Possible alage cure

putemup · Jan 15, 2015

Today I was talking to a shop owner who possessed a reef tank much larger than my own. While observing his tank I noticed that he had absolutely zero algae of any kind. I asked him how did he get his tank that way. He said that he frequently uses chemiclean (which is primarly used to kill cyano bacteria). He said something similar to in addition to weekly water changes, he sometimes uses a larger dose than required of chemiclean and in addition to killing cyano which he hasn’t had in years, it kills all types of nuisance algae’s without harming corals or fish. 
 
Has anyone else heard or tried this before? 
 
All I can say was that his tank looked great.

stacy22 · Jan 15, 2015

I have heard of this. Many people have used it with great success. Boyd's doesn't list the active ingredients for this product but it is thought to be some kind of mixture of erythromycin and a fairly strong oxidizer.

I would not hesitate to use it but I would make sure to follow use with substantial water changes and keep flow very high to ensure proper dissolved O2 in your water.

declanisadog · Jan 15, 2015

stacy22;1008300 wrote: I have heard of this. Many people have used it with great success. Boyd's doesn't list the active ingredients for this product but it is thought to be some kind of mixture of erythromycin and a fairly strong oxidizer.

I would not hesitate to use it but I would make sure to follow use with substantial water changes and keep flow very high to ensure proper dissolved O2 in your water.

This exactly. I use it occasionally for cyano, and have thought about adding maintenance doses but I don't think I would benefit from constant use.

putemup · Jan 15, 2015

Would either of you know the dosage amount for a 75 display and roughly 20 gallon sump?

Although I currently have my algae situation under control, I would love to have my tank looking like this guy's. He had Zero algae of any kind.

Thanks

enderg60 · Jan 15, 2015

Its an antibiotic, cyano is not algea its bacteria.

I honestly cant see how dosing it would kill algea since every time I dose it no algea is ever harmed. Plus I would not want to be adding antibiotic to my tank regularly.

Ive heard Algea-X works but have not tired it yet.

stacy22 · Jan 15, 2015

This is from Boyd's about ChemiClean-

"From the makers of Chemi-pure. ChemiClean 2g treats up to 300 gallons. It helps clean stains from red, black, blue-green, and methane (bubble) producing cyanobacteria in marine aquariums. It is completely safe for all fish, corals, invertebrates, and nitrifying bacteria in reef systems. It's simple, quick and easy to use. Chemiclean works within 48 hours oxidizing trapped organic sludge and promotes an ideal enzyme balance. ChemiClean will clean stains from red cyanobacteria in aquariums. Aquarium oxygen levels MUST be increased using heavy aeration or large air stone. Turn off UV sterilizer, ozonizer, and remove Chemi-pure, or carbon during treatment. Continue using protein skimmer, although skimmer may require adjustment to prevent excessive overflow. Maintain normal water flow using pumps and power heads. For every ten (10) gallons of aquarium water, dissolve one level scoop (included) of ChemiClean into one cup of water removed from the aquarium. Pour solution with dissolved ChemiClean back into aquarium, dispersing evenly. Successful treatment may take up to 48 hours. After the 48 hour treatment period, perform a 20% water change. Turn on UV sterilizer, ozonizer, and replace Chemi-pure or carbon. Repeat as necessary. ChemiClean can be used monthly as a regular component of aquarium maintenance."

skriz · Jan 15, 2015

That's a horrible idea. As Ender said, erythromycin is a broad spectrum antibiotic. Contrary to claims otherwise, it will kill all sorts of bacteria, good and bad. And, with contunued use, its effectiveness will diminish.

Good husbandry practices and sound filtration reigns supreme here.

tonymission · Jan 15, 2015

Gotta go with Raj here... Keeping your phosphates down is the best approach. My skimmer didn't work right for a month the one time I tried this stuff. Got rid of the cyano, but just couldn't imagine having to deal with it all the time

mikesmith34 · Jan 15, 2015

I have not used Chemiclean but I have used the Red Slime remover with very good success. Im sure the 2 are pretty much the same. As someone stated above Ive never heard of it having an impact on hair algae. It is great on Cyano and works as advertised.

Some forums will talk of tank crashes and the like from using it. (I think those problems lie with the applicator not the application).

bulkrate · Jan 15, 2015

I'm gonna go with the "husbandry" camp here - routinely dosing an antibiotic is a bad plan. Plus as other pointed out, you're fighting a losing battle with your tank. Eventually the cyano will no longer respond to the treatments by obligingly dying.

I have a tank at the other end of the spectrum (i.e. small) - a 9 gallon cube that's home to a single mandarin and a variety of inverts. Said fish is fed daily and if you've seen 'em you know they are not clean eaters - food can and will be blown everywhere and it's a pretty rich mix. Yet the rockwork and sandbed are pristine. Corals are thriving (admittedly only have zoas, ricordea and display macroalgae stocked at this time). Coraline grows shockingly quick so I imagine the more hardy stony LPS/stony corals would also do OK nowadays.

Just a varied clean-up crew (buncha dwarf hermits, trochus/cerith/"nano" strombus) coupled with routine water changes (around 2 gallons a week, 1 gallon per change) plus filter media that's refreshed every 2-4 weeks. No exotic dosing, no zeovit, and no periodic nuking with peroxide or other products required.

This tank started like most other do around 3 years ago and has had its share of ups and downs until I switched over to the simplified maintenance routine, with the novel concept of ACTUALLY DOING it every single week. Once into the routine it takes all of 15-30 minutes a week to do. As a result, the rest of the time I would normally spend fighting entropy is spent more pleasantly feeding the critters and watching them. ;-)

I keep putting off routine testing my water beyond salinity and occasionally alk... would love to be able to put maybe one spectacular LPS in. But by and large I rely on what's in the tank to tell me if something's off. Plus right now, the tank fits into the time I have to work on and enjoy it... knowing where to stop isn't just for Vegas.

jennm · Jan 15, 2015

The Ultralife product is very different than the Boyd product - the former is a lot less volatile.

I strongly recommend AGAINST over-dosing, sooner or later it won't end well.

The old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, rings true here. Good maintenance practices keep problems in check before they become problems.

Jenn

Possible alage cure

putemup

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stacy22

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declanisadog

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putemup

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enderg60

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stacy22

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skriz

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tonymission

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mikesmith34

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bulkrate

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jennm

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