Dealing with pests: What chemical treatments do you use to treat unwanted algae?

[blecki]

I've only ever used peroxide for algae, wondering why it's not on the list? It is definitely a chemical solution. It doesn't fix the underlying problem, but as far as I can tell it's basically impossible to starve out bryopsis - I successfully used peroxide to kill it one patch at a time.

I had enough of it at one point that I think I was inadvertently doing peroxide dosing, by hitting multiple patches of bryopsis a day.

 

[dkeller22]

I’ve used chemiclean once when the tank was newish. It works great, but it’s a last resort.

 

[All_talk]

Reef Flux to deal with a massive bryopsis outbreak and Chemiclean to deal with the red slime that came afterwards. I've used Reef Flux 3 times for bryopsis and Chemiclean once.

In the same tank? I cant tell if this is intended as a vote for a successful chemical treatment? In my way of thinking if you have to use it over and over its not working??

 

[mruggee]

4.5 months in. i am currently battling with Red Slim and some sort or green algae on my rocks ( which i incorrectly though was green coralline because it started very slow until it exploded. I couldn't keep phosphates in my system for the longest time. then all of a sudden way to many phosphates after i started feeding TDO to my new clowns. i am trying Microbacter clean and i am scrubbing and stirring the sand daily. Will start vacuuming out the cyno daily probably soon. chemiclean is probably what i am doing if i can't get it all out. - evening picture is most recent

 

[All_talk]

... bryopsis is tough and if you introduced it, I guess you'd have to live with it, never seen any inhabitant touch bryopsis.

I'll offer my experience as a ray of hope. My tank was overrun with bryopsis (and other problems) for years, mostly due to neglect. I "fixed" it with a big clean up crew, good husbandry and time. I feel my pincushion urchin did most of the work, but that was only after I added a bunch of snails to get the other algae's and create a little competition for food. The urchin had no choice but to stop eating chips on the couch and get off his butt and get some hard work done. I have included a couple of pictures to tell the tail.

... but as far as I can tell it's basically impossible to starve out bryopsis...

I agree, I tried for a long time. Bryopsis thrived, corals died.

 

[exnisstech]

I've only ever used peroxide for algae, wondering why it's not on the list? It is definitely a chemical solution. It doesn't fix the underlying problem, but as far as I can tell it's basically impossible to starve out bryopsis - I successfully used peroxide to kill it one patch at a time.

I had enough of it at one point that I think I was inadvertently doing peroxide dosing, by hitting multiple patches of bryopsis a day.

Do you do this while the rock is in the tank? If so can you share your method and strength of peroxide used? I have a 180 gallon that may be worth a try if its done in tank.

 

[Alexraptor]

I use none, because I do not believe there exists chemical treatments that will "only" eradicate the pests its meant to target.

That said, I did try Reef Flux once out of sheer desperation, and the end result was a tank with a fraction of its original biodiversity, and still overrun with algae.

The only thing that I've found effective at truly eradicating algae, is a 3-4 month total blackout.

 

[Cheezle]

In the same tank? I cant tell if this is intended as a vote for a successful chemical treatment? In my way of thinking if you have to use it over and over its not working??

Yeah, same tank. Depends how you want to look at it I guess, I've posted pics of my tank before and after dosing Reef Flux and it completely wiped it out. Its very possible that Reef Flux isn't 100% killing it and it probably isn't, but I think I keep reintroducing bryopsis through the coral or inverts I was buying from my favorite LFS. Its not on all their corals or really widespread but they definitely have it in their system and it would pop up shortly after I'd add any of their product to my tank.

I have since stopped buying their corals/snails/crabs and haven't had it return yet so hopefully it stays gone this time!

 

[metrokat]

The only thing that I've found effective at truly eradicating algae, is a 3-4 month total blackout.

Do you have a FOWLR? I can’t see how your corals survived a 3-4 month total blackout?

 

[realwizer]

I had a huge problem with GHA for 6 months, to the point where it was starting to kill coral by suffocating them from light.

I tried snails, crabs, urchins, foxface, tang, and a lettuce sea slug.

I tried manual removal, and removing rocks/coral to scrub with a tooth brush in bins outside the tank.

I had a chaeto fug in my sump.

Adjusted feeding and light schedules, and tested for parameters constantly.

All because I didnt want to go the chemical route. Finally, I figured it was try something else or start losing hundreds of dollars of coral. So I used Algaefix (because its Vibrant, right?), and a few weeks later I had zero GHA. Since that time over 6 months ago, I have yet to have it come back. I lost no coral or livestock, and my tank has never looked better.

I am all for the natural route, and I really did try. But I "gave in", and dont regret it.

 

[MiniCoco]

I have to agree with a lot of the posts regarding the use of chemicals to be a last resort. This is one of those things that sometimes sneaks up on you. Algae is a symptom, not a cause. The hard and fast rule of reefing is nothing good happens quickly. It took some time for you to recognize that you even had a problem. Now is the time to actually dissect your situation and come up with a plan of attack. The answer is not in a bottle.

 

[Stupidkitty84]

I have tough turf algae that just 2 months ago covered every square inch of rock exposed to light in my Biocube32. Bought a pincushion urchin and he has devoured about 75% of it. Bought 2 tuxedo urchins and rock urchin, too but they are nowhere as efficient or as hungry as my pincushion. Love that guy, except that I'm constantly rescuing snails, hermits, and coral frags from him trying to wear them as hats. Had blue-green cyano in that tank all of last year and watched a BRS video on copepods preventing/solving 'ugly tank syndrome' so I added a few bottles of Tigs, Tisbe, Apocyclops copepods and in 2 weeks all the cyano was gone. I have FluxRx (heard its better than ReefFlux) on standby.

I have a 3 month old Nuvo 15 and just started developing red cyano last week, after having diatoms for a month. Copepods cannot seem to control this outbreak (probably because the mandarin dragonette has reduced the population) so I'm dosing Chemiclean tonight and adding 4 bottles of AlgaeBarn EcoPods right after treatment is complete. I have mostly SPS in this tank so I hope all goes well.

 

[blecki]

I agree, I tried for a long time. Bryopsis thrived, corals died.

Same. Same. I was able to control some of it with an urchin; but I don't think the urchin liked it. More, the bryopsis was between the urchin and the coraline it wanted to eat.

Do you do this while the rock is in the tank? If so can you share your method and strength of peroxide used? I have a 180 gallon that may be worth a try if its done in tank.

Yes, in the tank. I just turned off flow and used a pipette to shoot 5-10 ml of normal 3% peroxide into the algae, aiming for the root. The patch squirted would die in a few days. I did two or three patches at once, a couple times a day when I had it bad. This was in a 75 gallon tank. Nothing seemed bothered by it, but, keep in mind that I had only softies and a single unkillable monti at the time. If I was going after a particularly bad rock, I have pulled them and literally poured peroxide on them before - then rinsed them off and returned them to the tank without ill effects. It takes a long time to clear the tank this way.

 

[a.t.t.r]

Phytoplankton and not the dead stuff that reef nutrition sells or the mono culture the LfS try to sell.

That and running a skimmer changes things fast.

 

[Quiverfull]

I have tough turf algae that just 2 months ago covered every square inch of rock exposed to light in my Biocube32. Bought a pincushion urchin and he has devoured about 75% of it. Bought 2 tuxedo urchins and rock urchin, too but they are nowhere as efficient or as hungry as my pincushion. Love that guy, except that I'm constantly rescuing snails, hermits, and coral frags from him trying to wear them as hats. Had blue-green cyano in that tank all of last year and watched a BRS video on copepods preventing/solving 'ugly tank syndrome' so I added a few bottles of Tigs, Tisbe, Apocyclops copepods and in 2 weeks all the cyano was gone. I have FluxRx (heard its better than ReefFlux) on standby.

I have a 3 month old Nuvo 15 and just started developing red cyano last week, after having diatoms for a month. Copepods cannot seem to control this outbreak (probably because the mandarin dragonette has reduced the population) so I'm dosing Chemiclean tonight and adding 4 bottles of AlgaeBarn EcoPods right after treatment is complete. I have mostly SPS in this tank so I hope all goes well.

I've used the FluxRx for bryopsis in a mixed SPS (mainly) and Euphyllia (Hammers and torches) tank. No issues with corals at all. Took about a week and all bryopsis gone. Came back 6 months later when I started feeding pellet food 2x daily in an auto feeder. Decreased feeding to once per day and getting more fish and upping my CUC. I agree that urchins, if you can stand them bulldozing, eating all your coralline and picking up everything that is loose, are a great aIgae cleaner. Some LFS will let you "rent them" to get hair algae under control and return them when you solve your issues.

I agree that natural is always better but I had no issues with FluxRx (a type of Fluconazole). I under dosed (about 80% of recommended dosing) as well and did a 25% water change after 2 weeks. My corals never skipped a beat. I do however, have 20 year old Fiji live rock so my biodiversity has never been an issue (have done the aquabiomics analysis).

 

[Eric Cohen]

Well first of all, Red Cyano Rx should be on this list as well as Flux Rx.....both tops in this category. Maybe try again? I also make a combo Red Cyano Rx / Phosphate Rx package......two in one kinda deal. Nobody likes algae, but let's make sure everyone knows their best options. After 17 years, those products should be tops on the list....I know the Phosphate Rx has won many polls in the past, and Red Cyano Rx is different than Chemiclean product.....I feel it has proved to give better results as well.

 

[littlebigreef]

Is it nice to address the underlaying issues that lead to algae outbreaks? Naturally. But sometimes you'll get a stubborn turf algae or even bryopsis in your system, good luck getting that out solely via nutrient export and 'natural' methods, sometimes you gotta drop the Reef Flux, sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

[Susan Edwards]

Used to use vibrant but never had luck with it. For bryopsis I use reef flux. Also will take care of gha. For cyano I use chemiclean

 

[Susan Edwards]

Is it nice to address the underlaying issues that lead to algae outbreaks? Naturally. But sometimes you'll get a stubborn turf algae or even bryopsis in your system, good luck getting that out solely via nutrient export and 'natural' methods, sometimes you gotta drop the Reef Flux, sit back and enjoy the ride.

Never have been able to get rid of bryopsis without help. My no3 and po4 are bottomed out and it is still there as it is consuming whatever there is. I've let the tank get bad while trying my best. Now? Nope. I see it I take action.

 

[vlangel]

I have never used a chemical treatment but instead use ornamental macroalgae to out compete nuisance algae. If I get a little nuisance algae starting, I manually remove it before it becomes a big problem. Green bubble algae is the main pest I get.