Sea hare for GHA - last resort

[Devaji]

Use Flux RX and it will definitely fix it.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/flux-rx-fluconazole-aquarium-treatment-blue-life-usa.html
I used it 2-3 years back (and added Zebrasoma to keep algae proactively in check) .... 0 GHA since.

always wonder about this stuff. I'll have to do more research on this.
I am going to still ad an ATS.

OP: if you do this way let us know how it goes or what ever you do.
I know there are many many ways do deal with GHA :)

 

[LMSquire]

What kind of rock did you use for your aquascape?

Have you gotten your elevated nitrates under control?

Hi guys, sorry it’s a busy week with closing on our new home tomorrow

I used Carib sea rock.

The nitrates problem persists. Did a big wc Sunday and need to test again.

 

[BeanAnimal]

So my next move is to order a sea hare, but I’m worried about these stories I am reading where they die and nuke the whole tank.

Any reason why I shouldn’t do this? I have to get rid of this algae before it destroys all my corals.

Because they are very delicate, easily stressed and die and can nuke the whole tank.

 

[LMSquire]

Alright, well, I got one lol. And a nice new torch. Got them from Corals Anonymous. The sea here was alive on arrival, about 3.5”. I drip acclimated for a couple of hours and set him on the rocks. He crawled on a bit and seems to be “sleeping” as I read they are nocturnal. I’m gonna come out and check tonight to make sure he’s not lounging trying to collect unemployment because there’s no free rides in my tank. Everybody pulls their weight to make it a safe and productive community. Wish me luck! And thank you all for your replies! R2R is the best. Please believe you’ll see me whining on here a lot when I set up my 380 gal next month!

 

[slingfox]

Hi guys, sorry it’s a busy week with closing on our new home tomorrow

I used Carib sea rock.

The nitrates problem persists. Did a big wc Sunday and need to test again.

@LMSquire I had a feeling you used Carib Sea Liferock. There have been several threads on this board from people who used that rock and had to fight prolonged battles with the uglies. Reefbum, a YouTube personality who also runs a coral business recently gave up after fighting for 2+ years with CaribSea Liferock. See this video:

 

[LMSquire]

@LMSquire I had a feeling you used Carib Sea Liferock. There have been several threads on this board from people who used that rock and had to fight prolonged battles with the uglies. Reefbum, a YouTube personality who also runs a coral business recently gave up after fighting for 2+ years with CaribSea Liferock. See this video:

No wayyyyy…

That’s crazy. So on my new 380 I was planning on using dry rock (is that the term?) and letting it become “live” over the course of 2-3 months. Better plan? Other suggestions?

Hopefully this sea hare lawnmowers through this stuff now.

 

[slingfox]

No wayyyyy…

That’s crazy. So on my new 380 I was planning on using dry rock (is that the term?) and letting it become “live” over the course of 2-3 months. Better plan? Other suggestions?

Hopefully this sea hare lawnmowers through this stuff now.

If you go with dry rock then I would steer clear of CaribSea Life Rock since there is just too many threads from people fighting uglies 1+ year later. If you want to save some money then you could get a mix of dry Marco Rock plus live rock and/or live ocean sand from a place like KPAquatics or Tampa Bay Saltwater. Then let the dry rock + ocean live rock cook in your new tank with zero light for 2-3 months. I believe that setup will make the tank significantly more resistant to the ugly stage.

My prediction is that your sea hare will not do much for you. I assume CaribSea LifeRock will continue to plague your feeding life. I hope I am wrong.

I started my tank one year ago with just Marco Rock and ended up supplementing with a small order of ocean live rock from KP Aquatics. The live rock from KP has been near bulletproof and much more resistant to the uglies. I will never start a tank without some live rock and/or live ocean sand.

 

[deome]

No wayyyyy…

That’s crazy. So on my new 380 I was planning on using dry rock (is that the term?) and letting it become “live” over the course of 2-3 months. Better plan? Other suggestions?

Hopefully this sea hare lawnmowers through this stuff now.

I had GHA *bad* last spring. I tried water changes to reduce nutrients, added like $200 worth of snails, manual removal, lighting changes, GFO, and a lot of cursing, Knocked it out completely after adding the GFO reactor, adopting the World Wide Corals lighting schedule, and scrubbing just about every square inch of rock with a stiff brush. GHA still living in my refugium where it doesn't bother me, but completely gone from the two tanks using the WWC lighting schedule. Grows very slow in the refugium, and I think the GFO is keeping phosphates low enough to prevent GHA growth.

Currently running like 40ppm nitrates, 0.0ppm phosphates (chaeto using all available phosphates). I test every week, and when GHA was out of control I noticed that I could have as low as 10ppm nitrates and GHA kept growing like crazy as long as I had as little as 0.2ppm phosphates

I'm convinced now that phosphates are the key nutrient for GHA growth; in your case with the CaribSea rock, I would guess that the rock leaches out phosphates, or perhaps the GHA is able to easily access the phosphates locked in the rock itself--or both.

But I think the WWC lighting schedule prohibits GHA growth once phosphates are under control. It's worth a try if you haven't already.

 

[pendraegon]

How's it going with the sea hare? I just got one from Corals anonymous as well. Drip acclimated over 4 hours he's cruising around the tank, not eating anything yet. I've had an outbreak of GHA for over a year now and am about to pull my hair out if this doesn't work. I've got a yellow tang, lawnmower blenny that looks pregnant he's eating so much, a hippo tang and flame angel, 4 tuxedo urchins and have spent hundreds on quarantined CUC. I've started carbon dosing about a week ago with nitrates dropping below 7 and phos at 0.07 but the algae continues to grow out of control... noticeable growth even after starting carbon dosing

 

[pendraegon]

Double post

 

[slingfox]

How's it going with the sea hare? I just got one from Corals anonymous as well. Drip acclimated over 4 hours he's cruising around the tank, not eating anything yet. I've had an outbreak of GHA for over a year now and am about to pull my hair out if this doesn't work. I've got a yellow tang, lawnmower blenny that looks pregnant he's eating so much, a hippo tang and flame angel, 4 tuxedo urchins and have spent hundreds on quarantined CUC. I've started carbon dosing about a week ago with nitrates dropping below 7 and phos at 0.07 but the algae continues to grow out of control... noticeable growth even after starting carbon dosing

What kind of rock do you have and how long has your tank been running? Eventually you will get this this algae stage. I had to deal with massive algae growth months 3-6 of my tank. I am at month 14 now and fear I don't have enough algae to keep my snails fed. Instead of hanging out on the rockwork many of my snails now hang out on the back glass since I only scrape that down once a week.

 

[pendraegon]

My tank is 3 yo, should be pretty mature... started having algae issues like 1.5 years in

 

[ZoWhat]

Only way to rid your tank of GHA is to starve it out by dosing phytoplankton which eats up Phosphates fasting than GHA does.

Daily dose EVERY morning right before lights go into high output.

Been brewing and dosing my own phyto for 5 years.... ZERO GHA my man

It's the ONLY longterm solution that's worked for me.

 

[pendraegon]

I've been dosing algeabarn phyto daily since I got the tank, with monthly copepods, this stuff is growing crazy fast... I'd have to pull out handfuls every week in a waterbox 130l

 

[Singspot]

Flux Rx.