I have a turf algae issue that is (slowly but surely) spreading through the tank. Its a 54 gal. tank with 10 gal sump and 1 gal refugium (DIY).
I tried manual removal for a month during weekly cleanups, but failed. They are tough to plug out of rocks. I have turbo snails and an emerald crab, but they are not enough or not interested.
My problem is: I have had undetectable levels of Nitrates and PO4 for months now (using the Red Sea Pro test). Since I have algae and my LPS and SPS are doing fine, I most likely have trace amounts of both. However, the algae has become a nuisance for some corals, so I decided to act.
I started a first dose of Vibrant. I though I had read the threads carefully for any problem that might arise... except for one in another forum that stated that Vibrant is not ideal in ULNS. It requires nitrates to grow, so it will outcompete both algae and corals for it. In this particular reported case, it shot out the PO4 levels abruptly, while nitrates stayed undetectable, causing all kinds of problems to that hobbyist. I will keep an eye on my levels and report here.
So my question is: should I dose nitrates ? Has anyone been in a similar situation?
Thanks!
I tried manual removal for a month during weekly cleanups, but failed. They are tough to plug out of rocks. I have turbo snails and an emerald crab, but they are not enough or not interested.
My problem is: I have had undetectable levels of Nitrates and PO4 for months now (using the Red Sea Pro test). Since I have algae and my LPS and SPS are doing fine, I most likely have trace amounts of both. However, the algae has become a nuisance for some corals, so I decided to act.
I started a first dose of Vibrant. I though I had read the threads carefully for any problem that might arise... except for one in another forum that stated that Vibrant is not ideal in ULNS. It requires nitrates to grow, so it will outcompete both algae and corals for it. In this particular reported case, it shot out the PO4 levels abruptly, while nitrates stayed undetectable, causing all kinds of problems to that hobbyist. I will keep an eye on my levels and report here.
So my question is: should I dose nitrates ? Has anyone been in a similar situation?
Thanks!