GHA HELP!

CaliberGSD · May 27, 2019

So I got back into the hobby just shy of a year ago. Started up a IM Nuvo40. All has been going well. Had a few hiccups but nothing crazy. Luckily some experience has helped along the way along with some fellow reefers.

So what got me out of the hobby some years ago is coming back to haunt me. My tank in my last house years ago I battled and battled GHA and just couldn't win. I figured EVERYTHING was going to be new... was going to take it slow.... make sure everything is of quality... and I wouldn't have this issue again... well.... ITS BACK! I just can't win. Below are some pictures and my stats.

IM 40Nuvo
Hydra 52 HD LED light
Ran with an ApexEL
APEX DOS BRS Alk/Calc
Apex auto top off
7 Stage RODI thats after my water softner
InTank Baskets on both intakes
Filter Pads on each intake
Carbon and GFO on one side
Fuge with Chaeto and a IM ChaetoMax Light
2 MP10s. One on left that's my main flow. One on right towards the back going no more than 10% just to keep flow in the back of rocks.
IM Mighty Jet 538 for return
Random Flow Generators on returns.
ESHOPPS Nano Skimmer
30lbs of originally dry rock.
1 1/2" - 2" Live Sand
A few SPS and LPS and a Anemone that just split.
Clown Fish
Purple Fire Fish
Six Line
Royal Gamma
Tail Spot Blenny
CB Shrimp
Mix of snails and blue/red crabs
Very Small Yellow Tang (Yes I know small tank but he's small and figured he would help with the GHA a bit but when he grows Ill be rehoming him) He's happy.

Use ReefCrystals (THE ONLY THING I DO THE SAME AS LAST TANK)

LOTS OF GHA!

EVERY WEEK I do a 5 gal water change. (Have been pulling as much GHA out that I can before the change but very hard to get to some of it nor can get all of it. Use a toothbrush to try to get as much off as well but again hard to get all all places and all of it off)
No less than Twice a week I change the filter pads.
Carbon in a bag once a month
Started GFO 2 months ago. Change every 2 weeks.

PH 8.09/8.27
Temp 77/78
ALK 8.6
CALC 423
MG 1455

Nitrate ~5/10
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
Phosphate ~0/0.03

JumboShrimp · May 28, 2019

Beautiful tank... sorry about your GHA. Could you ‘experiment’ by seeing whether a Yellow Eyed Kole Tang would be better at combating the algae— meaning pull your Yellow for 2-4 weeks, and return the less effective eater to your LFS at the end of the experiment? I think in the long run the Kole would be happier in that tank (given its dimensions) anyway. Just my initial thoughts.

CaliberGSD · May 28, 2019

I could... just will be very hard to catch the yellow.

User1 · May 28, 2019

If you haven't read the Vibrant thread in the General forum. It is long but a good read. Not going to say that it will do the trick but I will say that I have been using it to help clear my GHA battle. It works but I do caution it isn't a replacement for the rest of the maintenance tasks such as water changes, etc. It helped clear my GHA and I didn't do any water changes or other husbandry jobs and it came back worse. Over the course of 2 months I finally got it back under control and Vibrant was a part of that treatment.

GHA or other algae can mask nitrate and phosphate readings because they are consuming them. However, it is good to take note where they are ask you go through the process of clearing. Apart of my use of Vibrant was to manually remove what I could. How I did that was to use my shoulder length gloves (30" tall tank sadly), cup of tank water, and pinch, pull, then rinse in the cup of tank water so it easily falls off. Repeat. About 30 minutes or so I'd have to empty the cup a few times and it would make a pretty good dent.

Lastly - I added a larger cleanup crew. 50 astrea snails, rock boring urchin, scopus and lavender tang. Both tangs are ravenous GHA eaters. Scopus is great although since you have a yellow I don't think you can add them. Koles are great tangs but bristletooth and won't really do much for GHA. At least in my experience. Thus my going for scopus and lavender.

Don't give up. Read up a bit on Vibrant - can dose once a week to start. It should loosen up the GHA and then everything will munch it. If do go with it - do a quick water change. Wait 24 hours. Then test for Nitrate and Phosphate so you know where you started. Dose Vibrant. Test a week later. Compare numbers and do another water change. Repeat.