AlgaeFix Marine to control Hair Algae

[zaitmi]

I have started dosing Alagaefix freshwater version in my marine due brown/green hair dusty algae from last 8 months. This will be my last try to keep live rocks in my tank otherwise i will sell them back to my LFS. Frustated of my brown dirty algaes.

Let see what comes up. I will keep posting here.

 

[HighlandReefer]

zaitmi,

Thanks for sharing your experience with AF. Unfortunately AF does not work on all algae species, hopefully it works for yours.

To get the best results from AF, your phosphate should be below 0.03 ppm. It is best to remove as much of the algae as possible before you dose. Keep in mind that AF will brake down within 24 hrs, so cleaning or water changes should not be done during that period.

Good luck.

 

[HighlandReefer]

One other thing, is that AF freshwater has been reported to be identical as far as content to the salt water version. I have not seen the label for the freshwater version. You should dose the AF freshwater version per the instructions for the salt water version if they are different. Perhaps you can confirm if both labels are the same?


This is the saltwater AF label:

"Benefits: AlgaeFix marine effectively controls these types of saltwater algae: Green algae (Cladaphora), "Red Loine" (Oscillatoria/Spirulina major), "Brown algae" (Cyclotela) in marine aquarium containing live corals, invertebrates and fish. When used in salt water will not harm snails, clams,scallops, shrimp, anemones, sea cucumbers, feather dusters, coralline algae, soft corals, hard corals and other invertebrates. Does not discolor the water or cause foaming.

Directions for use: It is a violation of federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling. Add 1 ml (1/5 tsp. for each 10 US gallons (38 L) or 5 ml (1 tsp.) for each 50 US gallons (190 L) or 50 ml. (10 tsp.) for each 500 US gallons (1,890 L) of aquarium water. Repeat dose every 3 days until algae is controlled. Siphon or scrape any dead algae from aquarium. Once algae growth is under control, add one dose per week. Weekly doses of AlgaeFix Marine will control Alger growth and reduce aquarium maintenance.

Precautionary Statement
Hazards to humans & domestic animals.

Caution: Harmful if swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Avoid contact with skin, eyes or clothing. Wash thoroughly with soap and water after handling. Note: This product contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer.

First Aid: If on skin, thoroughly wash with soap and water and remove contaminated clothing. If in eyes, hold eye open and gently flush with water for 15 minutes. If Swallowed, call a Poison Control Center or doctor immediately for treatment advice.

Storage and Disposal: Do not contaminate water or feed. Do not reuse empty bottle. Rinse throughly before discarding in trash."

 

[steevareno2002]

Unfortunetly Algeafix hasn't worked for me after 9 doses so i'm assuming I have bryopsis. Off to the pet store to buy a sea hare and Kent tech M.

 

[zaitmi]

Okay I dosed algaefix day before night and i cleaned some powerheads today and scraped the glass with blade, no cleaning done on rocks. Hope it is fine.

 

[gotmilkmailit]

I have been reading nealry all of the posts in this thread. Took hours, but well worth it... My 75 gal tank is fairly new and I put 150lbs of LR and 50Lbs of live sand that came from another tank. My lighting system is theT5HO 6 bulb w/ lunars. Everything was fine until I added fish. A week later I had the worst HA outbreak that I have ever experienced. This crap covered every part of rock that the light touched and not just a little bit, it was thick and long. My hubby was so proud that I managed to make my "lawn" look better than the one in the yard.. Anyway, I bought AF and after the 1st dose, I noticed die off right away. After the second dose, I noticed even more. Before dosing the 3rd time, I couldn't stand looking at my tank anymore so I took out most of the affected rock and scrubbed it down with a tooth brush. Rinsed it and put it back in the tank. After the 3rd dose, I didn't see any change in what was left on my mushroom rock, but my decorator crab kicked the bucket. I don't know if it had anything to do with AF or not. He was just fine that morning and the night before. Possible.. The whole time during the 1st 3 doses, I was adding Purple Up (every other day) and I left my carbon in and my pura phoslock bag in too. Skimmer is still running. I have not noticed any ill effects on my BTA or astria snails, blue legged hermits, red legged hermits or fish..The HA seemed to stop growning. There are a few nicely green patches that are still there.. 4th dose is on Tuesday. Can't wait for the 5th dose...
I havn't seen any posts for those who are maintaining with AF (unless I missed them).
I am curious to know if the "maintenance" doses have an ill effect on the livestock..
Anyone???

 

[HighlandReefer]

gotmilkmailit,

To Reef Central

Sorry to hear about the loss of your crab.

We have not received feed-back from any hobbyist who has used AF for long term at the once per week maintenance dosing.

Personally, I don't like the idea of using AF for maintenance dosing once you have achieved control. Instead, I would watch for any recurrence of the algae & begin dosing at the every three day rate if the algae returns. It makes sense to dose AF a little longer after you achieve control and perhaps a few maintenance doses after that. Long term dosing even at the once per week schedule may have negative effects we don't know about. It has not been made clear in any data we have available what effects AF has at the concentrations recommended for reef tanks on other organisms other then algae, which AF produces holes in their outer membrane and allows the contents of the cell to spew out. We do know that at 10X the levels used in reef tanks, that AF will kill many organisms (it is a biocide). We do know that AF will brake down in 24 hrs, so it should not accumulate in a reef aquarium.

 

[HighlandReefer]

FWIW, maintenance applications of pesticides leads to resistant populations of the organism you are trying to control. It can also have similar effects on non-target organisms which leads to many types of negative side effects. This has been demonstrated when using pesticides to control every other form of life man has attempted to control. Algae reproduce at a phenomenal rate, which means resistance can develop quicker then for insects or rats. Bacteria will reproduce quicker then most algae and we don't know the effects AF has on them.

 

[gotmilkmailit]

That is so true, so maybe dosing to maintain is not a good idea at all. I sure would hate to have armed algae!!

 

[zaitmi]

The labels are almost same for both products reeflander. Okay 1 more impotant thing to i am dosing vodka also from last 2 months. Should i continue with it as it keeps my nitrates and phosphates in control??

Thanks in advance.

 

[zaitmi]

The labels are almost same for both products reeflander. Okay 1 more impotant thing to ask i am dosing vodka also from last 2 months. Should i continue with it as it keeps my nitrates and phosphates in control??

Thanks in advance.

 

[HighlandReefer]

Good to know the dosing instructions for AF Marine & AF freshwater are the same. Thanks.

I would continue dosing your vodka. The AF will kill particularly gram negative bacteria to the best of my knowledge. Good skimming should help remove the bacteria as well. I would assume this is similar to running UV and dosing carbon sources, which doesn't seem to interfere with nitrate reduction.

I have found an additional source for the mode of action of AF. The mode of action is the same for bacteria as for algae. The mode of action is not completely understood. First the active ingredient in AF is attracted to the cell membrane of algae and bacteria. Particularly negatively charged organisms. It then penetrates through the cell membrane and disrupts the structure of the cell membrane. It then enters the cell and causes damages to the nuclear membrane. The disruption of the cell membrane allows the cytoplasm, K+ ions and various other components to ooze out of the cell. This results in the death of the cell. I can only assume that AF can't get through the mucal tissues secreted by coral and the coral outer cell membrane. At least the amount that can get through is reduced. Otherwise we would see negative effects on coral. I can't find any documents which describe the effect of AF on coral tissues and membranes, so this is just speculation on my part.

Mode of action for AlgaeFix Marine:
http://books.google.com/books?id=3f...#v=onepage&q=Busan 77 mode of action&f=false

 

[gotmilkmailit]

Just a note. Decorator crab did NOT die!!! He just molted... OOOPS!!

 

[zaitmi]

2nd dose of Algaefix Freshwater provided last night i.e 42 drops (3ml) on my 30 gallon tank.

No positive results yet. So what, i will keep on dosing and posting here.

 

[HighlandReefer]

Many hobbyists seem to start seeing results around the 5th or 6th dose.

 

[weese3]

I have completed 2 doses and my 3rd will be today.. Last night I decided to do some GHA pulling/ripping and much to my suprise it was very easy to pull out and off the rocks MUCH easier to pull than before AlgaeFix dosing... It seems to be losing its holding strength already after just 2 doses, and it smells kinda funny.. It still has that awful hair algae smell to it, but it also smells a little like death.. It has also started to turn almost a brownish/green colour

I dont want to jump the gun, but I would say it is working

Adam

 

[HighlandReefer]

Sounds good.

Since it is easy to remove the algae, you will want to get it all out of your tank before the algae brakes down and pollutes your tanks water.

 

[HighlandReefer]

I would also run GAC and perhaps change it a little more often then you have. Running GFO will help remove phosphate added by dieing or dead algae. Running filter sock is benefitial for collected the algae parts too. A common problem is hobbyists report cyano growth after the algae dies and this can be attributed to the increased waste products from the dead or dieing algae.

 

[weese3]

I am running a large amount of GAC and GFO all the time, and I also have filter socks on line at all times I did my harvesting last night in anticipation of the die off, and to keep the pollution to a minimum..

 

[HighlandReefer]

:thumbsup:

It will be interesting to see if you develop cyano problems with implementing these procedures to prevent it.