Green Hair algae, zero nitrates and dinos

ChrissyK75

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 9, 2022
Messages
33
Reaction score
71
Location
Oak Brook
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm hoping someone here can help me out. I've been battling GHA for a while, doing all the recommended things, manual removal, reducing lighting time, controlled feeding, adding herbivorous fish, inverts/cuc etc. My nitrates consistently read 0.0 on the Hanna checker and confirmed with Salifert. Phosphates are consistently at .05-.07. I'm worried about dinos taking hold. I'm assuming that my nitrates are reading zero because it's being sucked up by the GHA. My question is this....Should I dose nitrates to get those up in an effort to head off dinos or will that just feed the beast of GHA?
 

WhatCouldGoWrong71

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 19, 2023
Messages
1,684
Reaction score
1,074
Location
Memphis
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
If it were me I would until I got a hold of the situation. Someone better suited may have a better view. I think it was Flucanazole that worked a miracle for me with GHA. Today, I have the usual suspects in my tank, nothing you can really see but me. I no longer look at a specific number for NO3, provided I have color I’m good, if it’s darker I lift off the gas lighter I apply more gas. I do watch my PO4 # though. The times Dino’s have come have been when I bottom my PO4 out. I currently dose both PO4 and NO3. Plus I feed heavy and put nori out every single day. My PO4 was .05 yesterday, that scares me as my Hanna is +\- .05. So I doubled my PO4 dose, put a bigger chunk of nori out and took 1 fresh water pleco food thing and tossed it my tank. Those singable plecco foods are LOADED with PO4. Within seconds my CUC was all over it. We will see how all this shakes out when I test next. Good luck OP.
 

Bob Weigant

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 12, 2018
Messages
2,050
Reaction score
6,766
Location
Hayward
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
When I had GHA I pulled as much as I could and my turbo snails finished it off. As for nitrates I’m also at zero and started dosing. I’ll see how that goes over time
 

ninjamyst

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 1, 2014
Messages
2,823
Reaction score
4,320
Location
Orlando
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I guess I would say about a year. I transferred an established 150g to a new 300g using same rock though.
Probably still going through the ugly stage then.

If you are still dealing with a lot of GHA, dino won't show. Instead of dosing nitrate, I would just keep feeding normal, keep removing GHA manually, and let tank stabilize. No need to take preemptive measures yet. And I agree with previous statement that PO4 is more of a factor with dinos.
 

Trave

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 12, 2024
Messages
28
Reaction score
48
Location
Oregon
Rating - 0%
0   1   0
If it were me I would until I got a hold of the situation. Someone better suited may have a better view. I think it was Flucanazole that worked a miracle for me with GHA. Today, I have the usual suspects in my tank, nothing you can really see but me. I no longer look at a specific number for NO3, provided I have color I’m good, if it’s darker I lift off the gas lighter I apply more gas. I do watch my PO4 # though. The times Dino’s have come have been when I bottom my PO4 out. I currently dose both PO4 and NO3. Plus I feed heavy and put nori out every single day. My PO4 was .05 yesterday, that scares me as my Hanna is +\- .05. So I doubled my PO4 dose, put a bigger chunk of nori out and took 1 fresh water pleco food thing and tossed it my tank. Those singable plecco foods are LOADED with PO4. Within seconds my CUC was all over it. We will see how all this shakes out when I test next. Good luck OP.
True.
 
OP
OP
ChrissyK75

ChrissyK75

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 9, 2022
Messages
33
Reaction score
71
Location
Oak Brook
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Picture of tank please and age


A video might give you a better representation. It's a 300g tank. About a year old. The sand bed started looking like this in the last week or so I'd say. I feel like we are getting the GHA under control but now this has popped up. I can't tell if this is GHA mixed with diatoms and cyano or if it's already at the point of dinos. Did a large 30% water change yesterday and things are looking better than this video.
 
OP
OP
ChrissyK75

ChrissyK75

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 9, 2022
Messages
33
Reaction score
71
Location
Oak Brook
Rating - 0%
0   0   0

A video might give you a better representation. It's a 300g tank. About a year old. The sand bed started looking like this in the last week or so I'd say. I feel like we are getting the GHA under control but now this has popped up. I can't tell if this is GHA mixed with diatoms and cyano or if it's already at the point of dinos. Did a large 30% water change yesterday and things are looking better than this video.
That's kind of what I was afraid of. :loudly-crying-face:
 

WhatCouldGoWrong71

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 19, 2023
Messages
1,684
Reaction score
1,074
Location
Memphis
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
That's kind of what I was afraid of. :loudly-crying-face:
Once you figure out which you have, there are options. Personally, and your mileage may vary, but when I have had an outbreak I call Kent over at Reefbysteele. I’m amazed at how well copepods do against them. I also go ape poop dosing silicates to get a diatom bloom happening.
 

twiatr2001

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 22, 2019
Messages
927
Reaction score
792
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Unfortunately, you are well into dinos, but nothing that can't be fixed. Did you transfer the sand or start with new sand?
 
OP
OP
ChrissyK75

ChrissyK75

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 9, 2022
Messages
33
Reaction score
71
Location
Oak Brook
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Unfortunately, you are well into dinos, but nothing that can't be fixed. Did you transfer the sand or start with new sand?
It was recommended by someone I consider trustworthy to use some of the old sand mixed with new.
 

ninjamyst

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 1, 2014
Messages
2,823
Reaction score
4,320
Location
Orlando
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I definitely prefer dealing with dino than GHA. I also question whether you have GHA before or bryopsis. Given the amount of tangs you have, I am surprised you had GHA issues.

For dinos, it's fairly simple

- manual removal via turkey baster, siphoning, more frequent mechanical filter change
- add more pods
- feed fish more
- feed corals more with reef roids
 

BAMatter

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 30, 2020
Messages
1,181
Reaction score
656
Location
Merrimack
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I would personally continue manually removing what GHA you can. Add a few different species of pods. Dose live phyto. It’s been my experience with GHA, Dino’s, cyano, bryopsis, et. that it will help with all of these. Need to expand your diversity and outcompete the nasties which will slowly subside as things level out. Setting up a UV for the Dino’s can help as well. Really depends on strain, but regardless Dino’s and phyto will significantly help your issues.
 

twiatr2001

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 22, 2019
Messages
927
Reaction score
792
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
I always start with new sand, the reason being is that you can introduce or stir up bacteria in your sand bed and then allow it to multiply, although you can itroduce good bactria, you really dont know what your puting in, then the bad algae/bacteria in this case can multiply rapidly because it has nothing that will outcompete it. I agree with both reefers above, manual removal and turkey baster, definately pods, pods, and more pods, I will also vouch for Kent from ReefBySteele, temperature have gotten warmer recently so I would place a big order and have it shipped this week before temps start falling again, assuming you're in oakbrook Illinois, LOL! Get the phyto as well, I currently use three different strains as part of my daily feeding, its amazing what pods and phyto will do to the algae, dinos and bryopsis, definately keep feeding fish but not to much so that your tangs can still feast on the hair algae, beautiful tank by the way, even in the ugly stage currently I can tell it must look pretty stunning when all of its gone.
 

Lavey29

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 29, 2021
Messages
13,652
Reaction score
15,158
Location
United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Probably still going through the ugly stage then.

If you are still dealing with a lot of GHA, dino won't show. Instead of dosing nitrate, I would just keep feeding normal, keep removing GHA manually, and let tank stabilize. No need to take preemptive measures yet. And I agree with previous statement that PO4 is more of a factor with dinos.
This is good advice however if you have corals in your tank and GHA is sucking up all the nitrates your corals will struggle while you battle. You need measurable nitrates in the tank. I had to double dose neophos and neonitro for multiple months before I got measurable numbers during my ugly stage battles.
 

twiatr2001

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 22, 2019
Messages
927
Reaction score
792
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
If the fish are feed enough daily the nitrates should still feed the corals, if you look at the video her tank is pretty stocked with fish, but it is always good to test nitrates, hers are currently at 0, but when shes introduces the pods and phyto the corals will also be able to feed on the phyto as well. But I agree with you.
 

TOP 10 Trending Threads

CARDINAL CLASH: PAJAMA VS. BANGGAI! WHICH DO YOU PREFER?

  • Pajama Cardinalfish!

    Votes: 11 25.0%
  • Banggai Cardinalfish!

    Votes: 29 65.9%
  • Impossible to choose!

    Votes: 4 9.1%
Back
Top