Need Pro Help: Ready to throw in the Towel due to Algae Issue

[Christopher Poore]

Hey everyone,

I have been losing an uphill battle against this brown? green? hair algae for about 7 months now. No matter what I throw at the issue it comes back worse. I have tried blacking out the tank for up to 4 days; I've tried reducing feeding, manual removal by hand + brush.

The issue with brushing the algae is that it ends up floating around the tank, getting stuck on frag plugs and irritating zoas to the point of death. I've about 10 high-end zoas due to this method.

Equipment:
I am using my own 5 stage RODI unit and due to REALLY hard local water (550 TDS IN) I'm producing RODI @ 1-2 TDS.
I purchased and fitted a CW-50 Algae scrubber over 5 weeks ago and it has not generated ANY growth, even while blacking out the display. Take a look at the photo; it's basically useless.
I have an oversized skimmer running wet

CUC:
I have two emerald crabs, some red/blue hermits, a powder blue tang, lawnmower blenny, trochus snaills, turbo snails. Nothing wants anything to do with it.

Water Param:
8.2 Alk
440 Calc
.05ish Po4
.25ish No3


Would a Halloween or Tuxedo Urchin tackle this issue?
What can I do??? Manual removal is extremely difficult; I have a jerk clown that attacks my hand and if I brush the algae it ends up irritating all my corals. Not only that there are some difficult access points on the side where photographed.

I need some serious help or I'm bound to throw in the towel. SOS

 

[T-J]

Please post pictures of the algae.
Also, have you tested your RODI water for Phosphates?
Are you sure it's algae and not Dinos or something else?

 

[Christopher Poore]

Please post pictures of the algae.
Also, have you tested your RODI water for Phosphates?
Are you sure it's algae and not Dinos or something else?

Sorry I realized the photos didn't attach. They are uploaded now.

 

[fluked]

Like the above, add photos. Also, tank size?
If it is GHA i recommend looking into fluconazole (reef flux)
I was struggling with a bad outbreak for most of this year until i used it to clear everything. Really can't recommend it enough after that.

Also, what i do when manually brushing off with a toothbrush, i put a filter sock in my sump, and run airline tubing from the DT into the filter sock, so i can use the siphon to remove whatever i brush off, and to pull of any chunks i can grab.

 

[Christopher Poore]

Please post pictures of the algae.
Also, have you tested your RODI water for Phosphates?
Are you sure it's algae and not Dinos or something else?

I have not yet tested my RODI for phosphates. Happy to do that tonight. If there is a phosphate reading in my RODI what is the recommended route?

 

[SCUBACON]

I recently have been struggling with brown hair algae as well. I recently added a very small amount of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide, and a good amount of the algae has subsided.

 

[Christopher Poore]

Like the above, add photos. Also, tank size?
If it is GHA i recommend looking into fluconazole (reef flux)
I was struggling with a bad outbreak for most of this year until i used it to clear everything. Really can't recommend it enough after that.

Also, what i do when manually brushing off with a toothbrush, i put a filter sock in my sump, and run airline tubing from the DT into the filter sock, so i can use the siphon to remove whatever i brush off, and to pull of any chunks i can grab.

Photos Uploaded. 200L - 52g.

To me the algae looks brown; but it could be GHA? I did a bit of research on Reef Flux and am fearful of the impact on corals. I do have some high-end montis, torches and chalices.

Good idea on filtering it out using a syphon. I may give that a shot

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

For hair algae I hAve had great success using AlgaeFix. Even in a full blown sps tank, it worked very well. Fluconazole on the other hand was very harsh on Acropora.

 

[vetteguy53081]

High case of Green hair algae (GHA). Is this tank at or near a window by chance.
Other causes will be high Phosphates
Using Tap water instead of RODI water
Overfeeding.

With a little patience- Pull AS much as you can by hand, reduce or turn off white lights for a week then add the following:

Turbo grazer snails
astrea snails
trochus snails
cerith snails
Nassarius snails

Pin cushion urchin
12 small carribean blue leg hermits.

A sea hare will mow this down also <>,, BUT will starve when algae is gone

 

[fluked]

Photos Uploaded. 200L - 52g.

To me the algae looks brown; but it could be GHA? I did a bit of research on Reef Flux and am fearful of the impact on corals. I do have some high-end montis, torches and chalices.

Good idea on filtering it out using a syphon. I may give that a shot

Looks like gha. If you want to see the true colour, pull some out and look at it under natural light, it will likely be more green.
Try what i said, manually remove it with a siphon into a filter sock, what you have in the picture is super long and you should be able to get 90%. I would use fingers to pull it into the siphon first, then tooth brush scrub the rocks, then afterwards use the siphon to clean and zoas that got gha stuck on them.

As for the fluc, that's fine, i was very hesitant as wel (only used half dose) i was just struggling with the outbreak for so long i was willing to try anything. Hopefully you dont come to that!

 

[brandon429]

.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Lol, I imagine your hand as you been nibbles for fish, what are you scared of? Lights for me will be 1st thing to change

 

[czoolander]

.25 nitrates seems very low did you mean 25.0 nitrates ?

What worked for me was dialed back feeding like every 3rd day maybe 10-15 pellets and made sure every piece was eaten nothing got in the rocks or sand or down the return pipe.

Dosing Red Sea NOPOX . exactly to what the instructions asked for in 10 days . Test your peramiters every day while you do this . I got my phosphate and nitrates to 0.00 for 4 days . At which point the GHA was starving and on the way out . I know I am the anomaly on this and not everyone can beat GHA in under 2 weeks but it can be done so don't give up hope. My method worked for me and hopefully can for you too .

Oh also clean out your filter sock daily and vacuum out detritus in the sump every day maybe do a small 2.5-5 gallon water change with the daily vacuum .

If you want a more natural patient process. Reduce feeding . Hand pull algae and siphon . Tuxedo urchins and Mexican turbo snails .

Good luck man !

 

[Christopher Poore]

nothing will beat a rip clean, the job can be pre modeled on one test rock before use, and it will comply.

then in five days of seeing that one test rock perfection, we do the rip clean shown below, the after pics shown below happen


rip cleaning removes the feed for that algae, given your good verified source water.

this job would shine

Algae Identification

Any opinions on what type of algae this is growing on my rocks and sand bed?

www.reef2reef.com

thats the top 5 I know of.

Lol, I imagine your hand as you been nibbles for fish, what are you scared of? Lights for me will be 1st thing to change

As I noted in the original post. There are some extremely difficult access points. Even when pulling with my hand there tends to be some dense pockets that stay stuck to the rock.

My goal is to determine if there is CUC that will actually eat this.

 

[Christopher Poore]

High case of Green hair algae (GHA). Is this tank at or near a window by chance.
Other causes will be high Phosphates
Using Tap water instead of RODI water
Overfeeding.

With a little patience- Pull AS much as you can by hand, reduce or turn off white lights for a week then add the following:

Turbo grazer snails
astrea snails
trochus snails
cerith snails
Nassarius snails

Pin cushion urchin
12 small carribean blue leg hermits.

A sea hare will mow this down also <>,, BUT will starve when algae is gone

Hey Vette.

I have attempted to use ALL of those snails and hermits, and they have done absolutely nothing. Not a scratch.

I am considering some time of urchin but have not had any experience with them in the past.

I'll do some research on sea hares.

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

As I noted in the original post. There are some extremely difficult access points. Even when pulling with my hand there tends to be some dense pockets that stay stuck to the rock.

My goal is to determine if there is CUC that will actually eat this.

Mexican turbo snails will eat hair algae.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

I have two scientists that can tell you all from birth two this stage of development, I also have two hair algae stylists that can braid ? I can enlist either lol

 

[Christopher Poore]

.25 nitrates seems very low did you mean 25.0 nitrates ?

What worked for me was dialed back feeding like every 3rd day maybe 10-15 pellets and made sure every piece was eaten nothing got in the rocks or sand or down the return pipe.

Dosing Red Sea NOPOX . exactly to what the instructions asked for in 10 days . Test your peramiters every day while you do this . I got my phosphate and nitrates to 0.00 for 4 days . At which point the GHA was starving and on the way out . I know I am the anomaly on this and not everyone can beat GHA in under 2 weeks but it can be done so don't give up hope. My method worked for me and hopefully can for you too .

Oh also clean out your filter sock daily and vacuum out detritus in the sump every day maybe do a small 2.5-5 gallon water change with the daily vacuum .

If you want a more natural patient process. Reduce feeding . Hand pull algae and siphon . Tuxedo urchins and Mexican turbo snails .

Good luck man !

The result was .25 using a salifert. I will retest tonight.

I've dialed back-feeding quite a bit; half of a frozen cube each day. I can dial that back even more to half every other day.

I'm a bit fearful of using NOPOX to reduce phosphates too rapidly as I do have some higher end corals that still need some form of po4 & no3..

I am looking into urchins though as an option.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey Vette.

I have attempted to use ALL of those snails and hermits, and they have done absolutely nothing. Not a scratch.

I am considering some time of urchin but have not had any experience with them in the past.

I'll do some research on sea hares.

Dollabella sea hare is the one that will eat this.
I have pin cushion which is a lawn mower.
Surprised on the snails.. . . . . also those snails will eat it one you pull by hand- not the state their in.
Liquid Vibrant also good.
IS TANK AT OR NEAR A WINDOW?

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Hey Vette.

I have attempted to use ALL of those snails and hermits, and they have done absolutely nothing. Not a scratch.

I am considering some time of urchin but have not had any experience with them in the past.

I'll do some research on sea hares

As I noted in the original post. There are some extremely difficult access points. Even when pulling with my hand there tends to be some dense pockets that stay stuck to the rock.

My goal is to determine if there is CUC that will actually eat this.

Ok so cuc is great but unfortunately will not cure this problem. Cuc have only small stomachs so would not touch a square inch in 1 sitting, meaning no cuc could cure this only hands on