Algae... admit I have a problem

[tricky_tran]

Instead of all the chemicals, Do you have any CUCs? How about throwing in some urchins?

 

[92Miata]

All dry rock?


What stands out to me in tanks like this is really low coraline coverage and very few consumers living on the rock. You can't beat nuisance algaes until there are things that can compete with it.


Pull the rock out. Scrub the algae off. Rinse, and put it back in.


Go out and buy 10 lbs or so of good, purple, actual live rock. Put it up high so it blocks.out as much dry rock as it can.


What are you doing for dosing? What have you done to establish consumers like coraline and sponges?

 

[BriansBrain]

Instead of all the chemicals, Do you have any CUCs? How about throwing in some urchins?

I have 4 tuxedos and 2 pincushions, probably 100 or so trochus and same of ceriths. I’d try hermits but my malunarus wrasse would decimate them
probably. He’s what keeps my snail population in check

 

[pseudorand]

I do not have a chaeto refugium because of space restraints but have a algae scrubber. It’s really tough to scrub off but I’m sure it won’t hurt to do that with a hose attached. Will adding phyto for the pods raise nutrient levels?

Here's the AlgaeBarn article on hair algae. Form what I understand, the phyto helps boost your pod population, which keeps it from coming back. You still need to scrub it and use urchins and certh snails to get rid of the long stuff. And do water changes to take care of the nutrients.

 

[pseudorand]

I have 4 tuxedos and 2 pincushions, probably 100 or so trochus and same of ceriths. I’d try hermits but my malunarus wrasse would decimate them
probably. He’s what keeps my snail population in check

That seems like an excessive amount of snails. I can't imagine you can count them all, so I assume you know the numbers because that's how many you added. Could it be many have died and are releasing nutrients into your tank, which you don't see in testing because it's all in that GHA your trying to get rid of?

 

[tricky_tran]

I have 4 tuxedos and 2 pincushions, probably 100 or so trochus and same of ceriths. I’d try hermits but my malunarus wrasse would decimate them
probably. He’s what keeps my snail population in check

Sorry. You did say that at the bottom of the post.

 

[BriansBrain]

All dry rock?


What stands out to me in tanks like this is really low coraline coverage and very few consumers living on the rock. You can't beat nuisance algaes until there are things that can compete with it.


Pull the rock out. Scrub the algae off. Rinse, and put it back in.


Go out and buy 10 lbs or so of good, purple, actual live rock. Put it up high so it blocks.out as much dry rock as it can.


What are you doing for dosing? What have you done to establish consumers like coraline and sponges?

Yes I gave into the new fad and I did this build with all dry rock. It’s been tough compared to my last tank where I seeded with live rocks, it feels like this tank is sterile of beneficial things. I don’t really trust the LFSs for disease free live rock since I’ve went such great lengths to keep diseases out. Unless I QT the rock like coral.

For coraline, I just keep up my parameters and it was introduced from plugs. It’s growing well on plastics lol not the rock where I need it

 

[BriansBrain]

That seems like an excessive amount of snails. I can't imagine you can count them all, so I assume you know the numbers because that's how many you added. Could it be many have died and are releasing nutrients into your tank, which you don't see in testing because it's all in that GHA your trying to get rid of?

I started with 6 trochus snails, and 6 nassarious ;Woot. Just found my receipt for them too. Later added about 50 dwarf ceriths. I know not to add hundreds of snails. The trochus and cerith population exploded in the tank. I have snails of all sizes lol

my malunarus wrasse is useful for keeping them from being 200

 

[Urtoo]

Reef flux, I would start there, with a wet skim for a few weeks. 2 weeks and it will drastically change. Then stay on top of your water changes.

 

[BriansBrain]

Reef flux, I would start there, with a wet skim for a few weeks. 2 weeks and it will drastically change. Then stay on top of your water changes.

Tried fluconozole already and it came right back

 

[Cole.mormon]

have you tried a lawnmower blenny

 

[BriansBrain]

have you tried a lawnmower blenny

I have not but was thinking about one. Do you think he would get along with a Midas blenny?

 

[40g Nano]

Try to remove as much as possible

 

[40g Nano]

Manually

 

[Leslie Tabor]

Instead of all the chemicals, Do you have any CUCs? How about throwing in some urchins?

This and increase your water changes. Everyone throws chemicals in the tank to make the ugly algae go away but you have to address the primary cause which is excess nutrients.

 

[jeffchapok]

Turbo snails and a long spine urchin completely wiped my GHA out. But they won't eat the long stuff, so pull out as much as you can and then they'll finish it off.

For the spots you can't get to, you can also hit it with a blast of boiling hot RODI water from a turkey baster. Turn off all circulation first so the water stays in place longer. Just don't get it on anything you don't want to kill. The algae will turn bright green and then your CUC will destroy it.

Once all the algae is gone, the it him may not be reef safe, so you may need to re-home it. Nine eats montipora and sympodium, but I keep it anyway just to keep the GHA at bay.

 

[code4]

Hi friend! I see you are using an algae scrubber. They do not do so good when you are using additives that work on lowering nitrates and scrubbers food sources. And depending on its size it can only deal with so much nutrient each day. Cut back some food at each feeding. Cut back the tanks lighting each day. And make sure the scrubber is working at its best. I like the idea of a natural solution. Exportation faster than you are adding sources of nitrates and phosphates is the key. But whatever you decide to do I wish you well.

 

[BriansBrain]

Hi friend! I see you are using an algae scrubber. They do not do so good when you are using additives that work on lowering nitrates and scrubbers food sources. And depending on its size it can only deal with so much nutrient each day. Cut back some food at each feeding. Cut back the tanks lighting each day. And make sure the scrubber is working at its best. I like the idea of a natural solution. Exportation faster than you are adding sources of nitrates and phosphates is the key. But whatever you decide to do I wish you well.

Thanks for the encouragement. I can definitely use it

 

[LIreefguy]

Algae problem is simple to keep in check but once it gets out of hand like yours it’s a little harder to cure

people always worry about nutritions when they have an algae problem. Then never consider the grazers
When I first got my tank I had a lot of grazers I never had algae in my tank. I got lazy with testing and said my nutrients most be low Well they weren’t. It’s just my grazers where eating it faster then you can grow

I would buy a sea hare to eat that hair algae

add 4 turbo snails, 14 blue leg hermits , or scarletts. 12 trochus snails

I wouldn’t add too many tangs your tank doesn’t seem to be that big

 

[Dan_P]

I have to swallow my pride and ask for help with a newbie issue and ask you to beat a dead horse. Algae. My tank is still young at 11 months and has gone through several uglies. But this hideous algae conglomerate has been driving me crazy for 4 months. I’ve had patience, and I still do, but it needs beat back because it’s at plague proportions now and stripping nutrients and smothering coral. It only really grows on the rock and a little on the back glass.

I don’t have a microscope but it looks like Alot of turf and maybe others. I’ve been running BRS GFO in a reactor changing media every two or less weeks. I started dosing and used a bottle of Continuum Bacter Clean M as directed on the bottle, not sure that’s done much. Dosed microbactor7 as well. After, did a round of fluconozole. It worked but the algae came back and stronger. I am starting to be convinced the rock (pukani, Tonga, Fiji) I reused from my last setup was not cured 100% and is leaching. Most of the rock is anchored and glued, so pulling rock out to clean is not ideal. I can however remove and about 25% easily and dip. But it usually just comes back.

I am currently trying a 3 day blackout now to try and beat it back some. I kow it’s not a cure all, but what would you recommend I try and do during and/or after the blackout?
I have a little nopox, but I don’t think nitrates are my problem. But idk that’s why I’ve come here lol
I feed once per day frozen and have not specifically fed corals in a while.
135ish gallon system
no3 2, po4 0.02 pH 8.1-8.4, Alk 8.5dkh, CA 420, I need test Mg when I get home, but was last at 1520
4 radions xr 15 ab+ @ 62%
6 urchins, tons of trochus snails (they keep multiplying), dwarf ceriths, Kole tang, chocolate tang, 2 clowns, 4 chromis, 2 wrasses, and a very skittish small blue throat trigger.

Pictures are nasty obviously and a lot of floaters because I was doing a water change and trying to pull what I can off. Pretty tough to manually remove

Are you sure this is algae?