GFO in tank

[DerekT5]

Hi all, I have a 40 gallon cube and have a little bit of algae but with no detectable phosphate in the water. Will the gfo still take out the algae? Thanks!

 

[WWIII]

Maybe depending on what type of algae it is. You may have phosphates, just not showing up on the test. How old is the tank? Have any pics of the algae?

 

[DerekT5]

The tank is almost 2 years old and it’s a bubble algae and maybe some Dino on the sand

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Bubble algae is a type that can thrive at nutrient levels that begin to bother corals. I think you should look to other options.

With dinos a threat, you do not want to lower nutrients, you might be better off dosing them.

 

[WWIII]

The tank is almost 2 years old and it’s a bubble algae and maybe some Dino on the sand

Sorry, fell asleep last night. @Randy Holmes-Farley has great advice as usual! I would look at predators for the bubble algae or maybe possibly Vibrant (aquarium cleaner). I've used Vibrant before and it does kill bubble algae eventually, but I've also experienced cyano after dosing for a couple months. Manual removal of the bubble algae is another option, but can be a pain. If you think you have dinos, I would try to get those taken care of first. Not sure how they would react to Vibrant, probably wouldn't do much to get rid of them. If your phosphate is truly 0, you may look into dosing phosphate. Do you know what your Nitrate level is?

 

[jose hernandez]

i had bubble algae b4 i bought emerald crabs 4 it but its a hit or miss wit them so i bought vibrant cleaner n have no more bubble algae

 

[DerekT5]

Sorry, fell asleep last night. @Randy Holmes-Farley has great advice as usual! I would look at predators for the bubble algae or maybe possibly Vibrant (aquarium cleaner). I've used Vibrant before and it does kill bubble algae eventually, but I've also experienced cyano after dosing for a couple months. Manual removal of the bubble algae is another option, but can be a pain. If you think you have dinos, I would try to get those taken care of first. Not sure how they would react to Vibrant, probably wouldn't do much to get rid of them. If your phosphate is truly 0, you may look into dosing phosphate. Do you know what your Nitrate level is?

I will have to check again but I think it is around 5 ppm

 

[DerekT5]

i had bubble algae b4 i bought emerald crabs 4 it but its a hit or miss wit them so i bought vibrant cleaner n have no more bubble algae

I had an emerald crab but decided to get rid of him because he killed a couple of fish that likes the cave he was in

 

[WWIII]

I would probably use or purchase a hanna ulr phosphorus checker. If the tank literally has 0, then I would try to raise that a bit and see if it helps with the dinos. I would also dose Vibrant, because it worked for me and many others. Just have to be patient with it, give it a couple months and it will kill the bubble algae. (Only dose 1x per 2 weeks or once per week). I don't use Vibrant anymore currently, but if I ever have a bubble algae outbreak I would definitely use it again. Imo, GFO at this point would not help with either.