Need help. New tank, but have algae

[ClownSchool]

I’m upgrading to a bigger tank, but my current tank has bubble algae.
I have both AlgeaFix and ReefFlex and didn’t know if using either as a dip for my coral and rock is an option?
I don’t want to use diluted peroxide on my rock for obvious reasons. Any feedback the viability of the plan, or dilution amounts, is appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[MnFish1]

No - IMHO - I would use it according to directions. Otherwise there is no way for anyone to really answer. Bubble algae - is not the end of the world (no offense) - my yellow tangs gobble it down - the only place it remains is where they can't reach - and I can easily remove it. I m going to suggest - natural predators - would be the better option

 

[MnFish1]

OH and also - I would scrub the rock - with a toothbrush - to remove the bubble algae before adding to the new tank. Coral will survive some time out of water (I would be careful with LPS). I have even done this and rinsed with fresh tap water. No issues. Note - only for a couple seconds - to remove any algae spores, etc.

 

[ClownSchool]

OH and also - I would scrub the rock - with a toothbrush - to remove the bubble algae before adding to the new tank. Coral will survive some time out of water (I would be careful with LPS). I have even done this and rinsed with fresh tap water. No issues. Note - only for a couple seconds - to remove any algae spores, etc.

I appreciate it. The chemical solutions irritate my SPS, destroyed by chaeto, and spiked my PO4 and NO3.
I even lost a few acros.

 

[SantaMonica]

Also...

What do all algae (and cyano too) need to survive? Nutrients. What are nutrients? Ammonia/ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate and urea are the major ones. Which ones cause most of the algae in your tank? These same ones. Why can't you just remove these nutrients and eliminate all the algae in your tank? Because these nutrients are the result of the animals you keep.

So how do your animals "make" these nutrients? Well a large part the nutrients comes from pee (urea). Pee is very high in urea and ammonia, and these are a favorite food of algae and some bacteria. This is why your glass will always need cleaning; because the pee hits the glass before anything else, and algae on the glass consume the ammonia and urea immediately (using photosynthesis) and grow more. In the ocean and lakes, phytoplankton consume the ammonia and urea in open water, and seaweed consume it in shallow areas, but in a tank you don't have enough space or water volume for this, and, your other filters or animals often remove or kill the phytoplankton or seaweed anyway. So, the nutrients stay in your tank.

Then, the ammonia/ammonium hits your rocks, and the periphyton on the rocks consumes more ammonia and urea. Periphyton is both algae and animals, and is the reason your rocks change color after a few weeks from when they were new. Then the ammonia goes inside the rock, or hits your sand, and bacteria there convert it into nitrite and nitrate. However, the nutrients are still in your tank.

Also let's not forget phosphate, which comes from solid organic food particles. When these particles are eaten by microbes and clean up crews, the organic phosphorus in them is converted into phosphate. However, the nutrients are still in your tank.

So whenever you have algae or cyano "problems", you simply have not exported enough nutrients out of your tank compared to how much you have been feeding (note: live rock can absorb phosphate for up to a year, making it seem like there was never a problem. Then after a year, there is a problem).

So just increase your nutrient exports. You could also reduce feeding, and this has the same effect, but it's certainly not fun when you want to feed your animals

 

[ClownSchool]

Well, it’s been about two months with the new setup and things have been really stable.
I cleaned the rocks of bubble algae the best I could, moved everything over and added eight emerald crabs. Boy, did they go to work!
Short of the two ‘floating islands’ I have attached to the back glass of my tank with magnets, I haven’t seen any bubble algae in over a month. What has grown on the floating islands has been very manageable. I’m hoping, as I clean those two areas, it will continue to show up less until it’s gone. Otherwise, I’ll add either a small breed of butterfly fish or tang to manage it for me.