450G Reef Reboot - Accessibility Edition

[LucasRe]

So after some discussions in the algae section of the forums and within some facebook groups I've come up with an escalation plan;

As each step fails I move to the next, more aggressive step

1. Fix the nutrient import/export imbalance - DONE
2. Reasonable manual removal - DONE
3. Blackout period - IN PROGRESS
4. Extreme manual removal (Pull a few rocks a night and manually remove as much algae as possible while watching TV) - IN PROGRESS
5. Hydrogen peroxide spray (Pull a few rocks a night and spray with hydrogen peroxide, rinse and place back into tank).
6. Chemical warfare (Fluconazole or Vibrant, will need to get the algae 100% identified prior to ensure I'm choosing a solution that might actually work.)
7. Nuclear option (Kill the rock with high levels of radiation, will anything living in/on the rock - full reset. Will need to plan on dealing with the aftermath of the bacterial die off, rock will no longer be cycled afterwards.)

I will eradicate GHA from this tank no matter what.

 

[LucasRe]

Well after three days the blackout seems to have had no effect on the density of GHA in my tank, so I'll continue pulling rocks and cleaning them manually for now.

I've also built a DIY hydra 32 light rack. Still needs to be painted but is getting the job done for now.

 

[LucasRe]

Well the blackout proved largely ineffective so I tripled down on manual removal. The tank is now looking substantially better, some hair algae remains on the back wall and on the sand and I will continue to work at these spots in the near future.

I hope this allows to herbivores in the tank to start controlling any regrowth.

In other news, I sent off my first ICP test since switching to the Triton method. The results came back looking great, the only major deficiency being a lack of iodine in the system. I have picked up the Triton iodine supplement to correct the deficiency and will dose as per their recommendation moving forwards, hopefully this keeps the iodine level within the Triton specification come time for the next ICP test.

In more personal news, I had my first PET scan post treatment last week and got the results today, all clear! Looks like everything is coming up Lucas

Have an excellent week everyone and happy reefing.

 

[LucasRe]

Triton had two main recommendations as a result of my last ICP test, less phosphate and more iodine.

I guess this means coming up with even more nutrient export, or maybe just changing out my GFO and skimming a bit wetter.

I’ve also added iodine to my dosing system at a 1:10 dilution and am now dosing 7ml of that solution per day.

 

[LucasRe]

Aaanndddd the hair algae has returned, mere days after being fully manually removed from the tank - only difference is now it's brown. I'm at a bit of a loss for what to do now.

Not the update I wanted to give but it is what it is.

 

[LucasRe]

The return of the hair algae seems to have stalled, and the algae may even be receding. I've also recently DIY'd an algae turf scrubber and picked up some more cheato and begun to quarantine it.

 

[LucasRe]

I setup a live camera to watch over the tank, if you'd like to see my algae problems in real time here's the link;