Bubble algae and peroxide

[Bam327]

I’m being over run by bubble algae. My fox face and tangs won’t touch it. There’s an emerald crab somewhere in my DT that won’t touch it either. I can’t manually eradicate it because the 2 main shelf rocks that it’s on has really small and deep pores that make it impossible to pull off because the bubble algae anchors itself deep in those pores.
I’m hesitant to try vibrant but may have no other choice.
My understanding is that 1ml per 10 gals of 3% peroxide in the water column will kill the spores. My thought it to start dosing this rate and take a wire brush to the bubbles. After I’ve destroyed a patch with the brush I would then come with a more concentrated dose of peroxide via syringe to the patches I just brushed off. Does this seem like a reasonable plan?

 

[brandon429]

Peroxide doesn’t sustain well against it, vibrant dosed into the water is the best known valonia treatment

peroxide on it gets an initial kill but there’s high report of growback. Vibrant has the most cures assembled for it.

 

[mnreefster]

I recently tried something with a single bubble algae I found in my tank that is worth trying if you are savvy with a syringe. First off, I am a pharmacist by trade so I have a lot of experience with needles so this tactic may not be best suited if you have little to no experience with needles and syringes. You can use a 1 ml insulin syringe with a very fine gauge needle, like as small as you can get (usually 32 gauge or 33 gauge). First, you draw up about 0.5 ml of hydrogen peroxide into the syringe. Then, very carefully, you can insert the needle into the bubble algae. If you have a steady hand, it will not burst open and the integrity of the membrane stays intact. Now the important part; keeping that steady hand, you want to draw out the contents of the bubble algae (pull back on the syringe). You are not trying to inject the bubble algae with hydrogen peroxide, that will cause too much positive pressure in the algae and it will just burst. You can do this without hydrogen peroxide too; the only reason it is in the syringe hub is to destroy the spores once they get in the syringe in case I make a mistake or hit the syringe and the entire contents of the syringe come squirting out. In that case, at least they likely are destroyed by the hydrogen peroxide first. Anyways, the bubble algae just shrivels up and, in my case, released from the rock and was stuck on the tip of the syringe and I pulled it out. I pulled out about 0.3 ml or so of volume from the algae, you're not expecting a lot. It's a tedious process but if you tackle 10/day that way you could make quick progress. I would also practice this technique if you have never manipulated syringes/needles before. If your hand is shaky you are going to cause that bubble algae to rupture. You can practice on something first, like a warm pea, and see how you do. The biggest question is, does it work? It is hard to say but removing that much fluid from the algae and having it release off the rock gave me a good feeling about it. I felt confident the needle hole was sealed by the needle and wasn't leaking spores. I also only had one bubble so I guess it would be considered a 'case report'.