Biopellets and Hair Algae

[brandon429]

hey do you have any updates there are more threads I wanted to link this one to if you are still clearing patches

[Riddler05]

Brandon,

 

So I have kept up with daily peroxide treatments. I spot treat with about 1ml of peroxide per day. Along with peroxide treatment I try and remove as much algae as I can by hand. While siphoning out the tank to expose the algae for spot treatments, I manually pull as much hair algae as possible. I then run the old tank water through a filter sock to remove all the algae before adding the water back to the tank. In addition, I have also started doing 10% water changes every other day. I am still far from GHA free, but saying that I have been fighting a losing battle with GHA for over 5 months, I think I have made amazing progress with just 7 days of peroxide treatments.

 

I always have trouble taking pictures of my tank and this time was no different. Here are a few pictures, but they do not due the tank justice.

 

http://s72.photobucket.com/user/Riddler05/media/photo1_zpsa2ab0c61.jpg.html'>

 

http://s72.photobucket.com/user/Riddler05/media/photo2_zpsd29c5696.jpg.html'>

 

http://s72.photobucket.com/user/Riddler05/media/photo3_zps27d5c44a.jpg.html'>

[brandon429]

Thank you so very much for these updates

 

your tank is progressing just 100% on track, in the right timeframes.

 

You are contributing massively to several giant peroxide threads on the web by specifically doing in tank dosing with two of five critical sensitive species in tow, truly I dont recall a better example of this kind of application, especially first run by a new doser, across threads that have a combined total of more than a thousand reef aquariums. please update the reefcentral thread with this link if you get a chance, if you are a member there!

.

 

even when we do get posters with a tank like yours they tend to not post back after the first partial update, having someone willing to keep the pics alive really completes this approach.

 

This is exactly how regrowth goes down in your aquarium, what you have just done is called a bandaid by some.

 

it is no bandaid, you have reversed 40% of the eutrophication in your aquarium by focusing on the target and nothing else. Incidentally that activity has required you to change water more, become exportive, and see algae as the dang enemy regardless of what books on marine algae say. when books on saving 1000 tanks are written, they will have actions similar to your thread.

 

Eutrophication reversal in the true sense is beyond the target, and now you are impacting some of the conditions that caused your algae growth, simply by hammering out the algae.

 

You will have regrowth, because all of our tanks can and do grow algae during periods of running. even those using GFO, the treatment of the day for this decade, have periods of too much or too little stripping and it only takes a little google work to find cyanobacteria invasions closely linked to GFO as an interesting paradox. repeatedly. otherwise their tanks run fine with GFO if they can find the lucky balance. Im not against GFO, Im for using it as a preventative only. you might even consider some after we are done.

 

Regrowth of this target will be unpronounced because of the kind of algae you have, its not bryopsis variant thank goodness. any regrowth is easily treated again, until you find the preventative that works.

 

always always focus 75% on removal and 25% on prevention, the books had this reversed, which is why nobody cured a thousand tanks of algae using a contemporary reef book on algae which btw is amazingly well written if you like theory.

 

 

Algae tufts like you had are self perpetuating. they trap detritus, leaking fuel into the source problem as a circular crap wheel.

 

Removing algae tufts is removing eutrophication backwards, its the only way that works over and over and over and over and over

 

http://news.yahoo.com/gorgeous-fish-just-might-save-caribbean-dying-coral-184010479.html

 

nice thread man, your tank will look brand new by july 15th. if you pull off that many dosings w no shrimp loss, that blood shrimp can be sensitive for sure, I will be truly impressed. nice dedication

B

[Riddler05]

Brandon,

 

I have a few questions.

 

1. I have a few zoanthids on a frag plug that are covered in GHA. I can easily remove the frag plug from the tank but I am not sure how sensitive zoanthids are and what is the best concentration of peroxide to treat them with.

 

2. Same as above but this time I have a frag of a hammer coral were the skeleton of the coral is completely covered in GHA. This frag can easily be removed but I am not sure how to best treat it or how sensitive hammer corals are.

 

Thanks

[brandon429]

For sure

 

 

For the zoanthids mix half tank water half peroxide in cup and dip them all 1 min then remove and out back in tank

 

Don't hand remove any, it will fall off clean and zos are ok w it,makes for good follow up pics. The peroxide itself is a powerful, powerful selector for algae and removes it in most cases.

 

Hammer, let's not get on the polyp as the perimeter holds the algae holdfasts, ideally you would dab straight 3% on a wet q tip right on the targets working around the patch. Let sit in air two mins, return to tank take after

 

You just lift out that hammer and paint the edges wet as needed. Use a little paintbrush if needed,something for a target application.

[farkwar]

As a member of the 35% club, I can say Peroxide is a good selector for aptasia as well. It blows them into a bubbly floating gooey blobs, floats up to the surface, then down the drain.

 

Its only marginally effective against bryopsis, btw. It really only does help weaken it for manual removal with long tweezers.

 

My zoas are pretty tolerant of the 35%, make sure they are all buttholed up first though. My aptasia were hiding between some zoa polyps, zoas are doing well, better than when they had aptasia stinging them.

[brandon429]

I had really really hoped that 35 would melt my mushrooms but nope, full on divisions going

 

Thats neat it does dissolve aips I didn't know that...considering just the paper thin nature of their tissues compared to thick and heavy mucous mushrooms makes sense.

[Riddler05]

So I just found my emerald crab dead on my sand bed. It may have nothing to do with the peroxide treatment but I think I am going to do a large water change today and then take a day or two before starting the peroxide treatment again. My other inverts seem to be doing well. The fire shrimp are cleaner shrimp and swimming around and behaving as usual. My BTA is open and seems to be doing alright. I haven't seen my pistol shrimp so I am unsure about him, but he is always hiding so im not so worried if I cant find him.

[Tamberav]

I found emerald crabs to be more sensitive than my shrimp. They like to turn up dead after I iodine dip some zoa's (didn't rinse) but the shrimp never had a problem.

[ReviloM]

My wife has a small 7.5G ADA tank and it had an GHA problem until I did manual removal to thin it down, added a bicolor blenny and emerald crab to the tank, and reduced the lighting schedule. The GHA was gone within a week. Unfortunately, the emerald crab died, maybe, due to starvation because the blenny is constantly grazing on the barely visible algae spots.

[brandon429]

Look how much the tank in the middle of this page looks like the tank we are working with here. Nearly identical algae tufting

 

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2082359&page=61