Dipping Rocks in Peroxide to Fight Bubble Algae

[Joe.D]

Hello All - I have a 75 gallon tank that’s been running since late May of 2022.
PO4 .08
Nitrates 0
Alk 8.8
ph 7.9

For the past few months (maybe longer) I’ve been dealing with bubble algae. Been scraping/siphoning, added emerald crabs, a one spot Foxface (yes, I realize I’ll likely need to re-home him in a couple of years) and it keeps coming back. Crabs and Foxface don‘t seem to be making a dent.

Getting tired of spending a couple hrs each weekend scraping rocks (in addition to regular cleaning and water change). Now, my rockscape is getting pretty jacked - moving a bit with scraping, super glue cracking loose.

Talked with my LFS, who helped with tank set-up, and they recommended taking out the rock (maybe 1/3 to 1/2), scrubbing it clean and dipping it in peroxide for 5 min. They say to wait a week or so before doing the next 1/3 to 1/2 of the rock so some of the good stuff can grow back on the rock that was dipped. The recommended mix was a 3:1 ratio of saltwater to peroxide.

My questions are:

1) I bought the 3% peroxide - would that be the one to use in a 3:1 ratio or would a higher concentration be needed?

2) Thoughts on this method?

3). I have some corals - not a ton. I could remove probably all of them except for a ricorida. Otherwise, I have 4 zoas (one isn’t doing too well from scraping bubble algae around it, 2 others have some bubble algae on the base), 2 torches, 1 hammer (some bubble algae on the skeleton), a Duncan, and a rhodactis that’s doing ok but not great. Would you remove these before dipping and just clean manually or dip them with the rock?

 

[blaxsun]

1. No idea.
2. Could work.
3. Yes, definitely remove the corals before dipping - otherwise, dead corals.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello All - I have a 75 gallon tank that’s been running since late May of 2022.
PO4 .08
Nitrates 0
Alk 8.8
ph 7.9

For the past few months (maybe longer) I’ve been dealing with bubble algae. Been scraping/siphoning, added emerald crabs, a one spot Foxface (yes, I realize I’ll likely need to re-home him in a couple of years) and it keeps coming back. Crabs and Foxface don‘t seem to be making a dent.

Getting tired of spending a couple hrs each weekend scraping rocks (in addition to regular cleaning and water change). Now, my rockscape is getting pretty jacked - moving a bit with scraping, super glue cracking loose.

Talked with my LFS, who helped with tank set-up, and they recommended taking out the rock (maybe 1/3 to 1/2), scrubbing it clean and dipping it in peroxide for 5 min. They say to wait a week or so before doing the next 1/3 to 1/2 of the rock so some of the good stuff can grow back on the rock that was dipped. The recommended mix was a 3:1 ratio of saltwater to peroxide.

My questions are:

1) I bought the 3% peroxide - would that be the one to use in a 3:1 ratio or would a higher concentration be needed?

2) Thoughts on this method?

3). I have some corals - not a ton. I could remove probably all of them except for a ricorida. Otherwise, I have 4 zoas (one isn’t doing too well from scraping bubble algae around it, 2 others have some bubble algae on the base), 2 torches, 1 hammer (some bubble algae on the skeleton), a Duncan, and a rhodactis that’s doing ok but not great. Would you remove these before dipping and just clean manually or dip them with the rock?

3% is the proper type and its a gamble- May or may not work as peroxide is an oxidizer. Typically, I take a small needle and have 3/8 tubing ready and attach to end of tubing with rubber band and pop each one and siphon at same time- You will have removed material in area.
Had to do this in the past with birdsnest coral and was gone 100%.
Other option is to add pitho crabs or emerald crabs (which I do not trust) which will eat them

 

[Johniejumbo]

I used a similar tactic to get rid of hair algae on some rocks. Worked great! Remove all you can manually and peroxide the rock. I’ve even used that to get rid of algae on rocks that had zoas and star polyps on them. It does aggravate them but for the most part they were ok in a few days. For the most part…. The hair algae stayed off the rocks until they got infested with that algae again a few months later because life got in the way and I neglected my tank.

 

[Joe.D]

I used a similar tactic to get rid of hair algae on some rocks. Worked great! Remove all you can manually and peroxide the rock. I’ve even used that to get rid of algae on rocks that had zoas and star polyps on them. It does aggravate them but for the most part they were ok in a few days. For the most part…. The hair algae stayed off the rocks until they got infested with that algae again a few months later because life got in the way and I neglected my tank.

Do you recall what % peroxide you used and ratio to water?

 

[Joe.D]

3% is the proper type and its a gamble- May or may not work as peroxide is an oxidizer. Typically, I take a small needle and have 3/8 tubing ready and attach to end of tubing with rubber band and pop each one and siphon at same time- You will have removed material in area.
Had to do this in the past with birdsnest coral and was gone 100%.
Other option is to add pitho crabs or emerald crabs (which I do not trust) which will eat them

Yeah, I’ve done that with tubing/siphoning and added crabs. Crabs not making a dent and back to scraping a week later.

 

[Johniejumbo]

Do you recall what % peroxide you used and ratio to water?

It was the 3%. If I remember correctly I used a 2 parts tank water to 1 part peroxide

 

[Jason_MrFrags]

Remove what you can. When I had an issue with hair. I removed the rocks and wrapped with a old towel that was soaked in hydrogen peroxide to give it longer contact with surface and didn't require as much to give it a full bath.

 

[Dburr1014]

Can you just use a toothbrush dipped in straight peroxide and scub each area? Rinse quick in a bucket of tank water before putting back in tank.
1) don't need to remove coral.
2) do it all 1 time instead of stages.
3) water change at the same time.

 

[mike550]

@Joe.D I just did this as part of a tank reboot because of an infestation of hydroids. I took out about 1/3 rock, scrubbed clean as best I could then sprayed with 3% hydrogen peroxide (straight from the bottle). After the bubbling stopped I would brush again. I let it sit overnight, but a LFS is spraying it on the rock, cleaning, doing a saltwater rinse, and putting right back into tank. I haven’t seen any adverse affects.

 

[Joe.D]

Thanks everyone for your insight! Not looking forward to breaking down my rockwork even though it’s kind of jacked up now anyway. Looks like a fun Saturday ahead of me.

 

[mike550]

Thanks everyone for your insight! Not looking forward to breaking down my rockwork even though it’s kind of jacked up now anyway. Looks like a fun Saturday ahead of me.

For what it’s worth I’m in the middle as well. But also changing my Rockscape with new rock that I’ve been curing etc. It’s a pain but hopefully better when I’m done

 

[Joe.D]

@brandon429 I‘ve seen your thread on peroxide and algae - I probably should’ve posted there. Would love your thoughts on this proposed process outlined here.

 

[brandon429]

I would first score a bottle of vibrant from any remaining stock, likely can be found even as a used bottle on ebay.

keep as backup, works about 98% of the time and the rocks would be treated one by one in buckets of the correct scaled down dilution, not by adding vibrant to your reef.

any troubled reef can simply rotate display rocks a few days each among buckets of vibrant dosed sw in buckets with circulation.

if that isn't possible, it's what I'd do but if it isn't possible I would then lift out any valonia rocks for surgery on the counter. use a knife not any other tool but a pointed knife tip to debride the algae off attachments, scoring a little rock surface too, a dentist's plaque scraping isn't always gentle. rasp it clean

when the rock is completely clean of valonia via metal rasping, then put peroxide where the algae used to be, to burn off holdfast cells missed in the detailing

let sit cooking 5 mins in the air, rinse off and put back the rock. rip clean the system if any handful drops of the sandbed would lend huge clouds of waste...if the sandbed is clean then no need to rip clean. that much extra fuel in most beds directly feeds the invaders we dislike. a clean sandbed helps to stop feeding them so fast, whatever the invader is

 

[brandon429]

Vibrant was the only known near-certain fixer of valonia, it's banishment from existence wasn't 100% positive. If I owned a large tank I would for sure buy up a few used stocks of it just for this reason, and it wouldn't be added to my display/ever

algae fix marine doesn't have as many valonia cures, vibrant was #1 in the hobby. valonia is a serious scourge. there was a niche need for it.

neither would I dump in peroxide to the water, not that it's harmful we can calculate any safe dose someone wants for a display but it's not effective like reef dentistry is

I would hand clean the entire tank by hand surgically no matter how long it takes.

then, in the clean condition, mithrax crabs/known predators can be introduced. not as removers, but as growback prevention. I'm the remover. I certify the job gets done is how I see it. I leave no room for the invasion to persist one single day longer regarding tank wreckers: valonia, chrysophytes, dinos et al

I would never add some sort of animal to an invaded tank then wait for the animal to hopefully clear up the issue. that redistributes the valonia mass, even if it works, as waste pellets. surgery is true mass export.

 

[Joe.D]

Vibrant was the only known near-certain fixer of valonia, it's banishment from existence wasn't 100% positive. If I owned a large tank I would for sure buy up a few used stocks of it just for this reason, and it wouldn't be added to my display/ever

algae fix marine doesn't have as many valonia cures, vibrant was #1 in the hobby. valonia is a serious scourge. there was a niche need for it.

neither would I dump in peroxide to the water, not that it's harmful we can calculate any safe dose someone wants for a display but it's not effective like reef dentistry is

I would hand clean the entire tank by hand surgically no matter how long it takes.

then, in the clean condition, mithrax crabs/known predators can be introduced. not as removers, but as growback prevention. I'm the remover. I certify the job gets done is how I see it. I leave no room for the invasion to persist one single day longer regarding tank wreckers: valonia, chrysophytes, dinos et al

I would never add some sort of animal to an invaded tank then wait for the animal to hopefully clear up the issue. that redistributes the valonia mass, even if it works, as waste pellets. surgery is true mass export.

Thanks @brandon429 - if you do all rocks at once, aren’t you killing off the good stuff on the rocks too? I mean, even after scraping, I’d pretty much be putting peroxide across the entirety of each rock. Any issues there?

 

[Dburr1014]

Algae fix is the same as vibrant. That can be found in the pond section.
Just so you know, I would never promote putting chemicals in a reef tank if it can be avoided at all.

 

[AvoidTheNoid]

Algae fix is the same as vibrant. That can be found in the pond section.
Just so you know, I would never promote putting chemicals in a reef tank if it can be avoided at all.

 

[AvoidTheNoid]

I used Vibrant once to control GSP and other nuisance algae and although it was effective, it killed a healthy growing chalice and a birds nest in a few days. I dumped the bottle and will never use it again. From my experience, Astrea snails are more effective and had no negative effects. Microbacter Clean can be effective, but long term use damaged some corals as well