Fully Write up - Hydrogen peroxide treatment GHA - Documentation and Photos

[brandon429]

Hippie

 

I’d say your tanks outcome and tracking during the year 2018 is gonna have a few eyes on it

[HarryPotter]

1 hour ago, brandon429 said:

Hippie

 

I’d say your tanks outcome and tracking during the year 2018 is gonna have a few eyes on it

 

For sure!

 

I personally would first try to establish the cause of the growth: lighting, feeding, maintenance, rocks leaching detritus, etc. The OP's  tank is luckily that it is a relatively young age, corals can be mostly removed without harming them.
 

@Hippieheadshot, I had the JBJ RL-45 and overcame a similar battle with hair algae and diatoms. No chemicals. 

 

My method to counter it would be: 

 

(During this entire process, filter floss should be used at the top of both baskets and removed every few days when dirty)

 

1. Get Control of the Algae

• Get control  of the long growths of algae by scraping the back wall, and siphoning the remnants+long strands on the rock. During this time, also mix up the sand bed to release significant buildup. If it is very dirty, do this over two or three water changes.  You do not want to spike nutrients and harm the inhabitants.  @brandon429 's sand rinse method is without a doubt more effective and can be performed. If you have the budget for it, you could toss the old sand and add some nice (rinsed) dry sand. There is by far enough bacteria in the rock to populate the sand in a week or two.

 

• In June of 2016, your tank sand looked nice and clean. It should still look like that- nice and white throughout. By letting it just sit there without agitation, it has turned into a nutrient trap. 

2.  Address Tank Maintenance 

• Siphon the rear chambers. There is a shocking amount of buildup there, junk that got through the floss and just rots at the bottom. I found that looking at an image of the rear chamber layout was helpful.
• Remove the pumps and soak them in vinegar for a few hours to make them run like new. You want everything to run optimally. Also clean the tubing, clean the loc-line in vinegar overnight, etc. The tank should look and perform like it is brand new.
• Check water source for water changes and top off. Is your RODI performing correctly? 

3. Blast Cleaning

• Every day or two, use your powerhead to blast the sand bed and rocks. The fist few times, be cautious of releasing too much nutrients.
• Blasting the sand bed means ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE GLASS. Dont be wimpy and just tough the top layer where you see algae  
• Every since my algae issues when I began the hobby (My JBJ28 & beginning of the RL-45), this has been my preferred maintenance. Monthly I blast everything, releasing all pockets of nutrients before my water change. Mixing by hand is okay, but using a powerhead is much more effective. Because I do this monthly, the tank barely fogs up during this procedure. I skip feeding that day, since the corals are all thrilled at the extra food from the nutrient deposits. 

 

4. Address Current Status: the rock. 

 

• Now that you are doing effective tank maintenance, where does the situation stand?
• There should be no strands of algae on the rock, sand bed, or back wall since the blasting removes that type of fine algae. 
• Here, the only POSSIBLE ELEMENT of your complications that remains is the rock. I read you used uncured BRS pukani, which I believe (according to my reading) leaches phosphates for a few years unless it is cured. I like reefcleaners, as it is already clean and does not "grow" algae like pukani does. I add it to my tank and it grows coralline, compared to certain things (mag rocks, types of frag plugs, etc) that grow algae due to leaching. 

 

• If algae continues, you will want to replace or bleach the rock. You can do this half at a time and it will not effect your biological filtration. You can coax the anemone off the rock and bleach the one on the left first. The rightmost one is more difficult due to the GSP. If you replace the rock with ReefCleaners, your tank issues will almost certainly be solved, as there would be no more potential causes of problems. 

 

      This method is based off of trial and error, removing all potential causes one by one while addressing the most critical parts first. Address the sand and buildup, then tank itself, then your maintenance procedure, and finally, the last potential cause of problems, the rock itself. By eliminating these one by one, you can virtually guarantee that the issues will be corrected. The total time invested for this process would be a few hours, across a few weeks. This procedure is optimized to you, with the hairy algae, not necessarily to someone fighting more resilient algae strains. I also make the assumption that you are not feeding excessively. 

 

If you would like, you can address the rock using @brandon429's H202 method around step 4. I do not "recommend" it because it kills bacteria, both good and bad (Scientific fact). The effect of this on a reef tank is not yet established. But for someone who wants an effective bio-filter, this cannot be a good thing in my opinion. How can you expect bacteria to process nutrients if you have killed most of the the bacteria. 

 

No matter what, by eliminating factors one by one in a scientific manner, this plan WILL drastically improve your situation.  Its worth it. A tank that continues to leave  you with more negativity than enjoyment either needs to be fixed or taken down.  

[brandon429]

@HarryPotter

So Harry says we’re killing biofilters and that it’s a scientific fact huh? What did 200 pages of peroxide dosing show in that regard? oh that’s right, we disregard large threads and instead opt for peer reviewed links. Post your links then, silence means you had no real plans for input this whole time. Find your links on peroxide in a reef tank, and post.

 

Harry, post the LD-50 dosage level known to cause biofilm dissolution and cellular death in mixed aerobic communities...hint, it’s not one mil per ten gallons of tank water

 

 

 

The single most important data set to this thread isn't our back n forth any longer, the call has been made.

 

Hippie will implement what reflects best with his reef

This live rock not long ago was aged nicely, it still is, we are resetting things.

 

 

 

 

Lack of grazing simply caused this.

 

seeing others make the step ahead of time in threads of tanks like theirs is valuable

 

 

 The post cleaning pic, and the six month update as to how de eutrophication was guided into a small reef (series of undoing/expressing/guiding water changes) are the next two possible reflection points, everyone's made their call here. Chill your energy

 

Recurring themes, Harry posts big, gets an article challenge, then we don’t see more from him on the matter. Subsequent posts here now seem hollow after the wilt:

 

 

 

[HarryPotter]

Can you hear yourself? Nutjob 

 

LOL he edited the post to take out his religious justification of H202. Shame.

Edit: he completely edited the post again THREE DAYS LATER. Freaking crazy. Luckily I have SS of each version  

[Simulated Fish]

Hey everyone, I just finished the deep clean. I have a few family obligations then I will post a detailed work up. I tried to get solid photos with my wife's camera. 

 

First impression quite good. My hawkfish and sixline are PISSED. Nems seem okay and are partially open. Had to hit the GSP and mushrooms in both rock directly unfortunately.

 

I will touch base on @HarryPotter  @brandon429 and everyone else's replies when I have some more time, currently on the road.

[brandon429]

Can you hear yourself? Nutjob 

 

have a look at that link I posted above with Deniro, how did your commentary work out for you there, noticing any patterns?

 

 

 

 

 

Hippie 

Can you still get to that 50% change by at least dinner time, well done on initial go

[Lynaea]

3 hours ago, HarryPotter said:

 

For sure!

 

I personally would first try to establish the cause of the growth: lighting, feeding, maintenance, rocks leaching detritus, etc. The OP's  tank is luckily that it is a relatively young age, corals can be mostly removed without harming them.
 

@Hippieheadshot, I had the JBJ RL-45 and overcame a similar battle with hair algae and diatoms. No chemicals. 

 

My method to counter it would be: 

 

(During this entire process, filter floss should be used at the top of both baskets and removed every few days when dirty)

 

1. Get Control of the Algae

• Get control  of the long growths of algae by scraping the back wall, and siphoning the remnants+long strands on the rock. During this time, also mix up the sand bed to release significant buildup. If it is very dirty, do this over two or three water changes.  You do not want to spike nutrients and harm the inhabitants.  @brandon429 's sand rinse method is without a doubt more effective and can be performed. If you have the budget for it, you could toss the old sand and add some nice (rinsed) dry sand. There is by far enough bacteria in the rock to populate the sand in a week or two.

 

• In June of 2016, your tank sand looked nice and clean. It should still look like that- nice and white throughout. By letting it just sit there without agitation, it has turned into a nutrient trap. 

2.  Address Tank Maintenance 

• Siphon the rear chambers. There is a shocking amount of buildup there, junk that got through the floss and just rots at the bottom. I found that looking at an image of the rear chamber layout was helpful.
• Remove the pumps and soak them in vinegar for a few hours to make them run like new. You want everything to run optimally. Also clean the tubing, clean the loc-line in vinegar overnight, etc. The tank should look and perform like it is brand new.
• Check water source for water changes and top off. Is your RODI performing correctly? 

3. Blast Cleaning

• Every day or two, use your powerhead to blast the sand bed and rocks. The fist few times, be cautious of releasing too much nutrients.
• Blasting the sand bed means ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE GLASS. Dont be wimpy and just tough the top layer where you see algae  
• Every since my algae issues when I began the hobby (My JBJ28 & beginning of the RL-45), this has been my preferred maintenance. Monthly I blast everything, releasing all pockets of nutrients before my water change. Mixing by hand is okay, but using a powerhead is much more effective. Because I do this monthly, the tank barely fogs up during this procedure. I skip feeding that day, since the corals are all thrilled at the extra food from the nutrient deposits. 

 

4. Address Current Status: the rock. 

 

• Now that you are doing effective tank maintenance, where does the situation stand?
• There should be no strands of algae on the rock, sand bed, or back wall since the blasting removes that type of fine algae. 
• Here, the only POSSIBLE ELEMENT of your complications that remains is the rock. I read you used uncured BRS pukani, which I believe (according to my reading) leaches phosphates for a few years unless it is cured. I like reefcleaners, as it is already clean and does not "grow" algae like pukani does. I add it to my tank and it grows coralline, compared to certain things (mag rocks, types of frag plugs, etc) that grow algae due to leaching. 

 

• If algae continues, you will want to replace or bleach the rock. You can do this half at a time and it will not effect your biological filtration. You can coax the anemone off the rock and bleach the one on the left first. The rightmost one is more difficult due to the GSP. If you replace the rock with ReefCleaners, your tank issues will almost certainly be solved, as there would be no more potential causes of problems. 

 

      This method is based off of trial and error, removing all potential causes one by one while addressing the most critical parts first. Address the sand and buildup, then tank itself, then your maintenance procedure, and finally, the last potential cause of problems, the rock itself. By eliminating these one by one, you can virtually guarantee that the issues will be corrected. The total time invested for this process would be a few hours, across a few weeks. This procedure is optimized to you, with the hairy algae, not necessarily to someone fighting more resilient algae strains. I also make the assumption that you are not feeding excessively. 

 

If you would like, you can address the rock using @brandon429's H202 method around step 4. I do not "recommend" it because it kills bacteria, both good and bad (Scientific fact). The effect of this on a reef tank is not yet established. But for someone who wants an effective bio-filter, this cannot be a good thing in my opinion. How can you expect bacteria to process nutrients if you have killed most of the the bacteria. 

 

No matter what, by eliminating factors one by one in a scientific manner, this plan WILL drastically improve your situation.  Its worth it. A tank that continues to leave  you with more negativity than enjoyment either needs to be fixed or taken down.  

This is awesome!  It needs to go in the articles section or get a sticky or something.

[Simulated Fish]

56 minutes ago, brandon429 said:

Can you still get to that 50% change by at least dinner time, well done on initial go

I treated the rock with direct application, peroxide + brushing then letting it soak for 5 min. Then dunk rinsing before adding to tank. Tank received 95% WC and salt should be ready to go this evening. I can only make 30g at a time.

 

 

Here is a crappy phone pic just after adding them back.

Cloudy from the new sand, Caribsea live.

 

[brandon429]

Did the brushing filaments not smash and grind the algae back into the hard crevices? Curious how live rock detritus was assessed here.

 

 

 

 if you will change water and drop lights one day I bet it’s ok on the customization.

 

 

 

 Needs to be cloudy day overstress lighting intensity reduction, we run dim lighting or no lighting if the setup has retained any detritus or cloud in the rocks or sand after reassembly 

 

 

 

[Simulated Fish]

1 hour ago, brandon429 said:

Did the brushing filaments not smash and grind the algae back into the hard crevices? Curious how live rock detritus was assessed here.

 

Pre rinse of new live sand was so that false concern clouding wouldn’t block out clouding from unrinsed live rock...we need to be able to associate clouding with waste stores on these deconstructions so we dont risk inaction. Clouding means take action in the sr thread 

 

 if you will change water and drop lights one day I bet it’s ok on the customization.

 

 

 

 Needs to be cloudy day overstress lighting intensity reduction, we run dim lighting or no lighting if the setup has retained any detritus or cloud in the rocks or sand after reassembly 

 

 

 

 

I was really torn on rinsing the sand but I honestly need the bacteria boost from the fresh live sand. All old sand was removed, this is 100% new. 

 

I scrubbed the rocks while they were in the tank, removed 90% of the algae this way. 

 

Then I finished draining the tank and removed the sand. Hit the tank walls with peroxide soaked paper towels to be thorough.

 

I then used a paint brush to apply the hydrogen peroxide, this was great as it gave my a lot of control and flexibility to get it into the nooks. I then used the wire brush to scrape and gouge the rock. 

 

I then rinsed the rocks in large tub. I used vigorous shaking and plunged the rock in and out of the water tell it stopped releasing gunk and I could not hear the sizzle of peroxide.

 

I then hit the rock with another very generous application of peroxide, let it sit for about 5 minutes while I scrubbed the corals. 

 

Another round of rinsing and into the tank.

 

This is how I insured most if not all detritus and algea was wased out and away from the rockwork.

[brandon429]

You have documented really well for sure. No rush on posting all the pics I know it takes a while to arrange. We're curious just on initial eval was the sandbed life really prominent?

[Simulated Fish]

20 minutes ago, brandon429 said:

You have documented really well for sure. No rush on posting all the pics I know it takes a while to arrange. We're curious just on initial eval was the sandbed life really prominent?

A crap ton! Tried to recoved most of the critters but it was not easy. I think I only got 20-30%.

 

Photo will definitely be up tonight

[brandon429]

Nice. That's the stuff they recharge refugiums with, pre harvested for the first time for us from the work tank vs bought. I know it must be good/your filtration and selection technique for teasing them out without harm. ideal for sure, I'd buy a nice charging kit for sure. Been feeding roti feast food lately and it's bringing out my pods and brittle stars markedly. I've added a bunch of asterina stars to the setup, they don't harm any of my coral. I've always liked asterina and try to harvest them before my rip cleans.

[Simulated Fish]

I will Post the write up in the morning I did not expect to get home so late! Here are some photos for you guys. I know the quality is not the best, I am no good with a camera, sorry about that but i think they show decent detail. I will be posting better after shots tomorrow also when I can get day time lighting

 

Click spoilers to reveal photos dumps, Hidden as to not clog the thread!

 

 

 

Before shot, day of cleaning

 

 

 



 



 


 

 

 

Process Photos - Removing coral and fish > Scrub rocks in tank > Remove water and sand > New sand > Rocks out of water before Hydrogen Peroxide

 

 

 



 



 



 



 



 



 


 

 

 

After Shots, Night time after a few hours of letting tank rest

 

 

 



 



 



 



 



 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[brandon429]

Looks very cloudless after resting well done pics well done effort

 

It will be neat to see how this looks in two days. 

[Simulated Fish]

More photo's incoming! Much better then last time! Tank is looking great, All corals and anemones are opening up though not at full extension. GSP is the only thing not opening up at all, but that was expected as it took direct heavy peroxide and scrubbing as there was algae growing between polyps. 

 

Sorry about the glare in a few pictures, Didn't have a way to block it out and maintain good lighting.

 

Let me know if there is a close up or picture of something you guys would like! My favorite angle is from the side, especially once the GSP opens back up.  

 

 

 



 



 



 



 



 



 



 



 



 



 



 



 

 

[brandon429]

My goodness yes 

 

those snails!! Now they’re positioned against the mass correctly I bet they’re ultra attracted to dying bits

 

You were clearly thorough in execution. Really sharp and that looks like the outcome of someone determined not to lose an investment. Your anemone is larger than my entire aquascape yes it looks hungry and and tank will now take on feed as a new tank does, as a loop, until the nutrient sinks fill up again depending on sand maintenance and other factors. 

 

that alveopora took real time and feeding to get like that, wow to that bad boy 

[Simulated Fish]

3 minutes ago, brandon429 said:

My goodness yes 

 

those snails!! Now they’re positioned against the mass correctly I bet they’re ultra attracted to dying bits

 

You were clearly thorough in execution. Really sharp and that looks like the outcome of someone determined not to lose an investment. Your anemone is larger than my entire aquascape yes it look hungry~ that alveopora took real time and feeding to get like that 

 

LOVE my Alvo, it opens to about 3x that size and it has been a fast grower. Targeted reefroids has done wonders. It was a large piece  when i got it, but has just about doubled. Lost some growth to the algae. It took root on the underside and even with weekly removal the flesh receded.

 

The nems are still pretty closed up, but they all ate happily this morning, i am going to target feed them again tonight. i normally only feed them once a day but i am going to spot feed them 2x for the next week to help them recover from the stress. I am shocked they did not move or release over the few hours of being moved every way, shook and out of water.

 

I am about 3/4 done with my write up - it will be posted shortly! 

[Simulated Fish]

 

 

 

Okay so now to the full write up and break down of what I did for this GHA Hydrogen Peroxide treatment. Because there are a large volume of pictures I will have them hidden with spoiler tags, simple click on the tag to reveal pictures for that section.

 

Introduction

 

First here is a FTS of what we are starting with, this was about 3 weeks of unchecked growth after being scrubbed pretty heavily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not pretty and pretty defeating after months of scrubbing only to have it come back weeks later in full force. I had done everything in the book to reduce and remove this algae. Reduce feedings, lights lowered, daily WC and removal, medication, livestock additions, ect.

 

Depressed about the state of my tank after losing corals to the GHA and fish due to unstable tank parameters from long term heavy maintenance I was almost ready to salvage what I could and do a full tank reset.

 

Now I have heard of the Hydrogen Peroxide treatment and seen some nice before and after shots but not much in the way of long term results. I didn’t want to find myself in the same place 3 months later after doing such an aggressive maneuver. Most people who attempted this from what I could find were not well documented after the first treatment or never heard from again. As is such with our hobby most people join online forums and participate when there is a problem to never post again. So that brings us to now, I picked up 3% Hydrogen Peroxide from the local pharmacy and spent about 5 hours deep cleaning the tank and rockwork.

 

Step One - Manual removal of algae on rock work

 

With the algae so far out of check I wanted to remove as much as I could to give the H2O2 the best chance of getting into the rock works top layer and at the root of the algae. I removed corals that were in the sand bed and placed them in a large plastic tub, this will also be the temp storage for the fish. I also empted about 10g of water into the tub before scrubbing so it was clear of debris for the livestock. I also scrubbed each rock one at a time, that way I could move it around and really get at all areas without being restricted by limited space. I used my refugium light as a time light for the fish and frags, not required but I feel like it helped reduce the stress of moving.

 

 

 

 

 



 


 

 

 

Step two - Drain the tank and replace sand bed

 

With how invasive and rooted the algae was in my tank removing the sand bed was a must. I really did not want to as I had quite a robust micro fauna population. This includes microbes, small pods, stars, worms, snails, and other tiny life that helps sustain a healthy reef life cycle. After 3+ years though no amount of siphoning could remove the built up detritus, trust me I tried! This on top of the algae was growing within the sand and was in heavy bunches the siphon couldn’t grab. So It was time to swap the sand 100% and be done with it.

 

I opted to not rinse the sand because it was Caribsea Live, and with the removal of so much biomass and micro-fauna I really wanted to keep the good bacteria in the sand. Honestly I would also go with a bottle of Dr.Tims, Microbacter7 or whatever brand you prefer but it was not readily available to me at the time. I may end up adding some in the coming weeks to give the new rock surfaces a little boost in creating a new bio-film.

 

Once all the old sand was removed using a plastic bin and set aside for later, save as much life as you can, I then placed the new sand and filled it with 10g of fresh saltwater so the fish could be moved back in. Honestly I wish I had another large container for the next step but I only had the one handy.

 

I also took this time to remove algae from the tank walls and wiped the tank down with H2O2 soaked paper towels, then with a clean RODI towel to remove left over H2O2.

 

 

 

 

 



 



 



 



 


 

 

 

Step three - Hydrogen Peroxide, direct application

 

This part is the reason we are here, burning the algae away and riding it from your tank! I used 3 main tools in the application of H2O2 to the rock work; A steel wire brush, new chip brush / paint brush, toothbrush.

 

The steel brush was to remove the little bit of leftover algae and remove the top layer where it had a foot hold so the H2O2 could really do its work. If you have the time I would recommend following up after the steel brush with a steel pipe cleaner brush and pick/scraper to really get into the nooks and crannies. The steel brush did a great job but one some spots, especially being pukani rock, didn’t get hit as hard as I would have liked.

 

I used the toothbrush and chip brush, basically a paintbrush with very soft fibers, to apply the Hydrogen Peroxide to the rocks. I literally painted the rocks with H2O2 doing multiple passes over the course of 3-5 minutes allowing about 5 minutes to let the H2O2 do it’s work.

 

Let’s take a moment to talk safety.

I have not seen it mentioned in other Hydrogen Peroxide treatment threads so I wanted to make a point of it. I did the actual treatment in my garage with the doors wide open. I wore gloves during the whole process from step one to finish and while treating eye protection and a N95 respirator, though a N100 with carbon would be better if available to you. Please take these steps if you are going to do this treatment. Your safety is not worth a five dollars of personal safety equipment and the minute it takes to put on. While I was treating the rock work produced fumes and the brushes kicked up debris and splashed H2O2. We do not have a full understanding of what is in our tanks and how it will react to chemicals, even once considered to be mild like diluted Hydrogen peroxide. Please take the extra step to protect yourself and loved ones.

 

Now while letting the H2O2 do its thing I turned my attention to the coral that is not attached to the rocks. I used the toothbrush to give them a gentle scrub followed by another scrub with the brush soaked with the H2O2. Some corals reacted quite a bit with it. My purple galaxea coral was the worst, the head bubbled up as soon as contacted and the skeleton was turned pure white where exposed. It seems to be recovering but has shown little extension at this point. It was choked by algae and had declined quite a bit so I am hoping it will bounce back.

 

After treating each coral I rinsed them vigorously in the old water and placed them back into the newly restored tank with fresh water and sand.

 

Now that the rocks had been sitting with the Hydrogen Peroxide doing its work for about five minutes it was time to get the excess off so they could be placed back into the tank. I first took each rock and violent dunked it into the tub of old tank water, being sure to rotate and swoosh it around so all of the rock was rinsed. I then used a pitcher and dumped water over and through the rock tell it nolong released any built up detritus or other gunk. Once the rock rinsed clear it was placed back into the tank.

Unfortunately I do not have pictures of this process as I was on my own at this point and time was a factor while working with the H2O2. Here is a photo of the rocks out of the water, after scrubbed but before the treatment. Still a lot of algae that is soon to be gone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step Four - Water column clearing, equipment cleaning, and results

 

With the rockwork and corals back in place it was time to make sure any gunk left over or released was properly removed. I placed fresh filter floss into the media basket and overflow and replaced this every 3-6 hours while the water column was being cleaned. This was due to the unrinsed sand and the leftover algae that was breaking down.

 

I also removed and cleaned the pumps and power head, I did a hard scrub and wash of it taking my time to remove all build up. I also added an old pump I had to the rear of the tank under the main rock. Though it is an old biocube 8g return it gives enough output to keep the back area free of dead spots. Not a huge issue but dead spots of any kind  equals long contact time and makes it easier for detritus to build up and algae to grow.

 

It is important to remember that this will not solve any issue with algae unless you remove the root cause. Algae is a natural part of the reef tank and no take will ever be 100% free, it is part of a large system that helps keep a balance in the life cycle of the ocean. Or tanks do not have the same biodiversity and as result when left unchecked and given an environment to flourish algae will take over. Even in the vast ocean you see this on bleaching reefs, once the biodiversity is removed the algae claims the reef. Your responsibility is to maintain a balance in this small slice of ocean you care for. This is done by proper husbandry. Don’t overfeed, take time to feed fish one by one tell they are satisfied rather then just dumping in ground up frozen. Target feed corals and kill pumps so food isn’t blown out of there mouths. Reduce lighting to a eight hour max with gradual peaks. Maybe your running your moonlights to high, or have a window blasting the tank with natural light a few hours a day? No matter what you have to systematic make targeted changes to how you manage your reef. Maybe like me life got in the way and you put off a water change an extra week, or didn’t take the time to manual remove and address algae as it started to pop up thinking “I’ll take care of it tomorrow” and tomorrow was always another day away.

 

Algae is in every tank and it will always grow expenitionaly unless countered by you. Take responsibility and be proactive, and hopefully you will not have to attempt this process more than once.

 

And I will leave you with the results, this is 24 hours after treatment. I will be updating at 1 week, 2 weeks, and then every month with multiple photos for 1 year and onward. This is a long term study of Hydrogen Peroxide treatment.

 

Thank you for your time, and if you are battling algae of your own good luck, and share your experience so we all can learn!

 

• HippieHS

 

 



 



 



 



 



 



 



 



 

[brandon429]

@Lynaea

 

im curious to know some commentary from you now post work 

 

 

how had you envisioned fixing this tank up alternatively Lynaea? I kept thinking you’d be among the first to comment on the finished pics 

 

 

anything you’d have done differently or is the quorum finally silent? Can you envision any problems now with the quick restart? Commentary was rockin’ just a couple days ago, keep the details coming please as his work detail unfolds. You had lots of constructive input as we awaited updates

 

 based on experience Lyn, where is this tank heading in the immediate future? is a crash coming or some form of post cleanup instability that you can envision? Predictions from those not bought into the process are valuable to head off any emergencies is why I ask, you had lots of commentary and details to offer prior...wondering if you see anything worth mentioning now.

 

 

My prediction based on snails performance is minor regrowth possibly, nothing like the prior, requiring light touch up work over the coming weeks as some nutrients in the rock work their way out. The scrub prep was so well that I’m hoping the grazer numbers are positioned well so he doesn’t have to hand guide too much. 

 

now since nutrient reserves have been removed and restarted,  it’s a decent time to verify topoff water consistency. I’m not concerned over tank nutrient levels, but it was mentioned earlier to check some basic nutrients in all the ruckus you and Harry presented us with and now is an ideal time to make sure topoff water is 0/0 though Hippie didn’t strike me as the type who needed to be told that...seemed a given, which is why it wasn’t mentioned until now. 

 

This tank has been reset back to its pre invasion condition, back in time...should something go unideal with the guiding process, those rocks aren’t impossible to lift out real quick. Once we get past the harsh stigma of taking apart a reef to clean it, the lifespan of these tanks goes limitless. The requirement to let a reef sit there untouched week after week while water only actions are used is a dated, ineffective method it seems. If a tank is small enough to access, then we can keep them in compliance without much fanfare, it’s the big catch up work that takes all the effort.

 

 

@Lynaea

 the pre outcome bandwagon is hard to resist. in your absence it seems we might be missing helpful experience on correct tank reboots. It makes me wonder how you both would have spoke if we’d held the back and forth for the reveal.

[Simulated Fish]

6 hours ago, brandon429 said:

now since nutrient reserves have been removed and restarted,  it’s a decent time to verify topoff water consistency. I’m not concerned over tank nutrient levels, but it was mentioned earlier to check some basic nutrients in all the ruckus you and Harry presented us with and now is an ideal time to make sure topoff water is 0/0 though Hippie didn’t strike me as the type who needed to be told that...seemed a given, which is why it wasn’t mentioned until now. 

 

This tank has been reset back to its pre invasion condition, back in time...should something go unideal with the guiding process, those rocks aren’t impossible to lift out real quick. Once we get past the harsh stigma of taking apart a reef to clean it, the lifespan of these tanks goes limitless. The requirement to let a reef sit there untouched week after week while water only actions are used is a dated, ineffective method it seems. If a tank is small enough to access, then we can keep them in compliance without much fanfare, it’s the big catch up work that takes all the effort.

 

That is true I didn't mention my water source. I use a BRS 5 stage plus RODI system at 65-70 psi. TDS is normally 10 - 20 in (depending on if it was flushed it recently before the resin filter) never gotten anything other then 0 TDS out. I store water in a Brute food safe container that sits 16" above the ground, a bulkhead+ball joint is installed at the base for easy filling. I make water once a week for WC and fill my 5 gallon water jug for top offs through the week. Once the container is filled back up I add Red sea coral pro salt mix. I use one of the old stock JBJ-RL45g returns for mixing and have a 125 watt heater so water is at temp. I give it 2-3 hours to settle out, check salinity with a refractometer and adjust if needed.

 

Photos of RODI system with TDS meter readings too  

 

 

 

 

 



 



 
 

 

 

 

 

[brandon429]

 

@Lynaea,  comment on where this tank is heading, youve been asked twice to speak up in follow up.

 

 

gvien the solid clean topoff water, what was the cause of this invasion?

 

 

Hippie what’s your take on the cause, addressing the cause had to be part of anyone’s legit algae battles. Were you feeding too much? The tank had some maturation under it’s belt before the algae grew a bit, did the system make these changes naturally or were there any causatives you can think of, for readers to avoid needing the big job

 

 

We see many times in threads that once a eutrophic tank has been reset, alternate invasions can occur since the real estate was opened back up and the initial rinse might not have removed all possible invaders that once collected in the system. Our tank access approach doesn’t state one cleaning fixes all for the life of the tank...the approach is designed to allow you to clean again, easier next time, without tank loss or skip cycling, since reefing is one big circular activity. 

 

    Those who stave off the cleanings the longest and still produce the most coral mass with the least algae will be happiest, but their tank won’t be any more uninvaded than a lesser nimble aquarist. The former will just be working less to attain that look.

 

   

   This aquarium will likely require some form of increased hand guiding/work/water changes/detailing for a while till we get that rock all coated in coralline and coral flesh... helps tons in rejecting algae anchoring by natural means.

 

 

[HarryPotter]

Im glad I have screenshots of the originals, where he tried religious justification of H202 and had none of what he has added now. Still editing three days later- I am getting tags from Saturdays posts. So nuts. I have screenshots of originals if anyone else wants to see via PM.  @Lynaea

 

He went from a blithering idiot to actually giving responses, a slight improvement ??

 

 

[brandon429]

Lynaea was asked repeatedly to post, and something tells me when they do post, we aren’t getting new info on algae battling whatsoever and no feedback on the process shown here.

 

 

The edits are simply reworks of same materials. Eutrophication you said was ‘nutjob ‘ was pulled from a top post, and remade into this recent post, some jabs tweaked, upgraded, trolling you did elsewhere without cause was worked back here for show. your own pre edit posts never carried enough weight for me to bother capturing, glad you care. I watched your posts get edited too,  but it was just re arranging of no links and unhelpful input to these threads.

 

 

 

Any forecasts now about this actual tank, my article dodging opponent? 

 

You’ve derailed this thread from the start with totally unhelpful claims the entire time...Hippie pressed through anyway

 

Your personal attacks didn’t work to stymie results in now two threads I’ve linked for your behavior, all on this page. You called  me a bigot on the prior page...in an algae challenge thread about aquariums, ok. An uninvaded tiny tank calling out a huge invaded large tank isn’t bigotry, it’s irony, now I see why you don’t write when challenged. 

 

 

Can you help here with tank restoration information, past or present?

 

 

Harry, Hippie has just made an article off this thread and his experience. If you were going to write an article on this tank and initial outcomes, what would you say? Did you have a better plan than the one we just saw? Can you link for us another thread where you implemented that plan twice? Why are you the only one here not producing articles on the subject?

 

 

 

try to envision your presence here contributing to this mans algae challenge where he can post pictures after running your suggestions...your prose is simply an insulation against that form of accountability, which is why you will never write an article that features fixing algae challenged tanks. Called that twice now. Prove me wrong in that regard... I can’t wait to see what you write based on experience.  This post alone was edited ten times. 

[Simulated Fish]

3 hours ago, brandon429 said:

 

gvien the solid clean topoff water, what was the cause of this invasion?

 

 

Hippie what’s your take on the cause, addressing the cause had to be part of anyone’s legit algae battles. Were you feeding too much? The tank had some maturation under it’s belt before the algae grew a bit, did the system make these changes naturally or were there any causatives you can think of, for readers to avoid needing the big job

 

 

Honest I think it comes down to frags. A local shop here in KC that is no longer in business had a insanely good sale but their tanks were covered in algae. I took the risk and scrubbed the plugs but I bet i missed some as I did not do dips at the time. I now use coral RX and a RODI bath on any new additions.

 

The small amount of algae that entered the tank should not have been an issue but i made a major change without realizing it - I removed all the excess macros in the tank. I bought macros from @ReefWeeds a few years ago (A++++ quality and great seller BTW) I let them take over and severely underestimated how much nutrient export they did. It was soon after that the GHA stated to grow unchecked and uncontested. Couple that with heavy broadcast feeding of frozen + not aggressive attack on algae when it first started to grow heavy and I set myself for failure. This is where @HarryPotter Points come into play. I take full responsibility for not understanding my actions and for not being proactive. 

 

I also have a quick update on the progress! Here you can see this is just a few hours after the deep clean. Water still hazy from the live sand, this made it extra blue sorry! You can see some left over algae that was not removed. I assumed this would need to be treated in a few days with direct application.... 

 

 

 

This is 48 hours after treatment! The algae is clearly gone! I think this is a one two punch of the Hydrogen Peroxide wreaking and killing the bulk of algae allowing the turbos to come in and clean up the  scraps! love these guys wish I had them in the tank sooner.