I have read that adding hydrogen peroxide to the tank can reduce or kill off the rather thick brownish and a patch or two of red slime coating on the sand bed . . . Dino? and or Cyno? The sand is not the finest but is small in size so the sand goby can sift it. Before I consider adding hydrogen peroxide , I want to understand what this does to the chemistry of the tank and organisms living there. From some other thread I read today dealing with this challenge, it is recommended to add 1ml per10 of gallons of hydrogen peroxide. I do have some green hair algae on the rock, and on the back glass and some slime that bubbles on the back glass. When I clean the back glass (occasionally), the material comes off in little sheets / strings.
Corals are not impacted by any of the algae or slime looking substance on the sand. So my question is: Is it safe to add HP to the tank? what is it doing chemically to the tank?? And any opinions on dosing hydrogen peroxide being a good idea?? I do have chem-clean but it is safely the box . . . do not want to disrupt the health of the tank livestock. Trying to fix this using nature . . . if at all possible. But I am growing a little frustrated.
The tank is a Red Sea 350 (73 gallon plus 18 gallon sump). Have a reef set up with about 70 to 90 pounds of rock (guessing). Skimmer, refugium lit by a H380. I pull a good pint of Cheto out every week. Run a 18 watt UV, GFO and carbon in a reactor. Also have a icecap 3000 for flow. ATO system is installed. The tank cycled in Jan 2019.
Corals are doing well and growing slowly. Hammer, Frogspawn, Candy Cane, Duncan, Mushrooms, Acan, Star polyp, ZOAs (~80 heads) and three other LPS . . .
Fish are doing great, Kole Tang, 4 clown fish (2 pairs), 3 fire fish, dody back, diamond goby, and mandarin.
Cleaner shrimp and blood shrimp (red with white spots), and a arrow crab. A few snails and 6 blue or red crabs.
The tank is loaded with copods. Needed for mandarin. mandarin is now thick and appears to be getting bigger. Do not want to do anything that will kill those pods for sure . . .
I currently dose kalkwiser using a dosing pump, 2 teaspoons per gallon with 15 ml vinegar. Total per day is ~ 384 ml. / into 24 equal parts. Thus far I do not have build up of deposits on the heater etc.
I test every week.
SG 1.025 to 1.026
Phosphate is .031 (however, this week it read 0 using a hanna checker)? Have not retested yet. With that said: The GFO is lasting longer and longer since adding corals and H300 light to refugium.
Nitrates continue to read close to zero for over 4 months. Using API test.
dkh is 7.8 nearly every week I test (I do add about 1/3 cup of sodium bicarb to help lift it o 8.5 per BRS calculator).
PH is 8.04.
Calcium is 430 (red sea test kit)
Magnesium is 1350 (red Sea test kit)
I dose phytoplankton twice a week (20ml each feeding - pumps off): Target Feed Corals Reef Roids and coral frenzy once a week (~1/2 teaspoon total) - pumps off. Two drops of iodine once a week (test kit gives me a reading of about .06 ppm) . The iodine was like close to zero and the zoas would not open. Added iodine and all 80 plus heads opened within 30 hours. . . . Feed the fish a mixture of pellets, flake, two different type of frozen foods each morning. Some times feed a little of the frozen foods at night. I do not strain the food; thus, giving a slurry for the corals.
Water changes are small but consistent: I replace 1 gallon per day of new salt; plus, an occasional vacuum of sump ~ 5 gallons / 8 weeks.
So, back to the main question: Is using hydrogen peroxide effect and safe given the information above? what is the chemistry change impact to the tank? Will it kill off pods needed to feed the mandarin?
Any help or information is appreciated.
Corals are not impacted by any of the algae or slime looking substance on the sand. So my question is: Is it safe to add HP to the tank? what is it doing chemically to the tank?? And any opinions on dosing hydrogen peroxide being a good idea?? I do have chem-clean but it is safely the box . . . do not want to disrupt the health of the tank livestock. Trying to fix this using nature . . . if at all possible. But I am growing a little frustrated.
The tank is a Red Sea 350 (73 gallon plus 18 gallon sump). Have a reef set up with about 70 to 90 pounds of rock (guessing). Skimmer, refugium lit by a H380. I pull a good pint of Cheto out every week. Run a 18 watt UV, GFO and carbon in a reactor. Also have a icecap 3000 for flow. ATO system is installed. The tank cycled in Jan 2019.
Corals are doing well and growing slowly. Hammer, Frogspawn, Candy Cane, Duncan, Mushrooms, Acan, Star polyp, ZOAs (~80 heads) and three other LPS . . .
Fish are doing great, Kole Tang, 4 clown fish (2 pairs), 3 fire fish, dody back, diamond goby, and mandarin.
Cleaner shrimp and blood shrimp (red with white spots), and a arrow crab. A few snails and 6 blue or red crabs.
The tank is loaded with copods. Needed for mandarin. mandarin is now thick and appears to be getting bigger. Do not want to do anything that will kill those pods for sure . . .
I currently dose kalkwiser using a dosing pump, 2 teaspoons per gallon with 15 ml vinegar. Total per day is ~ 384 ml. / into 24 equal parts. Thus far I do not have build up of deposits on the heater etc.
I test every week.
SG 1.025 to 1.026
Phosphate is .031 (however, this week it read 0 using a hanna checker)? Have not retested yet. With that said: The GFO is lasting longer and longer since adding corals and H300 light to refugium.
Nitrates continue to read close to zero for over 4 months. Using API test.
dkh is 7.8 nearly every week I test (I do add about 1/3 cup of sodium bicarb to help lift it o 8.5 per BRS calculator).
PH is 8.04.
Calcium is 430 (red sea test kit)
Magnesium is 1350 (red Sea test kit)
I dose phytoplankton twice a week (20ml each feeding - pumps off): Target Feed Corals Reef Roids and coral frenzy once a week (~1/2 teaspoon total) - pumps off. Two drops of iodine once a week (test kit gives me a reading of about .06 ppm) . The iodine was like close to zero and the zoas would not open. Added iodine and all 80 plus heads opened within 30 hours. . . . Feed the fish a mixture of pellets, flake, two different type of frozen foods each morning. Some times feed a little of the frozen foods at night. I do not strain the food; thus, giving a slurry for the corals.
Water changes are small but consistent: I replace 1 gallon per day of new salt; plus, an occasional vacuum of sump ~ 5 gallons / 8 weeks.
So, back to the main question: Is using hydrogen peroxide effect and safe given the information above? what is the chemistry change impact to the tank? Will it kill off pods needed to feed the mandarin?
Any help or information is appreciated.