Will algaecides kill anything?
- Thread starter ianw163
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Tired
2500 Club Member
What kind of algaecide, and in what dosage?
Algaecides tend to harm the tank's ecosystem and delay maturity, without actually doing anything to address the root cause of the algae. It's better to find out why there's an algae issue and deal with that, instead of trying to poison it away. Safer for the creatures in the tank, and much more likely to be effective long-term.
Algaecides tend to harm the tank's ecosystem and delay maturity, without actually doing anything to address the root cause of the algae. It's better to find out why there's an algae issue and deal with that, instead of trying to poison it away. Safer for the creatures in the tank, and much more likely to be effective long-term.
The_Paradox
Valuable Member
While vague (how long is a piece of string), most algaecides will have a negative effect on the aforementioned animals. Depending on the type of algae, start with nutrient control and beefing up the clean up crew.
The_Paradox
Valuable Member
UV, clean up crew, manually pulling it out, toothbrush, nutrient export, there are a lot of ways depending on what type. If you are not sure, you can post a photo and I am sure you will get suggestions.
Tired
2500 Club Member
Yes, many ways. First you have to figure out what kind of algae it is, and why it's causing an issue.
Do you have any pictures of it?
How old is the tank, and was it started with dry/dead rock, ocean live rock, or something else?
What are your water parameters? Particularly nitrate and phosphate.
How big is the tank, and what animals (fish, corals, snails, etc) do you have?
Do you have any pictures of it?
How old is the tank, and was it started with dry/dead rock, ocean live rock, or something else?
What are your water parameters? Particularly nitrate and phosphate.
How big is the tank, and what animals (fish, corals, snails, etc) do you have?
The_Paradox
Valuable Member
For the algae on the return, you can just pull it out and clean it. At the top of the photo it looks like basic green hair algae. If you have it in the tank I would just add to the clean up crew (more snails, crabs, whatever). Try adding some Turbo Snails and Blue Leg Hermit crabs. I personally would start with 2 Turbos and 10-15 Blue legs. If you want more fish a Lawnmower Blenny will also get the job done, but they can be too efficient in a tank that size. Other options are Emerald Crabs, Tuxedo Urchins, Astreas, etc, but I personally would start with the Turbo Snails and Blue Hermits.
Before you add anything though, see if your local store can test your water. Would be unfortunate to add new livestock and then have it die.
Tired
2500 Club Member
You should get ahold of a phosphate test kit and a nitrate test kit. Those are good to keep track of, particularly if you want to try corals.
This looks like pretty standard algae. It's not a problem, it's just what happens when you have a bare surface. You can try to keep it clean by hand, you can add some snails to eat the algae, or you can just leave it alone- it won't hurt anything.
This looks like pretty standard algae. It's not a problem, it's just what happens when you have a bare surface. You can try to keep it clean by hand, you can add some snails to eat the algae, or you can just leave it alone- it won't hurt anything.
