Ways to get rid of algae.

[RickvDam]

Try water with them in too if you want but Strap some off, just make sure they are separated when you strain them, then watch if they Redon into a string.

Alright thanks! I really appreciate the help. I hope its normal algae as I’m pretty sure thats an easier fix in most cases.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Wait so if I have dino’s, they are everywhere in the tank I just can’t see them when they are not stacked together?

Dino often suspended in the water column as well as surfaces.

 

[Dburr1014]

Thanks! I thought dino’s were just “laying” on rocks? Cause whatever I have is really stuck on the rock. I really need to scrub it off. It’s also on the glass which I thought dino’s didn’t grow on?
I changed my schedule from AB+ to the WWC 24gal schedule which is way way less intense. My algae also doesn’t grow in my cave where no lights get.

Dinos will blow off with a turkey baster. They won't stick so bad that you have to scrub.

 

[RickvDam]

Dinos will blow off with a turkey baster. They won't stick so bad that you have to scrub.

Oh cause the algae I got can’t be sucked off… Haven’t tried blowing, but with my suction pump I use for water changing sucks up sand likes it’s nothing, but it can’t get the algae of the rocks.

 

[Reef.]

Oh cause the algae I got can’t be sucked off… Haven’t tried blowing, but with my suction pump I use for water changing sucks up sand likes it’s nothing, but it can’t get the algae of the rocks.

Dino need to be scrubbed off, don’t worry they are in many ways easier to fix than algae, especially in a nano.

 

[Uncle99]

Nitrate and phosphate should never be zero.
Put them both in the range and keep them stable.
Zero nutrients appears to allow the pest algaes and bacterium to out compete your good guys.
You can just bump them easily with Brightwell NeoNitro and Neophos but you’ll need to be able to test to get them in line and stable.

These two parameters must be available for your system to grow.

Sure, you can pull media, feed more.

Me, I just find it easier to dose those two when zero as it becomes available to the system immediately.

I noticed once I put every parameter in the range, tested regularly and kept all stable, all pest stuff left and has not returned for 5 years now.

In addition, every coral I drop in opens within hours and fully extends in days.

You chose what best for you. If you decide to dose, you must test first daily until your in the band, then weekly after that.

 

[blecki]

I noticed once I put every parameter in the range, tested regularly and kept all stable, all pest stuff left and has not returned for 5 years now.

In addition, every coral I drop in opens within hours and fully extends in days.

Meanwhile, I see the same results while phosphate and nitrate remain 0. The secret is not so much the amount measurable in the water, but the amount available to the coral. If you have a mature tank with a refugium it's really not an issue. All too often when people start dosing po4 and no3 into young tanks all they end up doing is feeding a bunch of GHA.

 

[FrugalReefer]

manual removal, CUC, control nutrients, lessen photoperiod.

 

[Zestfullyclean]

I believe your numbers are near zero as you seem to have early stages of dinoflagellates. Its biological deficiencies that are causing the dino structure and the reason often numbers are zero is because the dino cells are consuming the nitrates and phosphate levels. If you find this stuff less visible in the morning and growing during the day, its likely dino cells feeding off of light.
No light is first key followed by the addition of bacteria to overcome the bad bacteria allowing them to thrive
Prepare by starting by blowing this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles. Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10-15% IF you have light dependent corals such as SPS) for 5 days and at night dose 1ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5 nights which serves as an oxidizer. If you dont have light dependent coral- turn all lights off. During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as micro bacter 7 or XLM) per 10 gallons. Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED CORAL FOODS OR ADD NOPOX
You can feed fish as normal and if doing blackout, ambient light in room will work for them. Dosing neophos and nitrate will simply feed the flagellates even more as again- they are consuming no3 and po4

I’ve been dealing with Dinos and No3 and Po4 were bottomed out. I have been dosing Neonitro and Neophos for over a month to keep the levels detectable. Po4 keeps dropping back to zero after a few days and I keep dosing Neophos to raise it back up. Should I not be doing this and stop dosing No3 & Po4? From what I thought I’ve learned is I need to keep those up. I have the Oestropisis Dino (probably not spelling that correctly) and have a UV oversized with low flow and it’s helped but the Dino’s do seem to still be hanging on after over a month of fighting this battle.

Adding Mb7 and phyto consistently too. Haven’t tried a black out but lowered lights to 30% blues only at five hours per day for two weeks and it seemed to help and when I thought they were finally on the decline and through the issue I put everything back to a normal lighting schedule which is the WWC SPS template for the Radions. That template has 100% blues for roughly 9 hours and 25% whites for only a few hours in that schedule. They seem to be coming back but now it seems like GHA mixed in.

It’s a newer tank at only six months now.

Levels currently at Po4 0.06 No3 8.6.

Should I stop dosing No3 & Po4 completely?

Sorry for the long winded reply. Just so confused on the best approach with this Dino issue.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’ve been dealing with Dinos and No3 and Po4 were bottomed out. I have been dosing Neonitro and Neophos for over a month to keep the levels detectable. Po4 keeps dropping back to zero after a few days and I keep dosing Neophos to raise it back up. Should I not be doing this and stop dosing No3 & Po4? From what I thought I’ve learned is I need to keep those up. I have the Oestropisis Dino (probably not spelling that correctly) and have a UV oversized with low flow and it’s helped but the Dino’s do seem to still be hanging on after over a month of fighting this battle.

Adding Mb7 and phyto consistently too. Haven’t tried a black out but lowered lights to 30% blues only at five hours per day for two weeks and it seemed to help and when I thought they were finally on the decline and through the issue I put everything back to a normal lighting schedule which is the WWC SPS template for the Radions. That template has 100% blues for roughly 9 hours and 25% whites for only a few hours in that schedule. They seem to be coming back but now it seems like GHA mixed in.

It’s a newer tank at only six months now.

Levels currently at Po4 0.06 No3 8.6.

Should I stop dosing No3 & Po4 completely?

Sorry for the long winded reply. Just so confused on the best approach with this Dino issue.

Yes- it’s feeding the Dino which are consuming no3 and po4
Blue Lights need to go to 10%

 

[RickvDam]

Dino need to be scrubbed off, don’t worry they are in many ways easier to fix than algae, especially in a nano.

The amount of algae is the same during the night as during the day. Also did the water strain thing and nothing has formed. So I guess it’s a different type of algae. My coral is responding great on the lower light (more vibrant and open), but algae is still growing like crazy.

 

[blecki]

It doesn't necessarily look like dino in your pictures. If it was coming off in long strings with bubbles at the tips? Yeah, definitely dino.

What I see in your pictures is some kind of bacterial slime, with or without film algae growing on it as well. Can't really tell for sure. The cure for all is the same really, time and tank maturity.

 

[Cdubs205]

Alright thanks! I really appreciate the help. I hope its normal algae as I’m pretty sure thats an easier fix in most cases.

Dunno if you have fish and coral in there but you and do a blackout and turn lights off and use a bed sheet or something to cover around the tan to keep it as dark as possible. Saw you have clowns if you have a quarantine or sm tank you could them bin there for few days during blackout.

 

[vetteguy53081]

The amount of algae is the same during the night as during the day. Also did the water strain thing and nothing has formed. So I guess it’s a different type of algae. My coral is responding great on the lower light (more vibrant and open), but algae is still growing like crazy.

This may have to be microscoped. The other possibility is cyano bacteria algae but going off visually is a guess.

 

[RickvDam]

Dunno if you have fish and coral in there but you and do a blackout and turn lights off and use a bed sheet or something to cover around the tan to keep it as dark as possible. Saw you have clowns if you have a quarantine or sm tank you could them bin there for few days during blackout.

I do have a few corals... Thinking about starting a temp tank for just the corals untill I get the algae under control...

This may have to be microscoped. The other possibility is cyano bacteria algae but going off visually is a guess.

Yea I have contacted the 2 nearest reef stores (both over an hour away...) if I can bring a sample but havn't heard anything back yet. It's weird, it's on my rocks on a few spots but it doesn't seem to spread anymore. And it's more on the lower pieces near the sand. However my sand, oh god my sand... And I need to clean the walls atleast 2 times a week.