Tank blackout concerns

[hockeyhead019]

So I'm having quite the algae breakout in my DT. I'm considering a blackout to try and get things back under control as I tackle the root issue. My concern is with the coral I have being too negatively affected by blacking out the tank for a couple days.

Current coral:
Frogspawn
Duncan
Zoa colonies (assorted)
Micromussa
Pagoda Cup

Game plan is to black out the tank for 3-4 days and then vacuum everything and do a 25% water change each day post blackout until the tank water has been completely turned over.

Anybody have thoughts/recommendations?

 

[TheEngineer]

I’ve done 72 hour blackouts in the past without issue.

 

[Auto-pilot]

I've tried a black out before with very little success. I have taken entire rocks out before with acan corals on it and poured peroxide on it to kill the alge. This was on a rock from Craigslist as a guy didn't want it anymore. The coral was fine and the alge died and turned white overnight!

 

[mtraylor]

1 day with no lights are actually good for the corals every now and then. Low light days happen in nature as well as very little light. 2 to 3 days will not kill your corals.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Shouldn’t be a issue, I have done multiple day black outs including covering tank to block room lighting without any issues with corals.

 

[SPR1968]

I’ve done 3 day blackouts when I had a Dino problem, and it’s just like a storm in the ocean so you won’t have any issues.

The tank should come out looking better than ever.

 

[hockeyhead019]

Thanks for the replies everybody. Good to know other have done it with no issues. I'll probably give it a shot in the next couple weeks with the tank covered by a towel or something to black it completely out from any ambient light as well.

Cheers

 

[Ash321]

Thanks for the replies everybody. Good to know other have done it with no issues. I'll probably give it a shot in the next couple weeks with the tank covered by a towel or something to black it completely out from any ambient light as well.

Cheers

Was asking the same thing a few days ago! I have sps lps and softies. Did a 72hr blackout with advice from on here happy to say it ease alage and dino issues most my corals dont look affected except a couple of softies sulking a tad

 

[Ron Reefman]

I've done 3 day total blackouts (even covering the tank). It helped some, but was not a final solution.

I've done blue only lights (I have good leds) for as long as 2 weeks and this was more successful, but still not the final solution. BTW, the corals still polyp out and look good, so way less stress.

I found that spending hours with my hands in the tank picking at hairy algae (as well as some other algae) works better. It takes time to get close to clearing the tank of algae. And it has to be done over, and over, and over, and over! But I found that every time I did it, the algae grew back less and less. And I use filter socks anyway, but they are even more useful after a picking at algae session. It also helps to feed less and do more water changes, Especially after doing an in tank scrubbing.

There were some very difficult areas to reach and to clear. So I bought a couple of small, brass wire brushes at the hardware store and literally scrubbed some areas in the tank. I also pulled some corals and some rocks so I could scrub them with the wire brush while holding it over the kitchen sink and under good light. I even allowed the corals to get rinsed in cool fresh tap water to clear loose algae after I scrubbed at it.

In my case, in a 120g tank, I had to do this 2 to 4 times a week (as time was available) over 4 or 5 weeks!

It also helps to have some algae eaters in the tank, like a tang, lawnmower blenny, snails and lettuce nudibranchs.

I hope this helps & good luck!

 

[hockeyhead019]

I've done 3 day total blackouts (even covering the tank). It helped some, but was not a final solution.

I've done blue only lights (I have good leds) for as long as 2 weeks and this was more successful, but still not the final solution. BTW, the corals still polyp out and look good, so way less stress.

I found that spending hours with my hands in the tank picking at hairy algae (as well as some other algae) works better. It takes time to get close to clearing the tank of algae. And it has to be done over, and over, and over, and over! But I found that every time I did it, the algae grew back less and less. And I use filter socks anyway, but they are even more useful after a picking at algae session. It also helps to feed less and do more water changes, Especially after doing an in tank scrubbing.

There were some very difficult areas to reach and to clear. So I bought a couple of small, brass wire brushes at the hardware store and literally scrubbed some areas in the tank. I also pulled some corals and some rocks so I could scrub them with the wire brush while holding it over the kitchen sink and under good light. I even allowed the corals to get rinsed in cool fresh tap water to clear loose algae after I scrubbed at it.

In my case, in a 120g tank, I had to do this 2 to 4 times a week (as time was available) over 4 or 5 weeks!

It also helps to have some algae eaters in the tank, like a tang, lawnmower blenny, snails and lettuce nudibranchs.

I hope this helps & good luck!

This is great information and much appreciated! I haven't tried or heard of the only blue lights (my LEDs will allow me to do that as well) so maybe I'll give that and just keep at the scrubbing as that's what I've been doing. Thanks for the input

 

[Ron Reefman]

hockeyhead, you are very welcome.

Besides, I have to assume with a screen name like hockeyhead, you have to be a hockey fan. Duh! And I'd wager it for the Flyers? I grew up in Detroit and my dad was from northwest of Toronto, so he watched Red Wing games on local Detroit UHF station (way before cable TV) and Maple Leaf games on the channel out of Winsor (right across the river from Detroit). My mom was a hockey widow all winter. I'm still a Red Wing fan but they sure have been struggling the last 5 years. Now I'm in SW Florida so I'm kind of a Tampa Bay Lightning fan, but I'm more into our local ECHL team the Everblades (a play on Everglades). The games are cheap to attend ($15) and the guys play their butts off. They don't get crap for pay and therefore they play hard all the time to try and move up to the AHL and then the NHL. So every game is like a playoff game. Not like so many NHL millionaires who play just well enough to make the playoffs and then play for real. But I still love watching once the Stanley Cup playoffs start! ;Hurting;Mask;Blackeye;Dead

 

[hockeyhead019]

hockeyhead, you are very welcome.

Besides, I have to assume with a screen name like hockeyhead, you have to be a hockey fan. Duh! And I'd wager it for the Flyers? I grew up in Detroit and my dad was from northwest of Toronto, so he watched Red Wing games on local Detroit UHF station (way before cable TV) and Maple Leaf games on the channel out of Winsor (right across the river from Detroit). My mom was a hockey widow all winter. I'm still a Red Wing fan but they sure have been struggling the last 5 years. Now I'm in SW Florida so I'm kind of a Tampa Bay Lightning fan, but I'm more into our local ECHL team the Everblades (a play on Everglades). The games are cheap to attend ($15) and the guys play their butts off. They don't get crap for pay and therefore they play hard all the time to try and move up to the AHL and then the NHL. So every game is like a playoff game. Not like so many NHL millionaires who play just well enough to make the playoffs and then play for real. But I still love watching once the Stanley Cup playoffs start! ;Hurting;Mask;Blackeye;Dead

Yes, I love hockey. And yes I'm a Flyers fan (as painful as it's been the past couple years lol). Nothing beats playoff hockey! We have a couple ECHL teams in the area that are fun to watch.

 

[ZoWhat]

I use to do endless blackouts, WCs, less feeding, less light-cycle, etc etc

Then I stumbled across people talking about RedSea's NoPox.... then Randy Holmes Farley start talking about carbon dosing to SUPERCHARGE good bacteria to eat all the algae.... then RHF started talking about NoPox is basically a 50/50 mix of 80proof vodka and 3% vinegar.

So i went to the store and bought the cheapest 80proof vodka i could find, then foodgrade 3% vinegar.

I have a 180g DT so I started slow but now up to one shotglass full of vodka and one shotglass full of vinegar each morning. i think a shotglass holds 1.5ozs. Dosing takes me 2mins as I'm walking out the door.

6 weeks later not a single sign of GHA or any algae. In fact, did a NO3 test and the Salifert test result was crystal-clear solution after 3-5mins, proving no sign of any NO3.

If you want to kick algae, I highly suggest you search this board using keywords "vodka vinegar dosing"

Hth