API Algaefix

[ripped tide]

Has anyone ever used the stuff in a mixed reef tank? The company claims it is safe. I have some hair algae that the snails aren't messing with, and tangs don't work in that tank. The algae is in awkward spots in an awkward tank(20"Lx20"Wx30"H) so i can't reach it with a tooth brush with out knocking over and breaking some of my favorite corals.

 

[jd22]

There is a huge thread on Reef central. Type in Marine algaefix to google and it should pop up. It only works on certain types of algae. I am currently using it and I am on the third dose. My hair algae had gotten outta control and I needed something to let me get a leg up. So far it has really worked for me but you have to make sure you get the dying algae out before it breaks down. I have had no ill effects on inverts or fish. The thread is really helpful but long.

 

[stacy22]

I used it when I had a 55g reef tank. It worked well when following their dosing instructions. I have not tried it in a large volume tank.

 

[ripped tide]

I have a heavy load of SPS. I am pretty scared of adding a chemical that kills algae. Zooxanthellae is a dinoflagellate which is very similarly related to algae.

 

[dakota9]

I've spend the last couple of hours reading every post of the 1st page of results of my google search.

The product seems to work, better on the green algae types, than on the reds (this statement includes Cyno and Dino) This in spite of the product supposedly advertising that it eliminates Red Slime Algae.

Seems to be very safe (even when at least several users dosed at 1.5 to 2x the prescribed dosage)
A few deaths sprang up here and there,mainly a few exotic snails, (but only one poster out of the at least 300 posts that I read blamed this product for total death and destruction in his tank, which included some mature large fish species) which I'm willing to chalk up to user error. Also, it's important to remember that if algae is as bad in some of these tanks as the posters claim, then parameters are already off and probably have been long term. In short, complaints of deaths are incidental and relatively far and few between </em>

It's suggested dosage appears to be 1ml for every 10 gallons, every third day, with no suggested end point.

It's apparently also stated that that a regular maintenance dose be added once weekly to keep nuisance algae completely gone (one could only imagine if this were true, and was done from the time the tank was set up.... A reef tank w/o bad algae, ever! If only such a thing existed!)

The users of this product that got the best results also did manual removal once the algae was loosened from the substrate of which it was attached, also, netting the solid free floating algae, cleaning it from the overflow and sucking it up from the floor of the tank seemed very beneficial.

The ones that seem to have no results to poor results appear to have done no manual removal of any kind.

Several times a read that the freshwater formula and the marine formula is actually the same product. The only difference being the marine formula is not offered in the 4oz size and the price as, you guessed it, the marine formula is a good bit more expensive than the freshwater formula. This fact makes sense, being that there are a lot of algaecides for freshwater that this product would compete with, but is a one of a kind in the saltwater market. Bottom line, supposedly, you can buy the cheapest (freshwater formula) and receive the exact same product as the more expensive (marine) version. I would like to know for certain if this were true, but I'm researched out on this topic. Maybe someone else can figure that out and share with us! Hint; the active ingredient in the marine formula is at a concentration of 4.5% (the same ingredient in industrial algae removers, but at 60%, think ship yards, oil rigs, etc)


I'm thinking I'll definitely try this especially at the maintenance dose. In fact, the Fluval edge I was going to make into a freshwater aquarium in my office at work might be a mini-reef when I set it up. If a maintenance does of this stuff once a week prevents green algae outbreaks, I have little to fear of my tank being an embarrassing eyesore to my co-workers.


Hope this helps a few, I know I'm psyched.

 

[oil_fan]

I first used this stuff probably close to a year ago. I'm again using it right now as I had an outbreak of HA in my 65 gallon tank after setting up my fuge. It's all but killed the stuff in my display tank. I'm probably a week away at most from it getting all it with the exception from the stuff growing in my overflow which doesn't bother me.

I just took my fuge offline to clean it out and start fresh with it as it was just growing HA and it all but killed my macro algae. Then I'm going to see if I can find a different bulb for the light before putting it back online. It's 6500K and I'd prefer to go with 5500K.

No losses in my tank due to this stuff. All coral and fish are fine. In the RC thread, there are a number of cases of it eventually killing macro algae after prolonged dosing. And as Dakota mentioned, it doesn't touch cyno...not at all as I have that too. :yuk:

 

[oil_fan]

Appaloosa1224;694627 wrote: How often were people manually removing the algae? I've been battling HA in my dad's tank for forever. I'll give it a try, but I can only get out to his office once or twice a week to remove algae.

I removed as much as I could before starting the dosing. No new serious growth started after that. Then after about 3 or 4 doses into it, serious reduction in HA in my display tank. After about 3 weeks of dosing, I'm down to probably less than 10% of the original volume. I should also mention I started up UV lamp 2 weeks ago on the tank so that's probably helping a bit in the new growth area. But like I said, I did see a serious drop the actual stuff in the tank that was left.

 

[peaches7412]

Will this kill coraline algae? If not, I want to try it, I have a very small patch of HA that I would rather not let spread through out the tank.