AlgaeFix Marine to control Hair Algae
- Thread starter HighlandReefer
- Start date
HighlandReefer
Team RC
From the results we have seen from hobbyists using AF in this thread, it is not necessary to stop GFO and GAC. The benefits of running both GAC and GFO while using AF to fight algae are very good IMHO.
tripnbili
New member
FWIW, I have used 45 ml of vinegar in the 100 gallon total water equivalent per day without problems. Randy has dosed at least twice the amount I have without problems. Each tank is different and the nitrate production in your tank can make a big difference (total amount of fish & fish food added).
It always seemed like I use a small maintenance dose of VSV...do you happened to know of a "common" daily dosage for a 100g system on VSV??
I'll switch to the vinegar tomorrow. I have considered the NP pellets, but I don't wanna be another beta tester on something else.
My chalices all seem to have halted growth and look unhealthy. Could this too be attributed to the sugar? My dKh creeped up to 9 recently and I'm letting it fall closer to 7.5-8 as with NSW conditions...
HighlandReefer
Team RC
You dose carbon sources like vodka & vinegar to maintain your nitrate level. Whatever minimal amount works for you. Each tank is different. The only reason I was using more vinegar is that I was using vinegar to increase alk and calcium production in my saturated kalk water with the carbon source as a side benefit.
I'm not sure what is causing your problems with your coral, it could be many things or their combinations. Check water parameters first and make sure your phosphate is below 0.03 ppm.
I'm not sure what is causing your problems with your coral, it could be many things or their combinations. Check water parameters first and make sure your phosphate is below 0.03 ppm.
HighlandReefer
Team RC
sneeyatch
Active member
I have come to realize that I'm dealing with bryopsis instead of regular old hair algae. When I first noticed the growth, it was still very small and it resembled regular HA. Now that it's had a chance to grow a lot it's actually individual fronds and feathery in appearance.
Anyway, since I've used AFX in the past and am still using it, I decided to do an experiment and increase the dosage. I usually don't do this at all even outside of the aquarium hobby but since I've never really noticed a negative effect on my inhabitants, I figured I'd give it a shot and if there were signs of stress, I'd stop. So this past week, I've kept up with my standard dosage amount, but increased the time frame from every 3 days to every other day. It appears that a lot of the bryopsis has turned either a sickly yellow-ish green, white or is browning out. There definitely is no "green" bryopsis in the tank.
Part of my reasoning behind this was I read somewhere (it may have even been here) that the active ingredient in AFX dissipates after around 24 hrs. Increasing the dosage allows the algaecide to be more active and maybe that's what's needed to combat this algae with this product.
Now - my tank is new and it's going through it's stages as well. I expect to see lots of weird blooms come around but so far there's no negative impact on any inhabitants - although - again, I don't have a lot. Just a few small Euphyllia frags, and a couple of small open brains.
In addition to running AFX, I've added a bag of Seachem's Seagel to the sump and am running my socks to catch any particulate. My skimmer is set about right in the middle - not too wet, not to dry.
I'll keep you all informed as time progresses.
Anyway, since I've used AFX in the past and am still using it, I decided to do an experiment and increase the dosage. I usually don't do this at all even outside of the aquarium hobby but since I've never really noticed a negative effect on my inhabitants, I figured I'd give it a shot and if there were signs of stress, I'd stop. So this past week, I've kept up with my standard dosage amount, but increased the time frame from every 3 days to every other day. It appears that a lot of the bryopsis has turned either a sickly yellow-ish green, white or is browning out. There definitely is no "green" bryopsis in the tank.
Part of my reasoning behind this was I read somewhere (it may have even been here) that the active ingredient in AFX dissipates after around 24 hrs. Increasing the dosage allows the algaecide to be more active and maybe that's what's needed to combat this algae with this product.
Now - my tank is new and it's going through it's stages as well. I expect to see lots of weird blooms come around but so far there's no negative impact on any inhabitants - although - again, I don't have a lot. Just a few small Euphyllia frags, and a couple of small open brains.
In addition to running AFX, I've added a bag of Seachem's Seagel to the sump and am running my socks to catch any particulate. My skimmer is set about right in the middle - not too wet, not to dry.
I'll keep you all informed as time progresses.
HighlandReefer
Team RC
sneeyatch,
Thanks for sharing your experiment.
You have treaded into possibly dangerous territory with your experiment. That said, experimentation is how we learn to use the tools we have available to us more efficiently. The kind of experiment you are running is usually done with inhabitants you can afford to loose. Personally I would not hesitate to use AF at higher than recommended doses if I did not have fish, coral or other occupants in my tank, like when first starting out. The AF does brake down quickly, within 24 hrs.
In my field of study, Universities experiment with herbicides to try and control stubborn weed pests, like poison ivy for example. They found that much higher doses of Round-up worked well to control it. As a result the manufacturer put more money out to get the new label for Round-up at twice the strength to control poison ivy. Comparing land herbicides to reef herbicides is completely different, since you can't apply the product directly on the target without getting it on the non-target organisms.
With what I have read about AF, you don't want to increase the strength of it. Increasing the strength of AF has caused problems for some hobbyists in this thread. Increasing the frequency as you have done, may be helpful, but only time will tell.
Remember, any hobbyists who decides to experiment with AF are taking a chance of loosing valuable inhabitants.
If you are willing to take this chance, I am interested in following along and knowing exactly what doses, frequencies, tank inhabbitants, pests.....ect, you have in your tank.
Thanks for sharing your experiment.
You have treaded into possibly dangerous territory with your experiment. That said, experimentation is how we learn to use the tools we have available to us more efficiently. The kind of experiment you are running is usually done with inhabitants you can afford to loose. Personally I would not hesitate to use AF at higher than recommended doses if I did not have fish, coral or other occupants in my tank, like when first starting out. The AF does brake down quickly, within 24 hrs.
In my field of study, Universities experiment with herbicides to try and control stubborn weed pests, like poison ivy for example. They found that much higher doses of Round-up worked well to control it. As a result the manufacturer put more money out to get the new label for Round-up at twice the strength to control poison ivy. Comparing land herbicides to reef herbicides is completely different, since you can't apply the product directly on the target without getting it on the non-target organisms.
With what I have read about AF, you don't want to increase the strength of it. Increasing the strength of AF has caused problems for some hobbyists in this thread. Increasing the frequency as you have done, may be helpful, but only time will tell.
Remember, any hobbyists who decides to experiment with AF are taking a chance of loosing valuable inhabitants.
If you are willing to take this chance, I am interested in following along and knowing exactly what doses, frequencies, tank inhabbitants, pests.....ect, you have in your tank.
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HighlandReefer
Team RC
Pictures would be nice as well.
sneeyatch
Active member
I was going to take some pics the other day, but since I didn't really notice anything different, I didn't. I will pick out a couple of spots and start taking progress pics now that I believe I'm getting the upper hand.
I did realize that I would be taking a huge chance but since my tank is still very, very young and my inhabitants are few, I would take the chance. My only inhabitants as of now are a single red leg hermit that I acquired by chance, a pair of true perc clowns, a tomini tang that was just introduced about 36 hrs ago, small frags of frogspawn, hammer and torch corals and 2 small open brain corals. I can very easily remove the livestock and place them into my QT (which is up and running) if necessary.
My tank is a 150 DD cube with a small sump. I'm not sure on the gallons but I guess it's holding somewhere around 20 gallons. The rock in the display is only around 75 - 80lbs and I have approx. 2" sand bed. I went ahead and assumed on the safe side that I would dose for a total of 150 gallons. I should be in the green on that by a decent margin.
My dosage as of this time is 15ml every other day and I dosed this morning before I left for work.
I did realize that I would be taking a huge chance but since my tank is still very, very young and my inhabitants are few, I would take the chance. My only inhabitants as of now are a single red leg hermit that I acquired by chance, a pair of true perc clowns, a tomini tang that was just introduced about 36 hrs ago, small frags of frogspawn, hammer and torch corals and 2 small open brain corals. I can very easily remove the livestock and place them into my QT (which is up and running) if necessary.
My tank is a 150 DD cube with a small sump. I'm not sure on the gallons but I guess it's holding somewhere around 20 gallons. The rock in the display is only around 75 - 80lbs and I have approx. 2" sand bed. I went ahead and assumed on the safe side that I would dose for a total of 150 gallons. I should be in the green on that by a decent margin.
My dosage as of this time is 15ml every other day and I dosed this morning before I left for work.
HighlandReefer
Team RC
Thanks for the detailed information.
Bryopsis is a nasty pest. We need all the help we can discover regarding eliminating it from reef tanks. Many hobbyists quit the hobby because of it. There may be other hobbyists are to the point where they are willing to try anything.
Good luck with your experiment. :thumbsup:
Bryopsis is a nasty pest. We need all the help we can discover regarding eliminating it from reef tanks. Many hobbyists quit the hobby because of it. There may be other hobbyists are to the point where they are willing to try anything.
Good luck with your experiment. :thumbsup:
sneeyatch
Active member
Thanks.
It's funny you mention how nasty this stuff is. I believe I got it from some dead live rock that I picked up from a fellow club member that had broken down her tank months ago. This (now base rock) had been out of water and exposed to the elements since the late springtime if I'm not mistaken. I assumed that everything would have been long dead, so I just gave the rock a good powerwashing to get the bugs and spiders out of it, left it to dry and put it right in the tank. I guess I was wrong. It was the only thing that happened to be live at one time when this tank was started.
It's funny you mention how nasty this stuff is. I believe I got it from some dead live rock that I picked up from a fellow club member that had broken down her tank months ago. This (now base rock) had been out of water and exposed to the elements since the late springtime if I'm not mistaken. I assumed that everything would have been long dead, so I just gave the rock a good powerwashing to get the bugs and spiders out of it, left it to dry and put it right in the tank. I guess I was wrong. It was the only thing that happened to be live at one time when this tank was started.
HighlandReefer
Team RC
Yes, according to research I have read, if the algae remains wet, it will survive in spore like stages for quite some time. I would use a bleach bath for any rock entering into my system to prevent possible pests. The bacteria will grow quickly on dead rock. Quarantining live rock is the best way to go and you will need proper lighting to allow the algae to grow with needed nutrients.
SimonSKL
New member
Yes, according to research I have read, if the algae remains wet, it will survive in spore like stages for quite some time. I would use a bleach bath for any rock entering into my system to prevent possible pests. The bacteria will grow quickly on dead rock. Quarantining live rock is the best way to go and you will need proper lighting to allow the algae to grow with needed nutrients.
I am always confused about handling live rocks. If you have to use bleach to treat live rocks, what is the reason to buy "live" rocks, why not just buy "dead" or base rock?:hmm4:
BTW, I restarted my AF and is now on my third dose. I stopped after the fifth dose in Aug as I was leaving for a two-wk vacation. I too have a very resistant case of GHA and 5 doses of AF didn't have any impact on it. I came back after 2 weeks of vacation and almost half my tank was covered with GHA. I spent the last two weeks manually pulling most of them out and I am planning to go 10 doses with AF this time.
HighlandReefer
Team RC
Personally, I would not use live rock due to algae type pest problems which are becoming prevalent throught the world. IF you decide to use live rock, I would quarantine it with proper light & nutrients for at least 30 days to allow the algae to grow out. 60 days may be better.
If after 10 doses you do not get control of your algae pest, I would discontinue the AF treatment.
If after 10 doses you do not get control of your algae pest, I would discontinue the AF treatment.
sneeyatch
Active member
I took a couple of pics this evening so I can document the progress and so that everyone can see it for themselves. You can see that I pretty much have an infestation - LOL! but all of the algae is either a sickly yellow, brown or clear. There is no green coloration to the algae at all. Anyway, I'll keep taking pics of these 2 areas maybe every few days or so...
tripnbili
New member
After the 4th dose yesterday, I did a small clean up today. I mentioned earlier about the cyano splotches here and there. Today I vacuumed the cyano and brushed of some bits of algae...it came off VERY EASILY!! So easy that I didn't have a chance to catch it before it went into the water column...I cleaned my filter socks today, so that was good to be able to catch some of the decaying algae. I only have a few small spots left and I'm confident they'll be gone in one or two more doses...thank you AF!!
Also, I took Highlander's suggestion to switch from VSV to straight vinegar...let's see how that works with PE and cyano...
Also, I took Highlander's suggestion to switch from VSV to straight vinegar...let's see how that works with PE and cyano...
Ycore
New member
I skimmed through many pages of this but couldn't find a quick answer, but does Algaefix work against dinoflagellates? At first I thought I had diatoms, then I thought I had brown hair algae, but now I'm pretty convinced it's dinos. Brown slimy "tuft" like algae. I've tried everything to remove it, but it's slowly getting worse. The final "clue" was that my snails started dying or becoming very lethargic.
So, any experience on using this against dinos?
Thanks
Edit.. Found a few pages back that it hasn't been tested for Dinos...
So, any experience on using this against dinos?
Thanks
Edit.. Found a few pages back that it hasn't been tested for Dinos...
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NeveroddoreveN
New member
The only other thing that may work that I have read in one thread, is where the hobbyist achieved control of bryopsis raising his salinity level up to 1.030, which the hobbyist reported worked on his particular specie of bryopsis. This was reported by one hobbyist only. I have read where the scientists have found that some species of byropsis don't do as well at higher salinity levels. This may be worth a try. If you decide to try this, I would appreciate hearing about your results.
Thanks
. Is there any other info on this? How long would the salinity be kept at that level?
