. I don't remember all if it, but he is "soft" to recommend just letting it run it's course. But often, as I see pictures here, that some people need something to rid the problem, quickly.

Aside from nuking the tank and starting over.

Of course he is very successful, the most successful reefkeeper I know, but run's an extremely low tech tank. While I respect his opinions often, sometimes I wonder why no one has said anything about some of his practices - with the new technology, practices and husbandry we do now.

What's your view on this? I'm sure Boomer will have something to say about this - since he has an abundance of knowledge of reef chemistry.

 

[HighlandReefer]

PaulB's success for so many years speaks for itself and deserves worthy attention.

I have found in my own experience, that many algae will run their course and hobbyists can get control of them by using proper husbandry.

The scientific facts are everywhere on the Internet relating to other type of algae pests which take over natural reef systems with pristine water conditions, including very low phosphate, iron, nitrate and other Micronutrient levels. This is something to be considered IMHO. Scientists are continuing to work on finding natural control measures like sea slugs, fish....etc that will help control these algae pests and keep them from overrunning natural reefs.

It is true that the salt mixes that we use provide a far cry from natural marine water as far as the micro-nutrients and toxins. Our artificial salt mixes have extremely higher levels of all the chemicals. To complicate the matter, our tanks contain much higher TOM (total organic matter) then do natural reefs. The studies relating to TOM and its effects are a hot topic in the scientific world now and I expect a lot to come out about its negative effects in the future.

 

[HighlandReefer]

When talking about TOM in our reef tanks, it is important to point out that the best skimmers out there do a poor job in reducing it. Water changes help reduce it as does GAC. But the articles I have read, when testing good skimmers show that the TOM is still a big problem, even with the best technology out there. Something to be said about the importance of not over feeding our tanks.

 

[iFisch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15546564#post15546564 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HighlandReefer
When talking about TOM in a reef tanks, it is important to point out that the best skimmers out there do a poor job in reducing it. Water changes help reduce it as does GAC. But the articles I have read, when testing good skimmers show that the TOM is still a big problem, even with the best technology out there. Something to be said about the importance of not over feeding our tanks.

Is GAC + WC's, more effective than a skimmer, at removing TOM? Is there anything - tests/theories/etc. that talks about this?