The Horrific Side Effects of Algaecide

[PrestoChang]

I am writing to you all because I would like to discuss what I believe algaecide has done to my tank and figuring what to do now.

Let me first begin by explaining my hypothesis as to the reason that drove me to use API Algaecide in the first place.

The Algae Bloom

1. I introduced ~15 Mexican turbo snails and ~ 15 Margareta snails in the past year
2. Strangely none of these ever lived and I neglected to collect any shells out of the tank (I believe the reason is due to aluminum leaching from my marine pure block)(I know I can't know for certain unless I do an icp test
3. This excess of deteriorating biomass caused a hair algae bloom that I couldn't manage by nutrient export, manual removal, or light deprivation

The Algaecide Experience

1. I began to dose the measured dose every few days
2. As I began to witness the algae weakening I would siphon it off the rocks
3. Instead of maintaining the same thing consistently I would begin to just pour a little bit in by eye
4. I was running about 4 types of nutrient export to get rid of the phosphates that I knew the algae would release when killed (GFO, Purigen, Skimmer, Refugium)
5. Bottomed out Po4 & No3
6. Dinoflagelate explosion
7. I have now been dealing with extreme dinoflagellates that clump together and formed a new monster on par with hair algea
8. for the past few weeks I have been dosing Brightwell Nitrogen and Phosphorus, once again eyeballing the recommended dose every day
9. still no results...
10. My conclusion after research is that the chemical used within algaecides binds to the surfaces within the water... because of my likely overdosage of API Algaecide I believe that it is not allowing green algae to outcompete and by proxy eliminate the dinoflagellates, as there are just a few patches where I can see short tuffy hair algae that I hope is not bryopsis...

The Plan?
Well I hope somebody can help me find a solution by spitballing.

I am about to do a 20% water change and try to manually remove as much as I can (I have been laying off water changes because I was trying to raise nutrients to combat the Dinos)
maybe I should do a 3 day blackout?

Pictures Earliest to Latest

JULY

September (towards the end of algaecide process)

October/Present

Sorry for the low context clips, one normally doesn't like taking pics of their tank when its at its lowest haha...

However, after treating for algae in august or so, September yielded an exceptionally clean tank before dinoflagellates slowly overtook. And still, suck them all up and clean the glass it looks good but only for a day or two.

 

[PrestoChang]

as an additional note, I have removed two tangs from the display, however I have been dosing a lot of nitrogen to compensate.

In regard to the invertebrates getting poisoned from my "suspected" aluminum leaching, I have had a fighting conch, urchin, couple shrimp, crabs, etc that have all been fine, only the rock dwelling snails haven't made it, like literally I have zero.

 

[piranhaman00]

Yikes truly remarkable

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

When you say API Algaecide, I presume you mean API Algaefix?

It does stick to surfaces. You may have read this long thread on that ingredient, which includes discussions of what happens to it and how to get rid of it:

Understanding Vibrant: Algaefix, Polixetonium Chloride / Busan 77

The purpose of this post is to look closely at Vibrant to compare its properties to a known algaecide, Algaefix by API. This is intended to shed light on the active ingredients in Vibrant, explain its mechanism of action, and give people insight into its use and what to expect. It is not a...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[MickeyCT]

@Randy Holmes-Farley I know this is an older thread, but can you reiterate how to "get rid of" the algaecide. I did read the thread you referenced originally, and I'll start rereading (or skimming rather) again to try to find it, but I'm hoping you can help point me in the right direction.

I think I need it after struggling for quite a while with problems in my reef that I think all stem back to my use of Vibrant several years ago. I'm at my wits end but really hate to give up on a 19 year old reef. Tank is a mess.

 

[piranhaman00]

Years ago is not still having effect. Run carbon and water change but you will have to wait it out

 

[brandon429]

Additives won’t save a 19 year old reef and they’re not worth the risk frankly

Curious to see a pic of the tank, let’s see if it matches any before pics from correction jobs we’ve done via manual fixes/not additives

 

[MickeyCT]

Years ago is not still having effect. Run carbon and water change but you will have to wait it out

I do run carbon and also do water changes. Though to be honest I slowed down on the water changes for a while when dinos were prevalent, but stepping them up again now.

Additives won’t save a 19 year old reef and they’re not worth the risk frankly

Curious to see a pic of the tank, let’s see if it matches any before pics from correction jobs we’ve done via manual fixes/not additives

I'd rather not use additives but haven't found the right "manual" fix yet. Currently working on repeated removal and blowing off or rocks, and increasing CUC. Plus building a DE filter (per Paul B.) to help with that. I don't really want to move this thread too far afield so may end up making a new thread if I don't start seeing some improvement soon. Only improvement so far is reduction in dinos - almost gone. So I guess that's some progress. Need my corals to recover before I start feeling better about things though.

 

[Reefer718]

I am writing to you all because I would like to discuss what I believe algaecide has done to my tank and figuring what to do now.

Let me first begin by explaining my hypothesis as to the reason that drove me to use API Algaecide in the first place.

The Algae Bloom

1. I introduced ~15 Mexican turbo snails and ~ 15 Margareta snails in the past year
2. Strangely none of these ever lived and I neglected to collect any shells out of the tank (I believe the reason is due to aluminum leaching from my marine pure block)(I know I can't know for certain unless I do an icp test
3. This excess of deteriorating biomass caused a hair algae bloom that I couldn't manage by nutrient export, manual removal, or light deprivation

The Algaecide Experience

1. I began to dose the measured dose every few days
2. As I began to witness the algae weakening I would siphon it off the rocks
3. Instead of maintaining the same thing consistently I would begin to just pour a little bit in by eye
4. I was running about 4 types of nutrient export to get rid of the phosphates that I knew the algae would release when killed (GFO, Purigen, Skimmer, Refugium)
5. Bottomed out Po4 & No3
6. Dinoflagelate explosion
7. I have now been dealing with extreme dinoflagellates that clump together and formed a new monster on par with hair algea
8. for the past few weeks I have been dosing Brightwell Nitrogen and Phosphorus, once again eyeballing the recommended dose every day
9. still no results...
10. My conclusion after research is that the chemical used within algaecides binds to the surfaces within the water... because of my likely overdosage of API Algaecide I believe that it is not allowing green algae to outcompete and by proxy eliminate the dinoflagellates, as there are just a few patches where I can see short tuffy hair algae that I hope is not bryopsis...

The Plan?
Well I hope somebody can help me find a solution by spitballing.

I am about to do a 20% water change and try to manually remove as much as I can (I have been laying off water changes because I was trying to raise nutrients to combat the Dinos)
maybe I should do a 3 day blackout?

Pictures Earliest to Latest

JULY

September (towards the end of algaecide process)

October/Present

Sorry for the low context clips, one normally doesn't like taking pics of their tank when its at its lowest haha...

However, after treating for algae in august or so, September yielded an exceptionally clean tank before dinoflagellates slowly overtook. And still, suck them all up and clean the glass it looks good but only for a day or two.

Same thing happened to me but things went wacky with hi calcium and ultra low Kh. Bottomed out phosphates and boom. Dinos. Three day blackout and about 10 filter socks but it worked. Now I have to figure out how to raise my kh. Lost a few torches and a hammer and my mushrooms are sll pulled it. Upside my very shy borbonius anthias found his courage during the blackout and is all over the tank suddenly.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

@Randy Holmes-Farley I know this is an older thread, but can you reiterate how to "get rid of" the algaecide. I did read the thread you referenced originally, and I'll start rereading (or skimming rather) again to try to find it, but I'm hoping you can help point me in the right direction.

I think I need it after struggling for quite a while with problems in my reef that I think all stem back to my use of Vibrant several years ago. I'm at my wits end but really hate to give up on a 19 year old reef. Tank is a mess.

Folks in the Vibrant thread showed it was removed from tank water relatively rapidly, IIRC. It presumably binds to all sorts of surfaces and detritus, etc.

Water changes, skimming, using any of the various organic binding materials (GAC, purigen, calcium carbonate powder, chemipure, etc) should speed the process.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Same thing happened to me but things went wacky with hi calcium and ultra low Kh. Bottomed out phosphates and boom. Dinos.

How would calcium rise from using an algaecide? Were you dosing it?

 

[MickeyCT]

Folks in the Vibrant thread showed it was removed from tank water relatively rapidly, IIRC. It presumably binds to all sorts of surfaces and detritus, etc.

Water changes, skimming, using any of the various organic binding materials (GAC, purigen, calcium carbonate powder, chemipure, etc) should speed the process.

Thanks, Randy. Is there a concern when it's bound to surfaces or is it inert at that point? I'm just trying to understand it all.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks, Randy. Is there a concern when it's bound to surfaces or is it inert at that point? I'm just trying to understand it all.

It would be inert to anything except what it is stuck to.