Kessil

Update on the algae project

BSAJim

BSAJim

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All, I thought that I should move the discussion of algae elimination out of the new member forum.

It has been almost two weeks now since I started treating the 190g with a combination of H2O2 dosing and treatment with Fauna Marin Dino/Algae X. When completed, I'll do a write up following the Rick Ross Skeptical Reefer approach. Full details in the final, but here is a quick update...

This is a sample of what the tank looked like when I began:

Algae Before.jpg

And here is where it is now:

Algae after.jpg

Treatment seems to be working well. Algae is diminishing quickly, and I have not been able to spot any new growth.

However, as the old saying goes: "all magic comes with a price". My tuxedo urchin has lost all of its spines and is in my coral QT attempting a recovery. Spines are gone, but feelers are still active. Jury is still out. Cleaner shrimp died.

Urchin.jpg

More as the effort continues...

Jim
 
BSAJim said:
All, I thought that I should move the discussion of algae elimination out of the new member forum.

It has been almost two weeks now since I started treating the 190g with a combination of H2O2 dosing and treatment with Fauna Marin Dino/Algae X. When completed, I'll do a write up following the Rick Ross Skeptical Reefer approach. Full details in the final, but here is a quick update...

This is a sample of what the tank looked like when I began:

View attachment 6144

And here is where it is now:

View attachment 6145

Treatment seems to be working well. Algae is diminishing quickly, and I have not been able to spot any new growth.

However, as the old saying goes: "all magic comes with a price". My tuxedo urchin has lost all of its spines and is in my coral QT attempting a recovery. Spines are gone, but feelers are still active. Jury is still out. Cleaner shrimp died.

View attachment 6146

More as the effort continues...

Jim
Click to expand...
Wow, I would say that regimen has been very successful. Only time will tell if it was 100%.
 
Only problem I can see is a reliance on the product. The question now is will the algae come back when you stop using it!?!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
How are your corals doing with the treatment? Any sps?

Oh, just saw your other post. Sounds like the polyps weren't too happy. Hopefully they are venturing back out?
 
Vhuang168 said:
Only problem I can see is a reliance on the product. The question now is will the algae come back when you stop using it!?!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Interestingly, with the significant reduction of algae in the tank, neither nitrites, nitrates nor phosphates has increased. I don't know what was feeding the algae.

The objective is to eradicate the hair algae from the system. I think film algae is a part of the reef experience.
 
Gablami said:
How are your corals doing with the treatment? Any sps?

Oh, just saw your other post. Sounds like the polyps weren't too happy. Hopefully they are venturing back out?
Click to expand...

Since I went to dripping the H2O2 all the corals have been OK. Nobody seems entirely happy, no no signs of decline. No SPS in the tank.
 
Mind providing more info on your treatment plan? Been dealing with HA issues for over a year and its been making me contemplating getting out of the hobby.

Dosage amount, and etc.
 
muhli said:
Mind providing more info on your treatment plan? Been dealing with HA issues for over a year and its been making me contemplating getting out of the hobby.

Dosage amount, and etc.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I thought the same thing. I'm glad your still around even if you've got hair algae. I always remember that you gave me my first sps frag. A green poccillopora that's still doing good.
 
I actually did take a break.. sort of... Tank was running on cruise control. Made minimal to little effort maintaining it. It was extremely hard taking care of it with personal matters at hand.

Willing to give OP's method a try
 
muhli said:
Mind providing more info on your treatment plan? Been dealing with HA issues for over a year and its been making me contemplating getting out of the hobby.

Dosage amount, and etc.
Click to expand...
Michael,

Here is what I have been doing... I don't know that I would recommend it to others yet. The jury is still out, and there are many confounding factors (not a very good nor scientific experiment).

I have been using Fauna Marin Algae X product. This requires very careful dosing. There is a QRC on the bottle that will take you to a dosing description on the web. In German. If you want the English directions, here they are: http://static.faunamarin.de/manuals/algea_x_en_sep.pdf

Note that you must stop all carbon and GFO filtering, reduce the photo period, and shift to blue lighting for further disrupt the algae.

Pull your macro algae from the DT and sump if you are using them. It will disrupt all chlorophyll-based photosynthesis.

The product indicates that it will harm urchins if using a long-term dosing, mine died rather quickly, as did a cleaner shrimp (again, many confounding factors, and cannot say with any certainty that it was the Algae X). I would recommend moving them to a coral QT until this is over.

The Algae X is dosed every other day, per instructions. on the alternative days, I have been dosing food-grade 35% peroxide (1ml/10g system capacity). I have been diluting and dripping over the course of an hour.

Plan on LOTS of mechanical removal. I have a toothbrush taped to a piece of PVC pipe that I use to scrub the rocks, and a fish net to swish through the tank and remove clumps of algae that came loose. After about a week, there are few clumps. The algae simple shatters, filling the DT with fine algae remains. I have been running felt filter socks to capture this, and change the socks every 2-3 days depending on load.

That's where I am. There are several anecdotal threads on Algae X, peroxide, and other products.

Let me know if you want to have a discussion on any of the process or results.

Best of luck resolving your challenge!

Jim
 
Hey everybody, I realize that I am VERY overdue for an update on this thread. My father had an accident, was in the hospital for a couple of months, then passed. I was named as executor of the will, and have been heads down for months. So hopefully you can forgive my lack of updates and documenting progress.

As a reminder, I stared with a mess. See pics in the first post. Since about late February, there has been zero GHA in the tank or system. It is simply eliminated.

In my haste to resolve the problem, I did use several methods, so the results are confounded. We can't say with any confidence if it was the peroxide, Algae X, Vibrance, or some combination that resolved the issue. Apologies for my lack of scientific approach, but my tank is back in action.

There were losses during the process. After the GHA disappeared, there was massive cyano explosion as well as a bacterial bloom. Once again, the results are confounded. Were losses due to the reduced photo period, the additives, the death process of the GHA, the cyano, the bacteria, or some combination.

Here is a list of the downside impacts:
All shrimp and urchins died
All corallimorpharians died
Several zoanthid species shrank and disappeared. A few are coming back slowly, but are tiny. My tank is nearly zoanthid free as a result.
Euphyllia receded and needed to be removed to another tank. Color has returned but polyp extension is less than 25% of length compared to pre-treatment.
Bright yellow caulastrea became a lurid green and has not returned to it's original color.
Bright yellow corallites of my duncanopsammia became brown, and has not returned to its original color.
Goniopora lost a number of polyps, and the once vibrant yellow color has faded significantly.

All other corals experienced no observable downside impact, and growth has been strong since elimination of the GHA.

Again, apologies for not keeping better records, but hope that it's useful to others. Perhaps the next person can pick this up and continue the investigation into GHA eradication.

Jim
 
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