Seeking Recommendations for Algae Treatment

[LikeRichMahogany]

Good morning all. I have a 150 gallon mixed reef tank that I have been away from for about 3 weeks on a work trip - I am back now long term, but there seems to be some new (fun) problems to solve regarding algae. I had someone feeding my tank heavily while I was gone, because I was dealing with Dinos when I left, and the good news is that the Dinos are gone (yay!) BUT now I have a mix of what I have confirmed to be cyanobacteria, green hair algae and brown hair algae. My chaeto in my sump has not shrunk but seems to have stopped growing (It's hit the outside edges of my sump, but still has room to grow between the baffles.

Phosphates are at 0.14 and Nitrates are at 1.6, so it seems like, while my phosphates are high, there is nothing too crazy going on. I have some tangs in the tank, but my bristletooth tang that usually keeps my hair algae in check passed away a few months ago, and the zebrasoma tangs don't seem too keen on eating the algae. Most of my clean up crew was decimated my a hungry red coris wrasse as well, so I have a few plans in place already, but I'm looking for advice on the cyanobacteria/dino issue.


Here is my current plan:

Turn off UV (Flow rate set for protozoan parasites)
Treat for Cyanobacteria with Chemiclean
Manual removal of as much hair algae as possible + 2 or so water changes
Purchase a Reef Cleaner package (5 Trochus snails, 2 emerald crabs, 45 florida ceriths, 30 nassarius snails, 10 asterea snails, 104 dwarf ceriths, 10 nerites, 12 hermits.
Borrow the community sea hare
Turn my UV Back on.
Replace/Add Tangs (Adding tomini tang as a utilitarian fish and a Powder Blue and Naso tang for additional bioload/algae eaters)
Possibly add a few Tuxedo urchins.

My concern is with the nutrients being low already, if we eradicate the cyano, and the hair algae, that the Dinoflagellates may see an opportunity and come back. I have/had ostreopsis in particular.

Any advice or suggestions are appreciated! Other things I considered but I will likely not do unless there is solid rationale:
Add diamond Goby
Add Sand Sifting Sea Star
Skip Chemiclean treatment and rely on CuC to remove cyanobacteria

 

[ReefCheef]

I'd just use lanthanum chloride to remove the PO4 and do some water changes. It doesn't happen over night, but it will happen after a month or so. Go slowly and do a half dose of what is recommended. I was pulling out a trash can worth of algae out of my 450 gallon tank 3-4 times a week until I start with the lanthanum. Your rocks are likely leaching still. If you have a small tank GFO might work, but it depletes really fast when PO4 is high and it's messy and a pain to change. Lanthanum chloride is just liquid you pour in. Read up on it before using it can be dangerous if you dose a lot at once you're supposed to drip it in slowly over time.

 

[petcellar]

I'd just use lanthanum chloride to remove the PO4 and do some water changes. It doesn't happen over night, but it will happen after a month or so. Go slowly and do a half dose of what is recommended. I was pulling out a trash can worth of algae out of my 450 gallon tank 3-4 times a week until I start with the lanthanum. Your rocks are likely leaching still. If you have a small tank GFO might work, but it depletes really fast when PO4 is high and it's messy and a pain to change. Lanthanum chloride is just liquid you pour in. Read up on it before using it can be dangerous if you dose a lot at once you're supposed to drip it in slowly over time.

Would you still recommend lanthanum with zebrasoma tangs?

No personal experience myself with lanthanum, just asking.

 

[LikeRichMahogany]

I'd just use lanthanum chloride to remove the PO4 and do some water changes. It doesn't happen over night, but it will happen after a month or so. Go slowly and do a half dose of what is recommended. I was pulling out a trash can worth of algae out of my 450 gallon tank 3-4 times a week until I start with the lanthanum. Your rocks are likely leaching still. If you have a small tank GFO might work, but it depletes really fast when PO4 is high and it's messy and a pain to change. Lanthanum chloride is just liquid you pour in. Read up on it before using it can be dangerous if you dose a lot at once you're supposed to drip it in slowly over time.

I’ve used Lanthinum chloride before, I already have Phosphate RX, and can use it for phosphate, but if I do a few water changes I’d get closer to my target value too without adding a chemical.

I’ve used lanthinum with zebrasoma tangs, and to remove such a small amount of phosphate it likely wouldn’t phase them, more concerned with my wrasses.