Can't get Algae Under Control...

Brandon Rush · Jul 28, 2019

I have been fighting an algae outbreak for several weeks. I have been dosing Vibrance for several weeks, and it appears the algae starts to thin, then comes right back. I have a sump full of healthy chaeto and have tried GFO. I have been manually feeding lightly every other day. I have no other ideas on how to get this under control. My light schedule runs for about 8 hours. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Tank parameters are below:

Nitrate: 5
Phosphates: 0
Alkalinity: 8.09
Mag: 1340
Calcium 450

Coralreefer1 · Jul 28, 2019

Are you doing water changes? I would do a couple large ones to start. Use RO/DI water, not tap! I know you have corals, but try reducing your light regimen and cut the red end of the spectrum and see if that helps. Also, Black Diadema Urchins do a good job eating many types of algae.

mowens3 · Jul 28, 2019

If you continue to run GFO it should help. Usually the first batch of GFO absorbs the phosphates quickly and the following batches keep it in check. Your rocks may be releasing phosphate and you haven't reached a balance yet.

Just be careful not to completely strip all phosphate out of the water column or your chaeto will suffer.

Brandon Rush · Jul 28, 2019

Coralreefer1 said:
Are you doing water changes? I would do a couple large ones to start. Use RO/DI water, not tap! I know you have corals, but try reducing your light regimen and cut the red end of the spectrum and see if that helps. Also, Black Diadema Urchins do a good job eating many types of algae.

Thanks for the reply, I've been doing about a 30% change every week, blowing off the rocks and trying to get as much algae out as possible. I only use straight RODI water. I think how this started was when my auto feeder dumped a bunch of food in while out of town. I may give that urchin a try I've got a tuxedo in there now, but no real difference.

Brandon Rush · Jul 28, 2019

mowens3 said:
If you continue to run GFO it should help. Usually the first batch of GFO absorbs the phosphates quickly and the following batches keep it in check. Your rocks may be releasing phosphate and you haven't reached a balance yet.

Just be careful not to completely strip all phosphate out of the water column or your chaeto will suffer.

I honestly think that's what it is. How often would you change the GFO, once a week? It's difficult to gauge when it's exhausted because of the chaeto.

mowens3 · Jul 29, 2019

How often would you change the GFO, once a week

You will see the hair algae make a comeback when you've waited too long. I would leave it in for atleast 2-3 weeks. You can try high capacity GFO if you want to leave it in longer.

Hermie · Jul 29, 2019

looks kind of like my tank... honestly I think the best thing is to remove rocks and scrub because the algae currently on the rocks has to "go somewhere" even if it just dies or gets eaten by a clean up crew, those nutrients will just get released back into the tank

BluTang85 · Jul 30, 2019

Do you have any tangs, they love to pick at algae and I bet they would tear into that and pick it clean.

brandon429 · Jul 30, 2019

your tank is ripe for a rip cleaning, that's where we take it apart, rinse the sand to cloudless perfection (it likely currently clouds if you reach deep, grab and drop some...it wont after) and then kill the algae off the rocks and put it back clean, in two hours, vs taking a weeks long starvation approach (corals hate that, are adapted to two hour storms though)

the algae on your rocks is very susceptible to peroxide, meaning it will die off fast.

its not dumped in the water, this is the hard work tank surgery method...no other method de clouds your tank so its ready to feed future challenges like cyano right after this one is possibly starved out if you don't bleach corals in the process.

our system takes a eutrophic tank and re installs an oligotrophic one.

they say one should always address the cause when dealing with algae, this sure does. Algae itself wicks in detritus, algae feed, into the plant fronds and it breaks down onsite like a mop, feeding independently from the water column testable params.

To manually kill algae is to stop a cause, self feeding.

Removing the actual feed from the sand and the rock pores is the other aspect of the approach, its a tank reset called a skip cycle cleaning.

Daniel@R2R · Jul 30, 2019

Tough stuff! I've been there. What do you have in the tank by way of CUC?

VA5 · Jul 30, 2019

Have you tried increasing clean up crew? Foxy saltwater has great deals and a bunch of snails and hermit crabs can make a gigantic difference.
Also what light is it getting outside the tank, is it near a window?

KJoFan · Jul 30, 2019

brandon429 said:
your tank is ripe for a rip cleaning, that's where we take it apart, rinse the sand to cloudless perfection (it likely currently clouds if you reach deep, grab and drop some...it wont after) and then kill the algae off the rocks and put it back clean, in two hours, vs taking a weeks long starvation approach (corals hate that, are adapted to two hour storms though)

the algae on your rocks is very susceptible to peroxide, meaning it will die off fast.

its not dumped in the water, this is the hard work tank surgery method...no other method de clouds your tank so its ready to feed future challenges like cyano right after this one is possibly starved out if you don't bleach corals in the process.

our system takes a eutrophic tank and re installs an oligotrophic one.

they say one should always address the cause when dealing with algae, this sure does. Algae itself wicks in detritus, algae feed, into the plant fronds and it breaks down onsite like a mop, feeding independently from the water column testable params.

To manually kill algae is to stop a cause, self feeding.

Removing the actual feed from the sand and the rock pores is the other aspect of the approach, its a tank reset called a skip cycle cleaning.

@brandon429 , like the OP I'm battling a raging GHA problem. I have scrubbed the rocks once (it comes back) but not employed peroxide. It also grows on the sand, and yes the sand clouds when stirred.

Regardless, a few questions:

1. Would replacing my current infested rock with clean live rock (think a source like Tampa Bay Saltwater) be a good idea?
2. If I did #1 would I just end up with GHA infesting the new rock
3. Is it required to remove and clean/rinse all the sand or can it be cleaned with vacuum/siphon sufficiently?

I have vacuumed probably 80% of my sand within the last month, but I'm sure there is more cloudiness to suck up.

I appreciate your time and hope I haven't derailed the OP's thread too much.

Tom Stevens · Jul 30, 2019

Hang in there! If it were me, I would continue your current regimen. Replacing rock would eventually lead to the same place. Have you been testing Nitrate? Sometimes Vibrant triggers a die off that can spike nutrients so you have to stay on top of it at first. If Nitrate is high you might want to consider NoPox if water changes are not helping. But be careful if you do. Best to go slow and just not to get frustrated. Also, if you are dosing anything like aminos or reef energy, best to hold off until the algae is under control.

BantyRooster97 · Jul 30, 2019

I know no one ever sugests this, but it worked for me in the past... Algaefix - Marine. it'll kill the chaeto too, so go ahead toss that... its cheap to replace.

CaptainsReef · Jul 30, 2019

Following

vetteguy53081 · Jul 30, 2019

Increase Clean up crew, add a Lawnmower blenny and I recommend liquid called VIBRANT- Just use it carefully. Vibrant cleared awful hair algae in my drop tank in 9 days

LesPoissons · Jul 30, 2019

I have been dealing with the same algae outbreak for months due to an overfeed lasting a month long. Algae does not go away in weeks, it will take months no matter what you do. I've done the scrubbing with peroxide the low nitrates the low phosphate, trying to get rid of it. Blackouts, blue lights only, barely feeing, increasing good bacteria, increasing refugium algae, algae scrubbers- you name it. Once gha takes hold, as long as your parameters are OK and your lighting is normal, it's there to stay unless you manually remove it. It can thrive in low nutrient environments with no problem (plenty of articles on this.) Week after week, you have to scrub all the algae off the rocks, +/- peroxide, your choice- mine grew back anyway. Then majorly Increase your clean up crew. Get a Tang and and algae blenny and a ton more snails and crab. Keep scrubbing and manually removing every single week until the cuc can maintain it (they dont like it long, they like it super barely there). It's the only thing that will make a difference.

Markxc · Jul 30, 2019

i had a pretty bad algae outbreak not too far off from yours and was able to clear it out with vibrant and fluconazole. i used fluconazole cause i also had bryopsis so not sure if that did anything for GHA. i used the recommended dosage of vibrant but added it every 3-4 days and added fluconazole every week. weekly 20% water changes. i experienced no ill effects from vibrant except a cyano outbreak in areas of low flow but that eventually cleared up on its own. i dont have a sump or chaeto so not sure what the effect on that would be but when i researched about vibrant i did read that it killed chaeto in high dosage so something you might want to keep in mind.

first three pics are from march 24 when i started vibrant and the last pic is from june 5th. i think it actually cleared up a little before that but i never took a pic.

Hermie · Jul 30, 2019

Markxc said:
i had a pretty bad algae outbreak not too far off from yours and was able to clear it out with vibrant and fluconazole. i used fluconazole cause i also had bryopsis so not sure if that did anything for GHA. i used the recommended dosage of vibrant but added it every 3-4 days and added fluconazole every week. weekly 20% water changes. i experienced no ill effects from vibrant except a cyano outbreak in areas of low flow but that eventually cleared up on its own. i dont have a sump or chaeto so not sure what the effect on that would be but when i researched about vibrant i did read that it killed chaeto in high dosage so something you might want to keep in mind.

first three pics are from march 24 when i started vibrant and the last pic is from june 5th. i think it actually cleared up a little before that but i never took a pic.

Nice, did you do any manual removal with the water changes?

brandon429 · Jul 30, 2019

Kjo hey it’s ok to work in partial sections if you want, since you’ve already been hand guiding it this is familiar ground. We just like to do all at once where possible in the sand rinse thread simply because it’s thorough and not an extended venture. All these methods above will work, nice after pics above btw.
We find that making the tank as clear of clouding as possible simply gets the most mileage before invasions come back or new work is required. We like to show how true deep cleans can always be done without harm

We should try n fix up current rock for practice, since an invader shacked up let’s get some ring practice heh post pics

It’s no distraction at all, we are about to kill gha and make sections look great, valid tool to use.