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Tswifty
04/23/2008, 01:23 PM
I upped the lighting on my 55g tank... about 2 weeks ago.

I had a serious outbreak of some kind of green algae. I removed the rocks, scrubbed them, and put everything back.

However since then, I get these outbreaks about every 3 days... I can't get rid of it!!!

I'm beginning to worry about my corals now... how do I get rid of this stuff???

I just added a large clump of caulerpa to my refugium to hopefully help... but what else can I do?

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/algae1.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/algae2.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/algae3.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/algae4.jpg

Tswifty
04/23/2008, 01:27 PM
Here's the fuge with the caulerpa I added:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/z1.jpg

Michael
04/23/2008, 02:07 PM
whats your phosphate and nitrate readings, i presume they are 0 as the algae is probably using them up, ive had spouts but keep changing the water and it soon clears, there may be a possibility your make up water has trates, just a thought

Tswifty
04/23/2008, 02:11 PM
here's the other thread that is getting more traffic... I learned that it's Bryopsis... apparently a royal PITA to get rid of.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1376900

My numbers are (as of last night):
Nitrate: <1
Phosphate: 0.125
Calcium: 400
dKH: 14
Magnesium: 1410

Michael
04/23/2008, 02:15 PM
i have never been able to get my dkh to 14, sorry to be off thread by how do you get them up there? mine are usually about 7.5 i have had at 9 but it settles at about 7.5 again

rbursek
04/23/2008, 02:19 PM
Baked baking soda raises alk and ph, unbaked will raise alk and drop ph.

Tswifty
04/23/2008, 02:20 PM
I don't want it that high... it spiked big time, and I am actually in the process of trying to figure out why and how?

To raise dkh I add Kent Pro Buffer... On right.

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/s1-1.jpg

sabbath
04/23/2008, 02:22 PM
What worked for me is.

-Run a GFO in a reactor. Change it once a week until it starts to die off.

-Make sure your RO/DI TDS is 0-1

Michael
04/23/2008, 02:22 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12395287#post12395287 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rbursek
Baked baking soda raises alk and ph, unbaked will raise alk and drop ph.

thanks very much rburesk, sorry tswifty8 did not mean to post off thread on your thread, my apoligies:)

Tswifty
04/23/2008, 02:24 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12395310#post12395310 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mikeydj
thanks very much rburesk, sorry tswifty8 did not mean to post off thread on your thread, my apoligies:)
No worries :thumbsup:

RyanMKintz
04/23/2008, 08:19 PM
keep up with the water changes and vac out as uch as possibe scrub it off with a tooth brush

RyanMKintz
04/23/2008, 08:19 PM
keep up with the water changes and vac out as much as possibe scrub it off with a tooth brush

Tswifty
04/23/2008, 08:30 PM
Yep... doing a 15g change here in a little.

Going to scrape and vac...

Also remove all the corals with the algae on them, and scrub the rocks and frag discs in a bucket of tank water. Then put them back in the tank.

captainobvious
04/23/2008, 08:32 PM
Are you using RODI water for your changes? How often and much are you feeding? You can try scrubbing the rocks, killing the lights for a couple days and do a 10% water change each day. Also, do you have any kind of clean up crew or algae eating fish? A tang and a lawnmower blenny /Diamond goby might help out as well.

Tswifty
04/23/2008, 08:38 PM
RO/DI water... just added 3 chromis 2 days ago... and have fed extremely light twice... Nothing fed before then.

Nitrates are almost undetectable.

I can't kill the lights because there are lots of coral frags in the tank.

It's primarily a prop tank, so there are only a few small hermit crabs in the tank.

I think I'm going to add a rabbitfish, if I don't see any improvement in a week from upping the Mag level.

seapug
04/23/2008, 09:03 PM
Plain baking soda works fine as a Alkalinity booster. It won't affect pH when used in moderation.

That said, Alkalinity won't kill that Bryopsis. Raising your Magnesium level with Tech M and hooking up a PhosBan reactor with GFO media is a method that has worked for many, including me. I will never set up another tank without a PhosBan reactor and GFO. IMO, they are just as important as protein skimmers.

Tswifty
04/23/2008, 09:15 PM
I have a new phosban reactor in my closet and phosban media... I just need to pick up a pump and some tubing for it tomorrow.

The jump in dKH wasn't intentional... I'm going to try boosting Mag.

what is GFO media... is that phosban?

seapug
04/23/2008, 09:36 PM
yeah, PhosBan is the TLF brand name for GFO (granular ferric oxide). Hook it up. It'll permanently solve your problem in a few weeks, if not sooner.

Tswifty
04/23/2008, 10:43 PM
I'm unhooking my carbon and hooking it up tonight... I was tearing this stuff out by the fist fulls... One of my chromis actually was stuck to the wall in it... It's all over my frags, my rocks, my walls... In 4 years of doing this I've never experienced anything like this.

captainobvious
04/23/2008, 10:53 PM
There are cloudy days in the ocean as well. I think your corals should be fine with a day or two of darkness. Maybe do that at the same time you get your Phosban cranking...

Tswifty
04/23/2008, 11:26 PM
Phosban reactor is loaded and running now

Michael
04/23/2008, 11:37 PM
pleased to hear that tswifty8, hope all goes well, i have been following your thread and hope you will let us know how it goes, it may well help others with the outcome which i suspect will be success quite quickly:rollface:

Tswifty
04/24/2008, 01:05 PM
Here's some before/after pics from this morning after last nights, late night, scrubbing/cleaning expedition:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/algae2.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/f2.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/algae4.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/f3.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/algae1.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/f5.jpg

Tswifty
04/24/2008, 01:06 PM
...and here's what I syphoned out:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/f1.jpg

Tswifty
04/24/2008, 01:16 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12399396#post12399396 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mikeydj
pleased to hear that tswifty8, hope all goes well, i have been following your thread and hope you will let us know how it goes, it may well help others with the outcome which i suspect will be success quite quickly:rollface:
Thanks Mike.

I definatley located the frag that this junk came in on... As soon as I had the outbreak and realized it wasn't hair algae, I was 99% sure who the culprit was.

It came in on a Zoo frag, I remember when I added it I saw this junk on it, but didn't think it was a big deal. Big mistake... lesson definately learned now, and my initial inspections of new purchases just had another item added to the checklist.

Young Frankenstein
04/24/2008, 03:34 PM
That amount of chaeto or caluerpa is not going to do much as far as nitrates removal. Run GFO. Measurement of nitrate or phosphate gets kind of tricky....because when you do the measurement the algae has consumed the phosphates and nitrates. A clear indication of nitrate and phosphate, is the algae :D

Young Frankenstein
04/24/2008, 03:37 PM
Raising MG to 1600ppm will kill the hair algae, but wont hurt calurpa or chaeto, so thats another way.

Tswifty
04/24/2008, 05:04 PM
Both reactors up and running...

Left is HydroCarbon, Right is Phosban

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/reactors.jpg

Tswifty
04/28/2008, 03:59 PM
I am having some serious trouble getting my mag level up to 1600. So far I haven't been able to get it up over 1410.

Also, I did another cleaning today with a razorblade and net. A ton of junk came off the back. Still missed a few spots though.

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/al1.jpg

jason214
04/28/2008, 04:09 PM
i've tried dosing mag for the same problem, My softies didn't like it much so i quit(call me chicken) i would keep on eye on things if you do it. It takes like 80% of that bottle over like a week or 2. Thats alot of magnesium. Watch your numbers closely if you do it. Stuff rises and falls with magnesium

Tswifty
04/28/2008, 04:19 PM
I got all my frags pretty cheap so I'd rather lose them and kick this problem, then transfer this problem into my 90g tank. As of right now, I wouldn't be comfortable transfering any of the frags into my 90

Tswifty
04/29/2008, 03:30 PM
Good news... since I cut out most of the bryopsis the other day, the yellow tang has been grazing 24/7 on the shorter pieces that are left.

Tswifty
04/30/2008, 04:04 PM
Video of the tang picking at the Bryopsis. He's been going crazy all day long munching it down. :D

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/th_MOV00983.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/?action=view&current=MOV00983.flv)

kayne_21
04/30/2008, 04:41 PM
Maybe he was just scared of what might be living in the bryopsis before you trimmed it back some ;)

Tswifty
04/30/2008, 09:31 PM
haha... no kidding... seriously I found one of my chromis basically dead stuck in it on the back wall.

bdare
05/01/2008, 12:51 PM
I didn't know that elevated Mg would knock down GHA!

Tswifty
05/01/2008, 01:08 PM
I don't know it's effects on GHA... I know it's about the only thing that will kill bryopsis successfully. However, I have been unable thus far in my attempts to hit the recommended level of 1600.

I manually removed just about all of it, and the yellow tang has been slowly helping to get what I missed.

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SAP huh... I actually am just gaining exposure to this, and begining to learn about it. My company has me working on a project attempting to implement the production management module.

Playa-1
05/01/2008, 01:56 PM
Wow! What a nightmare. I hope that I don't have to ever deal with that stuff.

Tswifty
05/01/2008, 02:15 PM
SAP or Bryopsis :lol:

bdare
05/01/2008, 02:32 PM
If you've never seen SAP before trying to implement a module by yourself will be near impossible....

Tswifty
05/01/2008, 04:50 PM
Yeah I'm def not going it alone.

Tswifty
05/01/2008, 04:53 PM
Updated Levels in the 55g tank... The bryopsis isn't coming back nearly as quick now. I've been running the lights in my fuge 24/7 and the caulerpa and cheato are growing like mad.

Temp: 80.8
SG: 1.024
pH: 8.15
dKH: 11
Ca: 360
Mag: 1350
Phosphate: Undetectable
Nitrate: Undetectable