Tech M vs. Algaefix marine?

[aggie13reef]

Had my tank since May 2014, never had any issues with any types of nuisance algae until now. Cant figure out if it byropsis or GHA. I was going to head to the LFS today and pick up some Tech M but as I am reading through the threads here I cant decide if I want to try Tech M or algaefix. Any opinions?

[bertoni]

I'd just toss a coin. Either might work.

[aggie13reef]

Thanks Bertoni, I picked up some Algaefix. Seemed more practical, I would have had to buy quite a bit more tech M.

[bertoni]

That sounds like good logic to me. :)

[aggie13reef]

haha well I always feel skeptical on these kind of "quick fix" products. But I have read enough threads on here to give it a go.

[aggie13reef]

Well almost a month and a half later and I am still battling GHA, cyano, and some other type of algae. My corals started closing for days at a time when using Algaefix so I stopped that. I manually removed some of the algae last week and I can already see it coming back in those areas. I have started feeding every 3 days for about 2 weeks now, running chemipure elite in a HOB filter at the moment. I am at my wits end with this stuff making my tank look terrible. I am at a loss as to what to do because I have no sump and no reactors. I guess I will try Tech M starting this weekend or early next week. If that doesn't work, may have to buy all new sand and rock....

[bertoni]

Tech M might work with Bryopsis, but it won't do anything for hair algae. I might add a GFO product to the mix, so that I could tune the amount of GFO separately from the carbon.

[aggie13reef]

Tech M might work with Bryopsis, but it won't do anything for hair algae. I might add a GFO product to the mix, so that I could tune the amount of GFO separately from the carbon.

How could I incorporate a GFO product with my setup? I thought Chemipure elite had GFO in it. Or is it just a minute amount that doesn't have much effect?

[CStrickland]

How do your water tests look? Sometimes a new tank will run with high nutrients for a while and be ok, but then you buy a frag or something that has a tiny bit of algae on it and it takes off.
Also, how often / how much do you change your water? And what is your rock / sand set up?

It would be really good to find out if it's bryopsis, does it have little branches like a fern? Or is it tufty like the top of those old troll dolls?

[bertoni]

The ChemiPure Elite does have some GFO in it, but likely not for your situation (without wasting the carbon). I'd just add some GFO to the reactor on top of the ChemiPure.

[aggie13reef]

How do your water tests look? Sometimes a new tank will run with high nutrients for a while and be ok, but then you buy a frag or something that has a tiny bit of algae on it and it takes off.
Also, how often / how much do you change your water? And what is your rock / sand set up?

It would be really good to find out if it's bryopsis, does it have little branches like a fern? Or is it tufty like the top of those old troll dolls?

My nitrates are a little high but not insane, everything else it in check. Yeah I am worried thats what happened in my case. I change 5 gal every 14 days. Rock is realreef rock (the "synthetic" rock), and I cant recall what brand the sand was but it was live sand.
Some has little branches like a fern which is this? and some is tufty. 20% tufty and 80 % little branched I would say.

The ChemiPure Elite does have some GFO in it, but likely not for your situation (without wasting the carbon). I'd just add some GFO to the reactor on top of the ChemiPure.

What brand would you recommend? and I don't have a reactor just a HOB top fin filter this still acceptable to add to?

[bertoni]

I have used PhosBan and Phosphate Killer, and they seemed fine, but I didn't have much of a phosphate issue. The BRS products get good reviews, on average. The HOB should work reasonably well, although a reactor should be a bit more efficient in terms of getting the most phosphate per unit of media.

[CStrickland]

bryopsis has branches like a fern, it can be a lot harder to get rid of. It doesn't seem to need as much nutrients as the other kinds of algaes, and cleanup crews don't like to eat it. If the ferny stuff sticks around after everything else is gone then that might be what it is, and it doesn't mean you still have high nutrients or did a bad job. It just needs different tactics to kill it and you don't want to overshoot on nutrient reduction because your tank needs them too. I would wait for that to happen though, maybe you'll get lucky. Try to yank as much as you can out when you're cleaning. I think this website is helpful to ID algaes, it's almost always a nutrient problem, so the fix is the same, but know your enemy, right? http://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide

The GFO's will get phos out of your water, I like to dust off the rocks and stuff when i do water changes too so that any fertilizer (poop, old food) that lands there doesnt have a chance to soak into the rocks and sand. I think that's why sometimes all the water tests are in check but you still have algae, like its in the sand and rock and the cyano / algaes are using it straight from there so it never makes it to the reactor, or the fuge. The more prevention you do with the GFO and your maintenance, the less chemicals you'll need, hopefully.

Its nice that you had a little honeymoon in the beginning, welcome to algae town :celeb1:

[hbrochs]

I used Algaefix marine, and it put a dent in the GHA, but my corals were not happy. The algae went away after I got a GFO reactor and ran ROWA media in it. Zero algae now, also I had heard that increasing your Magnesium can help. I got my Mg up to 1350 as well.

[pinnatus]

I have tried algaefix several times, on various algaes including byropsis, and never saw any result. I have used Tech M on byropsis after trying everything else I coud think of, and it worked like a charm. I know others that have tried Tech M and they had no results. It is possible there are many types of algaes out there, even many types of byropsis, and Tech M may work or algaefix may work, but maybe not on everything.

[CStrickland]

I have tried algaefix several times, on various algaes including byropsis, and never saw any result. I have used Tech M on byropsis after trying everything else I coud think of, and it worked like a charm. I know others that have tried Tech M and they had no results. It is possible there are many types of algaes out there, even many types of byropsis, and Tech M may work or algaefix may work, but maybe not on everything.

Good point about the types. I think it's so interesting, I would love to have a microscope and be able to id the species and everything for people's tanks. Like a lab where they mail me a specimen and then I would send back a perfect formula of kill juice for their particular strain :) but in my own tank I don't care what it is, I just want it gone!

I've heard that about the tech m and bryopsis too, some people say it isn't the mag in it at all but some other secret ingredient. That would make sense in your example.

[aggie13reef]

Thanks for all the help guys, I pulled quite a bit out tonight after work and looks like I didn't make a dent ha. I guess I will just keep on it. Wish I had a bigger tank I would just get a couple herbivores and let them help out a bit! Little tank problems... I am determined to beat this stuff, or at least knock it back to less noticeable amounts.

[petedoc]

I am currently on about week 4 of a combined Tech M and Algaefix war on bryopsis. I have been able to eradicate it from one of three tanks. My 270 is not responding yet. The current mag level is 1800.

[aggie13reef]

I have pretty much gotten rid of the GHA with my above posts, but the Bryopsis came back. I have just been manually removing carefully and it seems to only stay in 2-3 spots. Have not tried tech M.

[aggie13reef]

I am currently on about week 4 of a combined Tech M and Algaefix war on bryopsis. I have been able to eradicate it from one of three tanks. My 270 is not responding yet. The current mag level is 1800.

Meant to quote you in the above post.

[petedoc]

I am selectively soaking areas of rock in peroxide, it works really well.