GHA

[Emarley]

Hello fellow reefers,

Currently got a GHA problem, what’s the best way to get rid of it? All tests are coming back ok, and my only corals are Xenia, Duncan and candy cane and they are all growing rapidly.

Thanks in advance

Dom

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

it look likes that main piece can be gently removed and scrubbed to get rid of the GHA as the first step. Second would be to relook at your feeding schedule, food amount, and increase any (or add if you don't have any) mechanical nutrient export mechanisms (skimmer, reactor, refugium, etc.). I had it pretty bad too; but it was a slow battle that I eventually won!

 

[mta_morrow]

It would be helpful to know your NO3 and PO4 as well as how many and what kind of fish and what and how often you feed.

Also, what all types of filtration are you currently using.

 

[Emarley]

it look likes that main piece can be gently removed and scrubbed to get rid of the GHA as the first step. Second would be to relook at your feeding schedule, food amount, and increase any (or add if you don't have any) mechanical nutrient export mechanisms (skimmer, reactor, refugium, etc.). I had it pretty bad too; but it was a slow battle that I eventually won!

Thank you for the reply, if I remove the rock do I scrub it with a toothbrush or do I need something more abrasive? My tank is currently only the fluval evo 13.5 so have no skimmer, reactor or refugium, sorry for newbie reply, new to the hobby and still learning.

 

[Emarley]

It would be helpful to know your NO3 and PO4 as well as how many and what kind of fish and what and how often you feed.

Also, what all types of filtration are you currently using.

 

[mta_morrow]

Thank you for the reply, if I remove the rock do I scrub it with a toothbrush or do I need something more abrasive? My tank is currently only the fluval evo 13.5 so have no skimmer, reactor or refugium, sorry for newbie reply, new to the hobby and still learning.

Tooth brush is the tool of choice. Be sure not to rinse in anything but saltwater or rodi.

Test kits are very important for this hobby. I highly recommend a good PO4, NO3, and alk test kit to start.

Do you make your own salt water?

Do you have an LFS that can test it for you?

 

[Emarley]

It would be helpful to know your NO3 and PO4 as well as how many and what kind of fish and what and how often you feed.

Also, what all types of filtration are you currently using.

NO3 is 0
PO4 is 0.04
I have 2 small clown fish and 1 small clown goby and only feed lightly.
My tank is the fluval evo 13.5 so currently using the intank media basket with filter floss, Red Sea reef carbon and RowaPhos.

 

[jeffchapok]

Any rock that can easily be removed can be dipped in a bucket of half 3% hydrogen peroxide and half tank water (or RO/DI water) for 1 to 2 minutes and the GHA will melt away. Then rinse with RODI and return to the tank. I'd only do one piece at time though, to avoid killing all of your bacteria simultaneously.

I don't know about all corals, but I do know that zoas and hammer corals will survive the process if they are attached to the rock because I've done it myself.

 

[Emarley]

Tooth brush is the tool of choice. Be sure not to rinse in anything but saltwater or rodi.

Test kits are very important for this hobby. I highly recommend a good PO4, NO3, and alk test kit to start.

Do you make your own salt water?

Do you have an LFS that can test it for you?

Currently buy saltwater from LFS.
Been using salifert teat kits but placed an order and waiting for delivery of hanna checkers for alk, phosphate and calcium.

 

[Crashjack]

If you have a sump or some sort of stand-alone mechanical filtration, you could use the toothbrush on the rock while in the tank. If you have a sump, you will catch the GHA in your socks... just clean the socks afterward. If you don't have a sump but have stand-alone mechanical filtration (meaning it doesn't double as surface area for for growing bacteria for biological filtration), you can use that to catch and clean afterward.

 

[mta_morrow]

NO3 is 0
PO4 is 0.04
I have 2 small clown fish and 1 small clown goby and only feed lightly.
My tank is the fluval evo 13.5 so currently using the intank media basket with filter floss, Red Sea reef carbon and RowaPhos.

Rowaphos is powerful stuff. I find it hard to believe your Even reading PO4 in that size tank running rowaphos.

Ok, you have more PO4 and NO3 that your results say or else you wouldn’t have this algae problem.

Now a lot of folks say that the algae die off fuels more algae growth, but I have yet to see GHA just die off.

First things first. Manual removal of as much as possible. No chemicals.

Follow up with a good 50% WC if you can.

Wait a week, repeat. Along the way, keep scrubbing your rock even if it’s in the tank to remove as much as possible.

Just do it a bit every day.

Keep up with weekly water changes to remove nutrients

Give it a month or two with this process

 

[Emarley]

Rowaphos is powerful stuff. I find it hard to believe your Even reading PO4 in that size tank running rowaphos.

Ok, you have more PO4 and NO3 that your results say or else you wouldn’t have this algae problem.

Now a lot of folks say that the algae die off fuels more algae growth, but I have yet to see GHA just die off.

First things first. Manual removal of as much as possible. No chemicals.

Follow up with a good 50% WC if you can.

Wait a week, repeat. Along the way, keep scrubbing your rock even if it’s in the tank to remove as much as possible.

Just do it a bit every day.

Keep up with weekly water changes to remove nutrients

Give it a month or two with this process

Thank you for the reply, sorry for the newbie question, if I scrub my rocks in tank every day should I them change my filter floss daily?

 

[Emarley]

Should i also get the toothbrush on the back wall of my tank

 

[mta_morrow]

Thank you for the reply, sorry for the newbie question, if I scrub my rocks in tank every day should I them change my filter floss daily?

The algae won’t decompose that quickly. And yes, scrape the back wall.