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Post by Pokahpolice on Sept 30, 2015 16:39:45 GMT -5
So my system has been set up for about a year or so and man has it been a battle. I've been in the hobby for quite some time and never dealt with as many problems. Green hair algae, bryopsis, Dinos, Ick. It's getting really frustrating. Right now I have hair algae in the display like crazy and Dinos in the frag tank. The Dinos I've dealt with a few months back and was able to get them in check by dosing Peroxide and going lights out for a few days. I'm pretty confident I'll be able to get them under control pretty quickly. The hair algae...I'm about to get drastic with. I've run GFO since I started the tank, tried multiple cycles (about 6) of Phosguard but still can't get it. I'm convinced the rock is leaching phosphates. The water quality at the house is super bad but we just installed (2 days ago) a $6,000 filtration system. I also replaced the DI resin in the RO unit. I'm going to hit it with another round of Phosguard and give it a month. If it doesn't show signs of improvement, I'm tearing out all the rock and replacing it. You can see what I'm dealing with...  |
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Post by jasonandsarah on Sept 30, 2015 19:57:41 GMT -5
What's your PO4 and NO3 in both of these tanks? You always want your No3 to be higher then your Po4.
I've stopped using Gfo and the like almost all together now. It just strips out to much stuff imo for a Sps reef.
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Post by ryansweatt2004 on Sept 30, 2015 19:57:57 GMT -5
My 125 and 75 gallon before it had all the same problems that your going through. It really sucks the fun out of the hobby.
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Post by foggman on Sept 30, 2015 20:04:12 GMT -5
Have you given thought to an ATS? I have had good results so far with it, the GHA wants to go there instead of the display
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Post by Pokahpolice on Sept 30, 2015 21:16:50 GMT -5
I test often, levels are always fine. I've chased numbers for over a year and read everything I could find. I need a different approach. I may try dosing Vodka next.
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Post by Pokahpolice on Sept 30, 2015 21:17:15 GMT -5
My 125 and 75 gallon before it had all the same problems that your going through. It really sucks the fun out of the hobby. YEP!! |
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Post by Pokahpolice on Sept 30, 2015 21:30:05 GMT -5
Have you given thought to an ATS? I have had good results so far with it, the GHA wants to go there instead of the display Nope, shouldn't need a place for it to grow algae in a reef tank at all IMHO. Something is causing it, just can't pinpoint it. |
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Post by jasonandsarah on Oct 1, 2015 5:50:49 GMT -5
Have you given thought to an ATS? I have had good results so far with it, the GHA wants to go there instead of the display Nope, shouldn't need a place for it to grow algae in a reef tank at all IMHO. Something is causing it, just can't pinpoint it. Algae will always have a place on any reef or glass box imo. If you look at any reef (pic, video or diving your self) there's always algae. I think algae is probably the single most important thing on a reef (well besides Acropora (: ). For nutrient export and food for herbivores. Now am I saying a Ats is the only/best way to do this? No but I do believe it's one of the better options. I was constantly struggling with Gha before. When I'd use Gfo, bio pellets or vinager (not all at once lol) I would then start to struggle with cyano. I used to be a big Gfo supporter but now I use it very sparingly. I feel it overly strips the water colum of more then just phosphate. My Ats alone killed off the start of Bryopsis. I only had it in a few spots but still the stuff is a pain and grows back 3 seconds after you pull it out. If your No3 and Po4 are completely in check why would you dose vodka? Vodkas sole purpose is to reduce No3. It will do little to nothing for Po4 and if both are in check anyways then vodka will only cause you more problems imo. I used to always try to run Ulns and that's why I asked about No3 and Po4. There's been a lot of discussion lately about the importance of keeping No3 higher then Po4. A lot of people are even dosing No3 in there tanks now. |
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Post by reefkprz on Oct 1, 2015 6:56:09 GMT -5
probably your best available option is to add a turf scrubber, look up some designs and build one for about $30 you can have a serious tool against ALL algaes in the display
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Post by Pokahpolice on Oct 1, 2015 7:51:03 GMT -5
Nope, shouldn't need a place for it to grow algae in a reef tank at all IMHO. Something is causing it, just can't pinpoint it. Algae will always have a place on any reef or glass box imo. If you look at any reef (pic, video or diving your self) there's always algae. I think algae is probably the single most important thing on a reef (well besides Acropora (: ). For nutrient export and food for herbivores. Now am I saying a Ats is the only/best way to do this? No but I do believe it's one of the better options. I was constantly struggling with Gha before. When I'd use Gfo, bio pellets or vinager (not all at once lol) I would then start to struggle with cyano. I used to be a big Gfo supporter but now I use it very sparingly. I feel it overly strips the water colum of more then just phosphate. My Ats alone killed off the start of Bryopsis. I only had it in a few spots but still the stuff is a pain and grows back 3 seconds after you pull it out. If your No3 and Po4 are completely in check why would you dose vodka? Vodkas sole purpose is to reduce No3. It will do little to nothing for Po4 and if both are in check anyways then vodka will only cause you more problems imo. I used to always try to run Ulns and that's why I asked about No3 and Po4. There's been a lot of discussion lately about the importance of keeping No3 higher then Po4. A lot of people are even dosing No3 in there tanks now. I think you took my statement a bit too literal. I wholeheartedly agree that Algae is an important piece. We all keep Macro Algae and we all promote the growth of Coraline. I keep several different macros and if you look in the pic I posted in the bottom left corner (the reflection on the glass) I even keep some dragon's breath in my display. My point is that the goal is to eliminate pest algae from the system altogether...not just grow it somewhere else within the system. I've kept saltwater tanks for 10+ years pest algae free and that's the goal here as well. Once you find the source of the problem, it will go away. Dosing Vodka is to reduce Po4. As you know, Phosphates can be present and not show up in the water column. GHA must have Po4 to grow. If the rock is leaching than the GHA on the rock could consume the Phosphates before they reach detectable levels in the water, that's my theory anyway. I've tested the 'raw' water I use for changes and the test come back 0. The GHA is getting it from somewhere or it couldn't survive...especially not in such large quantities. An ATS just isn't something I'm interested in dealing with and I don't think is necessary to be pest algae free. |
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Post by jasonandsarah on Oct 1, 2015 8:30:51 GMT -5
I guess I did take you a little to literal. Like I said before though carbon dosing doesn't effectively reduce Po4. (Been down this Rd personally) the bacteria that carbon dosing populates mainly up takes No3 while only using approximately 1 part Po4 to every 16 parts No3. (hence why they came out with the new "all in one bio pellets" with added Gfo) What people are figuring out now a days is that the nitrates dissappear way before you can effectively lower or "control" Po4. The only way to effectively maintain a low Po4 through carbon dosing is to continually dose No3 witch is my opinion isn't a great option. The reason why I disagree with the whole micro to macro algae conversation is imo algae is algae for the most part. There's a reason why sooooooo many hobbyist battle Gha and Bryopsis and that's because there so dam efficient at up taking nutrients over everything else. So why not use this to our advantage? It's not like your risking getting loose Gha in your display, it's already there.  |
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Post by Pokahpolice on Oct 1, 2015 8:47:31 GMT -5
I agree with everything you just stated and is exactly why I don't carbon dose now and why I stated I'd give things another month or so before I did. I'm just looking to change my course of action because it's not working. I haven't tried carbon dosing and many, many people have had success with it and still do it religiously. I have the equipment to do it easily so why not give it a try next?
Riddle me this...how will an ATS remove the GHA in my display? I get the idea of growing it and then stripping it weekly (much like we do with Cheato)as a strategy to remove Po4 but wouldn't the GHA in the display just be content to stay put? I've never fully grasped how promoting growth would remove it from areas you don't want it, especially when it's already established.
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Post by jasonandsarah on Oct 1, 2015 9:18:58 GMT -5
Gha goes to the best place for Gha. It's entirely dependent on if you can create an environment that the Gha or Turf algae thrives and wants to grow. Once you establish your screen full of turf algea it's going to be in prime condition and stripping the water better/faster then the stuff in your display because it's thriving. Does Gha prefer reef tank lighting? No.. it prefers red and a little blue possibly a small amount of UV but not necessarily (I don't have any) and it also likes lots of water flow so you can push water through it like it's going out of style. It's like taking an high light Acro and putting it on the sand bed under a frag rack. Will it do ok? Maybe even grow a little? Yes, but if you get that baby up in 400-500 par it's going to do a lot better because that's where it thrives. All the time we see Gha and Other nuseince algaes beating out macro algae and that in it self tells us that it's a better means of filtration if properly implemented.  I feel like a sales man for something I don't sell! Lol everyone has to find what's best for them and their tank. I tried vinager dosing and bio pellets and had negative experiences with both. It's hard for me to agree with something I found little success with. Carbon dosing is great as long as your not trying to fix something with it if that makes sence? |
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Post by jasonandsarah on Oct 1, 2015 13:49:52 GMT -5
This week's pull  Middle is nasty because I accidentally flipped my timer to on. So the scrubbers light stayed on over a week straight |
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Post by Rakahrd Eastbrook, Me. on Oct 1, 2015 15:16:16 GMT -5
My tank was full of hair algae and I got a super clean up crew and float a piece of screen in my sump/refugium with a light set to 10 hours on 2 hours off Im afraid I may be starving my Lawnmower Blemmey and yellow tang so I use Nori or backup.
Also you need about double the rock in your tank as that is a big part of the filtration.
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I feel like a sales man for something I don't sell! Lol everyone has to find what's best for them and their tank. I tried vinager dosing and bio pellets and had negative experiences with both. 