Blackout proof algae? Calothrix?

[CookieRdReef]

My tank is 1 year old 75g mixed reef. My nutrients have always been low with PO4 near 0 and Nitrates around 3ppm. I dose Neonitro to keep nitrates up. I have a simple set up with a HOB fuge which I put media bags in as needed and a HOB skimmer. My flow is mod-high in most spots I would say. I do not feed heavy.

I have been dealing with brown and stringy algae in the sandbed for most of the life of this tank. I have beat it back before with most success coming from blackouts. I made few errors about 2 months ago that led to a lot more algae popping up on the sand and covering the lower and some upper rocks. The algae is brown and stringy and even attaches to the tips and bases of some corals.

I have beeb dosing Vibrant for a couple weeks but decided to try a blackout again to knock it back. I'm on day 3 of a blackout and just looked in the tank. The algae doesn't seem to have gone back at all. It's looks the same as when the blackout started.

Google and thread research leads me to think it may be Calothrix. Has anybody dealt with this? My next step may be dosing 3% hydrogen peroxide. I have seen that taking rocks out and spraying peroxide may work better but doesn't deal the my sandbed being covered in the stuff.

I'm pretty patient but this stuff is driving me nuts. Any help/advice from someone who has battled this

would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[CookieRdReef]

.

 

[CookieRdReef]

Bump

 

[Silly clownfish]

Any luck? I believe that is what I have in one of my tanks at the moment

 

[CookieRdReef]

Amphdinium dinos. They got a lot worse and are still bad. I am going big on biodiversity with lots of pods, phyto, mb7, vibrant. Its been rough.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Its dinos. First- Check phosphates and nitrates to assure theyre not elevated.
Here is full program:
Prepare by starting with a water change and blow this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles.
Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10-15%) for 5 days and at night dose 1ml of hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5 nights. If you dont have light dependent coral- turn all lights off.
During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as bacter 7) per 10 gallons.
Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED CORAL FOODS OR ADD NOPOX as it is food for dinos.
Day 5,, you can start with blue lights - ramping up and work your white lights up slowly

 

[CookieRdReef]

Its dinos. First- Check phosphates and nitrates to assure theyre not elevated.
Here is full program:
Prepare by starting with a water change and blow this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles.
Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10-15%) for 5 days and at night dose 1ml of hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5 nights. If you dont have light dependent coral- turn all lights off.
During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as bacter 7) per 10 gallons.
Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED CORAL FOODS OR ADD NOPOX as it is food for dinos.
Day 5,, you can start with blue lights - ramping up and work your white lights up slowly

Thanks for the reply. The pictures and post are from early Feb. Since then I bought a microscope to confirm amphidinium dinos. Do you mean PO4 and NO3 should be elevated correct? I thought the consensus was that dinos outcompete at low nutrient levels. Mine are currently elevated on purpose but were near 0 when the dinos took hold of my tank.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks for the reply. The pictures and post are from early Feb. Since then I bought a microscope to confirm amphidinium dinos. Do you mean PO4 and NO3 should be elevated correct? I thought the consensus was that dinos outcompete at low nutrient levels. Mine are currently elevated on purpose but were near 0 when the dinos took hold of my tank.

No- check to assure they are not excessively high

 

[CookieRdReef]

No- check to assure they are not excessively high

NO3: 10, PO4: .14

 

[Unregistered1]

.

I would stop dosing vibrant and just be sure what your parameters are. Suck out as much that as you can and dont do water changes

 

[CookieRdReef]

I would stop dosing vibrant and just be sure what your parameters are. Suck out as much that as you can and dont do water changes

Why no Vibrant?

 

[vetteguy53081]

NO3: 10, PO4: .14

Phosphate is bit high
Follow the program- it works

 

[Unregistered1]

Why no Vibrant?

because its just another piece of the puzzle that you dont know what its doing and it just compounds the problem to find the answer to the solution

 

[Unregistered1]

I dont dose anything i cant test for

 

[ChrisOFL]

I've had a lot of success with dosing Microbacter Clean and Microbacter7 together in my tank to remove dinos and cyano and I would like to see if it works for others. I made a thread about it recently if you want to post any success you may have from doing what I do, if you try that is. I have acros and montis that are 100% not affected by dosing the Microbacter products like I have heard happening with vibrant.