pico reef pest algae problem challenge
- Thread starter brandon429
- Start date
goldmaniac
New member
thank you. I will be spot-testing this with a 5mL syringe that i have. I'll shoot 5 or 10 mL worth onto a couple of spots down near the base of my rock, which i can't remove. tank is 24" deep. I will report my findings; hopefully i can give Wife a couple glasses of wine and she'll try it tonight. I'll try to get a mermaid shot.
Ralph ATL
Formerly mysterybox
Sorry about this shot! been crazy busy and glass is still not thoughly cleaned.....AND pic is not in focus....blah, blah, blah......
However, IT IS ALGAE FREE SO FAR!!!!!
plus, here's a couple of Tamarin Wrasse shots with no algae in background, lol...
However, IT IS ALGAE FREE SO FAR!!!!!
plus, here's a couple of Tamarin Wrasse shots with no algae in background, lol...
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Brandon,
Hello, I was just curious if you have heard how sensitive a couple of inverts are to peroxide treatment. I plan on spot treating the rocks I can remove from my tank, but there are a couple large pieces that have a bunch of GHA that are very difficult to remove. For those I was thinking about trying a low concentration of systemic treatment using a syringe to try to at least get the peroxide at the right spot.
I have a couple of BTAs that I saw people had some trouble with so I will be keeping a close eye on them. The other guys that I had a ? about were peppermint shrimp and a blue tuxedo urchin. just wondering if you have seen any info on either of these inverts in a peroxide treated tank. I think I read somewhere that someone had peppermint shrimp and they were fine.
I currently only have a frogspawn for coral so not too much else to worry about (I think)
Thanks,
Matt
Hello, I was just curious if you have heard how sensitive a couple of inverts are to peroxide treatment. I plan on spot treating the rocks I can remove from my tank, but there are a couple large pieces that have a bunch of GHA that are very difficult to remove. For those I was thinking about trying a low concentration of systemic treatment using a syringe to try to at least get the peroxide at the right spot.
I have a couple of BTAs that I saw people had some trouble with so I will be keeping a close eye on them. The other guys that I had a ? about were peppermint shrimp and a blue tuxedo urchin. just wondering if you have seen any info on either of these inverts in a peroxide treated tank. I think I read somewhere that someone had peppermint shrimp and they were fine.
I currently only have a frogspawn for coral so not too much else to worry about (I think)
Thanks,
Matt
Well I bought some peroxide today... planning on some systemic treatment in tank.
My rockwork is fixed, I cannot get any of it out of the tank, everything was bonded together in tank. Corals are mostly SPS, with a couple zoanthids. Toadstool leather, duncans, acan frag, frogspawn, maze coral and a war coral and that's it for non sps stuff.
I also have a large 12" RBTA, some pulsing xenia (which I wouldn't mind if the h2o2 wiped it out personally).
Inverts are various snails, astrea, cerith, narssius, some emerald crabs, 2 peppermint shrimp, large brittle star and millions of tiny brittle stars.
I just went through mag raising to kill some bryopsis which worked, and then went to algaefix marine for what I thought was normal GHA, but apparently it's derbesia and it's not being affected at all. It's taken strong foothold on the left side of my rock work, and I'm planning on shooting those spots with h2o2 through a syringe inside the tank each day. I plan on a max doseage of 5ml every other day using this method so as not to effect the rest of the tank. The tank is a 75g with a 20L sump.
Any other input or ideas?
My rockwork is fixed, I cannot get any of it out of the tank, everything was bonded together in tank. Corals are mostly SPS, with a couple zoanthids. Toadstool leather, duncans, acan frag, frogspawn, maze coral and a war coral and that's it for non sps stuff.
I also have a large 12" RBTA, some pulsing xenia (which I wouldn't mind if the h2o2 wiped it out personally).
Inverts are various snails, astrea, cerith, narssius, some emerald crabs, 2 peppermint shrimp, large brittle star and millions of tiny brittle stars.
I just went through mag raising to kill some bryopsis which worked, and then went to algaefix marine for what I thought was normal GHA, but apparently it's derbesia and it's not being affected at all. It's taken strong foothold on the left side of my rock work, and I'm planning on shooting those spots with h2o2 through a syringe inside the tank each day. I plan on a max doseage of 5ml every other day using this method so as not to effect the rest of the tank. The tank is a 75g with a 20L sump.
Any other input or ideas?
goldmaniac
New member
I spot-dosed some rock in the display tank, and I also dipped some zoa frags.
for the spot-dose onto fixed, big rockwork in the tank:
I turned off in-tank Koralia pumps and dosed a side of a big rock with 5 mL syringe of straight h2o2, about a dozen times, on Saturday night. 24 hours later, no noticeable difference. lots of bubbling at the time, but didn't notice a change on Sunday night.
For the frags:
at this concentration: 1/2 gallon tank water, 80 mL h2o2 - for 5 minute dip.
I dosed 4 frags, all 4 were zoas/palys. 1 was an RPE frag.
the next day, algae is pale, starting to fall off. All visible zoas look fine.
Sunday night, last night: I cut the concentration in half - 1/2 gallon of tank water, 40 mL of h2o2. 5 minute dip for each of these.
I will report my findings. I"m curious if the lesser dose is enough to kill this hair algae.
I dipped 4 frags - 2 zoa frags, a toadstool, and a ricordea mushroom.
for the spot-dose onto fixed, big rockwork in the tank:
I turned off in-tank Koralia pumps and dosed a side of a big rock with 5 mL syringe of straight h2o2, about a dozen times, on Saturday night. 24 hours later, no noticeable difference. lots of bubbling at the time, but didn't notice a change on Sunday night.
For the frags:
at this concentration: 1/2 gallon tank water, 80 mL h2o2 - for 5 minute dip.
I dosed 4 frags, all 4 were zoas/palys. 1 was an RPE frag.
the next day, algae is pale, starting to fall off. All visible zoas look fine.
Sunday night, last night: I cut the concentration in half - 1/2 gallon of tank water, 40 mL of h2o2. 5 minute dip for each of these.
I will report my findings. I"m curious if the lesser dose is enough to kill this hair algae.
I dipped 4 frags - 2 zoa frags, a toadstool, and a ricordea mushroom.
brandon429
Active member
In the bryopsis thread up top in the general chat forum I had posted that these tests are set using brand new, unopened peroxide. As soon as we open the peroxide bottle it begins a slow trek towards becoming distilled water. Recently in pm I had a treater who had to dose his tank five times and we couldn't figure out why, his peroxide bottle was initially opened ten years ago.
Can you post your before and after pics side by side gold when you are done so they won't be separated by a few pages id really like to see
Can you post your before and after pics side by side gold when you are done so they won't be separated by a few pages id really like to see
brandon429
Active member
Docstach I don't have any data on urchins please post back here to document your findings! That's very helpful to know, it would be something new
goldmaniac
New member
Sorry Brandon, no good before test shots. we've been fighting hair algae for a while now with toothbrushes, so most growth on the display rock is now in crevices that we can't reach (and pictures don't show).
as for the frags, I've been manually pulling but it keeps coming back, so the amounts on the plugs vary.
I can tell you that at least one of the frags was algae-free after 24 hours, and the other three from my original test all have very pale algae. I'm predicting that it's all going to be gone in another 24 hours. The issue of the corals surviving these dips is my main focus.
as for the frags, I've been manually pulling but it keeps coming back, so the amounts on the plugs vary.
I can tell you that at least one of the frags was algae-free after 24 hours, and the other three from my original test all have very pale algae. I'm predicting that it's all going to be gone in another 24 hours. The issue of the corals surviving these dips is my main focus.
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I'm doing the same thing as goldmaniac in my tank, but with a far lesser amount. Though I'll be doing the day 3 dose today.
I have a 75 with a 20l sump and I've been doing 6-7ml of h2o2 at the base of the algae once all water movement has calmed. I read that bta's were very sensitive to it so I didn't want to push my luck, but I've seen no changes as of this point.
I did notice though if I leave the pumps off long enough that the bubbling stops from the algae, the bta doesn't even shrivel up. If I turn them on faster he gets all mad and stuffz
I have a 75 with a 20l sump and I've been doing 6-7ml of h2o2 at the base of the algae once all water movement has calmed. I read that bta's were very sensitive to it so I didn't want to push my luck, but I've seen no changes as of this point.
I did notice though if I leave the pumps off long enough that the bubbling stops from the algae, the bta doesn't even shrivel up. If I turn them on faster he gets all mad and stuffz
Ralph ATL
Formerly mysterybox
my last part of the 4 part series has been completed today..............argggggg...7 hours later I have scraped all the back glass & overflow (found a few patches of the death algae! OMG! (killed it!), captured as much as I can, and completely treated my overflow............wetvac sump, cleaned returns, cleaned nozzles...argggggg.........I am beat....40 gallon H2O change, GFO & Rox Carbon Change, treatment in a few spots with Kalk/RO/H2O2......added biogest & vodka....skimmer skimming....
I feel great, however, I will be very aware & upon the lookout....lol
I feel great, however, I will be very aware & upon the lookout....lol
brandon429
Active member
It takes that kind of work and resolve to get control back i'm glad you did it
pscott99
New member
Back glass week three
Back glass treated further down. Very little new growth to treat the top half
FTS week 3
Pump week 3 no need to treat, very little new growth
Treated my scraper
This weekend extensive cleaning further down the back glass and most of the upper half of the sump. Cleaned scraper and right side pump. All treatments with 3 % H2O2 undiluted. Applied with glass scrubber soaked but not dripping to much. All pumps off and tank half empty. After 3 weeks very little new growth starting
tank parms
ca 450
mg 1500
alk 8
ph 7.95
phos .11 which was up from .05
Still treating GFO and carbon trying to get the phos down to .03
Quite a bit of H2O2 made it into the tank during cleaning (est 50ml ) I used up a full 250ml bottle.
No affects on anything in the tank at all.
Does anyone know where to buy a stronger and larger bottle.
So far only can only find 500 ml 3 % at the pharmacy. No hardware stores carry it. Have not seen stronger solution.
brandon429
Active member
Yes, health food stores sell 35% which I use by diluting to whatever ratio strikes me at the moment
20 bucks a quart, will burn anything!
20 bucks a quart, will burn anything!
brandon429
Active member
I found it in my town by googling local health food stores, first one I called had the power bubbly
brandon429
Active member
PS, red algae treated with a drop of 35% does not take five days to die lol
brandon429
Active member
I truly do not know ~
they recommend storing the strong stuff in the fridge relying on cool temps to hinder the egress rate of the oxygen, I would imagine similar care should slow the rate of loss of the regular stuff too
Its my guess us dosers go through the bottle before we get to test duration with them!
My thoughts on 35% peroxide use:
Again we have the case where i'm adding it to my gallon reef with lps / sps before recommending it to others. I'm not buying into the fear of using peroxide as long as my super old grandpa pico reef looks great because of it. All my peroxide work is based on the loose assumption that what I do in a gallon you ought to be able to replicate in a 20+ or 100+, we are all part of a new wave approach, its fun to collect all this input and see what becomes of it. I used to be against its use but it turns out its handy for cutting through calcareous green glass haze faster than 3%. I wipe the insides of the tank using a paper towel wet with ~18% (home made dilution)
Its true that one tiny errant splash of accidentally-sloshed 35% will cook your cornea, no rinse for five minutes, whine to the er doc, its done. It is instant denaturation of eyeball protein, in less than a second. if given the choice bleach in the eye is arguably preferable. But if one still wants to proceed (after all it is over the counter 18 and up) I am finding some nice in tank uses beyond glass wiping, its legit as an experimentation tool in reefing i'm sure you guys will find neat ways to use it.
I know its been repeated about my take on 35%, its just so safety reminders keep up with the pages. I have true concern about someone with zero lab or pool care experience handling anything above 3%.
In fact later tonite I plan on cooking more red mushroom clones with it. How about I film it!
they recommend storing the strong stuff in the fridge relying on cool temps to hinder the egress rate of the oxygen, I would imagine similar care should slow the rate of loss of the regular stuff too
Its my guess us dosers go through the bottle before we get to test duration with them!
My thoughts on 35% peroxide use:
Again we have the case where i'm adding it to my gallon reef with lps / sps before recommending it to others. I'm not buying into the fear of using peroxide as long as my super old grandpa pico reef looks great because of it. All my peroxide work is based on the loose assumption that what I do in a gallon you ought to be able to replicate in a 20+ or 100+, we are all part of a new wave approach, its fun to collect all this input and see what becomes of it. I used to be against its use but it turns out its handy for cutting through calcareous green glass haze faster than 3%. I wipe the insides of the tank using a paper towel wet with ~18% (home made dilution)
Its true that one tiny errant splash of accidentally-sloshed 35% will cook your cornea, no rinse for five minutes, whine to the er doc, its done. It is instant denaturation of eyeball protein, in less than a second. if given the choice bleach in the eye is arguably preferable. But if one still wants to proceed (after all it is over the counter 18 and up) I am finding some nice in tank uses beyond glass wiping, its legit as an experimentation tool in reefing i'm sure you guys will find neat ways to use it.
I know its been repeated about my take on 35%, its just so safety reminders keep up with the pages. I have true concern about someone with zero lab or pool care experience handling anything above 3%.
In fact later tonite I plan on cooking more red mushroom clones with it. How about I film it!
