Algae Outbreaks: What's your BEST defense against it?

[Chrille26]

What's your dosage? Do you run carbon after?

Would also like to know your method of using it. Does it kill coraline algae? Any negative effects on soft corals and inverts?

I use Flux RX and I dose according to the box, but I have added one more scoop then what the box says when the algae is taking over.
I turn my skimmer and carbon reactor off for 72 hours then I turn them back on.
I try to hold out on water changes for two weeks to let the Fluconazole take effect.
After about one week I have seen a noticable difference.
I havent noticed anything happening to coralline or any corals at all, same polyp extension and color as before dosing.

 

[Mark Gray]

I can't seem to get alage to grow. I can grow cayno bacteria but not much alage. Tank is going on 3 years old, I can get rid of the cayno if I dose nitrate, I guess I will have to figure out a daily dose and be done with it.

 

[Jadakiss168]

I'm just coming back into the hobby after a 9 year lay off but when I had my 55gallon I always kept my tank clean , only in the beginning when I went through the young cycle of a new tank I had cyno and hair algae. What I did to have control over this is doing water changes every week, changing filter sock every week, changing Gfo and carbon from there reactors every 2 weeks, when feeding mysis I would rinse it with ro water and keep my metal hilde for 5 hrs a day.

 

[thermoJoe]

Anyone have a good solution to bubble algae? I have a relatively old tank (~10 years) that is 95% acros. The only algae of nuisance is bubble algae. Nitrate and P are always below levels of detection, and I've even gone to dosing NO3 to bring up that concentration, but within hours it's brought back to below detection levels (I may go to auto dosing). I haven't tried green crabs recently, but in the past they didn't seem to do much. Any other good grazers of bubble algae out there? Thanks.

 

[AlexandraDreadlocksPanda]

I think one of the best defenses is actually not trying to remove every bit of algae that grows in my tank. Algae is a natural part of reefs. When I have algae crop up I try to remove it only when it is inhibiting coral growth or is in other visually unappealing locations. The hope is that the algae will continue to grow in the areas I do not care about as much and bring the nutrients back in balance.

It definitely does not always work but at least its a plan.

Absolute rubbish, what an absurd statement! Macro algae’s are a threat to reefs naturally as they outgrow corals and shade them out. Coral reefs are a low nutrient environment, hence corals have evolved to exploit this!!! Th only algae that has a place in a reef are symbiotics and corallines!

 

[Levinson]

I use diy algae scrubber so I guess it's yes in my case?
I have been wondering though, why are algae considered 'bad' or 'nuisance'? Is it because it grows out of control? Covers the corals? Looks ugly?
What about for FOWLR tank?

 

[noobreefer2]

I also added a refugium and found that my problem has now shifted from "keeping algae out of the DT" to "keeping algae out of the refugium" (I hypothesize excess GHA that I ignored caused my first round of chaeto to die)

Same haha, my fuge used to look like this until I cleaned it out:

 

[Viridis]

The only thing I've had a problem with is bubble algae. The CUC takes care of everything else....

I ended up doing a deep cleaning of the whole tank and it looked like it was gone for a couple months, then all of the sudden it was everywhere. Emerald crabs have done absolutely nothing.

 

[LittleFidel]

The only thing I've had a problem with is bubble algae. The CUC takes care of everything else....

I ended up doing a deep cleaning of the whole tank and it looked like it was gone for a couple months, then all of the sudden it was everywhere. Emerald crabs have done absolutely nothing.

I have found that most times, adding livestock to address nutrient-based algae problems causes more problems in the long run.

 

[Viridis]

I have found that most times, adding livestock to address nutrient-based algae problems causes more problems in the long run.

It's only a CUC in the tank, and they've been in since the beginning. Just a bunch of trochus, a few urchins, a couple hermits and the emerald. I add coral every so often (after QT) but nothing that produces a lot of waste (I think the urchins are the biggest bioload on the system).

 

[Joshb757]

I never have serous algae problems. I just keep my phosphate below 1.0 and above .02 and rinse my food. If my phos gets too high I just run chemipure elite to bring it back down.

 

[KevPool]

I'm still quite new to this but I would like to be more proactive rather then panic and google stuff till 3am lol

 

[N.Sreefer]

I had a huge issue with GHA until I added a large sump with a chaeto fuge and started doing water changes weekly only 10% water from the display. I then added Molly’s that decimated the algae after breeding and the freed up nutrients were dealt with by the sump so it didn’t come back. Or mabey the Molly’s just keep it trimmed down to the point that I never see it. No other CUC, I’m a cheap *******

 

[dollfacekilla]

I had a huge bloom last month of bubble and hair algae, luckily no diatoms; but part of my issue was that I had my Aqua Illumination Prime light's cool white setting way too high because I was so afraid my LTA would die without it, but turning down the white and turning up the blue has kept it happy and finally started lowering the algae. Adding Seachem Phosguard first, then a week later adding and KEEPING Seachem Purigen in the refugium has been a HUGE help too, and getting snails and just lots of glass scraping, all FINALLY got it gone. what was annoying me the most was when it was spreading on my substrate. I finally just kind of stirred that up in there and turned all visible algae all under and moved it to one corner and soon enough my snails and sand sifting star were all over it too! Also keeping the red and green LEDs completely at 0% on the lighting has helped. I read that algae likes those wavelengths a lot as well as the cool white. Hope its okay to mention product brands here, I'm not advertising or being paid, I just really finally had luck with that system tbh, my friend in the hobby taught me these tricks and they've worked for me big time. Also I needed to have my skimmer on more often too~

 

[FriedReef TV]

Algae is the kryptonite that keeps our aquarium super powers from becoming to powerful for our own good! - author unknown (ok it was me)

But really is nuisance algae just something that we will always have to battle from time to time each year or can it be very rare to non existent in some reef tanks? For those that rarely deal with nuisance algae what do you think your best defense is against it? Let's moan and complain a little and see what comes up!

PS. I hate algae

1. How many times a year do you have to do battle with nuisance algae?

2. If you rarely deal with nuisance algae what do you think is your best defense against it?


image via @Chiefmaster30

ALGAE SRCUBBER
i run a skimmer and the scrubber only no chemical filtration because the scrubber outcompetes almost all algae in my dt i only run it at night to boost ph and my no3 would get too low if i ran it all day these things are beasts it removes more nutrients than my skimmer easily plus its impossible to overdose and no changing expensive media just lots of light and flow mine is diy only cost me about 60 bucks has worked magic since

 

[FriedReef TV]

Is there a solution to the red slim/algae? I’ve heard hermit crabs can help by my cleaning crew isn’t cutting it.

i battled this stuff for months the only way is to blast it off the rocks every day and wc alot and add a fuge or algae scrubber

 

[dollfacekilla]

Solid cleanup crew, photo period and spectrum, filtration, low Phosphate and Nitrate and a yellow tang. I’ve never had a significant outbreak. I also run a refuge with cheato to out compete other algae and limit Nitrate/PO

I want a tang so bad, but liiiike not for 300$ lol I'm thinking of getting a lemon peel tang, think that'd still do the job?

 

[dollfacekilla]

Anyone have a good solution to bubble algae? I have a relatively old tank (~10 years) that is 95% acros. The only algae of nuisance is bubble algae. Nitrate and P are always below levels of detection, and I've even gone to dosing NO3 to bring up that concentration, but within hours it's brought back to below detection levels (I may go to auto dosing). I haven't tried green crabs recently, but in the past they didn't seem to do much. Any other good grazers of bubble algae out there? Thanks.

I manually removed all my bubble algae, which I had a lot of, which was hell, then I lowered my phosphates with Seachem Purigen and skimmed extra and it has not come back at all actually. Bit you said your phosphates are low so hmmmm nutrients maybe too much? I've heard GFO is great too but I'm still learning. Lessening feeding seemed to help me too with bubble algae, but my tank is only 8 months old.

 

[NaturalBrnHeathen]

I want a tang so bad, but liiiike not for 300$ lol I'm thinking of getting a lemon peel tang, think that'd still do the job?

Bristletooth tangs will do much a much better job of it. This thread has a list of these tangs - https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/list-of-bristletooth-tangs.197977/

I'm new to the SW side & in my relatively new tank, the yellow eye kole goes to town on the algae, the naso comes second & yellow, well... she still seems a bit shy.

 

[dollfacekilla]

Bristletooth tangs will do much a much better job of it. This thread has a list of these tangs - https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/list-of-bristletooth-tangs.197977/

I'm new to the SW side & in my relatively new tank, the yellow eye kole goes to town on the algae, the naso comes second & yellow, well... she still seems a bit shy.

Ooh thx! I will def check it out!
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