pico reef pest algae problem challenge

[jackers]

Ok, Day 3 update. (I mislabeled my last update as Day 1, but they were actually Day 2. Day 1 was the treatment day. Anyway, here are pictures from two days after treating half my tank with peroxide. Pretty impressive....

You can see it really thinning out and now it's getting kind of a wispy white. I would imagine it will be gone in a few more days. I would also be willing to bet that a siphon from a water change would probably rip most of it out at this point.

On a side note, the zoas that didn't open are still closed. They look like they want to open, you can see inside the hole at the top, no milky colors or anything. I'm hoping another day or two and they will open up. They are Sunny D's and Candy Apple Greens, some of my favorites. Keep your fingers crossed! Everything else seems to be doing great.

 

[elabar]

I need HELP!! Well after try after try after try I still have not been able to get rid of my algae. I have a 75 gallon that has bryopsis. I have lost around 4 zoa frags and it has moved to new frags. I have been able to everything that is effected out of my tank and apply directly and let soak in brand new unopened 3%. My zoa frags have been dropped in a bowl of it every time and allowed to soak. Then i have washed everything off and put back in. What might I be doing wrong? When I get it cleared from one rock it just seems to move on and get worse somewhere else. Any ideas?

 

[brandon429]

can you post pics of your treatments before and after so we can diagnose

 

[brandon429]

what I need to see is a pic of an infested zo frag, then post dip pic, then one a few days later when it all grows back to be able to find the weak link in the treatment. perhaps we aren't even dealing with bryopsis, who knows...just need some pics to start the investigation

its also possible not to use peroxide and simply spike the magnesium for a few weeks we know that has worked for some. need pics though, words only diagnosis is prone to too many missed variables

 

[elabar]

So here is what I started with for my supplies, 3%, bucket of ro/di water to wash off and a bowl that I was soaking in, I have my helpers and some of my frags. After each treatment some will die but then with in a week it is right back.

 

[elabar]

Here are some shots of the rocks that are covered. This is after treatment a few times.

 

[brandon429]

That's amazing stuff apparently
I can't say whether or not its bryopsis but the pics were helpful

So if it grows back full force quickly its worth considering nutrient sourcing and species level grazing

Enough tanks respond to target kills only that nutrient restriction isn't required many times but its the logical next step here if brand new bottles won't kill that algae


So you take out a rock that has just the algae no frags

scrub it clean externally, no algae holding phosphate


Have a container of distilled water + salt ready that's been tested by a high quality phosphate test kit, registers zero

Soak the test rock in the sample distilled water and test for phosphates in a few days, it has to register some, because the algae is able to regenerate total mass repeatedly

We just need to see how much

 

[brandon429]

And what is your nitrate and phosphate readings from the tank water currently

 

[nam2212]

ok fingrs crossed!

I took a few pics today that I will post later. It is now 48 hours after treatment. I am now convinced that light plays a large part in turning the GHA white after being treated with peroxide. This may have been proposed earlier and I missed it. I only read about 8 pages before deciding to dose. The rock that is closest to the LEDs has pure white, ghostly looking GHA. The rocks lower down in the tank are a little more green but are still mostly white. An area that is shaded from the lights still has bright green GHA. The farther from the lights the more green the GHA seems to be.

 

[jackers]

Nam, I'm not sure. I treated my tank four days ago. The day after I treated my tank, I got a some new frags so I turned my lights down. I run two IceCap 660 ballasts of T5's with ATI bulbs. One ballast powers three ATI bulbs, the other powers two. Since I got new frags, I just ran the two bulb ballast for the last few days. As you can see from the pics, my hair algae is almost completely gone. There are a few strands left and they will only be there a few more days. I think I can safely call this a major success on my system.

Here are my updates for today, Day 4.

 

[nam2212]

I think that eventually all of the GHA will turn white and die but I think that light intensity somehow speeds up the process. Here are pics from 24 hours after dosing.

 

[nam2212]

Here are the pics from 48 hours after dose. Quite a bit more dying GHA. HOpefully all of it will die without me having to dose again.

 

[brandon429]

Thanks for the update its on its way i think a little slower than predicted but still a good improvement

Really sharp pics. I'll add some too
From Patrick Cox here on rc
Misc gelidium-type red algae invasion on an elegans coral
Required three applications and two+ weeks to take hold, is now clear
External spot treatment

 

[Orion120]

Ok I knew I would be here sooner or later. 2 gal pico that has been running for just over a month. Having trouble keeping brown algae outbreak down. Starting to also get Cyanobacteria on some of the rocks.
Here is what I have -

2 gal pico
Temp 79
Chemi pure elite and purigen in filter box
Nitrates under 2ppm
Don't have a phosphate test kit
Use distilled water
50% weekly water changes.

Inhabitants -
Yellow clown Goby
Fire Shrimp
Blue legged hermits
Frogspawn
Zoas
1 small ric

Brandon - suggestions on treatment? want to hit the algae hard before it gets out of control just like you recommended to me in the beginning.

 

[floridascape]

Ok... ive read through this thread, lots of great success story's! Now im willing to give it a try. Here we go, I run a series of sunlit system solely for propagation. One of the frag tanks has had an explosion of GHA that I have neglected (was in the process of setting up the bigger frag tank, took two months longer than expected...) Anyway, from what I"ve read, the advised dose is 1ml to 10gal. This Tank is my coral hospital/qt/frg/what ever tank. Its a 10g with an emperor 440 Hob, air stone protein skimmer, bare bottom, no fish atm, small cuc 5 blue legs 1 turbo. Im willing to drop 1 ml in and let it go but would like some personal experience advise before I proceed, Thank you in advance, heres the photos

this photo is natrual sunlight only no supplement

 

[Orion120]

Ok here is what I did... I got a brand new bottle of 3% peroxide, took out all existing rock, and put them in a Tupperware bowl of peroxide for 2min. After the 2min I put the rock in a bucket of saltwater to rinse for 10min, and then put them back in the tank.
Also did a 75% water change, and wiped down the glass in the areas I couldn't get to when the rock was in the way.

So far everything looks okay. The rock is still letting out bubbles here and there. Frogspawn looks a little stressed, but that didn't get any h2o2 on it.

I'm headed out of town until Friday. I'll report back here with results then.

 

[brandon429]

Florida and Orion thanks for posting.

That dose level, for in tank applications, is used as a last resort if external or drained treatments or underwater spot treatments can't be done

Its better to try the other methods first because they work faster if you can!

Orion, that's a nice tank for sure. If you can believe it, i don't think its ready for peroxide yet cuz of the cleaner shrimp and because the algae is only on the glass

I would simply razor blade scrape it off the glass and not use peroxide until we have to, and even then you'll have to hold the shrimp elsewhere while you treat...

 

[brandon429]

Hey you posted right while i was Swype texting my post lol

Did your shrimp make it?

 

[Orion120]

Hey you posted right while i was Swype texting my post lol

Did your shrimp make it?

Yes he did, and everything is doing fine. This was not an "in tank" treatment. All rock was treated outside of the tank, and rinsed thoroughly before I put it back in.


On the other hand I got rid of a few flatworms hiding in the rocks with the peroxide, and a few other little creatures.

 

[floridascape]

well its everywhere... so how do i go about spot treating everything... its growing on the filter, some frags, my rack, and glass