Oh the frustration!

[traumajeff]

Don't start all over. It takes time to find the right combo of what works.

I would definitely cut back on your livestock. If your lfs won't give you any credit for the fish, see if you can sell them on Craigslist or a local club's page. Whether it's actual food or fish waste, your going to have an issue with nutrients with that many fish.

Next... use the credit you got for those fish to buy better test kits. API is good for testing your pool water, not so much for your reef.

You mention that you have a sump. What's in there? Skimmer? UV sterilizer? Macro algae?

No offense, but if you are truly harvesting the gha... you stink at it. You need to get more off the rock. What you can't grab, use a toothbrush and/or tweezers.

Try using a turkey baster and blow the rock off. You'll probably notice a bunch of crap coming from the areas that are heavy in gha... that's what's feeding it. If this is so, you can increase/adjust your flow to help clear these areas, but you'll still probably have to blow them off pretty frequently.

I've used hydrogen peroxide with success in the past. Mostly in areas around my zoas or in cracks that I just can't get to. Turn off all your flow, and squirt some right at the base of the gha. Let it sit for a few minutes. There are also people who just dose the tank, but I prefer to spot treat. If you have rock that you can pull out, you can always mix ro/di and peroxide and soak/scrub them. If not, spot treating is fine.

Have you ever considered carbon dosing? Vodka, vinegar, or vsv? If not, look it up. It'll help with your N & P, but you need to have a few things in check first. Lower nutrients, a more accurate test kit, as much of that gha pulled out as you can, an understanding of what is feeding the gha (IMO it's the overstocking issue), and you definitely need a good skimmer.

Be diligent about these things and see where you're at. I've never used a carbon/gfo reactor or had to go lights out. My gha comes and goes. I'm not overstocked, but I tend to overfeed and get a little lazy with maintenance... then I get to follow my own advice!

Oh... I also have a lawnmower blenny, a yellow tang, and turbos that offer some help, but not much.

 

[oscarmeir]

Fair enough.

Sump currently has floss, crushed coral, skimmer, and reactor. I have a UV< never connected it. It's a 36w Jebo and I'm debating if its of value to install.

I do use the baster to harvest, but its really stuck on pretty good. Yes, some white dust flies out when I blow on the rocks, nothing intense.

Tell me more about using hydrogen peroxide in the tank for spot treatment. sounds interesting.

 

[zeebies]

I've found H2O2 excellent for removing hair algae. For best results it has to be done in conjunction with removing phosphates/decreasing fish load/reducing light/adding a productive CUC. Otherwise the algae just comes back.

I use this method when I have a rock that can be removed easily and has no corals attached. Mix 50% tank water/50% peroxide from the drug store (3%) in a bowl or tub. Pull the rock and let it sit in the mixture for 15 minutes.

When I do this method, after I remove the rock from the DT, I will hold the rock over a bowl and squirt some RODI on it. This allows brittle stars, crabs, etc, to jump off. You can save them and add them back to the tank. Then do the peroxide dip.

After the rock is done, rinse it a few times in some seperate tank water, then put back in DT. You won't notice a change right away, but by the end of a week, the algae turns white and is much less coarse.

You can do an additional scrubbing after a week, or that may not be needed, depending on how your CUC does.

Again, this is not a cure-all and you must also get to the root of the problem and take action on that end.

 

[traumajeff]

Fair enough.

Sump currently has floss, crushed coral, skimmer, and reactor. I have a UV< never connected it. It's a 36w Jebo and I'm debating if its of value to install.

I do use the baster to harvest, but its really stuck on pretty good. Yes, some white dust flies out when I blow on the rocks, nothing intense.

Tell me more about using hydrogen peroxide in the tank for spot treatment. sounds interesting.

I PM'd you a link. It's a good read. Many people use peroxide for dino, so if you search that'll be the most common to pop up. This link talks about pretty much everything.

The uv wouldn't be a bad thing.

You have to rip that stuff off there though... if your fingers can't do it, that's where the toothbrush or tweezers come in handy. Once you have as much off as you can, shut all your flow off. This will allow you to use a syringe or pipette or something similar to squirt the peroxide on the gha. It will help do break the algae down. It usually turns white/brown after a day or so. Give it 10 mins or so after application and turn the flow back on. You can work in sections if you'd like, doing a portion each day.

This is only a bandaid though... like I said, you have to find and fix the root cause. In your case, I really feel it's the amount of fish, food, and poo that you have.

Is there any way for you to incorporate cheato into your sump? Macro algae utilize N & P too. It's just another way to help with export.

 

[saltwater_pappy]

I had a GHA problem 10 years ago when my tank was 2 years old. It was simply fed by phosphates & nitrates. You need to get them under control for it to stop growing. Good water is the key, there is no other simple cure (eg. vodka, hydrogen peroxide & other chemicals). They will most likely cause you other problems. You are on the right track with a reactor in your sump to remove the culprits. I personally took my rock out weekly one by one and scrubbed the algae off in one bucket of saltwater & rinsed in another before returning to my tank. Simply eliminate the fuel & remove as much algae as possible and it will eventually disappear with time. As many above have commented, you have a huge bio load. The rule for saltwater is 1" of fish per 10 gallons (max would be 6-9 fish) if you can effectively remove the waste. Take your time, do good maintenance to create good water and all you problems will vanish.

 

[oscarmeir]

I PM'd you a link. It's a good read. Many people use peroxide for dino, so if you search that'll be the most common to pop up. This link talks about pretty much everything.

The uv wouldn't be a bad thing.

You have to rip that stuff off there though... if your fingers can't do it, that's where the toothbrush or tweezers come in handy. Once you have as much off as you can, shut all your flow off. This will allow you to use a syringe or pipette or something similar to squirt the peroxide on the gha. It will help do break the algae down. It usually turns white/brown after a day or so. Give it 10 mins or so after application and turn the flow back on. You can work in sections if you'd like, doing a portion each day.

This is only a bandaid though... like I said, you have to find and fix the root cause. In your case, I really feel it's the amount of fish, food, and poo that you have.

Is there any way for you to incorporate cheato into your sump? Macro algae utilize N & P too. It's just another way to help with export.

I'm in the process of planning a new sump that will incorporate a refuge. Cheato, maybe a mangrove or three.

I will read the link when I have a quiet minute, Peroxide from a pharmacy is safe?

 

[oscarmeir]

So it's a month later and I'm seriously considering starting over. There has been some improvement with the Algeafix but its minimal, I've been changing my phosphate remover regularly, that also seems to be causing some improvement, and of course harvesting twice a week or so.

The past few days I noticed a change in the algea, it seems more slimy and has bubbles in it. Is this a sign that the algea is dyeing or getting worse. It was definitely easier to remove, came right off like this. I sucked off tons with my baster and took my powerheads and blasted the rocks and gravel. tons came off. That was two days ago.

Today the rocks are covered in shortish brownish semi slimyish algae. Are we headed in a positive direction or negative?

An interesting point. There is heavy concentrations of algae on rocks with Zoa's and mushrooms. Is it a coincidence that those rocks happen to have higher phosphate levels or do the zoa's contribute?

Now what? Do I keep going? Or do I start from scratch? I'm really getting burned out.

Thanks for listening...
O

 

[traumajeff]

1: Did you get that sump with cheato yet?
2: Post a pic of what the algae looks like now.... the brown stuff.
3: Have you been testing your levels while using the phosphate remover?
4: I'm not 100% sure about the zoa... I have certain rocks that are prone to algae and one is a rock with zoa, but that wouldn't explain the others. Some rocks are more prone, depending on where you got them... live vs dry, older set up, etc...
5: No quitting. It's a long process! Frustrating as all get out! You're not alone though! Biggest problem with starting over... you have to experience all of the new tank headaches, and still may end up with the algae! I personally would fight through it!

 

[oscarmeir]

1. My glass place wont have my new sump ready till next week, no refuge until then.
2. Some pics posted, first ones are from last week Fri, last one is just now.
3. API still can't find phosphates. I haven't been able to get out to get a better test yet.

The UV is up and running for about two weeks now.

I tried opening the PM, take a look at it. Missing something.

I"m ready to try peroxide. I'd appreciate any feedback or advice on the process. I believe that if I remove the current growth, I can keep the levels low enough to stay clean.

Thanks for the support,
O.

 

[traumajeff]

1: The fuge and macro should help! Gonna take time though.
2: Hard to tell for sure, but the brown stuff may be dinoflagellates... That's why I wanted a pic. If so, you can use peroxide on it too. If that 3rd pic is a powerhead, you need to take that bad boy out and scrub it down! Vinegar will work and a toothbrush.
3: API may never find your phosphate. Get a better test when you have the funds. In the meantime, have your lfs check your water.

I can't find the link I sent you... it erased the forum from the address, as it didn't come from here. Sorry.

Here's what I've done with peroxide....
If you have small frags of zoa or small rocks, you can dip them in a 1:1 mixture of ro/di and peroxide. Toothbrush as much off as you can after a few minutes.
Option 2... Dose the entire tank with peroxide. Use 1ml/10g.
Option 3... use the same amount as above option. Turn off all your flow and use a syringe to squirt directly on the algae. Let it sit for a while before turning flow back on.

You can work in portions if you choose. Many say no more than 7 days straight. You could go every other day and extend it some. This way you'll see where it's helped and where you'll need more in the future.

And yes... the regular 3% peroxide from the drug store is fine.

You can PM me if you have any questions. I work weird hours (medical), but I'll get back to you.