Need help.

[shujax]

I've been having a problem with algae lately. How can I get rid of it?

 

[crewdawg1981]

Water changes, clean up crew, watching what and how often you feed, wet skim and GFO.

 

[acroholic]

A picture would be nice.....hopefully it is hair algae and not bryopsis.

 

[ralph atl]

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px">You must export the same or more nutrients than you put in. Overfeeding, tap water, high phosphate foods, etc. </span></span>
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<span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman">Phosphate reduction/ removal and high trates could be the answer. Wet skimming with a skimmer that is rated at least double your water volume. If you cannot get a fuge or sump (you can maybe make a "Rubbermaid sump with cheato in it for a few bucks) you can get a $35.00 hang on phosphate reactor for your tank and put some GFO in there. In the future, you'll most likely need a refugium with Macro algae. </span></span>
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<span style="color: black"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman">If you choose GFO, you&#8217;ll need to start VERY SLOWLY! Use 25% of the recommended media, slowly increasing every week. You need to acclimate your tank inhabitants over at least a 2 month period especially is you have any stony corals. Once acclimated you&#8217;ll need to change your Iron based media in the phosphate reactor more often. Your media will get saturated within 2 weeks or so depending upon how much is bound up in your rocks, tank, algae, etc. Use less media, change every 2 weeks. Use a great test kit like DD Merck, Hack, or colormeter. If you already have a fuge & reactor, be aggressive & change the media every 2 weeks.</span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px">When you do your water change, take the end of the hose and suck all the algae down like a vacuum. It'll take a few water changes, but it works (especially after the phosphate remover kicks in)</span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px">Use a phosphate reactor with some phosar or ROWA or whatever, and something to lower nitrates like a fuge, Vodka, VSV, Solid Vodka Pellets (bio-pellets) or other carbon source. </span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px">check out:</span></span>
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http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/rhf/index.php"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/rhf/index.php</span></span></span></a>
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[IMG]http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php</span></span></span></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"> </span></span>
[IMG]http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/july2003/chem.htm"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/july2003/chem.htm</span></span></span></a>
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[IMG]http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php</span></span></span></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"> </span></span>
[IMG]http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-05/eb/index.php"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-05/eb/index.php</span></span></span></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"> </span></span>
[IMG]http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm</span></span></span></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"> </span></span>
[IMG]http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1349443"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1349443</span></span></span></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"> </span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"> </span></span>
[IMG]http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2002/chem.htm"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2002/chem.htm</span></span></span></a>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px">VSV:</span></span>
<span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: Verdana">[IMG]http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...nftt/index.php</span></a>


[IMG]http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1225324"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1225324</span></a></span></span>
<span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: Verdana"> </span></span>
<span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: Verdana"> </span></span>
<span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: Verdana">[IMG]http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22849&highlight=vodka"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forum...ighlight=vodka</span></a></span></span>

 

[jcook54]

This was a recurring issue and the thing that made the biggest impact for me was installing a phosban reactor. I got on a water change schedule, installed a refugium with cheato and really monitored how much I fed; that helped more than anything. Once I got my PO down to reasonable level the GFO sealed the deal. It's a multi source issue that required a multi-pronged approach.

 

[acroholic]

All of Ralph's great advice isn't going to help if it is bryopsis.

 

[ralph atl]

Very true, hope it's not!!!

 

[nanonano]

Seems like a lot of these threads are popping up lately. Not just here either.

Very good info above. For me I use:

1) RO/DI Water (for changes and topoff, ALWAYS, no exceptions).
2) BRS Reactor (Purigen and Chemi-Pure Elite (w/ GFO)
3) Refugium with Chaeto and Mangroves
4) Water Changes! (once or twice a week)

Like others have said it's a lot about nutrients. Watch your feeding, too much lighting, etc.