Algae outbreak

[abryant]

Cant get rid of this algae I clean it and it all reappears in days it’s taking over my tank I’ve tried a refugium(no change) I’ve tried feeding way less often (no change) I’m just not sure what it’s from and how to get it gone. Would like some advice this crap is literally taking over. Also that is not my light spectrum it just did that so it was easier to see

 

[Naekuh]

check your phosphate and nitrates...
Also check your Alk, Mag, and Cal.
If any of those 5 are wacked, then you will never win this war and you will lose from attrition.

im guessing you have issues with gha, or bryopsis, as those are one of the few i can think of that never goes away after scrubing and scrubing, until you fix your water chemistry.

 

[PeterErc]

Pictures?

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Pictures and no, don't be embarrassed or surprised, we all went through this so pictures are the best way towards help

 

[abryant]

Pictures and no, don't be embarrassed or surprised, we all went through this so pictures are the best way towards help

Sorry thought the pics uploaded

 

[FUNGI]

check your phosphate and nitrates...
Also check your Alk, Mag, and Cal.
If any of those 5 are wacked, then you will never win this war and you will lose from attrition.

im guessing you have issues with gha, or bryopsis, as those are one of the few i can think of that never goes away after scrubing and scrubing, until you fix your water chemistry.

agree....looks like high phosphates

 

[abryant]

agree....looks like high phosphates

How do I solve that

 

[jason2459]

What do you have in there that eats algae and what do you have or doing to export excess nutrients?

 

[FUNGI]

How do I solve that

Do a test first to get your initial readings.......then work on the fix.

 

[Lavey29]

Looks like GHA maybe briopsis. Please provide full tank parameters and age of the tank. What is your lighting? Weekly manual removal with water changes? What is your existing cleaner crew? Do you use RODI?

 

[abryant]

What do you have in there that eats algae and what do you have or doing to export excess nutrients?

Chateo Fuge, skimmer, algae blenny sea hare, and typical hermits snails and all that

 

[Spare time]

Algae should be limited by predation. You need more things that eat it.

 

[TokenReefer]

Agreed^^ Once its there its there and has to be removed by hand or by eating it (not you ). Manipulating numbers so that it melts away somehow or absence of nutrients that doesn't harm your coral is futile imo. I don't know that anyone knows this equation

 

[TokenReefer]

Sometimes I use these little pipe cleaner like brushes that came with a cheap bottle brush set on Amazon. They have stiff bristles that snag algae. I simply insert into a patch and twist like I'm rolling spaghetti onto a fork. It catches a chunk, I remove it by hand then repeat. It doesn't clean it perfect and I don't try to but I think it mows it down to a point where my snails get interested and finish the rest. Has worked for me...

 

[Naekuh]

There is the long and safe way, and the fast but dangerous way which needs constant monitoring... which one would you like?

But the long and safe way is to use Brightwell Microbacter 7, and some pourous bioceramic blocks in sump, and with weekly water changes, and can take up to 3 months or more....

The dangerous way is to use Vibrant, which your going to hear a lot of people say "NOOOOO" to but it works, but can wipe your corals out.

A somewhere in between would be to run a GFO reactor, and wipe out as much phosphate as possible, but make sure its not 0, otherwise you will have a cyano bloom incoming.

But all 3 ways will still require some manual removal, like you going in and cleaning, some clean up crews will help like some snails and pitho crabs ive seen grab at it as well.

Hermits are mostly usless.

If your rockwork is tightly secured an urchin will wreck all that algae but they are like moving natural disasters meaning they will knock over anything and everything that isnt secured as well as wear anything ontop of them that isnt secured like a costume of sorts.

Id go with a combo of running GFO and Microbacter 7, and not use the Vibrant route unless your absolutely desperate and very short on throwing the towel.

 

[PeterErc]

Chateo Fuge, skimmer, algae blenny sea hare, and typical hermits snails and all that

Looks like Derbesia, aka hair algae. Is the algae blenny and see hare eating the crud? If so have you tried any turbo snails? Manual removal, no over feeding, no coral food or bottled goodies, removing detritus and redirecting flow to improve dead spots is a good start.

There’s information on dosing H2O2 in the forums to help combat algae. If the rock is able to be removed it can be spot treated with peroxide. I would leave that to someone more experienced than me on the how to.

If nothing is eating the algae it may be something else.

As stated above vibrance or algae fix is risky but may work.

There is another drug, fluconazole that may or may not work.


I would only use those as a last ditch effort

 

[jason2459]

Chateo Fuge, skimmer, algae blenny sea hare, and typical hermits snails and all that

How well is the macro algae growing? Are you able to harvest weekly? What kind of snails and how many? What kind of water change schedule are you doing or not doing? How much skimmate is produced and how often? Do you do any kind of carbon dosing?

And not seeing some other basic information unless I missed it but what size tank is this? Like someone else mentioned have you or can you test your nitrates and phosphate levels? Do you currently run any GFO or dose lanthanum chloride?