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

[DavidinGA]

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. :)

No.

An ATS is dirt cheap if you diy.

A refugium grows less productive macro algae and an ATS grows super nutrient sucking hair algae.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

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

That depends on your nitrate level and what corals you have.

 

[mindme]

Tangs.

 

[Dav2996]

That depends on your nitrate level and what corals you have.

Nitrate and phosphate undetectable but GHA is spreading. I have almost all LPS and soft corals. Must be the GHA using it up. I am adding a refugium to the back of my all in one. Last time I did that I got cyano in there. I cured all the algae at one point too haha

 

[mindme]

Nitrate and phosphate undetectable but GHA is spreading. I have almost all LPS and soft corals. Must be the GHA using it up. I am adding a refugium to the back of my all in one. Last time I did that I got cyano in there. I cured all the algae at one point too haha

I've had high nitrates and phosphates and 0 algae.

It's really just about clean up crew. Snails and such don't really cut it. They do some work, but things like tangs are the real grazers.

 

[Roli's Reef Ranch]

Tang gang, Turbos, Lawnmowers - the rest is a scam to get in your wallet (refugiums, ATS). I feed my tanks better than my kids (6 times a day) just to keep nitrates and phosphates up! You don't need that fancy crap, just get some live stock. Pack your tank with as much coral as you can afford early on so they consumer all those nutrients. Wish I could grow more algae to feed my CUC! All you need is a skimmer (I run mine 6 hrs a day only), filter pad, forget socks... and a couple gallons of Kalk at night. You'll be growin' SPS out the wazoo! Everything else is marketing, bruh! I'm lazy and that's all I do. This system started w/1 inch frags just over a year ago, 2 part balling (part c) with traces. I don't do water changes because I don't want to destabilize my system with things like Turkish Blend salt, etc... No fancy bs otherwise.

 

[aurora.k]

Why don’t you just do water changes? In any event, the only way to get rid of algae is have an established tank and then don’t mess up any parameters - in my experience anything out of whack causes an algae bloom - like temperatures, alkalinity, ph - anything. I lost power recently so temp dropped then I had an algae bloom. I had an ato issue and salinity raised -> algae bloom. That’s why I think all those additives are just bandaids because you are just messing with the chemistry when what you want is to NOT mess with the chemistry. I do auto water changes so it’s super easy but still don’t understand why you wouldn’t. Yeah it’s an investment upfront but I save sooo much time and have a healthy tank. I dose alk, calcium and add ab+and everything else is sorted by relatively small AWC. But in my octopus tank I do big water changes (awc) and nothing else because he is a mess

 

[Lionfish hunter]

Nitrate and phosphate undetectable but GHA is spreading. I have almost all LPS and soft corals. Must be the GHA using it up. I am adding a refugium to the back of my all in one. Last time I did that I got cyano in there. I cured all the algae at one point too haha

With undetectable nitrate and phosphate, water changes will do nothing to reduce algae. Keeping your alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium at steady levels may be all you need to keep your corals happy. Icp tests every now and then will confirm nothing toxic has built up in the water/ nothing is depleted. I would consider dosing all for reef. That will really keep your trace elements, calcium, alk, etc at acceptable levels with 0 water changes.

As for the algae, you could shorten the light period. A uv sterilizer is my go to with algae problems but I have not tried that with hair algae. Melevs reef claims flux rx will get rid of hair algae. I have never tried it, but if I trust anybody on the internet it would be him.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

Also if you have a newish tank, just let it play out and do nothing.

 

[DavidinGA]

Why don’t you just do water changes? In any event, the only way to get rid of algae is have an established tank and then don’t mess up any parameters - in my experience anything out of whack causes an algae bloom - like temperatures, alkalinity, ph - anything. I lost power recently so temp dropped then I had an algae bloom. I had an ato issue and salinity raised -> algae bloom. That’s why I think all those additives are just bandaids because you are just messing with the chemistry when what you want is to NOT mess with the chemistry. I do auto water changes so it’s super easy but still don’t understand why you wouldn’t. Yeah it’s an investment upfront but I save sooo much time and have a healthy tank. I dose alk, calcium and add ab+and everything else is sorted by relatively small AWC. But in my octopus tank I do big water changes (awc) and nothing else because he is a mess

Why not just run an ATS? Then you'll never have algae issues...ever!

I hate water changes myself and so I don't do them.

I also heartily subscribe to the no additives mentality though. Everyone is all about a quick fix in a hobby that's built on patience.

 

[paintman]

Alot of B.S. in this thread. I am curently dealing with a GHA issue in my 200gal. .05 on the phosphate and 12 for nitrates. I have probaly spent $700 on CUC over the last 2-3 months and nothing is touching the GHA including 4 urchins. I am also running a clearwater 200 ATs and a reef octopus 3000 external skimmer. Also I curently have 4 tangs and a foxface in my tank, and they simply ignore the GHA.
I think alot of people go to the default recomendation of upping a CUC because it makes them feel smart and or good about themselves. I also think this is all just something thats been bantered about for so long no one knows any different at this point. Meanwhile we are blatently throwing these creatures into our tanks only to have them starve to death because we are taking them from their natural environment.
Instead I am heading in the direction of upping my bio/microbial diversity.

 

[aurora.k]

Alot of B.S. in this thread.

Everyone is just sharing their own experiences. Your experience is that it doesn't work, but that just means you didn't have the same experience because of some factor we don't know - it doesn't mean it doesn't work for other people. My CUC does not starve AND I don't have crazy algae problems.... I've had the same CUC for like two years and haven't needed to add anything and they are all still around.

 

[mindme]

Alot of B.S. in this thread. I am curently dealing with a GHA issue in my 200gal. .05 on the phosphate and 12 for nitrates. I have probaly spent $700 on CUC over the last 2-3 months and nothing is touching the GHA including 4 urchins. I am also running a clearwater 200 ATs and a reef octopus 3000 external skimmer. Also I curently have 4 tangs and a foxface in my tank, and they simply ignore the GHA.
I think alot of people go to the default recomendation of upping a CUC because it makes them feel smart and or good about themselves. I also think this is all just something thats been bantered about for so long no one knows any different at this point. Meanwhile we are blatently throwing these creatures into our tanks only to have them starve to death because we are taking them from their natural environment.
Instead I am heading in the direction of upping my bio/microbial diversity.

No, it's not BS, but a good bit of your post is.

When the GHA gets to be long, you need to manually remove it yourself. Tangs and clean up crews like it best when it's short and will keep the short areas cleaned up.

 

[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.

Alle these tanks has the above mentioned rules in common.
So you might say: "the result is reproduceable"

 

[rtparty]

Herbivores

 

[blaxsun]

I run a UV and I have an absolutely fantastic and diverse cleanup crew.

 

[CK00020]

Like what?

 

[jmichaelh7]

Have a sump with reverse lighting growing lots of chaeto and macro

Algae grazers : 3 tangs, lawnmower blenny, foxface and clean up crew

changing filter socks every 4-5 days and skimmer on 24/7.

 

[Dav2996]

Alot of B.S. in this thread. I am curently dealing with a GHA issue in my 200gal. .05 on the phosphate and 12 for nitrates. I have probaly spent $700 on CUC over the last 2-3 months and nothing is touching the GHA including 4 urchins. I am also running a clearwater 200 ATs and a reef octopus 3000 external skimmer. Also I curently have 4 tangs and a foxface in my tank, and they simply ignore the GHA.
I think alot of people go to the default recomendation of upping a CUC because it makes them feel smart and or good about themselves. I also think this is all just something thats been bantered about for so long no one knows any different at this point. Meanwhile we are blatently throwing these creatures into our tanks only to have them starve to death because we are taking them from their natural environment.
Instead I am heading in the direction of upping my bio/microbial diversity.

I have cured GHA from my flame angel. It loved the stuff. It ate it like it was candy. He died in a crack in the rock and got stuck. Hermit crabs in my expirence work as long as you tooth brush the rocks because they can’t eat it when it’s too thick. My nitrates are undetectable because GHA growing from them. I am now trying to go without water changes and trying to get an idea what others do. :)

 

[Dav2996]

With undetectable nitrate and phosphate, water changes will do nothing to reduce algae. Keeping your alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium at steady levels may be all you need to keep your corals happy. Icp tests every now and then will confirm nothing toxic has built up in the water/ nothing is depleted. I would consider dosing all for reef. That will really keep your trace elements, calcium, alk, etc at acceptable levels with 0 water changes.

As for the algae, you could shorten the light period. A uv sterilizer is my go to with algae problems but I have not tried that with hair algae. Melevs reef claims flux rx will get rid of hair algae. I have never tried it, but if I trust anybody on the internet it would be him.

I stopped all for reef because I noticed my tank used more calcium and the alkalinity remained high while the calcium remained low while the magnesium was right. I am now doing Ionic 2 part with magnesium in it. It is working better for me this way. :)