green hair algae killing my hobby :(

[mcarroll]

Peroxide dosing like that is fringe...to be avoided by anyone starting a reef IMO, who should be focused like a laser on fundamentals.  Seems like every bad idea has a thread (and video!) actively promoting it.  Some of the good ideas seem to have threads too. 

 

If you're trying to grow a reef, it's definitely not best practice to take rock out of the water.  Certainly it's a bad idea to scrub it or use peroxide on it or anything like that while it's out.

[davidcalgary29]

Tuxedo urchins are fantastic for all sorts of nuisance algae, although you probably will have to give them supplemental feedings after they eat your algae. Mine is an absolute lawnmower.

[Murphs_Reef]

I have a lot of GHA as I said before. Manual pulling focusing in around coral bases and within the zoas, good N and P numbers and keeping a stable water change routine are helping me win (I do use liquid phosphate remover as well). I also took all reds out of the light and lowered the white a wee bit, keep skimming higher and clear out filter floss regular. 

It's a long process but support it seems to be working. The GHA growth is slow, it's not receding but it's not popping up in new spots either. 

I have also increased the amount of pods, I don't know if that help or not but by stepping back and chilling out it seems to be working out. 

I think in some ways if you have the patience to see it through, it gives you a good insight to the importance of stability. 

 

I have just upgraded to a larger tank in the last week and I absolutely intend on going slow and watching what impact the small slow changes make in the system.  

[DISQUALIFIED-QQ]

I rented out a small dolabella sea hare (wedge sea hare) for about 2-3 weeks to be my personal lawnmower. It was some serious grazing pressure which makes coral reefs the way they are. Once the sea hare's services were no longer needed (GHA now down to a small 1"x3" area which I pluck on pretty regularly), I invested in a tuxedo urchin and a long spine urchin. I may need to find a new long spine at a younger age as my current one isn't fitting in the spaces it used to...dumb spines. However the tuxedo I think is doing something, but from what I can tell...it likes the coralline more.

 

But seriously...grazing pressure makes all the difference. Really invest in a good corps of clean up crew-- some may even say 1 snail per gallon.

[easyreefer]

 

 

Hello,

here is how my tank looks today:

 

it's much less GHA, due to manual removal plus bacterial treatment.

I feed corals once per week with fish pellets in very small amount.

However few my branch SPS's are almost dead - maybe due to bacterial treatment and low nutrients :(.

But LPS's feel good.

Few CUCs also dead - emerald crab, two turbo snails and feather duster 😞

Nitrates level at around 15ppm currently, but this reasonable due to dying GHA.

I continue regular maintenance like water changes and manual GHA removal, plus blasting rocks with burkey baster. 

What is strange that CA level according test is at level 600-620. I have no idea what causing this. 

Alkalinity 8.3, MG - 1250

Also on some coral, like zoas I see strange dark orange film, which can be removed by blasting with burkey baster. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Murphs_Reef]

What's your source water reading.out of interest? CA is pretty up top...wonder what it reads at source as well as other test items such as N and P

[growsomething]

I'm a year in, and just letting the tank tell me what it will grow till I have some more years experience.  I want all blue/pink/purple/golden zoa w a few branching/plating sps.  It likes to grow frogspawn, gorgs, and green (👎) zoas.    I say go with the LPS!

[A.m.P]

2 hours ago, easyreefer said:

 

 

Hello,

here is how my tank looks today:

 

However few my branch SPS's are almost dead - maybe due to bacterial treatment and low nutrients :(.

Few CUCs also dead - emerald crab, two turbo snails and feather duster 😞

Nitrates level at around 15ppm currently

 

Also on some coral, like zoas I see strange dark orange film, which can be removed by blasting with burkey baster. 

Dying CuC and a " dark orange film" sets off the dino alarms for me, which is odd if you have nitrates, could be cyano?

[growsomething]

If your calcium input is the same, then the consumption may have changed?  What is the bacterial treatment?

This rock will look good once covered in coral.

[easyreefer]

13 hours ago, Murphych said:

What's your source water reading.out of interest? CA is pretty up top...wonder what it reads at source as well as other test items such as N and P

RODI water with 0 TDS.

10 hours ago, growsomething said:

If your calcium input is the same, then the consumption may have changed?  What is the bacterial treatment?

This rock will look good once covered in coral.

I don't think so, as Red Sea salt has 430 - 450 mg/l of CA, and I don't dose any calcium at the moment. Maybe it's problem of Trident test, I've calibrated it few week ago. Need to get one more CA test kit to verify.

Bacterial treatment is Razor Marine + Microbacter Clean for 2 weeks.

 

11 hours ago, A.m.P said:

Dying CuC and a " dark orange film" sets off the dino alarms for me, which is odd if you have nitrates, could be cyano?

yes, feels like it cyano as it's easy to remove with turkey baster. 

 

12 hours ago, growsomething said:

I'm a year in, and just letting the tank tell me what it will grow till I have some more years experience.  I want all blue/pink/purple/golden zoa w a few branching/plating sps.  It likes to grow frogspawn, gorgs, and green (👎) zoas.    I say go with the LPS!

Yes, feels like SPSs are to early for me.

But even zoas feel not very happy in my tank since begin, they grow really slow. One zoa frag is closed since few month and never open 😞

 

[jefferythewind]

Hi @easyreefer, for me low phosphates, like having phosphate test reading at zero, was a huge problem for me in general. I had a couple corals die. Since fixing the phosphate issue my corals have all been doing very well. I noticed a while back you stated that phosphates were reading zero, and since then I haven't seen you update your phosphate reading. What is your current phosphate reading? If it is still zero I would highly recommend dosing some phosphates to get your phosphate level up to at least 0.1 ppm. If your phosphate are already in the healthy zone then you can cross this off the list. 

[easyreefer]

6 hours ago, jefferythewind said:

Hi @easyreefer, for me low phosphates, like having phosphate test reading at zero, was a huge problem for me in general. I had a couple corals die. Since fixing the phosphate issue my corals have all been doing very well. I noticed a while back you stated that phosphates were reading zero, and since then I haven't seen you update your phosphate reading. What is your current phosphate reading? If it is still zero I would highly recommend dosing some phosphates to get your phosphate level up to at least 0.1 ppm. If your phosphate are already in the healthy zone then you can cross this off the list. 

Yes, phosphates are still zero..

Maybe it worth to try dose  phosphates, I'm not sure my LFS have it in stock. Most people looking for phosphates removers.

According LFS site they have two phosphates supplements  - Triton labs Phosphorus Alpha and Triton labs Phosphorus Alpha. But these supplements are for the Triton method.

Can't find in the web how much exactly these  supplements consist phosphorus. I think I should be really careful when dosing phosphates.

 

[jefferythewind]

13 hours ago, easyreefer said:

Yes, phosphates are still zero..

Maybe it worth to try dose  phosphates, I'm not sure my LFS have it in stock. Most people looking for phosphates removers.

According LFS site they have two phosphates supplements  - Triton labs Phosphorus Alpha and Triton labs Phosphorus Alpha. But these supplements are for the Triton method.

Can't find in the web how much exactly these  supplements consist phosphorus. I think I should be really careful when dosing phosphates.

 

There is actually quite a bit of science out there stating that low phosphate levels is what can cause coral bleaching and death in the wild. It is one of the few things that is pretty well known about coral health. See here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5441187/. There is a lot more content out there about this if you google it. I dare to say this is the main problem with your coral health right now.

 

I use NeoPhos which is generally available but I usually only find it in online retailers. If your phosphates are zero you don't need to be as careful as you see on the warnings. Your tank will suck up the phosphate really quickly, you will need to dose a lot to get the level off of zero. In my case I still dose 10 ml a day of this NeoPhos to maintain my level, but the first few days I needed to put in 50ml or more per day. Dose, wait, test, repeat until you consistently over half a day or so maintain a level over 0.1 ppm.

 

Here is a link to NeoPhos: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/neophos-balanced-phosphorus-supplement-brightwell-aquatics.html. This was recommended to me by other Nano Reef members like @Thrassian Atoll and @mcarroll, who have amazing reef tanks. Once I started dosing the Phosphates to get them around 0.1 ppm, and not lower than this. my tank just got very healthy. I tried to cut back on the phosphate dosing and immediately I got a couple burnt tips on one of my acros. Once I returned to the higher dose level it got healthy again. Some tanks naturally have adequate phosphate levels but others don't and need to dose. 

 

First get your corals healthy and then deal with the algae. Can't wait to hear about the results!

 

 

[aclman88]

A lot of great advice here. My tank bounces between .5-.9 phosphates. Corals are healthy and grow really well. I have softies, lps and sps. You def need to up the phosphates first and then go from there.  I would be hesitant about blaming your issues on anything other than phosphates until younger it to detectable levels. 

[easyreefer]

22 hours ago, jefferythewind said:

There is actually quite a bit of science out there stating that low phosphate levels is what can cause coral bleaching and death in the wild. It is one of the few things that is pretty well known about coral health. See here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5441187/. There is a lot more content out there about this if you google it. I dare to say this is the main problem with your coral health right now.

 

I use NeoPhos which is generally available but I usually only find it in online retailers. If your phosphates are zero you don't need to be as careful as you see on the warnings. Your tank will suck up the phosphate really quickly, you will need to dose a lot to get the level off of zero. In my case I still dose 10 ml a day of this NeoPhos to maintain my level, but the first few days I needed to put in 50ml or more per day. Dose, wait, test, repeat until you consistently over half a day or so maintain a level over 0.1 ppm.

 

Here is a link to NeoPhos: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/neophos-balanced-phosphorus-supplement-brightwell-aquatics.html. This was recommended to me by other Nano Reef members like @Thrassian Atoll and @mcarroll, who have amazing reef tanks. Once I started dosing the Phosphates to get them around 0.1 ppm, and not lower than this. my tank just got very healthy. I tried to cut back on the phosphate dosing and immediately I got a couple burnt tips on one of my acros. Once I returned to the higher dose level it got healthy again. Some tanks naturally have adequate phosphate levels but others don't and need to dose. 

 

First get your corals healthy and then deal with the algae. Can't wait to hear about the results!

 

 

Thanks for the links. I also remember latest BRS videos where they talking about optimal Phosphates/Nitrates level, which is 1:10.

I have bought a bottle of Fauna Marin ELEMENTALS P 1000ml, which probably will be enough for few years for my small tank.

Have dosed 0.75ml in the morning to reach 0.1 ppm.  Did the test in the evening, and yes 0.1 ppm was detected.

 I will continue daily testing of phosphates to see the consumption and calculate dosage according it.

I'm still wonder about root cause of low phosphates in my tank. Maybe it's previous dosing NoPoX. Also I have used  Seachem Purigen, but as I know it doesn't remove both nitrates an phosphates. 

Will see how it goes with phosphates dosing, but I'm thinking on natural way of phosphate sources in my tank. Should I feed more with dry food ?

 

 

[aclman88]

2 hours ago, easyreefer said:

Thanks for the links. I also remember latest BRS videos where they talking about optimal Phosphates/Nitrates level, which is 1:10.

I have bought a bottle of Fauna Marin ELEMENTALS P 1000ml, which probably will be enough for few years for my small tank.

Have dosed 0.75ml in the morning to reach 0.1 ppm.  Did the test in the evening, and yes 0.1 ppm was detected.

 I will continue daily testing of phosphates to see the consumption and calculate dosage according it.

I'm still wonder about root cause of low phosphates in my tank. Maybe it's previous dosing NoPoX. Also I have used  Seachem Purigen, but as I know it doesn't remove both nitrates an phosphates. 

Will see how it goes with phosphates dosing, but I'm thinking on natural way of phosphate sources in my tank. Should I feed more with dry food ?

 

 

Stick with dosing if it’s working (which it sounds like it is). You don’t want to fall into the trap of changing things often, because you will likely end up where you started. Stability is key. Also just keep in mind that dumping highly processed fish food into a tank isn’t really all that natural. Seems like you are seeing progress. Stay the course and keep us updated!

[jefferythewind]

3 hours ago, easyreefer said:

Thanks for the links. I also remember latest BRS videos where they talking about optimal Phosphates/Nitrates level, which is 1:10.

I have bought a bottle of Fauna Marin ELEMENTALS P 1000ml, which probably will be enough for few years for my small tank.

Have dosed 0.75ml in the morning to reach 0.1 ppm.  Did the test in the evening, and yes 0.1 ppm was detected.

 I will continue daily testing of phosphates to see the consumption and calculate dosage according it.

I'm still wonder about root cause of low phosphates in my tank. Maybe it's previous dosing NoPoX. Also I have used  Seachem Purigen, but as I know it doesn't remove both nitrates an phosphates. 

Will see how it goes with phosphates dosing, but I'm thinking on natural way of phosphate sources in my tank. Should I feed more with dry food ?

 

 

I think you should just monitor the level and dose accordingly like you've started doing. Just because you have naturally low phosphates doesn't mean there is anything wrong with your tank. Corals and other things consume phosphates so it just that whatever is living in your tank there isn't enough being produced. Its not wrong its just whats happening. From what i've read in the forums the natural way to raise phosphates is to have more fish (more fish poop), But i really dont know if that works or not. I have tried adding fish to my tank but I still need to dose the phospahtes to keep the levels up. I started with 3 and now I have 5. Anyways like was mentioned above try to keep things stable with the dosing and don't let the phosphates dip back toward zero, that will set you back. It happened to me. More is better than less. The fact that you didnt have to dump a bunch in to get your level off zero is a good sign. Keep it up! I went through a similar thing with algae. Try to kill algae and end up hurting corals. If your corals are healthy they can withstand the presence of algae.

 

I should add that i found that corals love water changes too, but water changes remove phosphates so you have to dose the new water with you phosphates.

[mcarroll]

On 3/5/2021 at 5:07 PM, easyreefer said:

it's much less GHA, due to manual removal plus bacterial treatment.

Very noticeable difference!!  Take the credit for the work done on the algae.

 

On 3/6/2021 at 7:25 AM, easyreefer said:

Maybe it's problem of Trident test, I've calibrated it few week ago.

That is what's doing your testing in spite of not dosing anything?

 

On 3/7/2021 at 5:25 PM, easyreefer said:

I also remember latest BRS videos where they talking about optimal Phosphates/Nitrates level, which is 1:10.

I presume they were referring to the Redfield Ratio, but still no.  

 

1.0 ppm phosphates per 10 ppm nitrates?

 

That might work, but that's nobody's optimal ratio...I would have to say take that video with a grain of salt.

 

On 3/7/2021 at 5:25 PM, easyreefer said:

Will see how it goes with phosphates dosing, but I'm thinking on natural way of phosphate sources in my tank. Should I feed more with dry food ?

Consider more fully where the nutrients are going that you're putting in – things like bacterial treatments have been the norm.  What else has been removing dissolved nutrients?  Water changes?   What else...?

 

Remind me what and how often are you feeding the Clownfish?

[easyreefer]

On 3/9/2021 at 8:52 AM, mcarroll said:

That is what's doing your testing in spite of not dosing anything?

Trident is only testing ALK, Ca, Mg.

But I do occasional testing with Salifert and Hanna tests as well. Trident is definitely lying about Ca level 600,  because Hanna shows Ca at level 480.

And according the tests my water changes is enough to keep enough and stable Alk,Ca,Mg

On 3/9/2021 at 8:52 AM, mcarroll said:

Consider more fully where the nutrients are going that you're putting in – things like bacterial treatments have been the norm.  What else has been removing dissolved nutrients?  Water changes?   What else...?

Remind me what and how often are you feeding the Clownfish?

I'm removing dissolved nutrients mainly with water changes(10%). Before I did dosing of NoPoX carbo.
But right now my phosphate level is 0.16ppm and nitrates at level 15ppm. This is after I've made 30% water change last time, because a lot of GHA died. 
I'm thinking to start slowly do carbon dosing(NoPoX), because nitrates feels high, more cyano and brown algae on the glass starts appear on glass daily.
My goal is 0.1ppm phosphates and 1-5ppm  nitrates.
I do feed fishes every 2-3 days and target coral feeding once per week with small amount fauna marin lps pellets.
I wonder why my zoas are not happy, only one green color colony looks bright and colorful. Other zoas mostly brownish, what do they need, more light, target feeding, nutrients ? 

Here how the tank looks like yesterday:

[growsomething]

What a difference  👍🏼

[jefferythewind]

I would stay away from the carbon and not be too affraid of the cyano and brown algae.  I would say you're on a nice tack right now so just keep her straight, don't go changing too much. Keep the phosphates where they are and combat high nitrates with water changes. Less chemicals is better! I can already see a great improvement in overall coloration. This for me was also the main effect of getting my phosphates up. Corals are slow they take time to respond. Keep it steady going i bet those zoas will open up by next week!

 

here is a shot of my tank you can see I've got algae I've got aptasias but the corals are all super happy especially zoas.

 

 

 

[jefferythewind]

Just might mention that it seems you could feed at least once per day in smaller doses if you want. I feed twice a day.

[easyreefer]

1 hour ago, jefferythewind said:

I would stay away from the carbon and not be too affraid of the cyano and brown algae.  I would say you're on a nice tack right now so just keep her straight, don't go changing too much. Keep the phosphates where they are and combat high nitrates with water changes. Less chemicals is better! I can already see a great improvement in overall coloration. This for me was also the main effect of getting my phosphates up. Corals are slow they take time to respond. Keep it steady going i bet those zoas will open up by next week!

here is a shot of my tank you can see I've got algae I've got aptasias but the corals are all super happy especially zoas.

 

thank you!
I agree regarding carbon dosing.
But if for example I have 15ppm nitrates, normal 10% water change will remove only 1.5ppm, which is like nothing 😞

 

1 hour ago, jefferythewind said:

Just might mention that it seems you could feed at least once per day in smaller doses if you want. I feed twice a day.

My Clownfishes looks already so fat with not every day feeding, also I'm little bit scary that GHA can go back any day. 
But will see, I wanna see correlation between amount of feeding and nitrates level.
 

[KnH]

#easyreefer Would you sum up what you did to turn your tank around,

[jefferythewind]

1 hour ago, easyreefer said:

 

thank you!
I agree regarding carbon dosing.
But if for example I have 15ppm nitrates, normal 10% water change will remove only 1.5ppm, which is like nothing 😞

 

My Clownfishes looks already so fat with not every day feeding, also I'm little bit scary that GHA can go back any day. 
But will see, I wanna see correlation between amount of feeding and nitrates level.
 

sure these are just suggestions, the main goal is to keep phosphates above .1 ppm and no chemicals, just stay in the groove. Also I just want to add that nitrates at 15 is  I don't think is anywhere near toxic, just keep an eye on it. I would imagine once the corals get a little healthier they will help bring down this level. This is all speculation, but just to help give you a little peace of mind. It's the anecdotal stuff that I've learned thus far.