Jet wash worked OK for me, followed by boil for couple of hours. IMO tho you have NO3 and PO4, the tests only go to like 30 ppb, but thats still 10 times higher than in the wild reefs. I like Glenns use of iron chelate, breaks down slowly over the day, removes phosphate continually and since its already in the water, iron molecules are ready to grab phosphate a soon as they become available, better competition for algae than GFO reactor. Sand beds are my personal first line of suspicion though, if you have gram levels of PO4 in your sand from years of heavy feeding, its going to take a long time to get rid of it. Remove sand completely IMO, then leach the PO4 from the rock for a few months with chelated liquid iron. Algae need nutes. Also, your organic phosphates might be higher than you realise, testing for inorganic PO4.
Kill Method Needed (algae)
- Thread starter ostrow
- Start date
ostrow
It's Dr. Goodluck Himself
Good opinions, but not applicable in this case. As I said, I use high end equipment to test, and verified with Triton. No organic phosphates, no measurable PO4 at all.
You say "the tests" which is, pardon me, nonsensical or based on assumptions not having read.
Bertoni, or anyone who knows, how much bleach for 200gal of actual water to cleanse the system? Ventilation requirements for that...?
Rock will be out. Prob sand too.
You say "the tests" which is, pardon me, nonsensical or based on assumptions not having read.
Bertoni, or anyone who knows, how much bleach for 200gal of actual water to cleanse the system? Ventilation requirements for that...?
Rock will be out. Prob sand too.
MrSandman
Team RC
Kill Method Needed (algae)
Bummer that nothing has worked so far. When I've bleached rock in the past I've usually just eyeballed it. But if I had to put a ratio on it id say like 20:1 water to bleach.
Why not throw all the rock into a few brute trash cans and do it all outside? Throw a lid on it and let it sit for several days. If it's mature rock you're gonna get some really nasty crap coming off.
To cleanse the system, rather than filling it up with water and bleach you could just put the bleach into a spray bottle and spray the walls of the tank a few times to coat and let it sit. Repeat a few times and then give a final few rinses with water.
Bummer that nothing has worked so far. When I've bleached rock in the past I've usually just eyeballed it. But if I had to put a ratio on it id say like 20:1 water to bleach.
Why not throw all the rock into a few brute trash cans and do it all outside? Throw a lid on it and let it sit for several days. If it's mature rock you're gonna get some really nasty crap coming off.
To cleanse the system, rather than filling it up with water and bleach you could just put the bleach into a spray bottle and spray the walls of the tank a few times to coat and let it sit. Repeat a few times and then give a final few rinses with water.
ostrow
It's Dr. Goodluck Himself
That would only clean the walls.
Every surface, the pipes, the equipment, pumps, all must be cleaned. The bleach needs to run through the system.
Is 20 to 1 right? 10 gallons of bleach? Seems like a lot!
MrSandman
Team RC
Oh yeah. Forgot this is the algae from hell. 20:1 is what I've done but I didn't have the same threatening algae. I've seen some people go 10:1 just fine. There is probably some relationship between time and concentration. The lower the concentration of bleach the more time you'd need to soak.
CStrickland
New member
when you get certified in food safety for restaurants they absolutely hammer you about how bleach only kills what it can touch, and doesn't penetrate well. Depending on how thick a biofilm you have on your pipes, and of course the algae, you might want to run a double kill?
like a weak dose to hit the front line, scrub down, and then a second weak dose to catch any stragglers. Also, maybe google the strength at which it corrodes things like rubber and plastic. Be a shame if it ate the seal off a heater and you shocked your new tank.
Just a couple thoughts, I hope this works out.
like a weak dose to hit the front line, scrub down, and then a second weak dose to catch any stragglers. Also, maybe google the strength at which it corrodes things like rubber and plastic. Be a shame if it ate the seal off a heater and you shocked your new tank.
Just a couple thoughts, I hope this works out.
DEA Coral
New member
Buy several large bottles of hydrogen peroxide (HP). Take out your critters. Leave your pumps on and dump the HP in the tank using a syphon to deliver the undiluted HP to the algae or just dump it in there. HP will destroy algae 100%. Drain and clean the tank of all the loose algae and crud. New water...add critters, no toxic chemicals when you use HP.
Safe easy no scrubbing needed.
Safe easy no scrubbing needed.
mtrcyclefish
Member
Here's a possibly new thought... Instead of trying a chemical to kill the algae, why not try just running your tank with fresh water for a week or so? You'd still have to remove all of your critters of course. As far as I know (which isn't much) salt water algae typically can't survive in fresh water. I know there are some exceptions to that but if the fresh water doesn't work you can always bleach it from there.
asylumdown
New member
You would need an enormous amount of peroxide. You'd have to buy the 30% kind and you'd need to buy enough to make them think you were building an explosive.
mtrcyclefish
Member
As stated earlier there's not a lot of chlorine in household bleach. Why not use pool shock? The only real hazard would be ventilation. But with the amount of bleach you'll be using you will need it vented anyway. Exact dose is kinda irrelevant since you're trying to sterilize the system of all life anyway.
ostrow
It's Dr. Goodluck Himself
There are wildly different views on this. With tank empty people say not much fumes. And that household bleach will do the trick.
Suppose if I have a gallon of Amquel on hand to neutralize if fumes go up I should be OK.
But if I am restarting I want this menace 100% gone
It also depends on concentration of bleach. Still no response on how much I should use.
Suppose if I have a gallon of Amquel on hand to neutralize if fumes go up I should be OK.
But if I am restarting I want this menace 100% gone
It also depends on concentration of bleach. Still no response on how much I should use.
mtrcyclefish
Member
Go big or go home. You can't really use too much,within reason. I would think that it would be better to have too much than not enough.
ostrow
It's Dr. Goodluck Himself
Yes but does that mean one gallon? 1 to 20? 1 to 10? 1 to 3?
I need a starting point to guarantee kill strength that will be safe in the house...
ostrow
It's Dr. Goodluck Himself
Got the best answers in the last several posts in a partner thread in the chemistry forum I started. I am all set.
Muriatic for the rocks in separate tubs.
Sand goes bye-bye
Bleach at 35ml/gal = maybe 2-3 gal total needed to ensure kill in system emptied of rock and sand. Let run 24 hrs.
Some other steps in there too but this is it in a nutshell.
Then I will restart with about 20lbs of good new rock to seed, and a large order from IPSF to kickstart/shorten cycle.
Muriatic for the rocks in separate tubs.
Sand goes bye-bye
Bleach at 35ml/gal = maybe 2-3 gal total needed to ensure kill in system emptied of rock and sand. Let run 24 hrs.
Some other steps in there too but this is it in a nutshell.
Then I will restart with about 20lbs of good new rock to seed, and a large order from IPSF to kickstart/shorten cycle.
Mrs. Music
New member
I'm Good luck! Over the weekend we pulled out all the rock, used 30% peroxide brushed on all the rocks, massive scrubbing, lots of rinsing with saltwater, re-built the aquascaping, and a light vacume of the sand surface with huge water change. So far all is well. No ammonia spike yet, but I am dosing Stability by Seachem. And added fresh Chemipure in the filter drawer of my sump.
Aqua Chemist
New member
Mmmm wouldn't the quickest way be to just buy live rock from a tank breakdown that has all the phosphates removed and just cure your current rock in a tub or another tank
