Is this GHA?

[rueric]

Hello all,

Been battling GHA for the past 7 months.
I've tried everything I can but still can't beat this for some reason.
Tank is about 15 months old.
Things I have tried:
- Setup a refugium (GHA takes over and my dragons breath macro algae gets covered in GHA)
- Use Chemipure Elite (for the GFO)
- More CUCs (They seem to die after a week for unknown reasons)
- CUCs that died are Trochus, mexican turbos, hermits, astrae, strawberry conch, emerald crab
- CUCs that survive are cerith, dwarth cerith, tuxedo urchin
- Sea Hare (Died within a week)
- Normal dosage Reef Flux (3 week, no change)
- Normal dosage Flux RX (3 week, no change)
- Double dose Flux RX (3 week, no change)
- Protein skimmer (On constantly)
- Hydrogen peroxide dosing 3%, 1ml per 8g (No change)
- Hydrogen peroxide dip on rocks I can pull out when it covers the corals seem to help and knock it back on that specific area
- Weekly 20-30% water changes, manually pulling as much GHA off rocks as possible
- Copepods have all seemed to disappear as well, or at least very minimal signs of copepod life after dosing

Here is a link to my most recent ATI ICP test: //lab.atiaquaristik.com/share/3d33386a6eaf63620db7

Tank shot with white lights on showing the GHA:

Finally picked up a microscope today to hopefully get a positive ID on this algae. Here are the results:
100X

600x:

1200x:

I'd love to get more CUC to hopefully manage this, but they all seem to die a slow death after about a week.
I have a separate tank in my office which uses the same water mix and snails seem to all survive in there.
I've even tried moving the snails that were alive for months from my office tank to my display tank, and same result, after about a week, they all die.
Really hoping some experts can weigh in on this.

Thank you!

 

[Nemosis]

Definitely GHA.

 

[Nemosis]

What is your light cycle? And have you tested for nitrates, phosphates, and magnesium?

 

[rueric]

Light cycle is set to 12 hours, ramp up at 10am, off by 10pm.
(Hanna HR) Nitrates have been testing 0 for months
(Hanna ULR) Phosphates range from 0.03 -> 0.12
(Aquaforest) Magnesium hover around 1450, confirmed via ICP test as well

 

[Coffee Soundboard]

You could add a tang or something similar. They would cut down on your GHA more than any snail.

 

[fishface NJ]

nitrates are going to test at 0 with all that algae

 

[rueric]

You could add a tang or something similar. They would cut down on your GHA more than any snail.

I have a baby yellow tang in there, hasn't helped

 

[vetteguy53081]

By chance , is your tank at or near a window? This looks like a trigger from such. What can you do to battle. . . . Room seems to get good ambient light - Turn lights off for at least a week. Pull what you can by hand and then add snails such as astrea, trochus, nerite and turbo grazer. About 12 carribean blue leg herlits, 1-2 pencil urchins and a rabbit fish
If you can find a dollabela sea hare, they will do wonders but starve after algae is gone, so see if you can trade it back in.
What is your phosphate and nitrate level ?

 

[rueric]

By chance , is your tank at or near a window? This looks like a trigger from such. What can you do to battle. . . . Room seems to get good ambient light - Turn lights off for at least a week. Pull what you can by hand and then add snails such as astrea, trochus, nerite and turbo grazer. About 12 carribean blue leg herlits, 1-2 pencil urchins and a rabbit fish
If you can find a dollabela sea hare, they will do wonders but starve after algae is gone, so see if you can trade it back in.
What is your phosphate and nitrate level ?

Hi, no, my tank is not near a window.
I can turn off lights for a week, but what would this achieve?
My concern is if I add snails, they will die a slow death as I have seen previously.
I had a sea hare, same situation, slowed down after the first few days and died.
Phosphates are averaging 0.04, nitrates 0

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi, no, my tank is not near a window.
I can turn off lights for a week, but what would this achieve?
My concern is if I add snails, they will die a slow death as I have seen previously.
I had a sea hare, same situation, slowed down after the first few days and died.
Phosphates are averaging 0.04, nitrates 0

snails and sea hare need very good acclimation with salinity also equal to that of the tank
Alsge needs light and inorganics. Take away the light and youve taken away part of their food source.

 

[rueric]

Wouldn't shutting off the light just prolong the algae growth?
For the sea hare, I did a 2 hour drip acclimation while maintaining constant temp.. I don't think it's an acclimation issue

 

[vetteguy53081]

Wouldn't shutting off the light just prolong the algae growth?
For the sea hare, I did a 2 hour drip acclimation while maintaining constant temp.. I don't think it's an acclimation issue

Turning off light decreases algae
I’ve had 4 sea hares and never lost any and gifted them once algae was gone
If you dripped into bag water, may be ph shock

 

[anthonygf]

Do what vetteguy says, no light for a few days plus manual removal and then check nitrate levels again when you have less algae. Also I cannot get your ICP test results. Can you post results manually?

 

[Lavey29]

If your cleaner crew keeps dying you have something way off in your tank and this also probably contributes to your GHA.

 

[anthonygf]

If your cleaner crew keeps dying you have something way off in your tank and this also probably contributes to your GHA.

Yes, I forgot about his critters dying off so soon. But still need to see the ICP test results.

 

[rueric]

//lab.atiaquaristik.com/share/665ea740b27910f9e588

Try this?

 

[anthonygf]

//lab.atiaquaristik.com/share/665ea740b27910f9e588

Try this

Okay I needed to copy and paste to browser search.
Phosphate is okay, mine has been running in that range for a few years as well as my nitrate is between 25-45. You have a few trace elements that is a little high but I don't think that will kill anything. You said you tested nitrates as zero but ICP shows you have some level of it. ICP test looks good overall.

 

[Nemosis]

To get started treating this issue, you’ll first need to pull as much as you can by hand and with the use of a small brush. Toothbrushes are a great option. Using a fish net will help catch anything that floats away. Secondly, you need to temporarily reduce your light cycle to not more than 8 hours each day and not more than 50% intensity. Third, feed your fish every other day not more than they can consume in 3 minutes. That will be difficult as most reefers love to see their fish eat and be happy. *Do not do a water change for at least 2 to 3 weeks! Be sure to change or clean your filter sock(s) and skimmer collection cup daily. Dosing a beneficial bacteria such as Microbacter7 according to package direction will significantly add to your success. Please note that algae of any species is a culmination of many factors, some of which could be over feeding, poor or non existent skimmer performance, lighting, nutrients, etc. Lastly, add a diverse clean up crew. Trochus snails, 1 urchin per 40 gallons of display, and Mexican turbo or zebra snails have been my army of attack in the past. After week 3, retest nitrate and phosphate levels, (they should be higher than your current readings) change 20% of your tank water, and slowly increase your light cycle.

 

[anthonygf]

I don't think you mentioned tank size. I would reduce water changes also. Instead of pulling GHA by hand make this tool to suck out all you can and run it through a filter sock and let water back into sump if you can.

Get a Stainless steel straw 1/4 inch and a hose 1/4 inside dia., use a rubber band for seal. This is so much easier, you won't have clumps of algae floating away.
edit, it shows I used a half inch hose, maybe a 1/4" won't work.

 

[rueric]

I don't think you mentioned tank size. I would reduce water changes also. Instead of pulling GHA by hand make this tool to suck out all you can and run it through a filter sock and let water back into sump if you can.

Get a Stainless steel straw 1/4 inch and a hose 1/4 inside dia., use a rubber band for seal. This is so much easier, you won't have clumps of algae floating away.
edit, it shows I used a half inch hose, maybe a 1/4" won't work.

I do something similar where I have a similar size hose and use it to pull the GHA out so it gets sucked out.
Unfortunately, the GHA has a strong enough foothold where I can't just suction it out without ripping it off the rocks.
Tank size is 32g

I was considering using a filter sock so I can prevent the need to do a water change.. I'll try and figure something out on this weeks WC