Setting up a Chaeto fuge in Hairy green algae tank

[krourke85]

G'day All,

 

I have hairy green algae taking over my new Nuvo 8. It's a pretty common pest in Australia.

 

I've been doing a max dose of lanthanum salts for 2 weeks and the hairy stuff keeps on growing!

 

I've ordered an underwater fuge light and will be making the switch over to chaeto soon.

 

How do I make the switch?

 

I want to kill off the hair green algae so it isn't competing with the chaeto for nutrients, so I'm thinking of loading the tank up with GFO. I don't have any corals so I can safely strip the water down to 0.00 PO4 ppm. I'm also planning on doing a vacuum sifting water change before introducing the chaeto because I'm concerned that excess lanthanum salts will mess with things some how.

 

Alternatively, I could kill my tank LEDs for a couple days after getting the chaeto.

 

My concern is this: How do I give the Chaeto an edge up on growing over this pest algae??

[jestep]

Unless your refugium is massive, blackout and starving the algae is going to be the cheapest and most effective method IMO. Chaeto refugiums are best for providing a safe haven for macro fauna that would otherwise get eaten in the tank which is a good thing. But realistically I don't think they're an effective method of nutrient export unless they are prohibitively larger than the tank they're being used on.

 

Do you use RO water for your topoffs and salt mixing? That seems like quite a lot of algae for a newer tank without any fish in it.

[Tamberav]

You would be better off with an algae scrubber than cheato. Basically giving the GHA a place to grow thats better than your rocks and removing it as nutrient export.

Fuges are for pods, ect, imo but not super great at controlling nutrients unless very large.

 

I would use peroxide or a long lights out to kill it off the rocks after setting up the scrubber.

 

It also looks like you may have some bryopsis and that stuff needs to be aggressively murdered.

[krourke85]

Thanks guys, I will try the lights out. How many days?

 

I'm not sure there is room in a Nuvo AIO for an algae scrubber, but I'm looking into it. I'm still not crystal clear on how an algae scrubber is different from a chaeto fuge.

 

Unfortunately as a student, I am forced to use tap water, but both my tap and tank water are testing 0 PO4

 

I think maybe the bryopsis is what I've been calling hair algae. Some of it has been turning white where I've been adding the lanthanum salts, so maybe it is starting to work.

 

I'm running an anemone/clown tank so the chaeto will be safe in the main tank, and I won't worry if some does, but I'd like to prevent my tank from being covered with it.

 

I'm trying to move towards The Berlin Method of aquarium keeping. This was my main motivation for setting up a fuge.

[Tamberav]

My understanding is GHA is a lot more efficient than cheato at removing nutrients. Also if you give the GHA a more favorable spot to grow, it will grow there instead of your rock is the idea.

 

Algae can survive a fair amount of time without light. You may want to cover the tank with a blanket for 100% blackout if you are going to try that method. Even ambient light may give it enough time to hold on longer.

 

Here is an entire forum dedicated to algae scrubbers. According to them 1 square inch of screen per gallon so it doesn't seem like you would need a very big one. 3x3 inches I guess would do it if both sides were getting light.

 

http://algaescrubber.net/forums/

[jestep]

Yeah, looks like bryopsis to me as well. Best methods of treatment are hydrogen peroxide sprayed directly on the algae or a combination Magnesium chloride and magnesium sulfate dosing to 1500 - 2000 ppm. Do you know what your NO3 levels are? Also what test kit are you using for PO4? Even 1ppm is going to be plenty for bryopsis to go crazy on.

 

I'm not familiar with lanthanum salts. Is there a guide on how to use them?

[krourke85]

I think I will put algae scrubber research on my to do list. I have a clown too so I don't want to black out longer then I have to, but I will try the blanket too.

 

The P04 is a simple Aqua One test kit. N03 test is API and it is also showing 0.

 

Lanthanum salts combine with PO4 (and bicarbonate) to form a precipitate, so the PO4 isn't actually leaving the tank. I'm trying it on my LFS's recommendation. I think because they act like a buffer it won't ever bring P04 below 0.05.

 

Thanks again you two for all your help.

[krourke85]

Quick update:

 

It appears the Bryopsis, while slowly growing, was still struggling with most of the phosphates removed with lanthanum salts.

 

The lights have been off for 24 hours now and I am already seeing a massive die-off.

 

It seems so simple, and I am kicking myself for not realizing it earlier, that my LEDs were the only thing keeping the Bryopsis clinging to life.

[farkwar]

Hydrogen peroxide.

 

The algae will release all the chemicals to make more algae, you need to export that. I used stomatellas and water changes. UV will kill most free flowing cells of algae.

 

Your tank is new. You have the option to remove the rock and apply the peroxide outside of the tank. Rinse in saltwater then replace.

 

50/50 says those nutrients feeding that algae are coming from the rock itself.

[krourke85]

Heh, I am slowly getting the feeling that I should deal with this by using hydrogen peroxide...

 

I supposed the reason I am resisting is because with only 3 kgs of live rock, my range of flora is already pretty limited. If I spray the LR with H202 and kill everything then what was the point of buying LIVE rock in the first place? Also, the Bryopsis is growing in the gravel and it's kind of everywhere. Won't it just start regrowing again?

[markalot]

It doesn't kill everything if used correctly, just the algae. I've used it directly on a rock with acans and the acans were unfazed while all the algae died. I used a direct 3% solution but many people dilute it even more.

[farkwar]

Maybe you got the wrong LIVE rock.

 

 

I suspect by the pics...

 

That live rock has a bunch of dead stuff on it fertilizing your crap algae.

 

H2O2 3% is not going to kill everything. The inside of your mouth are live animal cells, H2O2 is used as a mouthwash, has been for at least 100 years.

 

Try it, put 50 or so ml of H2O2, into your mouth and swish it around, gargle. Spit and rinse. The foaming is essentially all the bacteria cells lysing(exploding). It tastes like deionized water, no flavor.

 

 

Will whiten your teeth.

 

Dentists use peroxide to whiten teeth, You can buy whitening strips over the counter even.

 

 

If you leave it in too long it will start killing those live cells, turns them white(they will pink up in a few hours). If youve used whitening strips youve seen this.

 

Actually, Im going to get some 35% stuff, the 3% is kinda slow. BTW Idiots buy 35% and swallow it or inject it in their veins to cure their HIV or cancer. It does neither of those things. Don't do that, just saying that it doesnt kill them, even doing something stupid with 11 times the concentration.

 

 

After all that..

Honestly with that small amount if rock, I wiuld just toss it and get some new.