GHA problem

[Sdoutreefer]

Have you ever rinsed your food? I got GHA from my food but ever since I started rinsing my food in a net, zero algea

Ya I rinse my food every time I feed. I learned to do that the hard way on my last tank haha

So installing a scrubber will clear out my GHA? Do you have to do any manual labor, I.e. scrubbing rock, etc., once you start running the scrubber?

 

[Themonsterisme]

Only labor I have to do is bi weekly excess algae removal...a butter knife works great to scrape it...it's pretty labor less IMO ...don't have to do anything to the display or rocks...the scrubber provides a ideal place for algae to grow which in turn makes the algae in your display disappear and instead grow in the scrubber...within a few weeks your display will be cleaner and your nitrates will drop also

 

[Themonsterisme]

I run a 4x4 screen for my 29gal and a 6x10 for my 55 gal and will have a 12x16 twin screen in my 225 gal

 

[FL_Reefer]

Just out of curiosity, how old are your bulbs?

 

[Themonsterisme]

Just out of curiosity, how old are your bulbs?

Not sure if this was for me or OP

 

[FL_Reefer]

Sorry, it was for Sdoutreefer

 

[Sdoutreefer]

Sorry, it was for Sdoutreefer

I have radions. They're just over a year old.

 

[FL_Reefer]

Ok well that gets rid of maybe old bulbs causing the algae since you are running leds. On a side note I've been using NoPox for about a year now and from my experience it does wonders with nitrates but really doesn't touch the phosphates as it claims.

 

[Sdoutreefer]

Ok well that gets rid of maybe old bulbs causing the algae since you are running leds. On a side note I've been using NoPox for about a year now and from my experience it does wonders with nitrates but really doesn't touch the phosphates as it claims.

I've been considering NoPox.. nothing but good things huh? I thought it might be po4 but the phosphate sponge didn't even touch the GHA.

I just started running TLF Phosban this past Friday and the GHA is slowly starting to turn brown.

Not sure if this could contribute to the algae or not, but I have a bad hitchhiker crab that has eaten 3 of my fish and 2 of my shrimp. Could the decay (I can't find any or I'd remove the bodies) be contributing at all?

 

[Sdoutreefer]

But back to the algae scrubber idea. Will I need to get rid of the GHA that is presently on my rock or will it go away on its own?

 

[Themonsterisme]

But back to the algae scrubber idea. Will I need to get rid of the GHA that is presently on my rock or will it go away on its own?

It will be out competed by the scrubber and die off in your display tank ...no chemicals or dosing to rid yourself almost permanently of outbreaks and also go through nitrates and phos faster than anything other than a very large fuge ...the algae in a scrubber had greater numbers for nitrate and phos absorption than most fuges can do because in the scrubber it promotes many types of algae to grow rather than just chaeto

 

[FL_Reefer]

I've been considering NoPox.. nothing but good things huh? I thought it might be po4 but the phosphate sponge didn't even touch the GHA.

I just started running TLF Phosban this past Friday and the GHA is slowly starting to turn brown.

Not sure if this could contribute to the algae or not, but I have a bad hitchhiker crab that has eaten 3 of my fish and 2 of my shrimp. Could the decay (I can't find any or I'd remove the bodies) be contributing at all?

I swear by the nopox. A phosphate sponge is only as good as it's limit of phosphate absorption and if not removed it begins to release the po4 back into your system. I don't think the loss if your fish and shrimp will contribute much or at all. Keep using the reactor and it should solve your problem. If I see po4 in my test results I dose my tank with this product and it removes them in 24hr or less.

 

[Themonsterisme]

I swear by the nopox. A phosphate sponge is only as good as it's limit of phosphate absorption and if not removed it begins to release the po4 back into your system. I don't think the loss if your fish and shrimp will contribute much or at all. Keep using the reactor and it should solve your problem. If I see po4 in my test results I dose my tank with this product and it removes them in 24hr or less.

This is a great back up product for getting numbers down...I bought a bottle of that a while back when I went through a crazy additive buying phase...now I have several drawers of bottles of different stuff that I don't use lol

 

[Sdoutreefer]

It will be out competed by the scrubber and die off in your display tank ...no chemicals or dosing to rid yourself almost permanently of outbreaks and also go through nitrates and phos faster than anything other than a very large fuge ...the algae in a scrubber had greater numbers for nitrate and phos absorption than most fuges can do because in the scrubber it promotes many types of algae to grow rather than just chaeto

Ok sweet. Looks like im gonna start researching a scrubber then! My tank is a 40breeder +15gallons in the sump. Not sure what size of scrubber I would need, but I can always research, unless someone who's been reading this topic chimes in and can tell me off the top of their head.

 

[Themonsterisme]

They have a lot of examples of microwave dinner trays being reused as a side of the glass up flow scrubber on the link posted...that size should work out pretty well for your setup and still leave a good amount of room left in your sump

 

[mpjones]

Where would I find a good informative link to research the algae scrubber. I've read a few but not very detailed. I'm looking into one for my setup. Which is a 270 DT, along with a self made 4 chamber 135 gallon sump.

Thanks

 

[Themonsterisme]

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/eq...lgae-your-aquarium-hopefully-permanently.html

Here is a good place for research

 

[Sdoutreefer]

So I've been looking into the Red Sea nopox and bought a bottle today. I'm gonna give it a try for a while. I just don't have time right now to make an algae scrubber. If the nopox doesn't do anything I'm gonna look more into a scraper

 

[Themonsterisme]

This is almost exactly how I have my scrubbers set up as... Mine use a led spotlight instead of DIY LEDs ...I used epoxy to hold magnets to the boxes to hold to the glass... The LEDs were the most expensive thing on the scrubbers and I think my big one only cost me $40 to make ... Takes like 30 min to make and however long for the epoxy to harden

 

[Themonsterisme]

And as a note: for my big scrubber I used 2 lasagna family size plastic trays...and make sure whatever air wand or air stone you use puts out a butt ton of bubbles..more bubbles equals better algae growth on the pad