GHA Help

[scarbay13]

Hello all

I have a Waterbox 35.2 running since January that I am having trouble getting rid of GHA and looking for advice.

Livestock:
2 clownfish
1 longnose hawkfish

CUC:
Coral banded shrimp
Pitho crab
4 dwarf blue legs
5 trochus snails
5 nerites
3 nassarius
5 cerith
20 astraea

Equipment:
Cadlights PLS-50 Elite II skimmer
Kessil A360XE
Nero 3

I do weekly water changes 5 gallons

Parameters:
Calcium 460
Magnesium 1455
Alk 11.5
Phosphate 0.25 (I’m using Salifert and it’s really hard to tell the difference on the color chart, hoping to get a Hanna tester soon)
Nitrate 10
pH 8
Salinity 1.027

I use Red Sea Coral Pro salt and have only been dosing phyto for a few weeks, got lots of pods on the glass I’m trying to keep happy

As far as filtration I keep it pretty simple with just the protein skimmer and water changes, I have some activated carbon and bio rings in the filter basket and just took out filter pads but haven’t replaced them yet.

Thank you for taking the time to read and share any advice

 

[scarbay13]

Oh and here is a tank pic lol

 

[Baldyreef]

Hello all

I have a Waterbox 35.2 running since January that I am having trouble getting rid of GHA and looking for advice.

Livestock:
2 clownfish
1 longnose hawkfish

CUC:
Coral banded shrimp
Pitho crab
4 dwarf blue legs
5 trochus snails
5 nerites
3 nassarius
5 cerith
20 astraea

Equipment:
Cadlights PLS-50 Elite II skimmer
Kessil A360XE
Nero 3

I do weekly water changes 5 gallons

Parameters:
Calcium 460
Magnesium 1455
Alk 11.5
Phosphate 0.25 (I’m using Salifert and it’s really hard to tell the difference on the color chart, hoping to get a Hanna tester soon)
Nitrate 10
pH 8
Salinity 1.027

I use Red Sea Coral Pro salt and have only been dosing phyto for a few weeks, got lots of pods on the glass I’m trying to keep happy

As far as filtration I keep it pretty simple with just the protein skimmer and water changes, I have some activated carbon and bio rings in the filter basket and just took out filter pads but haven’t replaced them yet.

Thank you for taking the time to read and share any advice

I had a very bad gha outbreak a while back and as far as gha the way I got rid of it was managing nutrients and manually scrubbing and pulling algae off, your phosphates are elevated and is fueling the gha so I would get that down and do your best to rip off the algae

 

[scarbay13]

Hello all

I have a Waterbox 35.2 running since January that I am having trouble getting rid of GHA and looking for advice.

Livestock:
2 clownfish
1 longnose hawkfish

CUC:
Coral banded shrimp
Pitho crab
4 dwarf blue legs
5 trochus snails
5 nerites
3 nassarius
5 cerith
20 astraea

Equipment:
Cadlights PLS-50 Elite II skimmer
Kessil A360XE
Nero 3

I do weekly water changes 5 gallons

Parameters:
Calcium 460
Magnesium 1455
Alk 11.5
Phosphate 0.25 (I’m using Salifert and it’s really hard to tell the difference on the color chart, hoping to get a Hanna tester soon)
Nitrate 10
pH 8
Salinity 1.027

I use Red Sea Coral Pro salt and have only been dosing phyto for a few weeks, got lots of pods on the glass I’m trying to keep happy

As far as filtration I keep it pretty simple with just the protein skimmer and water changes, I have some activated carbon and bio rings in the filter basket and just took out filter pads but haven’t replaced them yet.

Thank you for taking the time to read and share any advice

Thanks. I’ve been trying to pull off as much as I can during water changes but it’s really stuck on there and slimy

How should I lower phosphates?

 

[Baldyreef]

Thanks. I’ve been trying to pull off as much as I can during water changes but it’s really stuck on there and slimy

you got this! I know how its like, it gets very annoying because it can be tough when you think you pulled off a lot there's more still clinging but don't worry as long as your phosphates come down to lower levels it gets weaker and doesn't grow back and begins dying off

 

[Baldyreef]

sorry didnt see that you asked how to lower phosphates, you can use gfo, or a macro algae refuguim, you can also lower feedings, water changes help as well so keep on those as usual but don't expect them to be the sole fix as phosphates cling to the rock and sand and will leach back, the other options above will work though, good luck

 

[scarbay13]

sorry didnt see that you asked how to lower phosphates, you can use gfo, or a macro algae refuguim, you can also lower feedings, water changes help as well so keep on those as usual but don't expect them to be the sole fix as phosphates cling to the rock and sand and will leach back, the other options above will work though, good luck

That was my fault I tried to edit immediately after I posted lol

Thanks for the tips! I have been thinking about a macro algae reactor just need to find a good one to fit in the AIO chamber

 

[fladiver]

I am on what I think (hope?) is the tail end of a multi month battle with GHA.

I believe the main cause was higher phosphate. Mine was consistently measuring .3.

I have now gotten it down to around .1. Main ways were rinsing my frozen food with RO and using a strainer to dump the rinsed food into clean saltwater, reducing feeding to every other day, and stopping the use of coral gumbo frozen food mixed in with my frozen food. Who knows if that was actually all helpful or a potential cause, but I’ve been able to see phosphate slowly creep down.

I did try to use a long medicine dropper to such algae out with mixed results. I’d also try to vacuum some out when I was doing water changes. But I did not really scrub any rocks etc.