Desparate For Advice

[Rickyrooz]

Ricky it seems as if the rocks are leaching "fuel" for nuisance algae. Im guessing there was die off deep within the rock. You may not even detect anything because the algae is taking it up as it's being released. My reef took about 7 moths to fully come around. You may have to wait it out. It'll will soon come around. Just my opinion.

That is my thought, the rocks are very porous and they have been with me for 5 years so they had plenty of sponge growth and other organisms living within the rocks prior to be drying them out. I believe once the "die off" is complete the algae will be gone. The overflow is completely covered in purple coralline algae but the live rock has none due to the hair algae covering ever possible inch that the corals are not occupying. I just hate looking at it every day and it could take another 2 to 5 months before it all dies off.

 

[Rickyrooz]

In my experience the less stuff I dose the fewer troubles I have. Regular water changes negate the need for most additives, IMO.

Sometimes less is more.

You make a good point, if the 30 gallon water changes are performed weekly the additives are most likely not needed. Even 15 gallons a week should suffice.

 

[hybridazn]

Your original post you said you have gfo in a mesh bag in your sump. This could be part of the problem as well. Gfo needs to be in a reactor tumbling ever so slightly. If it doesn't tumble it will solidify and be no good and not do what it is intended to do.

 

[Battlecorals Verified Sponsor]

Hey rick! A fox face would more than likey clean up the rock but it sound like the tanks just young and unstable still. For the most part. are you still running the other tank you had or did you upgrade to this one? Just wondering if the other ones still set up, if it's having any issues. Sorry if I missed that detail in your post I can't scroll back and re read it lol

 

[Rickyrooz]

Hey rick! A fox face would more than likey clean up the rock but it sound like the tanks just young and unstable still. For the most part. are you still running the other tank you had or did you upgrade to this one? Just wondering if the other ones still set up, if it's having any issues. Sorry if I missed that detail in your post I can't scroll back and re read it lol

Hey Adam, I still have a frag tank running which is stable but the tank with the algae issue is my 120. In January the tank cracked and Marineland replaced it with the one I have set up now.

 

[4FordFamily]

Hey rick! A fox face would more than likey clean up the rock but it sound like the tanks just young and unstable still. For the most part. are you still running the other tank you had or did you upgrade to this one? Just wondering if the other ones still set up, if it's having any issues. Sorry if I missed that detail in your post I can't scroll back and re read it lol

I've never had one that touched it

My mag fox face I have now didn't either.

 

[Battlecorals Verified Sponsor]

I've never had one that touched it

My mag fox face I have now didn't either.

Really?

Mine are like swimming garbage cans lol. They eat everything! I have rabbits in every tank 9 or 10 total lol. Every single one devours any shred of green. Sorry yours haven't been as effective

But Rick. I am rely sorry to hear about the crack

what your going through seems pretty typical of a total tank transfer though. Especially if you let the rock dry out

Did you re use any sand at all?

 

[Rickyrooz]

Really?

Mine are like swimming garbage cans lol. They eat everything! I have rabbits in every tank 9 or 10 total lol. Every single one devours any shred of green. Sorry yours haven't been as effective

But Rick. I am rely sorry to hear about the crack

what your going through seems pretty typical of a total tank transfer though. Especially if you let the rock dry out

Did you re use any sand at all?

Unfortunately my previous build was bare bottom so all the sand is new.

 

[Rickyrooz]

The guys on the ZEOVIT forum are recommending I continue to use ZEOstart3 and Sponge Power but I feel that will further fuel the algae.

 

[4FordFamily]

The guys on the ZEOVIT forum are recommending I continue to use ZEOstart3 and Sponge Power but I feel that will further fuel the algae.

Of course they are, they have recency bias and want to keep profiting off of its sale

 

[StikHedRon]

The problem is your not following Zeo to the T like you said you were, no po4 media should be used or any other reducing forms. Also the Zeo food is what's causing the problems. You should stop dosing it. Go to Zeovit.com, you will get better advice from experts in this field.

 

[spspirate]

Ricky do you have a pic of the algae?

 

[Rickyrooz]

Ricky do you have a pic of the algae?

I can take a picture tonight.

 

[Rickyrooz]

The problem is your not following Zeo to the T like you said you were, no po4 media should be used or any other reducing forms. Also the Zeo food is what's causing the problems. You should stop dosing it. Go to Zeovit.com, you will get better advice from experts in this field.

Originally I was until the algae started and according to the ZEO manual GFO can be used but is not recommended. KZ sells it on their site, if they were totally against GFO why would they offer it?

 

[Rickyrooz]

Please be gentle with the replies to the pictures

 

[TreyC2010]

That's a full grown reef beard.

 

[4FordFamily]

Please be gentle with the replies to the pictures

When I had gha problems I siphoned it out during water changes, got new membranes for RODI, increased magnesium, and added GFO. Went away in a month or so.

I was happy to have gha I had dinoflagellates prior. Gha out competed it and then I killed off the GHA too!

 

[gdemos]

Looks like u got some cool frags in there so go easy! Plenty of Practical advice above. Another power head to get flow through the rock. a hungry algae blenny, small amount of GFO with gentle tumble (TLF Type reactor in sump with a maxijet). Watch po4 bounce around for a month or two. Can't comment with the Zeo but cutting back would help in process of elimination.

 

[RareEarthCorals]

Hello Rickyrooz,

Im new to the forums but try to help
whenever I can. I hope that my advice helps. Its not the easiest way to take care of your algae problem but it will cut down the time and chemicals you are using to control the problem.

Its time to scrub the rock, hate to say it but that is some serious build up. There is too much for any clean up crew to tackle. Basically you will need a wire brush to knock off the heavy stuff. You will need to take out the rock and hit the heavy spots with the wire brush. One piece at at time in a five gallon bucket filled with tank water. Scrub around what you want to keep safe. I would use two brushes. One the size of a tooth brush to get around the stuff you want to keep and a larger one to knock out the larger areas.

As far as keeping down phosphates there is a product that I use called the incomparable Poly filter and Seachem phosguard. My phosphate is zero. I found that to keep Nitrates as low as possible I use pond matrix Seachem Martix in a bag. It takes a while for the bacteria to build up in the rock but once it does it breaks down nitrates.

This may not be the way you want to go, but if I was in your shoes I dont know of another way to manage that amount of algae without getting it off the rock.

 

[spspirate]

Ricky, I used to have a powder brown that I bet would annihilate that hair algae. Have you tried giant turbo snails? You would think that some kind of tang would rip that stuff up. If nothing works I can almost bet the rock will come to cycle and your problem will cease.