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Hair Algae Experiment - Successful


DLANDINO

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vegasgundog

So I guess the gist of it is its an alcohol that loves water and would probably disperse rapidly and it's used a lot for on the human body. So a little might be ok?

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Thanks Vegas. The phyto I use in my tank is cryopreserved. Here is what they say about it:

 

Food Grade Glycerine is added to prevent Tahitian Blend from freezing and to prevent lysing of cells. (Carbohydrates, which include sugars such as glycerine and molasses have been shown to be useful, if not necessary, to support established healthy populations of beneficial bacteria in filters and substrates. The presence of glycerine may not be of benefit to culture systems, e.g., rotifer culture systems, where biofiltration is not employed.)



So I'm going to try it.

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Glycerin did not work. The goo became even more liquidy. Perhaps glycerin with just the baking soda will be more gooey but the purpose is to have peroxide in a form that "stays" on the evil algae.

 

Having said that, the placed where I "showered" the goo has no bryopsis to speak of. An astrea snail has been on the area so likely munching off the burnt leftovers but I can't be sure.



Might have to try agar.



My packet of repashy food has locust bean gum listed as an ingredient.

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vegasgundog

I wonder if the glycerin pulled water from the cells of the algae and helped the peroxide or allowed the peroxide to enter the cells as it does on human skin?

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SquishyFishy

Can I use this on the shafts of my Clove colony? The gha is all over them and the emerald can't keep up with it.

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SquishyFishy

Well I just tried it, the cloves look very unhappy but I think I notice a definite immediate change in the GHA it looks lighter in color after just 30 minutes. Will post back with pics but here is the first one just after treatment:

gha-XL.jpg

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I wonder if the glycerin pulled water from the cells of the algae and helped the peroxide or allowed the peroxide to enter the cells as it does on human skin?
interesting question. What I did notice was that my alkalinity went up 2 dKH. I'm not sure if it also went up when I used it with gum our just peroxide and baking soda.
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vegasgundog
Well I just tried it, the cloves look very unhappy but I think I notice a definite immediate change in the GHA it looks lighter in color after just 30 minutes. Will post back with pics but here is the first one just after treatment:

gha-XL.jpg

 

My gsp are never happy after a peroxide treatment but always recover.

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  • 2 weeks later...
SquishyFishy

OOPS these didn't, they are now dissolving! I tossed the whole rock this morning because I don't want the ooze to fowl my tank up.

Literally 1 week after treatment! mostly gone. I will never use the treatment in close proximity to anything again. Only if the algae is in patches away from coral will I use this again. This algae was actually growing on the clove so maybe they were diseased to begin with.

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SquishyFishy

I mixed it exactly according to the suggested amounts and used a syringe to squeeze it into the cloves at their bases where the algae was growing. I just don't think the cloves were hardy enough to stand being treated with this. The algae was taking its toll though, they were getting less likely to open and then the deadly ooze started after treatment.

 

Happily, I bought another type of GSP and I'm good, also picked up a torch. So all's well that ends well.

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I finally managed to get a hold of a jar of Agar. Next experiment should commence this weekend. The ALK went high after the last treatment with Xanthan Gum paste so I need to monitor and be careful this time.

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As joe dirt would say. "Dang". "this thread is legit"

Well documented

 

 

Plum crazy purple.

 

Can I use this on the shafts of my Clove colony? The gha is all over them and the emerald can't keep up with it.

He said shafts

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I wouldn't put agar in my tank (despite what wikipedia science may tell you).

 

I recently conceded in my battle against bryopsis pennata, I completely switched out the infested rock and currently feel both clean and empowered (hopefully it doesn't come back). The baking soda and peroxide method kept the bryopsis at bay, every week I applied the solution and it took exactly a week to grow back, but was not a problem solver (as most people here have discovered). I agree with you guys that a paste would be more useful, the baking soda was not soluble with the peroxide (at least for me) and so the mixture required constant stirring. Even then it was risky to apply because it would sink and spread in the water, which was dangerous because my acros were in close proximity to the algae.

 

Perhaps try calcium hydroxide paste?

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Peroxide should not be discounted at the 35% level if someone has access

including the paste mix idea with baking soda. Or dilutions of 35% if not straight 35

 

Obviously chemical burns are a real concern here, so gear accordingly. I use only 35% in my tank and it burns any known algae right off...other pastes may work better but its still a handy biocide at that level of strength that rinses and dilutes well such that non target organisms can still be accounted for. If 3% isn't doing it, try a run at 15% see what you think then

 

I get mine at natures way health food store, twenty bucks a quart.

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  • 11 months later...

and it would be gold if we could get follow up after months of targeted use. The staunch anti peroxide crowd is banking on the fact your growback was so bad that you abandoned the method.

 

 

The growback of GHA in my tank? zilch, its the best method ive ever seen, worth 60 page threads for. but im biased so discount that id love to hear of spot treatment success others reached and how Metro beat that bryopsis, i forgot to ask. how did you get it out of your tank ma'am with all those great macros in play.

 

 

 

 

I haven't treated for green hair algae not once in 30 mos im guessing its a rough guess, time flies.

 

I beat GHA out of my tank as well and these targeting methods are just great.

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