should I adopt a system after recovering from algae outbreak?

[turbo2oh]

My setup is a 3.5 year old 60g cube. I recently recovered from some bad parameters and a turf algae overrun. Thanks to Vibrant and some work on my part its recovering! Now I'm trying to decide what to do next to help keep things in line.

Tank:
60g Reef Savvy cube
Acrylic sump (20x20x13)
Kessil A360WE
Kessil H80 fuge light
AquaMaxx ConeS CO-1 Skimmer
BRS Reactor - currently running GFO
Apex
Jebao DC6000 return (I think)
Avast Marine top-off
Also, have an old Vertex Zeo Reactor (used, never been used by me)

Corals (pretty sparse right now, suffered some losses, softies have started to take over) :
small SPS frags nothing fancy a few monti caps have grown out
mix of LPS
mix of softies
small RBTA

I'm considering the following options:
1) Kalk - Seems simple. I think I'd want to dose it instead of adding to my top-off because my evaporation rate changes pretty drastically between winter/summer. Also, worried about little hands getting into my top off water so would rather not add it there.
2) BRS 2 part - already have some. Could just start following their maintenance instructions and dose it manually or ideally with a dosing pump going forward.
3) Triton - I have a decent sump light and room in my sump for Chaeto (recently wiped out by Vibrant). No water changes sounds amazing and heard it works better on mature tanks.
4) Zeovit - have the used reactor already, seems like a proven method. not sure if my softies would like it.
5) Other - something I haven't considered yet? red sea system possibly?

If anyone has any input/suggestions/advice that might be relevant to my situation I'd appreciate.

 

[Paullawr]

Hi

What are you trying to achieve? You mention you had a turf algae outbreak but for the most part the ideas you are bouncing around are to add major trace elements (zeovit aside).

What's the end game

I'm not a fan of using vibrant. Went South for me, to be fair so do many bacteria products.

If I were you I'd be encouraging algae in a scrubber or fuge and maintain elements with kalkwasser and reeflowers trace elements for kalkwasser. I use in an ATO.

Still are you trying to balance tank or kill algae

 

[[Cameron]]

Fuge, chaeto reactor or algae scrubber would be my first step in that setup depending on budget and space. Keeping an alternating light cycle with beneficial algae works miracles for a tank. Not only are they natural filters but also a great place for pods and the like to live and develop as well as helps stabilize ph. Triton zero'd in on that approach and has made it popular for a reason.

 

[turbo2oh]

Hi

What are you trying to achieve? You mention you had a turf algae outbreak but for the most part the ideas you are bouncing around are to add major trace elements (zeovit aside).

What's the end game

I'm not a fan of using vibrant. Went South for me, to be fair so do many bacteria products.

If I were you I'd be encouraging algae in a scrubber or fuge and maintain elements with kalkwasser and reeflowers trace elements for kalkwasser. I use in an ATO.

Still are you trying to balance tank or kill algae

I was hesitant to use Vibrant as well but really its the only thing that has worked after probably a year of trying to fight it. I'll try to reduce how much I'm using soon and hopefully I'll be able to restart my fuge. I'm trying to balance the tank now that my algae is pretty much gone and keep it out

Fuge, chaeto reactor or algae scrubber would be my first step in that setup depending on budget and space. Keeping an alternating light cycle with beneficial algae works miracles for a tank. Not only are they natural filters but also a great place for pods and the like to live and develop as well as helps stabilize ph. Triton zero'd in on that approach and has made it popular for a reason.

Thanks, I can restart the fuge once I reduce Vibrant enough for chaeto to survive. Yeah triton is definitely appealing, I need to find more success stories. I'm a little concerned about how many stories I've seen of people starting it then switching to something else.

 

[[Cameron]]

Thanks, I can restart the fuge once I reduce Vibrant enough for chaeto to survive. Yeah triton is definitely appealing, I need to find more success stories. I'm a little concerned about how many stories I've seen of people starting it then switching to something else.

The current issue with Triton is getting it in the states and the new milk carton style containers leaking. That seems to be its major issue at the moment.

 

[Oberst Oswald]

I run Triton for over a year on a 2 year old 65 gallon tank. Works great until it "gets away from you". Not cheap to get started and you will be buying little bottles of elements. I've found that the tank does not use the the 4 bottles (or cartons) at a equal rate with time. Example... keeping alk at 8 does not mean your calcium will stay at 440 forever and you will have to play with the dosing. I'm fighting Dinos for the last few months and I don't know if the Triton Method had something to do with it. Admit I don't have the perfect Triton sump but my tank was pretty nice for probably 11 months and than it just went down real fast with the dino outbreak. Didn't do a water change for maybe 6 or 7 months. My 'frug was healthy except very dirty from running sockless. My guess what happened is that my tank was too efficient with very low no3 & po4 and I must of disturbed my dirty sump somehow and release a bunch of crap into the water. My theory... not doing a water change every once in awhile. Every living thing takes a crap and sooner or later reaches a "tipping point" as the crap adds up and not getting removed. The Triton tank is balanced to a fine edge which could be upset by for example... a larger type fish being added or removed. Now maybe my theory is full of crap, but after I beat these dino's, I'm still going to stay with Triton because it works so very well but I'm going to do a 10% to 15% water change every 1 or 2 months.