Removing Excess Phosphates with GHA (Another Round)

[SeaHorseQueen]

I've going through another round of GHA and manually removing it. I'm replacing filter media pads often because the algae is attaching to them, water changes, replacing activated charcoal when the water isn't clear, etc. I'm currently fighting 0.0 nitrates and I'm confused about how to go about this with GHA taking up the phos/nitrates. I was feeding my fish very little but now the nitrates are 0. I upped the feeding to keep it from bottoming out but it's still zero. I checked the results twice using a hanna checker. Can I use phosgard/phosbond to keep the phosphate levels down? I'm half tempted to add another fish to share the food because apparently I'm still feeding too much when I was feeding very little? My cuc just started dying off as it started coming back so I'm not sure how to officially get rid of it without it coming back? I know I need to remove all shells not moving and replace the cuc that died but what else can I do to remove the phosphates? Would it a great idea to do a hydrogen peroxide dip for the corals since they're growing on them? If so, what is the ratio of water to peroxide? I have one with bubble algae that I don't even know where that even came from. The phosphates are only reading 0.08.

 

[Subsea]

I don’t consider .08ppm phosphate as excess. I do consider zero nitrate as not good.

Nutrient management is not very successful with opportunistic algae’s like GHA, Cyanobacteria or Dinoflagellets. I use a clean up crew consisting of detrivores & herbivores with keeper of the reef as the principal janitor.

When cuc start dying, usually that means Dinoflagellets which become toxic when phosphate & nitrate limited.

Yes to peroxide bath using a 10% solution of 3% peroxide for 10 minutes.

Note: Most seaweed consume very little phosphate: When regional agriculture lab tested Gracilaria Hayi, the N:P ration was. 30:1

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I’d feed more fish food to get N up, and it may be ok to dip clean loose decorations, but getting more CUC might be a better
Long term plan.

 

[SeaHorseQueen]

I’d feed more fish food to get N up, and it may be ok to dip clean loose decorations, but getting more CUC might be a better
Long term plan.

I had them all replaced but they started dying off. I did lose my heater just before the algae took off but replaced it. Plus, a filter decided to leak and found it was clogged so it’s back up.

 

[Kooma]

I prefer to have inhabitants that do the work for me. Look into a pin cushion urchin, they mow down gha like crazy.

Feed the fish like normal. You won’t starve out the gha.

I wouldn’t remove things and peroxide them personally. I would focus on the cause and not the symptoms.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Algae growing on corals, cuc dying, buble algae...... IMO if algae if growing then the nutrients are available to support that growth.
Personally I would attack the algae and not worry about keeping nutrients at a certain level, I don't trust test results when there is an algae problem