pico reef pest algae problem challenge
- Thread starter brandon429
- Start date
brandon429
Active member
honestly I can't recall which thread it was in by now but we did have someone doing drained spot treatments around a kenya tree coral and a toadstool with no harm. Im very suprised a basal treatment affected the colony, has it died or just not opened yet fully> I ask because in brainstorming I wonder if some stress made it go into its withdrawl/shedding of mucus tunic phase or something but no that was never shown to be overly sensitive, keep me informed
goldmaniac
New member
another report of test dips:
strength: a 25% solution of H2O2 in salt water, 1:3 ratio of h2o2 to salt water
dip: removed frags from the display tank and dipped into this solution for 5 minutes
specimens: 4 frags of zoas/palys
results: in 48 hours, all zoas/palys look fine, they're open as usual, and ALL hair algae is gone. This is much more than my previous dips with lower solutions -the rock is wiped bare of hair algae, unlike the lower strengths, where lots of tufts were left after much of the hair algae fell off after a dip.
strength: a 25% solution of H2O2 in salt water, 1:3 ratio of h2o2 to salt water
dip: removed frags from the display tank and dipped into this solution for 5 minutes
specimens: 4 frags of zoas/palys
results: in 48 hours, all zoas/palys look fine, they're open as usual, and ALL hair algae is gone. This is much more than my previous dips with lower solutions -the rock is wiped bare of hair algae, unlike the lower strengths, where lots of tufts were left after much of the hair algae fell off after a dip.
brandon429
Active member
You are torturing me without pics lol
mdenigris
New member
What appears to be Dinoflagellates has suddenly shown up on two fist sized rocks at the top of my rock pile in my 72. Sounds like a candidate for your method.
The pest seems to have mostly covered these two rocks. Since I can remove the rocks, do you recommend a dip in a 50 / 50 solution of ro and 3%?
The pest seems to have mostly covered these two rocks. Since I can remove the rocks, do you recommend a dip in a 50 / 50 solution of ro and 3%?
brandon429
Active member
Yes I hope you caught it early!
But I would use saltwater, lessen the osmotic shock
Try to take pics bef and after
But I would use saltwater, lessen the osmotic shock
Try to take pics bef and after
brandon429
Active member
A couple mins is long enough dip w 3% and sw
Probably a drain and treat like I do on my bowl but let us see a pic first curious as to the scope of your tank problem
Probably a drain and treat like I do on my bowl but let us see a pic first curious as to the scope of your tank problem
mdenigris
New member
Worked great. Treated three rocks with a 5:1 (SW/H2O2 3%) solution for 10 minutes each. (no corals were attached to these rocks). Rinsed in SW and placed back into the tank. The dip was green when I was done and looked like escarole soup! The rocks are completely clean down to the coralline.
I snapped some pictures and will upload them tomorrow - I'm having fits with the photo uploader on here right now for some reason.
I snapped some pictures and will upload them tomorrow - I'm having fits with the photo uploader on here right now for some reason.
brandon429
Active member
Great! The next few days ought to show a whitening of that coralline but it will come back.I have not minded the loss of some coralline in mine I was tired of always scraping it
If that's the cost for me to win against red turf algae no prob...
If that's the cost for me to win against red turf algae no prob...
goldmaniac
New member
looks great!
I like that you used the 5:1 ratio; I think that 50/50 is stronger than necessary, and I was going to try a 3:1 ratio, but it looks like the 5:1 ratio totally does the job, as well. I'll try some frags with a 5:1 ratio in the next couple of days, as well. I'll keep my dip time to 5 minutes.
I like that you used the 5:1 ratio; I think that 50/50 is stronger than necessary, and I was going to try a 3:1 ratio, but it looks like the 5:1 ratio totally does the job, as well. I'll try some frags with a 5:1 ratio in the next couple of days, as well. I'll keep my dip time to 5 minutes.
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brandon429
Active member
I bet that's a lot more forgiving to frags nice job
I did my monthly WC over the weekend and noticed several patches including two that I had treated before.
I drained the tank, applied H2O2 with a q tip, let things sit for 10 minutes while I did polyp counts, poured old water back, drained and put fresh in.
The H2O2 was old as in the last few ounces of the bottle but it worked. The thing that I did differently was I forgot to plug my light back into the timer and went lights out for the rest of that day and part of the next so there was a black out of around 28 hours and when I plugged it back in all of the algae was gone, not white, not dying but 100% gone.
I drained the tank, applied H2O2 with a q tip, let things sit for 10 minutes while I did polyp counts, poured old water back, drained and put fresh in.
The H2O2 was old as in the last few ounces of the bottle but it worked. The thing that I did differently was I forgot to plug my light back into the timer and went lights out for the rest of that day and part of the next so there was a black out of around 28 hours and when I plugged it back in all of the algae was gone, not white, not dying but 100% gone.
brandon429
Active member
Ha! I hadn't tried it with a simple blackout yet will keep that in mind for my own thanks gratzi
Napi Napoli
New member
What if you were to take a syringe and needle and fill the hard to reach bubble algae with H202?
brandon429
Active member
I think it would still pop and release, they deflate
So far its just been applied directly over the top but we are accepting before and after pics of any method you use
Can you lift your bad rocks out, or at least drain tank down to their level
Michael D thank you for pics
The coralline would bleach using a standard dip maybe your dilution will lessen that
It will come back fast even if it does
So far its just been applied directly over the top but we are accepting before and after pics of any method you use
Can you lift your bad rocks out, or at least drain tank down to their level
Michael D thank you for pics
The coralline would bleach using a standard dip maybe your dilution will lessen that
It will come back fast even if it does
patsfan1130
Premium Member
I've been battling Valonia for months now - The worst case I have ever seen - I've taken all of the rock out on 2 occaisions now. As well as perform weekly WC. I am glad I found this thread and am going to try it this week.
Just to be clear...My plan is to take each rock out, physically remove, spray with straight 3%, let sit for 3 min or so, rinse in display water, return to tank. I am not planning on dilluting. does this sound right?
Just to be clear...My plan is to take each rock out, physically remove, spray with straight 3%, let sit for 3 min or so, rinse in display water, return to tank. I am not planning on dilluting. does this sound right?
brandon429
Active member
Perfect! Glad you can get to the rocks
That's the right method no dilution
Take before and after pics if u can
That's the right method no dilution
Take before and after pics if u can
