API Algaefix Marine?

[dandelion]

Was digging into some older posts on various reefing forums. Looks like when this first came out a few years ago it created quite a stir in the reefing community. But then discussions seem to have died off and I have not seen any posts about it anymore.

 

Did someone find out there is a fatal problem with this product? Or did it just come and go and got forgotten?

[jestep]

I'm skeptical of using chemicals to control algae directly as the underlying issue is NO3 and PO4. Killing the algae directly puts even more nutrients into the water column without addressing the actual problem. I sure as heck wouldn't do it in a reef tank. Manual scrubbing, peroxide or a foxface is how I would directly treat algae, but getting the underlying nutrient problem under control should be the primary goal, assuming obvious factors are eliminated like old bulbs, too high or unstable temperature, etc.

[dandelion]

I understand the importance of treating the root problem instead of bandaid. However I am not afraid to use a bandaid if every thing else fails. Plus I think it's good to do more research well before actually having to use it than to spend 10 minutes looking for a solution when one'a nearly pulling their hair off.

 

My pico has almost 0 nutrients going in. I stopped feeding my corals and my RO/DI is 0 ppm. Hair algae are still growing. Not yet out of control but starting to get unsightly. I have already cleaned the filtration area. Blasted at rocks daily. Sand bed vacuumed regularly. Lights reduced and spectrum changed to less red. No detectable nitrate and phosphate at 0.02-0.04. Been using peroxide too and snails are working hard.

 

So just wondering if the fizz just died off or if there were major problems with the product?

 

I'm skeptical of using chemicals to control algae directly as the underlying issue is NO3 and PO4. Killing the algae directly puts even more nutrients into the water column without addressing the actual problem. I sure as heck wouldn't do it in a reef tank. Manual scrubbing, peroxide or a foxface is how I would directly treat algae, but getting the underlying nutrient problem under control should be the primary goal, assuming obvious factors are eliminated like old bulbs, too high or unstable temperature, etc.

[jestep]

Ugh, that's definitely frustrating. Did you use dry rock or rock previously used in a tank? Also, you're sure it's GHA and not bryopsis, just want to rule that out if you haven't already. Just looking at your pictures, it's so confined to the rock, it makes me think you're leaching nutrients from the rocks more than anything else.

 

Coral in your build thread is looking absolutely great, I would just really hate to get so drastic in this size tank and risk messing it up. What CUC do you have in there? Might try a handful of astraea snails if you haven't. They actually will consume some hair algae unlike most ceriths and nerits, but they aren't buldozing hogs like mexican turbos.

 

Anyway, sorry to go off topic so much from the original question, I have read both good and bad of the stuff. It might be worth an extremely careful regime of it. Your tank just seems so close to "there" it just seems crazy to get this aggressive with it.

[dandelion]

Yea I see what you mean. Thanks for your compliment too. I have some more photos I took recently that shows even more growth.

 

Anyways thing is my SPS are outgrowing my tank. I have another tank cycling currently that I plan to move my SPS to and will leave my current pico as a zoa garden. (Don't want to test for alk everyday in two tanks.) Problem is then I'll have to raise nitrate up a bit for my zoas to thrive and I'm afraid GHA will go uncontrollable at that point. That's why I wont to know more about the last resort methods well ahead of when I may actually need them.

 

I have 3 astrea snails right now. They seem to have slowed down in munching down the GHA, and their poop is fueling their growth. I'll try to actively move them to the rocks and see if that'll help. Btw spot treating with peroxide definitely works with little side effects on my corals. Problem is you can only do one to two spots a day without overdosing the tank.

 

Ugh, that's definitely frustrating. Did you use dry rock or rock previously used in a tank? Also, you're sure it's GHA and not bryopsis, just want to rule that out if you haven't already. Just looking at your pictures, it's so confined to the rock, it makes me think you're leaching nutrients from the rocks more than anything else.

 

Coral in your build thread is looking absolutely great, I would just really hate to get so drastic in this size tank and risk messing it up. What CUC do you have in there? Might try a handful of astraea snails if you haven't. They actually will consume some hair algae unlike most ceriths and nerits, but they aren't buldozing hogs like mexican turbos.

 

Anyway, sorry to go off topic so much from the original question, I have read both good and bad of the stuff. It might be worth an extremely careful regime of it. Your tank just seems so close to "there" it just seems crazy to get this aggressive with it.

[Asureef]

Yea I see what you mean. Thanks for your compliment too. I have some more photos I took recently that shows even more growth.

 

Anyways thing is my SPS are outgrowing my tank. I have another tank cycling currently that I plan to move my SPS to and will leave my current pico as a zoa garden. (Don't want to test for alk everyday in two tanks.) Problem is then I'll have to raise nitrate up a bit for my zoas to thrive and I'm afraid GHA will go uncontrollable at that point. That's why I wont to know more about the last resort methods well ahead of when I may actually need them.

 

I have 3 astrea snails right now. They seem to have slowed down in munching down the GHA, and their poop is fueling their growth. I'll try to actively move them to the rocks and see if that'll help. Btw spot treating with peroxide definitely works with little side effects on my corals. Problem is you can only do one to two spots a day without overdosing the tank.

 

 

 

It works if that's what you're trying to ask. I remember using it a few years ago, only negative impact was some color lost on SPS.

[Clown79]

Look up Vibrant. Its got some great reviews and its natural.

 

Green emerald crab may help.

 

Have you taken the rocks out, scrubbed them and treated with peroxide?

[Ebn]

I used some Algaefix to nuke some bubble algae awhile back. That was the last that I saw of them as well as some of the algae that was in it.