indomitable algae

[Ron Popeil]

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b293/ronaldpopeil/algae1.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b293/ronaldpopeil/algae2.jpg

this is an algae that cannot be killed or consumed. it looks like regular green hair algae, but something about it is different. short. bushy. whispy. not long and stringy. here are the list of things i have utilized in an attempt to destroy this:

- foxface
- naso
- lawnmower blenny
- turbo snails
- abalone
- two long spine urchins
- sea hare

no avail. there has not been food added to this tank in almost three months. both ferric and aluminum oxide have been employed and are changed regularly. dual 250w halides have been replaced and are run only 8 hours a day. all prefilters and membrane have been changed on my RODI unit. water changes are 30 gallons a month on a 75 gallon system.

PO4 is .00 checked using a hanna and martini colorimeter
NO4 is 0 using elos

all the rock was removed and scrubbed with a brush four months ago. all of the sand was replaced. the tank looked awesome. but ever so slowly the algae crept back.

im about ready to seal all the live rock in the dark in a garbage can, or let it dry out and start completely over.

i have exhausted all my knowledge and local resources battling this.

any other suggestions?

[Ron Popeil]

yes, its ugly to look at. but dont let that discourage you from throwing out similar experiences or some solutions.

[Sapooloo]

peroxide dosing?

[bsrkjordan]

i have a similar problem in my tank and its only a month old! i have beeen looking and reading everything and i think im close. step one go to reefcleaners.org and look at there alge identifier. step two more frequent water changes. and step three dosing maybe carbon (vodka) or mb7. i got my rock from a lfs and i guess it hitch hiked on the rock too my tank. And if all else fails bleach it and re-cure it. I am sertanly no pro but this is what ive learned. Also the three days of light didnt work for me. Note this is not an advertisment for reef cleaners. com i have just found them helpful with alge id thanks and good luck buddy

[Ron Popeil]

thank you!

sapooloo, please expand on the peroxide dosing!

bsrkjordan, i would try the carbon dosing, if i felt the skimmer on the system was good enough to effectively work in conjunction. i might try it anyways, just to confirm this theory.

[carlos413]

I had a similar problem at first. For me I find that smaller weekley water changes helped me out a ton. I have a 55 gallon reef, I do 40 Gallons a month 10 gallons a week.

[d0ughb0y]

have you tried this?

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1595003

I had good results with it.

[Scungili]

I have a slightly different looking Hair algae in my tank as well. It may in fact not be hair algae. I also am reading 0.00 on the Hanna for Phosphates and 0.0 Nitrates on LaMotte for almost 2 weeks. It seems as though it's growing not receding. I have used AZNO3 with great results for lowering Nitrates. But this seems to be a new situation for me and it appears as though we have a similar problem. Im going to research this AlgaeFix a little more and I will be posting here. Thanks for this post.

[dogstar74]

Looks like Bryopsis. Do a search on that to find other methods of erradication. Rest assured you're in good company with many other frustrated reefers. Keep the faith.

First with Bryopsis, pH is very important. Keep it under control.
Second, Mg is very important. Raise it up above 1450 and it will probably melt away. Kent Tech M seems to be the favored brand of Mg to dose.
If you admit you have a smallish skimmer or less powerful, then time to go shopping.
Then you can start the Vodka dosing MB7 plan. Be sure to read all there is on the subject so you start it right and don't kill everything off in the tank.

If that fails, then people have been having good luck with a dedicated Algal Turf Scrubber. There's a whole thread on the technique in the Advanced Topics forum.

Hope you find an answer.

Cheers,
Aaron

[Alex T.]

I've used Algaefix marine and eliminated hair algae before. It does work. Use as directed and stick to it. I have a full blown SPS tank with clams and delicate fish and lost nothing. From my personal experience it's safe. Plus, you'll need a lot of Tech M to eradicate it.

[Ron Popeil]

its certainly not bryopsis, i almost wish it were, as ive used the magnesium treatment before with great success.

ill look into the algaefix and keep you posted.

[Ron Popeil]

alright, i went with algae fix. recommended dose every three days. it only took two weeks....

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b293/ronaldpopeil/algae.jpg

i had my doubts about the abilities of the product, but this is what the tank looks like now. it works!

[cside]

did you see any negative effects on corals or inverts?

[aquaman67]

alright, i went with algae fix. recommended dose every three days. it only took two weeks....

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b293/ronaldpopeil/algae.jpg

i had my doubts about the abilities of the product, but this is what the tank looks like now. it works!

Wow,

Good for you. I'm glad it worked. Keep us updated on long term results.

As posted above, I've found pH, alk and Magnesium are important to keep it away.

I'll second Kent Tech-M. I don't know what's in it, but it works.

[mightymizz]

Great to hear!! I'm always glad when something works against any algae.

Thanks for update.

[Ron Popeil]

well again, it wasnt bryopsis. it was a hair algae of some sort, but if it were bryopsis, tech-m definitely works.

but as for this type of hair algae, algae fix worked well for me.

[tkeracer619]

The reason you are seeing zero phosphates on your test is because the algae is using it and stripping the water. If you see algae you are looking at the phosphates.

You have to manually remove it and run heavy amounts of GFO. GFO alone won't take care of it.

Where did you get the rock?

I would start carbon dosing. As long as you have a skimmer you should be fine however you say you are not sure its big enough. It might be time for a skimmer upgrade.

Get a better pic of the algae. Pull some out and take a pic of it on a white background up close.

[d0ughb0y]

well again, it wasnt bryopsis. it was a hair algae of some sort, but if it were bryopsis, tech-m definitely works.

but as for this type of hair algae, algae fix worked well for me.

I also noticed I can go for a whole week with the glass still algae free. I continue the small maintenance dose just for this benefit at least.

some people who have really bad algae problems have literally tried everything except for replacing the rocks, and using gfo, manually removing, etc etc have all been done for months for some with no good results. I won't consider an algae problem bad if one can get rid of it using gfo and manual removal.

[tkeracer619]

The problem is often that the rocks can bind so much phosphate that it takes a year to cause a problem. Once you have the tank loaded it can take a very long time.

There are no free lunches with algae. If you don't export the phosphates until you have a problem you can be looking at a year long battle.

[d0ughb0y]

reducing phosphate via GFO, manually removing algae, and all other suggestions are all easier said than done. once it gets bad, you really do not want to wait for a year, as by that time, you will not have any corals left. and algaefix is the next best solution short of replacing the rocks. imagine the cost of all the gfo to be used for a year, plus the constant scrubbing of rocks, etc. it does not make any sense to wait for one year for algae to go away.

[geccles]

curious to see if the algae comes back - keep us posted!

[sporto0]

wow, glad that worked for you, it did nothing for me.

[tkeracer619]

If you cause the algae there is plenty reason to wait. It is called good husbandry and generally practice makes perfect.