Solving my chrysophytes issue one and for all

[noobreefer2]

Hey everyone, I have been battling this stubborn algae in my tank for the past two years, and I want to finish it. I haven't been consistent with my treatments, which is probably why most of it is still here.

Catch up on the progress from the previous thread about it: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dino-diatom-thoughts.810633/

When is started: Spring of 2021

I noticed a thin covering of a fuzzy-algae-like substance coating the rocks, and it was identified as chrysophytes:

The algae developed into a stringy, slimy version later that summer and have stayed this way ever since

And here's what the tank looks like right now:

I got some shots with the flash on so you can see the algae better:

The patch in the center of the rock is where algae is receding due to vibrant

Here are my current water parameters:

Ammonia: 0.2 (Salifert)
Alk: 8.4 (Hanna)
Ca: 410 (Red sea)
Salinity: 1.024 (brs refractometer)
Mg: 1200 (Aquaforest)
Nitrate: 2 (Nyos)
Phosphate: 0.05 (Hanna ULR)

I have also been doing vibrant weekly, and I don't care about its side effects on corals because I only have two right now in the tank. I want to start doing weekly 10% water changes, and the nitrate and phosphate levels in the tank don't seem to affect the algae at all. I have a refugium that I am running only an hour per day because I want to elevate nitrates a little bit. I have been using rodi water for water changes too (0 TDS).

There's probably more info that I forgot to mention, so feel free to ask.
Thanks!

(Also I'm going to tag @ScottB because he was a massive help in the previous thread)

 

[ScottB]

Hey everyone, I have been battling this stubborn algae in my tank for the past two years, and I want to finish it. I haven't been consistent with my treatments, which is probably why most of it is still here.

Catch up on the progress from the previous thread about it: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dino-diatom-thoughts.810633/

When is started: Spring of 2021

I noticed a thin covering of a fuzzy-algae-like substance coating the rocks, and it was identified as chrysophytes:

The algae developed into a stringy, slimy version later that summer and have stayed this way ever since

And here's what the tank looks like right now:

I got some shots with the flash on so you can see the algae better:

The patch in the center of the rock is where algae is receding due to vibrant

Here are my current water parameters:

Ammonia: 0.2 (Salifert)
Alk: 8.4 (Hanna)
Ca: 410 (Red sea)
Salinity: 1.024 (brs refractometer)
Mg: 1200 (Aquaforest)
Nitrate: 2 (Nyos)
Phosphate: 0.05 (Hanna ULR)

I have also been doing vibrant weekly, and I don't care about its side effects on corals because I only have two right now in the tank. I want to start doing weekly 10% water changes, and the nitrate and phosphate levels in the tank don't seem to affect the algae at all. I have a refugium that I am running only an hour per day because I want to elevate nitrates a little bit. I have been using rodi water for water changes too (0 TDS).

There's probably more info that I forgot to mention, so feel free to ask.
Thanks!

(Also I'm going to tag @ScottB because he was a massive help in the previous thread)

Thanks for the tag and mention. I have to say, if you've been at this same struggle for 2 years, you have the patience of a Saint and are destined for reefing glory. Once you get past this anyway

You must have stumbled across my thread on chrysophytes (Symbiodinium, generically). It did take me a long time to solve for them and I had the kitchen sink going at them. In the end, I credited three things primarily: a) a slight reduction in nutrient levels b) Vibrant and c) a ravenous one spot fox face.

That last element is worth a shot.

 

[noobreefer2]

Thanks for the tag and mention. I have to say, if you've been at this same struggle for 2 years, you have the patience of a Saint and are destined for reefing glory. Once you get past this anyway

You must have stumbled across my thread on chrysophytes (Symbiodinium, generically). It did take me a long time to solve for them and I had the kitchen sink going at them. In the end, I credited three things primarily: a) a slight reduction in nutrient levels b) Vibrant and c) a ravenous one spot fox face.

That last element is worth a shot.

Yeah! I ordered a one-spot foxface from Liveaquaria, but the shipping got messed up and I ended up giving up. I think I'm going to go back to my lfs and restock on fish and vibrant (I have had a few deaths). I am also preparing a siphoning water change tomorrow to suck as much of this stuff out as I can.

Also, do you know if having a running refugium will affect the efficacy of the vibrant, like will the vibrant be targeting the cheato instead of the chryso?

 

[KrisReef]

I’m wondering if you would see progress if you removed the refugium sand and replace it with aragonite?

 

[ScottB]

Yeah! I ordered a one-spot foxface from Liveaquaria, but the shipping got messed up and I ended up giving up. I think I'm going to go back to my lfs and restock on fish and vibrant (I have had a few deaths). I am also preparing a siphoning water change tomorrow to suck as much of this stuff out as I can.

Also, do you know if having a running refugium will affect the efficacy of the vibrant, like will the vibrant be targeting the cheato instead of the chryso?

I've heard conflicting advice on Vibrant/chaeto.

I do not like advising people to use Vibrant. Read this to understand why. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/u...gaefix-polixetonium-chloride-busan-77.893292/

That said, it did seem to be a part of the mix that resolved chrysos.

 

[taricha]

That said, it did seem to be a part of the mix that resolved chrysos.

Other people have also said that algaefix/vibrant was helpful against chrysophytes.

I don't know of many other things that people have been clearly successful using against this stuff.
I have a beaker of it I got from my LFS over the summer. It dominates a low nutrient closed system (in the beaker) with almost no need for water changes or nutrient inputs.

No other nuisances are so easy to keep alive and happy on essentially nothing. so waiting it out/starving it out is a losing game.

 

[noobreefer2]

I’m wondering if you would see progress if you removed the refugium sand and replace it with aragonite?

KoraLagoon Substrat Refugium Substrate 1.4 kg

Overview: A blend of high-purity aragonite particulate grades to simulate the natural substrate particle profile of tropical reef lagoons. Multiple particulate grades encourage biochemical reactions (e.g. nitrification and denitrification) within the sediment to facilitate continuous release of...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Currently I have this stuff, what would aragonite do?

 

[noobreefer2]

I do not like advising people to use Vibrant. Read this to understand why. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/u...gaefix-polixetonium-chloride-busan-77.893292/

Is it because uwc lied about the contents of vibrant or because of the side effects of the chemicals inside? If so, would API have the same side effects?

 

[noobreefer2]

Other people have also said that algaefix/vibrant was helpful against chrysophytes.

I don't know of many other things that people have been clearly successful using against this stuff.
I have a beaker of it I got from my LFS over the summer. It dominates a low nutrient closed system (in the beaker) with almost no need for water changes or nutrient inputs.

No other nuisances are so easy to keep alive and happy on essentially nothing. so waiting it out/starving it out is a losing game.

Huh, you got a beaker of chryso? I haven't been doing a lot of water changes lately, so maybe that is a problem. I have had this stuff with high and low nutrients, it really doesn't seem to care.

I still have like half a bottle of the vibrant left, should I continue using that and then switch over to the algaefix when I run out?

 

[ScottB]

Is it because uwc lied about the contents of vibrant or because of the side effects of the chemicals inside? If so, would API have the same side effects?

Vibrant and AlgaeFix contain the same active ingredient so are interchangeable. I don't recommend Vibrant because they lie about the active ingredient. Blatantly.

For this purpose just finish the bottle. Hopefully that finishes the chrysos.

 

[noobreefer2]

Quick update, I just did a massive manual removal and got like 3 pounds of the stuff out. I can finally see the real surface of the rock for the first time in a year! lol. My plan is to keep dosing vibrant until it runs out or the algae goes away. If I need to get more I'll just buy some Algafix because I don't feel like anyone wants to support uwc right now.

Also! I found another potential way of solving this (for anyone out there who is suffering the same problem). This stuff HATES flow, I mean hates it. Here is a picture before the manual removal:

Remember, I have had this problem for a while, and that algae have never grown on that spot. I moved a powerhead I had facing a heavily infested rock and the stuff just started to fall apart after a few days.

 

[noobreefer2]

Ill get an fts of the tank tomorrow to show how much came out.

 

[KrisReef]

KoraLagoon Substrat Refugium Substrate 1.4 kg

Overview: A blend of high-purity aragonite particulate grades to simulate the natural substrate particle profile of tropical reef lagoons. Multiple particulate grades encourage biochemical reactions (e.g. nitrification and denitrification) within the sediment to facilitate continuous release of...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Currently I have this stuff, what would aragonite do?

I thought I read that you had added silica sand in the fuge, (in the earlier thread)
Coincidentally I was looking at a miracle mud yesterday but my issue in no nitrates and plenty of phosphates. I'm feeding like the Mission at Thanksgiving every day and that's getting old.

 

[taricha]

Also! I found another potential way of solving this (for anyone out there who is suffering the same problem). This stuff HATES flow, I mean hates it.

interesting, and not an angle I'd seen discussed before.

 

[Miami Reef]

I had chrysophytes for a few months. I am now growing green film algae which are starting to take over the rock work and glass. It’s possible that raising the nutrients affected it, but it took a while.


It’s only an appearance issue, thankfully.

 

[noobreefer2]

I thought I read that you had added silica sand in the fuge, (in the earlier thread)
Coincidentally I was looking at a miracle mud yesterday but my issue in no nitrates and plenty of phosphates. I'm feeding like the Mission at Thanksgiving every day and that's getting old.

Yeah, that was the sand I was talking about, but I don’t think silica was the problem. I think it is because mostly the lack of water changes and low biodiversity let the chryso thrive.

 

[noobreefer2]

@ScottB did the Foxface ever eat the chryso for you?

 

[ScottB]

@ScottB did the Foxface ever eat the chryso for you?

It is hard to discern how much to attribution the Foxface deserves. I FEEL like he made a difference due to the timing, but I had other levers I was pulling (lowering of nutrient & subsequent Vibrant doses).

I won't keep a reef without a one spot foxface as they are relentlessly cleaning my rock.

 

[ScottB]

@ScottB did the Foxface ever eat the chryso for you?

Odd coincidence though. Chrysos just showed up in the refugium of my basement frag system. The frag tank itself has no visible chrysos. And yes, I have two large one-spot foxface in there. The keep my frag racks clean.

 

[bobssecrtsn]

Have you tried fluconazole ? @ScottB mentioned he used this with success?