rip clean or partial rip clean?

[cristian1983]

Hello reefer, my name is Cristian and I am writing from Italy. I am writing to you for help or advice on how to approach some algae that are giving me serious problems. The reef tank is now 3 years old, it has never turned properly, it has always had a low consumption of kh.

I describe the technique
Dimensions 70x60x50cm
10x24 T5 ATI light
Tunze 2x6055
Skimmer ATB Microsize with PSK600
Calcium reactor
Return pump 6000 l/h

I've had several problems with cyano and dino, overcoming them after months of hard struggles. Now it's time for the algae that is invading my rock, I've tried scraping with a toothbrush and vacuuming with a hose, but it comes back after a few days. The last test I made was to make them react with H2O2 and I noticed that they turn white as they die.
*attach photo*

my goal is to save fish, corals and make these dang rocks work well. I'm here for advice, opinions, help!

thank you all

P.S. I forgot the RO water I produce with TDS always at 0 , and the cleaning crew: truncus, hermit crabs, and my mespilla do not like this algal species.

 

[woodyarmadillo]

Can you post parameters?
I would imagine you would want to do a full rip. It’s a beautiful looking tank and it’s probably going to be a lot of work but you could get it done in a several hour period. My understanding is the full rip will, if done correctly, will rid you of these unwanted algaes, but there is probably still something out of whack in your system that will need to be addressed long term.

I’m sure @brandon429 would love if you followed one of the guides and shared your experience.

thoughts @brandon429?

 

[C4ctus99]

I would say half measures may only get you halfway… is that a glass bottom? If so, rip cleaning would be incredibly easy, since there isn’t any sand to rinse

 

[Crustaceon]

The trick with the toothbrush and siphoning method is relentlessly attacking the algae over and over again until it's gone. That can take ten, twenty, fifty cleanings, but it will work eventually so long as nitrates and phosphates aren't allowed to further accumulate. The algae will come back each time because nutrients are locked in the algae you're scrubbing and the rock, which is gradually released. But over time and after lots of repeat cleanings and exporting that algae, it will go away. Personally, I wouldn't break your tank down. I think it's fixable. Another option you can try if toothbrushing isn't your thing is a sea hare. It would absolutely demolish that type of algae probably within a week. You'll have to rehome it afterwards though. I've personally tried this and had a really good experience. Just keep in mind, they're bulldozers and can knock over corals just like a big mexican turbo snail or a tuxedo urchin. Absolutely nothing in this hobby eats algae so voraciously though, so it's worth the risk.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Do you have a clean up crew? Snails and urchins (and sea hares) do a great job

Edit: I just saw your P.S. Adding more algaevores is going to help. Your current crabs/snails are not keeping up.

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

Looks like you have a nice tank! It also looks like it is bare bottom. A rip clean will help with the algae also turning down the photo period for all 10 lights. Look into the ph also. Try to get and keep it around 8.2 to 8.3. My tank has been rip cleaned and it is a great way to clean the rock. I need to do it again as it has been 3 or 4 years now. I have struggled with hair algae always and low PH. I feel the tanks that are pristine have that high ph of 8.3. good luck.

 

[Cell]

Weird looking stuff. It's not your typical hair algae, it looks almost fluffy.

 

[cristian1983]

Thanks to all I also await advice from other users.
If I find a sea hare after work today, I'll take it and see what happens.

As for the toothbrush work, when I do it I turn off everything except the return pump; with a tube connected to the drain brush all in sump inside a 100 micron sock.
So I can work non-stop.
Do you have any other tips about it?

 

[brandon429]

responded in message

for the team this was my brainstorm for him: trying to predict and remedy growback before it happens in a tank this large. a rip clean will for sure totally clear his algae, but the system is potentiated to just grow it back we can tell. so my brainstorms to him were: -30% light intensity reduction right off the bat held for two mos, his awesome corals will be fine. we don't require the blasting high intensity lights in every case, the spillover power grows algae bigtime. reducing light level % is easy and harms no reef and if it was not ideal for corals, which i predict isn't the case, we'd know by month 2

UV: asked about him getting a large UV to plumb into the system not for permanent use but as needed, especially during this battle, and to be installed in the post rip clean condition not before.

fluconazole: he has a green algae so that's about 98% likely to target it. BUT, I never follow the masses (they dump it in the tank and get dinos and cyano 2 mos later for the next 15 mos)

the brainstorm for his fluconazole option is to test a few rocks in a side bucket reef running it's dosage, pull them, rinse off, and set back into tank, chart the dieoff plus chart the growback. his rip clean should wait a few weeks before enactment

we want to test growback controls before the rip clean, and know what works. then rip clean, then apply the controls


*if this was a nano we'd skip all that he'd just rip clean right at the start cuz its easy access. it's frustrating when big tanks do a 10 hour rip clean then in july it's just back like it is, we're reverse engineering his invasion as best I can guess

 

[brandon429]

here are two things I'd never do to this tank:

rip clean it without prior determination of what works to reduce growback

and #1 wouldn't do, ever: apply clean up crews, or fluconazole in the tank, to rot/kill all this algae and then send it flying as dying cells all around to infect every crevice. that's what the masses do. he would for sure know his causatives first, have them pre-tested, then rip clean so that 0% mass is in the tank. in the perfectly clean condition tank, apply the known and pre-tested preventatives which may or may not include clean up crews (notable source of fish disease import, risky) and or fluconazole or any other doser.

 

[brandon429]

for any rocks that are easily accessible and lifted out, we'd be practicing surgery via knife tip scraping/rasping to dislodge all algae from the holdfast grips they apply, pressing firmly to truly debride the attachment off the rock surface and working around corals, then he'd apply peroxide carefully to the -cleaned- surfaces to burn off any holdfast cells, rinse those rocks in saltwater to jet off the scrapings, and set back. like a set of dentistry actions on teeth but these are actions on his rocks, making them clean each one at a time. he can be doing that while weighing options.

 

[cristian1983]

tell me if I understood correctly:
1 step decrease the light. I take my 10x24w to 8x24w and see what happens.

2 step i take a rock and test her to fluconazole

3 I add a uv sterilizer after the problem has disappeared (in this case, could you give me some information on the model that is right for me?)

Correct me if I misunderstood

Thank you for your support