Going dark on your reef and algae!

[FishyDP]

I tried a 3 day black out period when I was having a major issue with brown hair algae. It just seemed to make the algae angry. Some of it died off during the black out, but as soon as I turned the lights back on it came back in full force. It was not until I reduced nutrients via carbon dosing, and removed alot of the algae manually that I saw an improvement. I still carbon dose but plan on stopping once I have a proper fuge in place, which I am working on now. From my experience, nutrients seem to play the biggest role with algae.

 

[ReefGeezer]

I had a Dino outbreak in my old 75 a few years back. I solved it with a 5 day complete black out (Wrapped in black tarp) and a slow ramp back to all day lighting. It was a 3 week process after the blackout period before I could have the lights on for a normal period but the Dino's never returned after that. On Day 1-4, I had lights on for just 30 minutes before I saw the Dino's start to show up and I shut them off. By day 10, it took maybe 90 minutes. By day 15, maybe 3.5 hours, and by day 21, like 8 hours. After that I didn't have any problems.

Not here that very wet skimming, sucking out any Dino's that could be seen, changing the water to make up foe the skimming & vacuuming, and a lot of GAC helped during the process.

 

[revhtree]

Well after 2 full days I turned the lights on. The tank is completely free of the green algae.

Remember this first photo was taken when it wasn’t even at its worse.

This was taken today...

Now I’m cautiously optomistic because I alternated my lights off and on with my in-line frag tank and it’s got a little bit of green in it today. That’s one reason I went 2 days only on the main.

If I see the algae increasing in the frag tank or coming back in the main I will do a total 3 day blackout with all light off on the same schedule.

I’ll keep you updated!

 

[WallyB]

Very interesting! It is dark green like phyto!

This caught my attention since I've done a Blackout, but were talking (90days) 3 months, during a needed Fallow Period (after Velvet) wiped out my ALL fish.
Since no fish...I Moved corals into storage bins, and took advantage of Blackout Opportunity to End years of Alage/Cyano Problems.
Total Blackout. Tank wrapped in black thick Garbage Bags. Threw in a Pencil Urchin, to scape the rocks clean. Sump and Skimmer still running.
3 month later, the rocks were like new, spotless/white (coralline eaten by urchin), but still alive. (I dosed Vinegar during the blackout period)
Best thing I ever did. Tank never had a *(Algae/Cyano) problem ever since, and now it's at least 5+ years later.
The Live Rock is now so Live that I no longer have to do much for this tank other than 2 Part Dosing, and Feeding fish.
I never have cleaned or touch the sump in years. Only Skimmer. Glass I clean about every 6 weeks for extra clarity, but not really bad.

However the Green Skimmage and the Phyto Comment is also co-incidental. I was purchasing Copepods last week, and looking at a Vendors Products.
When reading about their Phytoplantkon , I notice a particular comment in the product description.
I know that Reef Nutrition have Phyto, and Phyto Live. Always thought the LIVE version was really LIVE. Apparently NOT. It's just more concentrated. (AND STERILE)


This is the supplier that I purchased their copepod bottle.....And This is why phyto in a bottle is STERILE, and what could be happening in your tank/skimmer.
https://copepods.ca/collections/packs/products/phytoplankton-blend-8-oz-medium-concentration
(read the reason why they state : This blend is sterile and will not reproduce. )

IT SOUNDS like you somehow introduced, or had NON-STERILE Phyto in your tank, and right conditions + LIGHTING triggered a Phyto Bloom.
If true, you could bottle your green skimmage and sell it to folks who need Phyto for their Copepods. (would need to be sterilized first) Kidding but possible.

 

[beaslbob]

IMHO the key is to use less light on the startup. And adjust so you find some balance where other things consume the nutrients and the algae does not come back.

 

[User1]

Had it growing on my rocks last year. I added some snails and they made short work of it all in no time. No chemicals or other stuff just let nature takes it course. For me it was part of a new tank upgrade, cycle, or at least I thought. I was expecting hair algae but didn't get it. Got this instead.

 

[Jesterrace]

I haven't tried the 5 days or more method, but i tried 2-3 days and the hair algae just seemed to return with a vengeance. I recently tried fluconazole for a month and it wiped it out. So we will see how long that holds.

 

[rogersb]

I've only had success with wrapping the tank in either black plastic or covering it with blankets to keep ambient light out too. My plan of attack was always to do a large water change and remove as much as I could then do the lights out while putting new PO4 material in my sump be it GFO or phosban and running my skimmer wetter than normal.

 

[Kscope]

CAN YOU HELP ME

If you were referring to me...Sure..message me in R2R

 

[revhtree]

Ok update.

Since I have my main tank and my frag tank in line I didn't think blacking out one or the other would kill the algae off for good because it would attract to the one or the other depending on if the light was on or not. At least that's how my simple mind perceives it works. At any rate the algae started to come back as it was really never fully gone because of how I did the alternate black out. So while I was out of town I blacked out BOTH tanks for three days. This took care of the algae and both tanks are algae free. Remember this was my weird type of algae I'm talking about here. Anyway word of advice. Some acros might not like the dark and then the bright LED lighting all of the sudden. I think I killed a couple frags because of this as I hadn't lost frags in many many months.

But for now the algae is gone. I will keep you updated!

 

[beaslbob]

Ok update.

Since I have my main tank and my frag tank in line I didn't think blacking out one or the other would kill the algae off for good because it would attract to the one or the other depending on if the light was on or not. At least that's how my simple mind perceives it works. At any rate the algae started to come back as it was really never fully gone because of how I did the alternate black out. So while I was out of town I blacked out BOTH tanks for three days. This took care of the algae and both tanks are algae free. Remember this was my weird type of algae I'm talking about here. Anyway word of advice. Some acros might not like the dark and then the bright LED lighting all of the sudden. I think I killed a couple frags because of this as I hadn't lost frags in many many months.

But for now the algae is gone. I will keep you updated!

c there. It all worked. LOL

FWIW One of the comments we get is that killing the lights changes nothing and the algae will come back when the lights return.

I guess you just proved them all wrong.

Apparently killing the lights does change things. and modifying the lighting helps make that more longer term. eventually permanent.



you know better.







now


still it's just my .02

 

[ZoWhat]

It's a bandaid on an open laceration

 

[ReefGeezer]

It's a bandaid on an open laceration

Algae/Cyano can take hold when nutrients get out of hand and continue to compete for available nutrients even after levels are lowered. The lights out cycle can make it so algae can't compete and cause it to die out. I agree that if the nutrient levels are elevated or the system is otherwise out of balance the problem will probably return. However, if nutrients are low & the system is balanced, it is less likely.

By balanced, I mean the system has dissolved organic and other nutrient sinks or export methods, and clean up crew type organisms suitable to keep the problem organisms from getting a good foothold. Maturity increases the ease at which balance can be maintained.

 

[revhtree]

It's a bandaid on an open laceration

Welp the bandaid stopped the bleeding and the laceration is now healed! LOL!

The green algae has not come back and instead coraline algae has taken off to where it's covering everything! The front glass it starting to get covered so I will scrape today.

I will say that I feel like I lost 2-3 acro frags from the lights being out and then the sudden increase from the LED that I didn't acclimate them back to. Lesson learned!