Will do when I get home. I'll add to first post.
My battle with GHA, my "parameters" and the future: a diary
- Thread starter Zalick
- Start date
Will do when I get home. I'll add to first post.
Looking at this pic makes me sad. All my hopes and dreams with the previous 20 years of reef keeping were supposed to culminate in this box of water.... I spent two years planning the darn system! :headwalls:
Found another pic from December 2014, so it is 5 years old as I thought. The older you get, the harder it is to keep track of time....
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travisstewart
New member
I tackled my GHA with one dose of vibrant. I really saw good results with this product. No harm done to tank and it has not been back.
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No do not be sad. Part of the fun in the hobby is the struggle and learning. Every time I go through an issue I end up learning something new. Same with you. Leta just keep digging do not worry. It can be fixed.
Will wait for your pics. Then we will put a plan and work on a fix..
Have you ever done Triton test? It's really worth it. 50$ will give you great informstions. I highly recommend it when there is persistent problem in the system.
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I personally not too big on thos product. But glad it worked for you.
What this product is, bacterial that boost your biological filtration. When it come to algae the most important thing is to treat the cause not the symptoms. The algae is the symptoms..finding the source that fueling it is the solution...
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Yup. In situations like this time do the following:
1- System mature, bacterial population strengthen, bacteria handle and proccess po4
2- by time the rock exhaust po4 as long ad the import (feeding and bio load) is less than the export(mechanical+biological filtration).
So eventually your system reach and equilibrium in nutrient vs filtration
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Thanks!
I have the pics, but I am waiting for admin permission to continue editing the first post. i will post the setup pics there when I get the permission.
Here is the best closeup of the algae. Next week i can use my wifes microscope and take a photo at 100x.
I ordered some of the ATI tests (so I can test my RO as well). Should have them by tomorrow.
Here are some pics of the algae under the microscope (as well as detritus) :lolspin:
Can you take a water sample only and see under yue scope?I ordered some of the ATI tests (so I can test my RO as well). Should have them by tomorrow.
Here are some pics of the algae under the microscope (as well as detritus) [emoji38]spin:
Any part of the water will do. If you have dino it will be everywhere so you do not have to take yue sample from the algae filament itself.
Also I highly recommend you invest on a Triton test..it will reveal alot...alot..
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Are these brown balls looking organisms moving around rapidly?I ordered some of the ATI tests (so I can test my RO as well). Should have them by tomorrow.
Here are some pics of the algae under the microscope (as well as detritus) [emoji38]spin:
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Oh it's an ICP got it. Yeh that's good.The balls were not moving.
Yes, I can get a pic of the water. Hopefully tomorrow.
The ATI tests I ordered are the same as Triton but they also include a vial to test the RO water.
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Looked at water under 100x oil lens. Nothing in the water at all. We even used a centrifuge to condense any material. We did not do any staining.
Also sent in the ICP test today!
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Great thread! It's like a mystery, that the author and readers are all trying to solve. RC at it's best! It's great to see so many folks trying to help.
I just read through the whole thread, and I have a few thoughts to add to the discussion.
In my experience, it's best to focus on the basics, when fighting algae. Food availability, predation, and competition for food are the biggees. Why haven't I included light? Because light is a constant. You can't turn it off. Though a strategic multi-day blackout can be used as a knock-out blow, once you have the algae 'on the ropes'.
Food availability is a key factor. I'm assuming you are not overfeeding your tank, but you may need to take a look at that. Since we can all agree that algae can feed itself, we need look no further for it's food source. It's the algae itself! Where do think is the most concentrated food source for algae? The water column? The rock? It's the algae itself! This saves us the hassle and mystery of figuring out the food source. You are what you eat-especially if you're algae. So, how do we address this? Manual removal! I'm not talking half measures either. I mean serious, relentless, obsessive-compulsive level removal. Write down a manual removal schedule and stick to it. It sounds like you are already having some success with manual removal. That's good!
Next up is predation. I've seen no mention of a clean up crew on this thread. I think they are vastly underused in the hobby, mainly because a lot of folks just don't know enough about them to use them effectively. Tossing a few snails and crabs in doesn't cut it. In fact, don't bother with hermit crabs, unless you plan to isolate them with no food inputs at all. Once they get a taste of fish food, they become pathetic algae consumers. Plus they kill snails, which are vastly superior algae eaters. So what you need are several, different, reproducing snails, like Ceriths, and others. There are several snails available that reproduce in our tanks. Another predator that gets little attention is PODS. These little guys multiply and eat a lot of algae. Get thousands of them. These were actually instrumental in my winning the war with dinoflagellates. Finally, there are several fish that would love to help out. Scopas Tangs, algae blennies, and even mollies are just a few possibilities.
Competition for food is another effective tool. I think the OP mentioned he had an algae scrubber, but hadn't added it yet. Add it now. Whether it's an algae scrubber, a planted refugium, a chaeto reactor, or just planting some macro algae right in the tank, any of these will provide competition for food. Some algae is gonna happen. By picking an algae export method, YOU control how much and where it is.
Sorry I rambled on. I hope some of this is helpful. Good luck! You're getting there!
I just read through the whole thread, and I have a few thoughts to add to the discussion.
In my experience, it's best to focus on the basics, when fighting algae. Food availability, predation, and competition for food are the biggees. Why haven't I included light? Because light is a constant. You can't turn it off. Though a strategic multi-day blackout can be used as a knock-out blow, once you have the algae 'on the ropes'.
Food availability is a key factor. I'm assuming you are not overfeeding your tank, but you may need to take a look at that. Since we can all agree that algae can feed itself, we need look no further for it's food source. It's the algae itself! Where do think is the most concentrated food source for algae? The water column? The rock? It's the algae itself! This saves us the hassle and mystery of figuring out the food source. You are what you eat-especially if you're algae. So, how do we address this? Manual removal! I'm not talking half measures either. I mean serious, relentless, obsessive-compulsive level removal. Write down a manual removal schedule and stick to it. It sounds like you are already having some success with manual removal. That's good!
Next up is predation. I've seen no mention of a clean up crew on this thread. I think they are vastly underused in the hobby, mainly because a lot of folks just don't know enough about them to use them effectively. Tossing a few snails and crabs in doesn't cut it. In fact, don't bother with hermit crabs, unless you plan to isolate them with no food inputs at all. Once they get a taste of fish food, they become pathetic algae consumers. Plus they kill snails, which are vastly superior algae eaters. So what you need are several, different, reproducing snails, like Ceriths, and others. There are several snails available that reproduce in our tanks. Another predator that gets little attention is PODS. These little guys multiply and eat a lot of algae. Get thousands of them. These were actually instrumental in my winning the war with dinoflagellates. Finally, there are several fish that would love to help out. Scopas Tangs, algae blennies, and even mollies are just a few possibilities.
Competition for food is another effective tool. I think the OP mentioned he had an algae scrubber, but hadn't added it yet. Add it now. Whether it's an algae scrubber, a planted refugium, a chaeto reactor, or just planting some macro algae right in the tank, any of these will provide competition for food. Some algae is gonna happen. By picking an algae export method, YOU control how much and where it is.
Sorry I rambled on. I hope some of this is helpful. Good luck! You're getting there!
Oldreeferman
New member
Thanks Michael! Very helpful.
I was thinking about dosing fluconazle, but I'm to give it one more go without dosing.
When I get my ICP test back, I'll have a good baseline for the chemistry portion of this equation. I should have mentioned in my first post that I posted in the chemistry forum because when people talk about GHA, or algae in general, they always say "its a nutrient problem" ie, you've got dirty water. I wanted to document my process to talk this in real time, and show my water chemistry at the same time. Hopefully show people that starving your fish to lower your already zero phosphates, might not be the best way to tackle algae!
My current plan of attack is to pursue aggressive manual removal, on a weekly basis, while measuring my water chemistry. I will be taking pics periodically and posting the pics with the chemistry results. Once I've beaten it back use much as possible, hopefully then the ATS will take-over and out compete.
My clean-up crew is pretty pathetic at the moment. I've been reluctant to begin my master stocking plan for this tank, due to this stupid algae problem. So My only algea eating fish is my Magnificent Foxface. He does pick at it all day long. I'm a big "no crabs in my tank" guy. I like snails and don't like feeding crabs expensive dinners.... My snail population is weak. I definitely need to add to it. I only have 1 mexican turbo, a couple banded trochus (I've lost about 15 over the last year or so), a few nassarius, a few ceritch, a couple fighting conch. My turbo has grown from a marble to a golf ball in 1 year. He's a pig.
I had an algae blenny, and it ate the algae all day long. Always had a full belly. But over the course of 2 years, it slowly got thinner and thinner and eventually died. I'm guessing my algae was not enough nutrients for it??
I don't have the ATS yet. Waiting in the process of ordering one from Bud! It will go online as soon as possible. I do have a good LED grow light in my sump and its been pretty effective at growing algae on the walls of the center chamber.
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reefgeezer
Active member
I had a problem with hair algae, not to the extent in your pictures, but it wouldn't go away. My tank is also older than yours. I used GFO, did big water changes, carbon dosed, and even tried reef flux. While I was succeeding at keeping the algae in check, it just wouldn't go away... and I was also denying my corals nutrients they needed. I was having some growth & color issues.
As I thought about it, I realized that the nutrients that were feeding the algae were not solely bio-available N&P. The algae was competing for other nitrogen compounds that exists for short periods of time and finding the P it needed leaching from the substrate inside the tank.
As there really isn't a way to reduce these available nutrients, I chose another route. I chose to try a relatively new product... Vibrant. I won't claim to know what is in it, but it somehow employs bacteria to control algae directly. I kept up the GFO and carbon dosing, and did a slightly larger water change with each weekly dose of Vibrant. AND... I added a Sea Hare. The algae in my system was gone in 4 weeks and has not returned. The Sea Hare went to a new home, and while I do have a little GFO in the system, I've quit carbon dosing. The Vibrant didn't hurt anything in my SPS dominate tank.
As I thought about it, I realized that the nutrients that were feeding the algae were not solely bio-available N&P. The algae was competing for other nitrogen compounds that exists for short periods of time and finding the P it needed leaching from the substrate inside the tank.
As there really isn't a way to reduce these available nutrients, I chose another route. I chose to try a relatively new product... Vibrant. I won't claim to know what is in it, but it somehow employs bacteria to control algae directly. I kept up the GFO and carbon dosing, and did a slightly larger water change with each weekly dose of Vibrant. AND... I added a Sea Hare. The algae in my system was gone in 4 weeks and has not returned. The Sea Hare went to a new home, and while I do have a little GFO in the system, I've quit carbon dosing. The Vibrant didn't hurt anything in my SPS dominate tank.
I am following this with interest. I have some heavy GHA but my tank just finished cycling a few weeks ago. My Hanna Checker also shows 0 phosphates. I have added a Foxface (not specifically for the algae) and bolstered my CUC. I put a lot of Cheato in my refugium and added a GFO reactor to my sump. I just started dosing Vibrant and will continue on a weekly basis.
I am seeing improvement. I started to do physical removal but it seemed to really stress a few fish I recently added (including the Foxface), so I am holding off to give them more time to get used to their new home before I start sticking my arms in the tank.
I am seeing improvement. I started to do physical removal but it seemed to really stress a few fish I recently added (including the Foxface), so I am holding off to give them more time to get used to their new home before I start sticking my arms in the tank.
