Invincible GHA

[Davem24]

Has anyone else encountered a GHA that nothing eats, no treatment works and basically is invincible?

Out of the blue a year ago so had a huge algae bloom. Happened fast ( and yes it's my fault I didn't react sooner) and it immediately started effecting corals. The star polyps became engulfed, it choked out smaller sps sticks and even killed off a frogspawn that was doing good but became engulfed.
My initial reaction was more cleanup crew and manual removal. Cleanup crew died off due to starvation (wouldn't touch the algae no matter how short). No fish would touch it even though I have tangs blennys and rabbitfish.
After a year of manual removal, and managing nutrients, constant clean up crew additions, deep cleanings and aggressive water changes I went chemicals.
I started with reefflux thinking maybe it's bryopsis and if not sometimes this works on gha. No change.
I then tried algae fix with great dread. After 2 weeks I'd say most of it did die off. But there are still lots of small bits on the rocks and sand after 4 weeks of treatment. Scrubbing and vacuum doesn't help it just comes back. My corals all took a hit during this treatment. I know as soon as I stop this stuff will just spring back.
On a side note I took a handful and put it in 50/50 saltwater/ hydrogen peroxide. It bubbled a bit and never lost color. Left it for days and the stuff didn't seem to die. At least never turned white.
Unless someone talks me off the edge I'm pretty defeated. I had such a nice tank with parameters spot on at all times (constant trident and icp testing). Pretty much ready to give up.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Would you be able to post some pics? Lots of algae qualifies as "gha", maybe you have a specific type that someone can id? In order to figure it out with you, we will need to know as much about your tank as you do, anything you can share will help..... parameters, fish load, filtration, feeding habit, dosing, flow, etc.... thanks

 

[56longroof]

Sounds like something other than gha.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Pics?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Photos would help us

 

[Davem24]

I'll pull some this evening to try to take some good pics.

Parameters:
SG: 1.025- 1.026
Dkh: 9.0-9.1
Cal: 425
Mag: 1300
No3: .5
Po4: .01
Dosing: A4R
Carbon from tropic marin

Par: pretty even spread between 100-150

Fuge: mangroves and sea lettuce
Filters: Filter socks
Dry skimming
Carbon
GFO

Temp: 77

Salt: tropic marin pro reef
Ro/di

Water change 1% daily awc.

Any thing else you are wondering let me know. Have recent icp tests too

 

[Davem24]

Would you be able to post some pics? Lots of algae qualifies as "gha", maybe you have a specific type that someone can id? In order to figure it out with you, we will need to know as much about your tank as you do, anything you can share will help..... parameters, fish load, filtration, feeding habit, dosing, flow, etc.... thanks

Posted parameters somewhere else but to add:

Fish:
Fox face
Blue eyed cole tang
Starry blenny
Clown
Watchman goby
2 chromos
2 cardinals
File fish
Mandrine goby

Inverts
Peppermint shrimp
Snails (assortment)
Hermits
Pincushion urchine
Tuxedo urchine
Harlequine shrimp
Emerald crabs
I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

Feeding:
Frozen washed daily 1 cube
Autofeeder of pe pellets and hakari algae pellets 2 times a day.
Supplement veggie wafers and nori ( only after I realized animals were starving not eating this algae)

Flow is 2 gyres.

 

[Davem24]

This is the best picture of it I could get

 

[Reefering1]

Pictures of the tank?
Quantity of cuc members?

 

[sixty_reefer]

This is the best picture of it I could get

It’s very hard for me to even try and have a idea of the algae outside the tank, my guess given all the info you have said and looking at this picture you are most likely dealing with turf algae.

 

[W31Olds]

Looks like pretty standard GHA and not Turf Algae. Your Fish and CUC would be grazing on Turf Algae.
You probably have already done it, but I would check your RODI System. I would also probably stop the Dailey WC's. How are you removing it? I still have quite a bit and use a cannister Filter to suck it up as I scrub the Rocks. I don't have any Corals which makes easier to do. If you prune it back very short, your fish and CUC will most likely graze on it. I would also consider reducing the Pellets. They are big Phosphate contributors.

 

[BobTheBlenney]

I've been battling some wicked GHA in my 20g for about a year. I've never seen anything like it. It grows tall and thick and is very difficult to pull manually. I tired Reef Flux at one point and I swear it got worse! It's killed a hammer and a torch and it will engulf my zoas if I let it. My other corals don't look great but that could be because I'm limiting nutrients as much as possible. My fish are still happy and healthy, thankfully, but none of them are algae eaters. I added a tuxedo urchin and some Mexican turbos that I think are eating some of this stuff. I also have a conch that will eat it but he stays on the substrate and will rarely pull up on the rocks. The conch did at one point pull up on a hammer. I was worried he might damage the hammer but after he was fished the hammer was fine and algae free. If I could only get him to do that with the rest of my corals, lol. I have both chaeto and a small skimmer in the back of my AIO and I do weekly WC. The algae seems to be slowly getting better. Instead of looking like an algae tank with fish, it now looks more like a fish tank with algae!

 

[Davem24]

This is the best picture of it I could get

It’s very hard for me to even try and have a idea of the algae outside the tank, my guess given all the info you have said and looking at this picture you are most likely dealing with turf algae.

 

[Davem24]

Pictures of the tank?
Quantity of cuc members?

I'll send pics later,

I had 5 turbos
30 assorted snails
40 hemits
2 urchins

I'm down to maybe 5 snails
30 hermits
2 urchins

The die off happened with tons of short algae. They will not eat it.

 

[commod0re]

What kinds of snails though? Not all snails are herbivores

 

[Davem24]

Looks like pretty standard GHA and not Turf Algae. Your Fish and CUC would be grazing on Turf Algae.
You probably have already done it, but I would check your RODI System. I would also probably stop the Dailey WC's. How are you removing it? I still have quite a bit and use a cannister Filter to suck it up as I scrub the Rocks. I don't have any Corals which makes easier to do. If you prune it back very short, your fish and CUC will most likely graze on it. I would also consider reducing the Pellets. They are big Phosphate contributors.

Awesome screen name.

Rodi test has been done by tropic marins icp. Its good.
I also do a canister filter scrub and suck to remove it. The cuc will not eat the short stuff . I'll scrub all the rocks and put snails or crabs right on the short stuff and they just move on.

For a long time I've drastically reduced pellets with no change.

 

[Davem24]

What kinds of snails though? Not all snails are herbivores

Trochas,
Asteria
Mexican turbos
Margaritas
Cerith
Couple nassari

 

[sixty_reefer]

It kinda looks like normal GHA mixed with something else in the tank.
If nothing eating it you could try and get a ceramic pot (try and cut it or break it into smaller pieces) and cover certain areas for about 7 days. After that it will be gone.
I would also allow phosphate to rise to around 0.05 to 0.1 and nitrate above 5 if possible, this would help slow down the algae growth.

 

[Davem24]

It kinda looks like normal GHA mixed with something else in the tank.
If nothing eating it you could try and get a ceramic pot (try and cut it or break it into smaller pieces) and cover certain areas for about 7 days. After that it will be gone.
I would also allow phosphate to rise to around 0.05 to 0.1 and nitrate above 5 if possible, this would help slow down the algae growth.

Just curious why do you think raising nutrients would defeat algae growth?

I have read that too, that too low may promote certain strains that thrive in it but I have tried it already with no changes. For a couple months I kept it about 5ppm n03 and .08 po4. Didn't help

 

[mcarroll]

Has anyone else encountered a GHA that nothing eats, no treatment works and basically is invincible?

Only every person in the hobby. :)

Our CUC (eg snails) can only manage algae when it's a brand new sprout. Mature algae gets inedible for various reasons and then nobody wants to eat it.

Out of the blue a year ago so had a huge algae bloom. Happened fast ( and yes it's my fault I didn't react sooner) and it immediately started effecting corals. The star polyps became engulfed, it choked out smaller sps sticks and even killed off a frogspawn that was doing good but became engulfed.

This is the m.o. of most pest algae.

After a year of manual removal, and managing nutrients, constant clean up crew additions, deep cleanings and aggressive water changes I went chemicals.

Some of those things will make the problem worse.

I started with reefflux thinking maybe it's bryopsis and if not sometimes this works on gha. No change.

Sorry this didn't come up before you went that route...

I then tried algae fix with great dread. After 2 weeks I'd say most of it did die off.

...and that route...

Parameters:
SG: 1.025- 1.026
Dkh: 9.0-9.1
Cal: 425
Mag: 1300
No3: .5
Po4: .01

Nutrients this low will prevent anything else from growing on the rock to replace the algae.

This is the only reason that nutrient levels matter, BTW.

Dosing: A4R
Carbon from tropic marin

I would find different non-carbon solutions for both until you get past this.

Fuge: mangroves and sea lettuce
Filters: Filter socks
Dry skimming
Carbon
GFO

That sounds like your live rock has had LOTS of competition, not just from the algae. I would disable or remove all of that other than the protein skimmer, at least until you're past this.

Doesn't look too bad!

Corals look great!!!

I'll send pics later,

I had 5 turbos
30 assorted snails
40 hemits
2 urchins

I'm down to maybe 5 snails
30 hermits
2 urchins

The die off happened with tons of short algae. They will not eat it.

By the time you can see the algae it's too big for them.

Hermits are scavengers, so leave them out of the equation next time – they probably killed most of your CUC.

Trochas,
Asteria
Mexican turbos
Margaritas
Cerith
Couple nassari

Leave out the Nassarius (also a scavenger) but this is the list you want to restock. The top three are the best.

Trade the hermits back to the LFS before you do that or these snails will suffer the same fate.

IMO take care of the hermits and then your snails will take care of the algae.

But you need to take care of the algae by hand first and TOTALLY CLEAR spots on the rock.

IMO when you're removing algae, work in small 2"x2" areas so you can focus and remove ALL of the algae before you move on to a new area. When you're done with an area, gently take one of your algae eating snails and place him in that area.....they hunt by memory, so could be avoiding the area from it being overgrown.

As mentioned, I would remove ***all*** the excess filtration and carbon dosing from the equation until the tank is back on track. This will make it possible (easier) for competition to take over the rock from the algae.

Planting new corals in areas you clean is also a good potential move (optional compared to the rest of the suggestions tho) if your other corals are doing as good as they look in the pics!

Last, a UV filter or micron filter will kill (or filter out) the algae spores in the tank and slow or stop the spread of algae while you work on things.

Here's the best technique to remove the algae if it helps BTW: