First I would like to say that the bubble algae introduction into my tank was my fault. I purchased a couple SPS frags that the frag plugs were incrusted so I did not remove the plug. During the dipping process I must of missed some bubble algae. I went 2yrs without any algae issues until I put these frags in.
When I noticed the bubble algae in the tank I purchased some Pitho crabs and Emerald crabs to see if they would take care of the bubble algae. Some would eat it and some would not. I have a 7" Magnificent Foxface and he would pick at it but not enough to stop the spread. He preferred the frozen food and the daily nori I put on the clip more than the bubble algae. I started doing manual removal with some tools I made but with my aquascape there was no way to get it all and it just continued to spread. After much frustration, while doing some research I ran across Parker's Reef on You Tube who just happened to post his eradication process. He has around 25K subscribers and many more follower's and has been posting on You Tube for 9yrs. I highly recommend taking a look at his You Tube page.
First I would like to say that the process I used may not be for everyone and I am not saying that this process is 100% safe but I can say it worked for me and did not loose any fish, corals, crustaceans or snails. None of my corals showed any kind of adverse affect at all. No polyp retraction or tissue loss.
After watching Parker's Reef on his process and a discussion with David ( plant manager ) for Brightwell Aquatics I decided to give this a try. Parker's Reef used 3 products from Continuum which is the same products from Brightwell.
Continuum:, Brightwell Aquatics:
Redox Plus, Redoxlclean
Clean Equation, Razor
Bacter Clean M, Microbacter Clean
For my process I used the products from Brightwell.
To start I did not follow Parker's Reef process exactly. After some more research and a recommendation I read from Randy Holmes-Farley I did not use the Redoxlclean because he believes it may be a Potassium Permanganate product which is a very strong oxidizer and you need to be very careful when using the stuff. I felt using this product was not necessary for me because I am already using a Sochting Oxydator in my tank.
My total water volume is 255gal but for this process I rounded down to 250gal. It is very important to know your total water volume and not just guess at it especially if you have a small tank. If you have to guess at it I would be conservative with your estimate because you DO NOT want to overdose Razor. For me I know what my water volume is within a few gallons because it was measured during the initial tank fill with all the rock and sand in the tank and equipment in place in the sump and running.
When the Razor and Microbacter Clean arrived I noticed there was a discrepancy between the Brightwell online instructions and what the instructions on the bottles said. This had to do with the order you add the two. Microbacter Clean on the website says if using Razor to add the MB Clean first but the instructions for Razor says to add after lights have been on for a few hours. I talked with David about this and he said that he agrees that does not make since and they will change the instructions on their webpage when using both. He told me that the addition of Razor a few hours after lights come on is by far more important than when you add MB Clean because Razor can lower O2 levels in the tank and you want to add it when there is good photosynthesis going on in the tank which for most of us is a few hours after your lights come on. Also you need to remove your mechanical filtration ( socks, filter fleece etc. ), shut down skimmer and UV for at least 4hrs when using MB Clean to get it's full effectiveness. For me and probably most of us if your lights come on at 7am you would add Razor lets say at 9am. That means if you added the MB Clean first you would be adding it no later than 5am. Just a note, nothing says you can't add MB Clean first dependent on your light schedule but things to remember are no mechanical filtration, skimmer or UV when using MB Clean but mechanical filtration, skimmer and UV if you have one needs to be in place when using Razor.
Before I get into my process I used I feel it is important that you know my setup for water agitation and equipment used for O2 saturation and what my tank parameters where before and after the process. I run 2 MP60's and 2 MP40's that create very good surface agitation as you can see in the video. I also run a CO2 scrubber skimmer recirc configuration that also brings in fresh outside air into the scrubber. Skimmer is a Reef Octopus Elite 220 INT which has a large L/HR air intake. I also run a Sochting Oxydator which supplies O2 to the tank. I also run a DND for controlling NO3.
Parameters measured prior to process:
ALK=9.2
Ca=450
Mag=1520
NO3= 8.7ppm
PO4=0.07ppm
NO2=0ppm
NH3=0ppm
PH=8.35-8.42 24hr swing
Salinity=34.9ppt
Parameters measured at end of process:
ALK=9.5
Ca=440
Mag=1520
NO3=18.3ppm
PO4=0.09ppm
NO2=0ppm
NH3=0ppm
PH=8.34-8.42 24hr swing
Salinity=35ppt
NO3 and PO4 measured 4 days ago one week after process complete:
NO3=11.1ppm
PO4=0.07ppm
As you can see as the bubble algae died off my NO3 went up quite a bit and the PO4 just went up slightly.
Both a week after the die off, the parameters are both coming down.
Process I used but will only discuss one day. Attached log will show the whole schedule:
Lights on at 7am.
Feed fish at 8am
Dose Razor at 9am
10am Vortech's go into a 75min Nutrient Transport Mode at 75%
Feed fish at 2pm
2:30pm Vortech's go into a 75min Nutrient Transport Mode at 75%
4pm Remove filter socks, shutdown skimmer and UV, dose MB Clean
8pm Install filter socks and turned on skimmer and UV
Around day 8 I started to see some of the bubble algae turn a milky color and some started to dislodge.
After 14 days 90-95% of bubble algae was gone. Because of no adverse affects and talking to David at Brightwell the decision was made to not do the water change or add Rox 0.8 carbon and just let the existing Razor stay in the tank for a few more days. Low and behold after 4 more days there is not one piece of bubble algae in the tank that can be seen.
On day 19 did a 10% water change and added carbon.
Day 23 removed carbon and did another 10% water change.
Fortunately I am retired to I was able to stick to a strict routine and monitor for any adverse affects which I believe was key to the success. If you can not stick to a strict routine to including adding the Razor at approx the same time every day this process may not be for you. Once again DO NOT overdose Razor. Follow the dosing instructions for Razor to the tee if using it. Using a little less than recommended is much better than using more and be exact on your measurements of the product according to David at Brightwell especially if you dosing to a smaller tank or have weak filtration.
Fill free to ask an questions you may have.
