Struggling with algae

[Pennywise the Clown]

I have been struggling with this algae for months. Every couple of weeks I remove as much as I can and scrub the rocks clean but it just returns.
Originally I thought it was GHA but now I'm not so sure. It grows in clumps, doesn't get that long and is greenish in daylight lighting but under a AB+ schedule it looks brown.
My nitrates and phosphates are zero but there isn't enough algae to soak it all up in my opinion.
No clean up crew, including turbos and a sea hare, will touch it.

 

[Wen]

I have been struggling with this algae for months. Every couple of weeks I remove as much as I can and scrub the rocks clean but it just returns.
Originally I thought it was GHA but now I'm not so sure. It grows in clumps, doesn't get that long and is greenish in daylight lighting but under a AB+ schedule it looks brown.
My nitrates and phosphates are zero but there isn't enough algae to soak it all up in my opinion.
No clean up crew, including turbos and a sea hare, will touch it.

Hello Steve, try not to get discouraged, be patient and consider small changes.
Here’s a couple ideas that come to mind:
Do weekly water changes, toothbrush algae every time prior to WC, confirm that your RODI source is top notch, attach a refugium for macro algae to outcompete nuisance algae, do you have a skimmer?, add a pin cushion urchin, confirm your lighting schedule/settings are correct, read up on the delicate relationship between phosphates & nitrates and consider your fish food (amounts, rinsed foods, pellets).
Almost all of us have been through the ugly stages, whether it’s nuisance algae of some sort, Cyanobacteria or Dinos.
Persistence wins every time! You can do it!

 

[brandon429]

Hey you are close to fixing it, just the willingness to access your rocks for hand guiding is all we needed
Most will not do that. You are missing the algae kill step portion of the removal, scrubbing is like lawn mowing where anchors are left to regrow. Do one test rock from this thread, then compare regrowth to your other attempts I bet this new added step works:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/reef2reef-pest-algae-challenge-thread-hydrogen-peroxide.187042/

Sub linked in that thread is over 500 gha fixes, it's rather easy for most accessible systems

Want to know what I feel one of the chief takeaways coming from the nine years of logged work above- algae doesn't usually signify anything wrong with the tank or tank params.

We've been trained by hobby posts: seeing coralline on a reef/ normal

See algae on a reef, something is bad go buy some testers and begin a months long half attempt.
Algae just grows because it gets all it needs from any reef where a beak or jaw isn't there to break it off the reef as food. We just chemically burn it off there during your normal access routine

Killing the holdfasts is why our test rocks keep beating other compared methods even though we haven't ever used a nitrate or phosphate test kit to earn the fixed tanks.

If you will separate the actions that prevent algae from growing away from the actions that kill it directly, you’ll win. Clean up crews, water adjustments, meds and dosers you add to the water, aren’t meant to remove algae that is in place due to natural adaptation. Cucs feed on algae in balance for a natural reef, they don’t rid the reef of algae they balance it. You are dealing with an invader that can take over your rocks, it shows, there is no room for balance just take all the ground now. Clean up crews do not fix algae invasions on real reefs, the algae just kills the coral where it finds adaptation. check the Netflix movie about corals it’s amazing as an algae study and causative video.

Apply new animals, clean up crews, water param balances etc in the clean condition not the invaded one. Cause the uninvaded condition, don’t wait or hope for it. When your tank is algae free then apply all the supports to keep it that way. doing the opposite is literally why gha problems rack this hobby for thirty years and hardly anyone is making ground. The algae posts just keep coming even though params are ok for most of the posters before the invasion, because in the ocean algae grows in all water conditions

 

[Mical]

Check your mag level. Upping magnesium will help

 

[brandon429]

Agreed that usually helps too as a growback preventer lots of web posts show

 

[reacclimating 2 the hobby]

Hello Steve, try not to get discouraged, be patient and consider small changes.
Here’s a couple ideas that come to mind:
Do weekly water changes, toothbrush algae every time prior to WC, confirm that your RODI source is top notch, attach a refugium for macro algae to outcompete nuisance algae, do you have a skimmer?, add a pin cushion urchin, confirm your lighting schedule/settings are correct, read up on the delicate relationship between phosphates & nitrates and consider your fish food (amounts, rinsed foods, pellets).
Almost all of us have been through the ugly stages, whether it’s nuisance algae of some sort, Cyanobacteria or Dinos.
Persistence wins every time! You can do it!

+1

 

[MabuyaQ]

Snails generally don't like to eat long strands of GHA, but will eat it once someone else has shortened it.

Seahares have a terrible survivalrate in captivity and can be fuzzy eaters. They can eat algae like this for the first couple off days/weeks and than starve in a tank covered with the same algae, but also never eat it at all. And they are very likely to end up in a pump. No one should ever buy one so everyone would stop selling them. These animals can only be kept long term in a seahare dedicated tank.

Sea-urchins in general are the best herbivores but tend to make a mess because they also like to camouflage themselves with their foodsource (a briliant always bring your own lunch stategy). Smaller ones like the tuxedo can be used in almost every aquarium. And ones urchins start mowing the lawn snails start grazing the leftovers as well.

 

[LiveWire]

There is a lot of great information above from the great members here at R2R. This video that Mark did may help you in taking care of the issue also.