Keith's 75g Algae Box. (now with less algae!) (1 Viewer)

[kgk]

I am trying to figure out the name of the algae on the rocks behind the Tang pictured here. Is that "hair algae", or does it have some other name? I don't know if this Tang likes it - he is just getting used to the tank along with a new Lawnmower Blenny - I am hoping that between these 2 fish & extra filtration/water changes I can get this under control. I inherited the tank in this condition & am working on getting the algae under control & on the way out. It's an established, productive tank that I assume just got behind on water changes. The near 100% water change when moving & setting it up at my house had to help.

 

[BigRick]

Looks like it. Pluck most of that stuff away or vacuum it out and then make sure your water param are good. you're gonna have a mini cycle with the water change

 

[andrew7b]

It look like a bryosis.

 

[kgk]

It look like a bryosis.

Thanks for the name. Google tells me that raising magnesium levels in the tank can help with a Bryopsis outbreak, and I read that folks on here have had success with Kent's Tech M magnesium. I will give water changes & such some time before I try magnesium dosing - I also need an updated water test to see what my levels are before I go off half-cocked.

 

[Llama]

Sounds like you're on the right track. I agree with taking it one step at a time. What king of CUC do you have in the tank?

You should be able to find some good detailed shots of both types of algae with a quick search. Then compare that to what you have in the system. Bryopsis is more similar to grass and harder to tear off with your hands. Not sure if I'm making any sense at this hour though

 

[kgk]

CUC = Clean Up Crew, right? Aquarists have more TLAs then technology companies!

There a bunch of snails and hermit crabs in there. I have not researched exactly what sort they are - they just were along for the ride in the tank. Is there something specific I should be looking for or doing here?

 

[CBBSteve]

Hi, kgk.
To me, that stuff looks more like common hair algae than bryopsis. Either way, the treatment is the same.

- frequent water changes
- active refugium for nutrient export
- aggressive skimming
- maintain magnesium 1500 to 1600 ppm
- limit excess nutrients - feed only what your livestock can consume promptly
- manual removal
- make sure your lighting is in good shape
- consider GFO
- consider Marine SAT or Brightwell Microbacter7
- optimize your herbivory

Here's a good thread with lots of info about conquering hair algae.
http://www.marshreef.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=13875&highlight=wits+end

good luck,
Steve

 

[kgk]

Thanks for the informative post, Steve. I will go read that thread after I get done here.

- frequent water changes

I have a 75 gallon tank + 12 gallon sump - I was planning on doing 10 gallons a week or so. Is that sufficient? The only reason I chose 10 for now is the number is convenient because my mixing buckets happen to be 5 gallons. I could easily do a larger weekly change, or more frequent, smaller changes.

- active refugium for nutrient export

In the sump, I have a refugium w/ 20 lbs of live sand, about 20 lbs of live rock, 5 red mangroves & a bunch of Chaeto.

- aggressive skimming

In process! I have thought about getting a larger skimmer, but the Coralife Super Skimmer I have now seems to be working. I am still trimming it to get the consistency of the skim right - it's pretty thin and watery now, but a medium-dark brown.

- maintain magnesium 1500 to 1600 ppm

I am still researching water chemistry - it's been a while for me (over 6 years since I last had a tank). I have read about Kent's Tech M magnesium - is this the recommended method around here?

In other notes, my ammonia is zero according to the test I did - that was good news to me, given the tank was just moved on Saturday and I did a nearly 100% water change. pH is a bit low at 7.9 but nothing I am concerned about. The corals in there seem quite happy so far, as do the fish.

- limit excess nutrients - feed only what your livestock can consume promptly

I am still building my feeding routine. Luckily, I only have 3 fish & a coral banded shrimp in the tank, and I don't have plans to change that until I get the algae dominated. The Powder Blue Tang is getting fat on algae and Nora, the Yellow/Pink Damsel is picking at the little bits of Nora I put on a clip for the tang, and I have done a small bit of supplementing with Formula 2 and some frozen brine shrimp. They both chow down. The Lawnmower Blenny seems to ignore everything I put in there food wise, but I see him picking at the rocks & back wall of the tank - I assume they don't call him a "Lawnmower" for nothing. I also have a large assortment of hermit crabs & snails, but I have not tried counting them.

- manual removal

What will happen if I do no manual removal at all? Will the algae that is there just stay, permanently, no matter what I do? I need to get on this, but I have had my arm in there so much building the aquascape that the skin on my right arm is dry and uncomfortable. I know I need to do it to get the nutrients out of the system though - last thing I want is a bunch of algae decomposing in the tank.

Is there a best method for manual removal? Just stick your hand in, grab on, and pull?

- make sure your lighting is in good shape

I plan on buying new bulbs here soon. I have a Sundial T5HO fixture ... four 4' T5HO bulbs. I am researching which colors to buy - any suggestions would be greatly appreciated on this topic.

- consider GFO

I am still learning the TLAs that go along w/ this hobby. GFO = Granulated Ferric Oxide, and the purpose of this is to remove phosphates.

I have some Kent Marine Phosphate sponge - will this stuff do the trick? Doesn't hurt to try, I suppose.

- consider Marine SAT or Brightwell Microbacter7

I had not considered biological additives like these - good to know. I will see how it goes & add this to the arsenal later if needed.

- optimize your herbivory

I have 3 fish ... two should be good or decent algae eaters, the Tang + the Lawnmower Blenny. I probably should have gone w/ a Yellow or Purple Tang instead, but my daughter fell in love with the Powder Blue. I also have a multitude of snails + hermit crabs.

I have considered a sea slug or something else that eats algae - is this recommended? I could also do another fish but will probably shy away from another Tang.

 

[Llama]

I have a four bulb retro kit. I run this bulb combo and thing it looks amazing.

front
blue plus
blue plus
actinic white
blue plus
back

Gives you great color pop and blue hue, yet fades two white the higher the rocks get. Very nice.

Kent Tech M is what I used to rid my system of bryopsis. I agree yours looks like hair algae, but you do basically the same thing for both.

Lights would be my first instinct so I would get those changed ASAP.

 

[kgk]

I took some new pictures, so I figured I'd post them here. Large pictures are in a link posted below the thumbnails. Fire away with comments or suggestions!

http://txexile.org/tank/DSC_0005.JPG

http://txexile.org/tank/DSC_0006.JPG

http://txexile.org/tank/DSC_0008.JPG

http://txexile.org/tank/DSC_0009.JPG

http://txexile.org/tank/DSC_0010.JPG

http://txexile.org/tank/DSC_0011.JPG

http://txexile.org/tank/DSC_0012.JPG

http://txexile.org/tank/DSC_0013.JPG

 

[flipside]

Are you using an RO/DI filter for your water changes? If so, what's your TDS readings? That looks pretty rough, tbh with ya'. If you are using an RO/DI, and the TDS is 0 (i.e. filters are good), I'd raise the Mg to 1600 and spend a couple hundred bucks on a nice clean up crew, for sure. If you're not using RO/DI water, I would invest in a good unit and still get your Mg up to 1500-1600.

You're in The Woodlands! You are more than welcome to come over and chat a bit. I have some Mg supplements that you can have too. It might help. I have Kent Tech-M and some stuff from Bulk Reef Supply that you mix in RO/DI water. Either works pretty well.

On the flip, you're corals look GREAT! You should be pretty happy about that!

 

[kgk]

Are you using an RO/DI filter for your water changes? If so, what's your TDS readings? That looks pretty rough, tbh with ya'. If you are using an RO/DI, and the TDS is 0 (i.e. filters are good), I'd raise the Mg to 1600 and spend a couple hundred bucks on a nice clean up crew, for sure. If you're not using RO/DI water, I would invest in a good unit and still get your Mg up to 1500-1600.

You're in The Woodlands! You are more than welcome to come over and chat a bit. I have some Mg supplements that you can have too. It might help. I have Kent Tech-M and some stuff from Bulk Reef Supply that you mix in RO/DI water. Either works pretty well.

On the flip, you're corals look GREAT! You should be pretty happy about that!

Thanks. I just got this tank last Saturday. I used distilled water for the setup after the move (nearly all of the water in the tank), and I have an RO/DI coming from Buckeye (think it gets here tomorrow, actually). Buying, mixing and moving >60 gallons of distilled water in 1-gallon jugs is certainly not a feat I plan on replicating. The tank was run on RO/DI water before I got it. I think the people I got it from just got behind on water changes and other maintenance.

The corals ARE happy in there. I was amazed after the move that they are all doing so well. We did have one accident (a bucket spilled at a sudden stop on Woodlands Parkway) and I lost a couple of frags, but luckily, all these guys made it through fine. The Kenya Trees are, I think, impossible to kill and will become a pest without constant gardening. If anyone needs a small or medium Kenya Tree, just let me know - I have lots.

The tank has a new Tang & a Lawnmower Blenny. It also has a "ton" of hermits & snails.... they seem to be everywhere, but I have never done a full accounting, and I am not sure what kind they are. I am willing to invest in anything that will help me eliminate the algae menace though - is there anything specific I should be looking for to help? I have read about Zebra snails, and possibly Mexican Turbo snails - should I get a dozen & drop them in?

Is there somewhere convenient to pick up Kent Tech M around here? If not, I will certainly take you up on the offer.

 

[Ulric]

looks good..be patient and that hair stuff should go away. If/when you want to prune back some kenya I'd be interested... and I've got some nepthea(sp?) and xenia if you'd like.

 

[i_am_poor]

I think its best to save yourself the headache and just purchase new rocks. You can easily frags the corals off the rocks to save. Or you can also try the 'cook' method. The bryopsis are there to stay.

 

[Ulric]

btw I've got a couple turbos you could try if you want too.

 

[kgk]

Sunday evening report... My wife & I took an weekend trip to Austin, and when I got back, a couple of things had happened.
1. The coral banded shrimp molted & apparently grew his second claw back in two days. I had never noticed any sign of the second claw coming back - and then poof, there it is.
2. The hair algae seems to be dying back. Even my wife commented on it. I do not know what is working (or if it is my imagination), but several rocks that used to be covered are now nearly bare, and are left with only a sort of grayish "dust" on them (if that makes any sense). I had figured the dust on the rocks is left over from the move-in, but my wife seems to think it is dead plant matter. In either case, the tang & the blenny are both fat & happy, although the tang may be developing ich - I will have to keep any eye on him.

I also did my first water change tonight (10 gallons). My RO/DI filter hasn't shown up yet, so I was relegated to using distilled water again. At least I wasn't moving nearly as much this time.

Thanks for the above posts. I got some Kent Tech M, but I have not used any. I do not plan on "cooking" these rocks - I hope I can save them. I don't believe algae is an unbeatable scourge - it just takes some good choices & a bit of extra work to beat it back into submission.

 

[kgk]

Ordered some new bulbs from a sponsor this morning for the light fixture ... went with a KZ Fiji Purple, an ATI Blue Plus, and two ATI Aquablue Specials. The fixture currently has the lights that came with the Sundial T5HO fixture ... these should work out better.

 

[RR-MAN]

I think its best to save yourself the headache and just purchase new rocks. You can easily frags the corals off the rocks to save. Or you can also try the 'cook' method. The bryopsis are there to stay.

As long as there is light and nutrient (food) in the tank, algae is not going anywhere. I agree with the post above, best option would be to replace the LR.

Good Luck.

 

[kgk]

I think its best to save yourself the headache and just purchase new rocks. You can easily frags the corals off the rocks to save. Or you can also try the 'cook' method. The bryopsis are there to stay.

As long as there is light and nutrient (food) in the tank, algae is not going anywhere. I agree with the post above, best option would be to replace the LR.

There is a real & visible die-back and/or pruning going on in the tank, however, I certainly will keep this option under advisement. I realize I am a n00b and have never dealt with an algae bloom of this magnitude, but it certainly feels like I am pushing back the algae menace & gaining a good foothold in the tank.

Actually, right now, I am concerned about a couple of aptaisia that have sprung up - they went from 2 that I could see to 5 in the last week. Doing battle on 2 fronts does not sound like fun. I tried the syringe trick with an insulin syringe, but they are really deep in rock crevices & impossible to reach. I am hoping a peppermint shrimp or two can kill them off. If not, I foresee at least a partial LR purge in my future.

 

[RR-MAN]

I have tried the "syringe method" in my previous tank and that did not work at all. The aptaisia actually multiplied. Like you said, some of them are deep in the rock and those are really hard to reach. So far I don't have any in my current tank.