For those that do not do water changes how do you control algae?

[Dav2996]

I am currently dosing everything including trace elements. I am also dosing nopox to keep algae at bay.

How do you guys last years without water changes when you have algae issues?

I probably need a herbivore.

 

[reeftankdude]

Great question. Thanks

 

[Arego]

Besides a clean up crew nothing. Once a tank is mature and balanced it sorts itself out. If algae starts coming it's mostly because my gyres and return need cleaning. Once I do that in a week or so it'll go away on its own or via critters. Perhaps dial back on certain foods but nothing to eradicate it, only tweaks to input and speeding up the water is it.

I have no crabs, none can survive, only around 20 turbos in our 250.

 

[SlugSnorter]

I am currently dosing everything including trace elements. I am also dosing nopox to keep algae at bay.

How do you guys last years without water changes when you have algae issues?

I probably need a herbivore.

its only possible with older very diverse tanks. Its a waste of time, money and will just make keeping needlessly harder in new tanks, especially if they are with dry rock. I would recommend looking into other methods to control algae, nopox is a bandaid more than anything.

 

[DavidinGA]

Easy solution = ATS

 

[Dav2996]

Easy solution = ATS

Aren’t ATS expensive refugiums? I would have to upgrade to get a refugium but that would be a great option I think. My system also can’t fit a rollermatt wouldn’t that work too? Just trying to see what most people do.

 

[MichaelReefer]

Algae Scrubber, GFO, UV Sterilizer.

 

[FishOkay]

For me Refugium, GFO, Ozone and yeah have a roller filter aswell.
I am going to start doing 20% 8 weekly water changes with nsw though I decided.

 

[Koh23]

Chaeto, healty and big micro-macro fauna population, algae eating fish...

 

[sixty_reefer]

I believe good husbandry is on my top list just before CUC.
It’s more important to remove build up organics from the rock and sand bed than lower nutrients, build up organics will breakdown into ammonia and feed the algae more efficiently than residual nitrates and phosphates regarding pest algaes.

 

[uninformed]

Herbivores, herbivores, herbivores. Everything else is an expensive, temporary band aid, because you can’t stop algae from growing.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

@Reefer_punk and @glennf, it would be great to hear from you guys on this question too!

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

I gave the wife some tweezers hoping she could inflict the same kind of pain on the algae as my toes.
But the ozone and uv work better.

 

[BanjoBandito]

Easy solution = ATS

Please don't get me started. I was having a "fine" day....I cannot get into scrubbers right now.

 

[DeniseAndy]

I use a calcium reactor and iodine supplements as my main nutrient back into system on my large system. My smaller I use water changes.
For algae control it will come down to many things. Husbandry (how often you are weeding), qt (dipping for pests), type of rock and diversity, cuc including types of fish, export method.
For my large tank, I skip tons of water changes. I may do a 40g every 4 months, if I am lucky, on the 260g system. This is usually to clean something out like the sump or change over to chiller/heaters at winter/spring.

My export is protein skimmer and UAS. I do run carbon reactor as I have leathers and they love to fight with toxins.

 

[glennf]

When i start a new tank the first thing i do is start with carbon dosings (EZcarbon, CarbonVS) to get the bacteria population started.
A healthy bacteria population create a stable environment to control nitrate an phosphate. Be patience and don't turn on the full lights before nitrate and phosphate are both under control, if you do you will only grow algae.

Make sure your first investment is a strong CUC. You will need this to control algae without starving your corals to dead.
Gradually start adding corals and ramp up the light. Try not to use to much Rocks, because more rocks require a lager CUC.
Corals suppose to grow, let the corals do the scaping.

Start with soft corals and when you grow more confident gradually add SPS (which requires more light).

Once phosphate and nitrate are stable corals will grow and start consuming, then it's time to start dosing depleted macro and trace elements.

If you follow this procedure not a single waterchange is necessary from day1.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I minimize white light intensity, run ChemiPure blue and keep nitrates and Phosphates in check

 

[damsels are not mean]

I do water changes now to but for a while I did no water changes and algae was not really an issue past the first year or so. I don't remember the last time I saw any nuisance algae like GHA. Of course it still grew on the glass if I didn't scrape and bare rock would turn brown/green in the absence of enough snails. I suspect in a mature tank algae just doesn't get a chance to take hold. There is no space for it to grow if the tank is full of corals to compete. Plus there are tons of microorganisms and all manner of herbivores from the fish to snails to plankton that presumably prey on young algae. It's definitely not a nutrient thing because there was a long period of neglect during which my nutrients went literally off the charts and yet there was still no algae bloom.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

Not doing water changes requires a method to control nitrate and phosphate. And if you do that, algae problems wouldn't be any different than any other tank.

 

[Dav2996]

Not doing water changes requires a method to control nitrate and phosphate. And if you do that, algae problems wouldn't be any different than any other tank.

I have last 2 months without a water change without having any issues should I keep going? I just started getting GHA.