Bubble algae full outbreak

[b4tn]

I let a bubble algae outbreak get out of hand and it’s all over. If taking out all the rock and starting over is not an option what are some other options? I have a plan but is it a waste of time? I have a 75 gallon mixed reef. I’m currently doing weekly 10 gallon water changes using reef crystals and RO/DI. I’m running an established algae scrubber, GFO, and skimming. I’m thinking about chiseling as much as possible off, getting a couple emerald crabs, and running vibrant along with my current setup and schedule.

 

[Joshua2598]

Emerald crabs? Maybe like 3 or 4 if it's that bad

 

[USMC 4 LIFE]

Vibrant worked at eradicating bubble algae for me. I had a significant outbreak in my 90g DT and dosed the product aggressively for 3 months. It’s been 6 months and I haven’t seen one bubble since.

There are many threads about the product to better inform you of possible side effects to be aware of before hand.

 

[ZoWhat]

Once you have spores....its like cancer

 

[Jason mack]

First try and remove as much as you can by hand , if you can take your rocks out too do it ..then use vibrant .. that worked for me !!!

 

[Reefcowboy]

If I could choose the one thing I hate the most in the hobby is BA... so hard to rid them from the tank. Ive had emerald crabs eat them and clean the tank, but a few short months later they came back x 10.

I read Vibrant works and is the only option I would use

 

[Whipples]

When doing your water changes get rubber tubing maybe 1/2-3/4" in diameter to do your water changes with to slow the volume out of the tank and use that to manually scrape them off while also sucking them into your waste bucket. I, too, just fought a 3 month battle with bubble algae using weekly water changes, Vibrant, and 4-5 emerald crabs on a 100G tank. Know the potential risks with Vibrant, however at 2x/week dosing I was able to get nearly bubble free! See below, still making progress but you can see the results are substantial:

Before:

And after:

 

[Fudsey]

Vibrant worked for me in a couple tanks with manual removal to help

 

[mniemann]

I’m also battling BA. unfortunately I’ve lost a lot of nice corals like my jelly bean chalice due to some of the things I’ve tried. I am using Vibrant now but it may be a little to late. At this point I can take out the few remaining pieces and fish to my quarantine tank and will likely reboot the tank with all new Marco rock and a bare bottom. Since the BA has spread so bad it has to be in the pumps and hoses. What are some good options to kill it once the tank is empty to make sure it doesn’t resurface in the new set up? Would just fresh water do it if ran for a few weeks? It’s a 100g total water system. What about fresh water and bleach or vinegar to make sure the sump, pump, powerheads and lines are all clear without damaging the display tank or the silicone, seams and seals. The display is a reef savvy.

I know I’ll have to re-cycle the system but the few remaining piece and fish will be ok in the quarantine tank for a month or two.

Thanks in advance for any help.