Algea id

William Clinton

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There's two types I haven't been able to get rid of in forever. I've gots 0 nitrates barely detectable phosphate n that's the only sps colony that's getting swarmed. I blow rocks n vacuum sant but it comes back been doing this weekly with no results. Now I'm turning fuge light off to increase nitrates n phosphates. I put micobacter in because I assume it's cyano n Dino's but idk.


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nautical_nathaniel

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Looks like you've got a whole mix of stuff in there. I would try to manually remove as much as possible with a brush and remove it immediately with a siphon. You have zero nitrates and barely any phosphates because the green stuff in this mix is consuming it all and growing like crazy. You need to get it off everything, rocks, corals, the back wall of the aquarium. If you're diligent about it you can beat this stuff into submission.
 
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William Clinton

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Looks like you've got a whole mix of stuff in there. I would try to manually remove as much as possible with a brush and remove it immediately with a siphon. You have zero nitrates and barely any phosphates because the green stuff in this mix is consuming it all and growing like crazy. You need to get it off everything, rocks, corals, the back wall of the aquarium. If you're diligent about it you can beat this stuff into submission.
Man I'm tellin u I clean the rock n glass once a week sand every other week. I siphon into a sock both times. Should I keep refugium light on, I have cheato.
 

nautical_nathaniel

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Man I'm tellin u I clean the rock n glass once a week sand every other week. I siphon into a sock both times. Should I keep refugium light on, I have cheato.
I would keep the fuge light on. Run some carbon as well in case some of what you have is dinos.
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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the size of this tank matter 90% in how to fix it and sustain it in my opinion.

if its a nano, super simple to arrest and reverse. if its a large tank, there's still a way but not as easy. You would be surprised how well this type of invasion responds to specialized direct action, not further nutrient restrictions which isn't the ideal way to battle algae (its an ideal way to prevent...when invaded, direct action time for the threads ive worked)

tank size determines attack plan for sure for sure. if this is a forty gallon you got it made easy
 
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William Clinton

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the size of this tank matter 90% in how to fix it and sustain it in my opinion.

if its a nano, super simple to arrest and reverse. if its a large tank, there's still a way but not as easy. You would be surprised how well this type of invasion responds to specialized direct action, not further nutrient restrictions which isn't the ideal way to battle algae (its an ideal way to prevent...when invaded, direct action time for the threads ive worked)

tank size determines attack plan for sure for sure. if this is a forty gallon you got it made easy
56 gallon
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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smack dab in the middle.

Your tank is at the breakpoint for UV filtration as a cheat boost. With UV this wouldn't be there even if you did have some nutrients to support it. most algae, not some but most, get what they need even while we're restricting. the ocean uses grazing and we lack that...which is why I don't see your tank as a parameter issue. You can either experiment with grazers and take longer seeking that natural balance, or get to cheating. either way is ok.

if that was my tank it would be taken apart and cleaned from the bottom up. the sandbed ran through the sand rinse thread so that it feeds no algae, perfectly clean sand.

each rock cleaned outside of tank and lightly sprayed with peroxide around the corals, then rinsed, as a final target kill but the external rinsing does most of the work, its just a cleanup tool.

all the walls would be scraped totally clean and the tank cleaned out with vinegar.

the tank would then be re assembled using skip cycle approach from our sand rinse thread, then its algae free.

We would either lightly dose peroxide at that point to kill all growback, if any (since our rinsing had an algaecidal step now) or install UV, but either way the hand cleaning entire tank cleaning should come first. Few will do that, they'll work through the water only endlessly. either way is fine. full tank cleaning threads show consistent turnaround, and water action threads are a bunch of waiting and hoping that's my take.

If your tank was mine Id never treat that algae directly, Id rip clean the entire tank knowing that algaecide step is the clinch win. UV at any stage is another known cheat.

Your algae didn't grow from the glass, it was transmitted there in the water. after our cleaning, UV would intercept and burn stragglers. so will peroxide. nine other methods can work, im just selecting the methods we use in large threads out of consistency.

One chief reason hand cleaning is a hidden secret for you is because that algae matting retains detritus. fact

if you take out live rocks and rinse them off in a white bucket, detritus will unload there for a while because its pent up a bit from the coverage. you can be testing low nutrients, but with on site degredation pellets held by the actual algae mass, they're feeding where you cant measure.

my full tank approach is well documented and heavy on work for a 50 gallon agreed

few will take that method and water dosings will continue in 99% of cases. only 1% will work it clean but if you do we have prior tank runs on file to show how they did skip cycle deep cleaning if that option is ever wanted.
 
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William Clinton

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I bought a used refugium from a store here my tank crashed n this ***** been here for 4 months. The cheato they gave me had other algea like bubble. It's wearing be down lol. I can buy a new system if I need to. Got some pieces that are thriving tho n are very pricey. I'm happy they made it through the crash. Before pics

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William Clinton

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smack dab in the middle.

Your tank is at the breakpoint for UV filtration as a cheat boost. With UV this wouldn't be there even if you did have some nutrients to support it. most algae, not some but most, get what they need even while we're restricting. the ocean uses grazing and we lack that...which is why I don't see your tank as a parameter issue. You can either experiment with grazers and take longer seeking that natural balance, or get to cheating. either way is ok.

if that was my tank it would be taken apart and cleaned from the bottom up. the sandbed ran through the sand rinse thread so that it feeds no algae, perfectly clean sand.

each rock cleaned outside of tank and lightly sprayed with peroxide around the corals, then rinsed, as a final target kill but the external rinsing does most of the work, its just a cleanup tool.

all the walls would be scraped totally clean and the tank cleaned out with vinegar.

the tank would then be re assembled using skip cycle approach from our sand rinse thread, then its algae free.

We would either lightly dose peroxide at that point to kill all growback, if any (since our rinsing had an algaecidal step now) or install UV, but either way the hand cleaning entire tank cleaning should come first. Few will do that, they'll work through the water only endlessly. either way is fine. full tank cleaning threads show consistent turnaround, and water action threads are a bunch of waiting and hoping that's my take.

If your tank was mine Id never treat that algae directly, Id rip clean the entire tank knowing that algaecide step is the clinch win. UV at any stage is another known cheat.

Your algae didn't grow from the glass, it was transmitted there in the water. after our cleaning, UV would intercept and burn stragglers. so will peroxide. nine other methods can work, im just selecting the methods we use in large threads out of consistency.

One chief reason hand cleaning is a hidden secret for you is because that algae matting retains detritus. fact

if you take out live rocks and rinse them off in a white bucket, detritus will unload there for a while because its pent up a bit from the coverage. you can be testing low nutrients, but with on site degredation pellets held by the actual algae mass, they're feeding where you cant measure.

my full tank approach is well documented and heavy on work for a 50 gallon agreed

few will take that method and water dosings will continue in 99% of cases. only 1% will work it clean but if you do we have prior tank runs on file to show how they did skip cycle deep cleaning if that option is ever wanted.
Are there negatives to a uv?
 

brandon429

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None at all

And that tank is amazing I don't want to restart wow

Live rock with coralline is gold


Your bounce, my goodness. I'd backflip into a cold lake for that system.

That pic is strategy gold in my opinion.

You've invested enough in that tank that one last go at uv isn't irresponsible. Amazon allows docked returns of items that don't wow.


Try other easier methods if you like before buying, but uv paired with pre hand cleaning is so powerful for large setups.

Buy oversized. It's not necessarily something you run all the time. It can stay plumbed and off, or in the closet, but assured I've used it tons of times for cures in threads I'd personally not be without one in a large tank in my opinion.

Before part cleaning I think you should try uv. You have a fine balance purple rock setup and though rip cleaning won't hurt it, your overall pic doesn't command it in my opinion if you don't want to rip clean so much work first go.

I was expecting way more coverage that's not bad at all.
Incrementally we should work on the tank ending up with a purchase or a rip clean, you've got a nice setup there no particular rush.

I used uv for years on a 75 gallon, it was a pond sterilizer way oversized and was mounted hidden behind the system. Oversized simply means big as you are willing to oversize. To burn something is the goal

pay to play cheat yep :)

Any number of cheaper natural approaches can work. Not downing other methods it's just what I'd do post backflip if that was my tank.
 
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William Clinton

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And that tank is amazing I don't want to restart wow

Live rock with coralline is gold


Your bounce, my goodness. I'd backflip into a cold lake for that system.

That pic is strategy gold in my opinion.

You've invested enough in that tank that one last go at uv isn't irresponsible. Amazon allows docked returns of items that don't wow.


Try other easier methods if you like before buying, but uv paired with pre hand cleaning is so powerful for large setups.

Buy oversized. It's not necessarily something you run all the time. It can stay plumbed and off, or in the closet, but assured I've used it tons of times for cures in threads I'd personally not be without one in a large tank in my opinion.

Before part cleaning I think you should try uv. You have a fine balance purple rock setup and though rip cleaning won't hurt it, your overall pic doesn't command it in my opinion if you don't want to rip clean so much work first go.

I was expecting way more coverage that's not bad at all.
Incrementally we should work on the tank ending up with a purchase or a rip clean, you've got a nice setup there no particular rush.

I used uv for years on a 75 gallon, it was a pond sterilizer way oversized and was mounted hidden behind the system. Oversized simply means big as you are willing to oversize. To burn something is the goal

pay to play cheat yep :)

Any number of cheaper natural approaches can work. Not downing other methods it's just what I'd do post backflip if that was my tank.
Those were before pics man. I hate the store I bought this fuge from. it's way worse then those pics. Current pics.

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William Clinton

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After thorough clean. Added filter socks and h2026 no 2x daily. If this doesn't work after two weeks I'll try chemiclean. A lot of expensive coral so least intrusive methods first.

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