Chrysophytes, AKA "Golden Algae" - How to identify, treat and remove it from your tank!

[DarkSky]

Hello @DarkSky. First, thanks for your post, I've been digging for quite some time and have tried several things, but am dealing with this same stuff. I'm planning on giving this method a try. Did you ever have more issues with this after this treatment?

Nope, once I kicked it, I never got it back.

 

[Wingzinco]

Nope, once I kicked it, I never got it back.

Great to hear!!! You have given me hope! ha

 

[DarkSky]

Great to hear!!! You have given me hope! ha

Good luck! It's pretty easy to get rid of once you know how to tackle it. Just make sure to manually remove as much as you can!

 

[User]

Good luck! It's pretty easy to get rid of once you know how to tackle it. Just make sure to manually remove as much as you can!

Old thread- but I’m dealing with this too and just found it. Don’t know why it didn’t come up in my previous searches before, but i found your posts in the mega Vibrant thread

So- you dosed daily, 5 mls for 15 days with a 3 day black out and manual removal? Is that right?

I have a 225g system volume, 180 g DT abs been dealing with Chrysophytes for about 6 months of my tanks 1 year existence. I’ve trued several rounds of ineffective treatments and was just about to start a peroxide regimen when I found your info.

I’m currently dosing potassium nitrate to 5- 7ppm every 6-8 days (past 7 weeks) and sodium phosphate to 0.15ppm pretty much every few days the past 2 weeks. I actually just got some seachem phosphorus to try instead of the eBay NaPO4 I bought previous. The Chrysophytes darkened up after about 3 weeks at 5ppm nitrate and we’re a little easier to scrub off also. Just keep coming back.

Would be amazing if I could use vibrant and knock this thing out.

Cheers

 

[DarkSky]

Old thread- but I’m dealing with this too and just found it. Don’t know why it didn’t come up in my previous searches before, but i found your posts in the mega Vibrant thread

So- you dosed daily, 5 mls for 15 days with a 3 day black out and manual removal? Is that right?

I have a 225g system volume, 180 g DT abs been dealing with Chrysophytes for about 6 months of my tanks 1 year existence. I’ve trued several rounds of ineffective treatments and was just about to start a peroxide regimen when I found your info.

I’m currently dosing potassium nitrate to 5- 7ppm every 6-8 days (past 7 weeks) and sodium phosphate to 0.15ppm pretty much every few days the past 2 weeks. I actually just got some seachem phosphorus to try instead of the eBay NaPO4 I bought previous. The Chrysophytes darkened up after about 3 weeks at 5ppm nitrate and we’re a little easier to scrub off also. Just keep coming back.

Would be amazing if I could use vibrant and knock this thing out.

Cheers

I was using Vibrant, but I'm not sure that it was all that helpful in knocking it out. It's a photosynthetic algae that thrives in low nutrient environments. You can tackle it by simultaneously dosing nitrates and doing a few 3 day blackouts. I had coral in the tank, so I would give them two days of light, and then do another 3 day light out period. Manual removal between lights out periods also helps.

 

[User]

I was using Vibrant, but I'm not sure that it was all that helpful in knocking it out. It's a photosynthetic algae that thrives in low nutrient environments. You can tackle it by simultaneously dosing nitrates and doing a few 3 day blackouts. I had coral in the tank, so I would give them two days of light, and then do another 3 day light out period. Manual removal between lights out periods also helps.

Hmm, thanks.

Yeah, I’ve tried upping my Nitrate to 5-7ppm and my PO4 to around 0.15, with manual removal, silicate removal and 2 rounds of 3 day lights out. I technically have a FOWLR right now since I have 18 corals in a holding tank in my basement- want to get rid of this first before adding them tonDT

So, you don’t think the vibrant helped?

 

[DarkSky]

Hmm, thanks.

Yeah, I’ve tried upping my Nitrate to 5-7ppm and my PO4 to around 0.15, with manual removal, silicate removal and 2 rounds of 3 day lights out. I technically have a FOWLR right now since I have 18 corals in a holding tank in my basement- want to get rid of this first before adding them tonDT

So, you don’t think the vibrant helped?

Hard to say, but I don't think it did; I actually think it was a hindrance. Vibrant outcompetes algae by taking out its nutrient source, in this case you want to dirty up your water so that's why I don't think it was helping.

 

[bwomac44]

I would always suck mine out with airline tube during weekly water changes.
It was over all my rocks etc for months. It ended up just going away (like it cycled out).
Not sure if the increase of GHA in my tank around that time resulted in them being out competed or what, but they just didn’t come back after like my 20th water change that I spent sucking them out.

 

[User]

I would always suck mine out with airline tube during weekly water changes.
It was over all my rocks etc for months. It ended up just going away (like it cycled out).
Not sure if the increase of GHA in my tank around that time resulted in them being out competed or what, but they just didn’t come back after like my 20th water change that I spent sucking them out.

Any idea if that coincided with a general increase in nitrate and phosphate levels in the tank?

Thanks for the info

 

[bwomac44]

Any idea if that coincided with a general increase in nitrate and phosphate levels in the tank?

Thanks for the info

I got Chryso. Then weeks later I got dinos.
I dosed Nitrates and Phosphates for Dinos after a few weeks (I had zero phosphates for months and therefore no algae to outcompete Dinos).
Dinos went away once my tank greened up, Chrysophytes remained. I kept dosing KNO3 and PO4 to keep Dinos away and it didn’t seem to affect the chryso
A few months later they went away like *poof* gone. I sucked them out during a water change and they didn’t come back.
Off the top of my head the only think I can think of is the beginning of a battle with GHA in my tank. I’m not sure that did it. Somethings just run their course.
I’d say manually remove during water changes and be patient.
It never harmed any corals or fish of mine, but it just looks ugly obviously.
About to install a uv sterilize 10 months into my tank running. I wish I set it up from the beginning. I know I wouldn’t have had to deal with recurring Dinos for a couple months and maybe some other things.
Wonder if it would have affected/avoided the crysophytes.

 

[User]

Yeah- big problem is that it’s a 180 gallon in wall build, so reaching all the covered rock areas is hard. I’ve scrubbed it to abou 20% left and watched it slowly repopulate over a week 3 times now.

I might scrub hard then do a lights out and some peroxide treatment while pushing N and P really high

 

[DarkSky]

Yeah- big problem is that it’s a 180 gallon in wall build, so reaching all the covered rock areas is hard. I’ve scrubbed it to abou 20% left and watched it slowly repopulate over a week 3 times now.

I might scrub hard then do a lights out and some peroxide treatment while pushing N and P really high

That sounds like a good course of treatment. I didn't have to do any peroxide treatments since it is very easy to remove from rockwork, but I fed heavy, dosed no3/po4 and removed as much as I possibly could in between 3 day light out periods.

 

[Cameron McDade]

Hi,

I have also been suffering with (probably) chrysophytes for several months. Like others I siphoned all the patches of this off the rocks only to have it return within a few days as bad as ever. I tried Chemiclean but it had no effect on the slime at all. Following some research by a friend of mine I decided to try something different. The product is Waste Away by Dr. Tim. I picked up a bottle and decided to try a half dose as recommended initially on the bottle. I siphoned out as much of the slime as possible and did the half dose. After a few days the slime was visible but not as abundant as before as I did a full dose of the Waste Away. Happily, over the next week or so the slime slowly receded to the point now that the tank is completely clear and there is no sign of any regrowth. I am hoping that this has fixed the issue for good. Another side effect is the glass is not getting dirty anywhere near as much.

Thanks,

Cam.

 

[taricha]

Hi,

I have also been suffering with (probably) chrysophytes for several months. Like others I siphoned all the patches of this off the rocks only to have it return within a few days as bad as ever. I tried Chemiclean but it had no effect on the slime at all. Following some research by a friend of mine I decided to try something different. The product is Waste Away by Dr. Tim. I picked up a bottle and decided to try a half dose as recommended initially on the bottle. I siphoned out as much of the slime as possible and did the half dose. After a few days the slime was visible but not as abundant as before as I did a full dose of the Waste Away. Happily, over the next week or so the slime slowly receded to the point now that the tank is completely clear and there is no sign of any regrowth. I am hoping that this has fixed the issue for good. Another side effect is the glass is not getting dirty anywhere near as much.

Thanks,

Cam.

Microscope shots? Tank pics of affected area?
Thanks for the report!

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Well diatoms and dinos are protists. Cyano is a bacteria. The correlation between chrysos and diatoms is true and not a myth. That said, chrysophytes feed on plankton but are made up of silicates. Now, how we ID them is up in the air. But one thing that all versions of chrysophytes have is its genetic makeup of containing silicates.

But do they feed on silicates and p04? How do they feed and reproduce?

 

[vetteguy53081]

But do they feed on silicates and p04? How do they feed and reproduce?

They are triggered by light and have same requirements as cyano as they are a type of cyano. Starve them of light and you must physically remove by scrubbing off with a toothbrush in a container of tank water

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

They are triggered by light and have same requirements as cyano as they are a type of cyano. Starve them of light and you must physically remove by scrubbing off with a toothbrush in a container of tank water

Most Others have claimed its a form of diatom that requires silicates to form structure, and it is not a bacteria like cyano.
do you have a source for this information you say maybe then I could see a way that its treated similar to cyano in regards to reproduction and growth.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Most Others have claimed its a form of diatom that requires silicates to form structure, and it is not a bacteria like cyano.
do you have a source for this information you say maybe then I could see a way that its treated similar to cyano in regards to reproduction and growth.

Im going by your post and have NOT seen pics to confirm its chrysophytes. Could be dine, calo and others, Assuming it is what you posted, I know this from decades of experience and needs to scrubbed before any treatment. here are a couple I found online


www.reef2reef.com/threads/chrysophytes.729975/

https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/to...,extended period of time, these will go away.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Im going by your post and have NOT seen pics to confirm its chrysophytes. Could be dine, calo and others, Assuming it is what you posted, I know this from decades of experience and needs to scrubbed before any treatment. here are a couple I found online


www.reef2reef.com/threads/chrysophytes.729975/

https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/to...,extended period of time, these will go away.

I have no pictures im only talking about chrysophytes in my post. That first r2r link is a big contradiction of adding phosphates to rid them, which cyano feeds on light and high phosphates.

You say this needs to be scrubbed before any treatment, is that referring to just simply blowing them off surfaces, because they can be detached from surfaces extremely easy with a turkey baster, but that doesn't reflect their reproduction and feeding patterns, and it does not indicate they are a bacteria that feeds on high nutrient levels.

Its not much help looking at old r2r threads about it because any good information is lost in all the forum mumbo, I believe its photosynthetic diatom that feeds on high silicate and low nutrient levels it dominates along with dinos, I believe they co mingle quite well. I dont have decades of experience, especially on chrysophytes, but I am looking for more solid information out there.

Thank you for your input and information it is appreciated!

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have no pictures im only talking about chrysophytes in my post. That first r2r link is a big contradiction of adding phosphates to rid them, which cyano feeds on light and high phosphates.

You say this needs to be scrubbed before any treatment, is that referring to just simply blowing them off surfaces, because they can be detached from surfaces extremely easy with a turkey baster, but that doesn't reflect their reproduction and feeding patterns, and it does not indicate they are a bacteria that feeds on high nutrient levels.

Its not much help looking at old r2r threads about it because any good information is lost in all the forum mumbo, I believe its photosynthetic diatom that feeds on high silicate and low nutrient levels it dominates along with dinos, I believe they co mingle quite well. I dont have decades of experience, especially on chrysophytes, but I am looking for more solid information out there.

Thank you for your input and information it is appreciated!

Yes- they should dislodge easily. I personally would not add po4
As for Bacteria- Cyano itself is a bacteria-(Bacterial algae) which would all make sense. You can and will want to add 1.5ml of liquid bacteria per 10 gallons such as Microbacter XLM to compete with it/ Anything you blow loose, try to net it up and discard.