GHA battle

[JSmith]

I've been battling GHA for the past 4 months and feel like I've thrown the kitchen sink at it. I run aquatic life t5 hybrid with 3xhydra26 HD's on a 125 gallon mixed reef with 30 gallon sump with roller mat, skimmer, and refugium, although the GHA has basically taken over and just about killed the macro algae in the refugium. I've vacuumed the sump twice and it currently has just as much GHA as the MD, even in the skimmer though I gave it a full citric bath 2 months ago. I replaced the T5 bulbs with brand new, have been fairly consistent with 15% water changes weekly although i am now doing 2x30 gallon water changes weekly. I tried a full dose of flux RX, gfo a few times, a few times each week I manually removal in which pluck it and siphon it back down to a filter sock in my sump and scrub the rocks in the tank with a toothbrush, I've added a one spot foxface and a yellow tang, I've added 7 pincushion urchins which mow it down but it grows back in that spot within a few days, I've tried GFO, I added an additional 100 snails and 100 hermit crabs along with emerald crabs from Reeftopia. I also added 7 turbo snails which died about a week after putting them in. I tried dosing Macrobacter7 and Microbacter Clean per bottle recommendations at different times. I've also been dosing a DIY NOPOX at 4ml/day for about a month now. My t5's have been off for about 2 months and just running the hydra's on AB+ schedule so not a lot of reds and whites. Last month I replaced my Jaebo powerheads with 2 MP40's and thinking of adding at least one more because I'm not sure they're enough for a 6' tank. I make my own RODI water though the BRS 5 stage 75 GPD unit in which i change the sediment filter every 2 months and the carbon and DI every 6 months and have around 90 TDS in and 0 TDS out consistently.
The tank just turned 2 years last month and for the first year and a half I had issues getting any detectable PO4 and NO4 readings. I started getting detectable levels when the GHA started. The tank was always clean and only needed to clean the glass on occasion. The tank is bare bottom and started with dry rock from someone's old system breakdown that had been sitting in his garage for about a year. I soaked them in a bleach bath for a few weeks and rinsed and dried them before putting them in the tank. After the initial cycle and started adding fish, the lights remained off for 3 months and began adding corals once the lights came on. Although I am attempting to keep SPS's unsuccessfully the LPS's and zoas seem to do ok but not thrive. I was dosing BRS 2 part up until around July when I started dosing kalk and supplementing with the reef moonshiners trace elements which I've recently put on hold due to the increased water change frequency handling the trace elements. I've attached my latest ICP a month ago along with a picture of the tank.
I've thought about adding sand slowly to increase surface area and recently someone suggested going complete nuclear and replacing the rock with good live rock from the ocean since I'm not sure the history of the previous owner's tank. I've been thinking hard about adding about 50-75lbs of live rock from someplace like gulf live rock along with some carab sea life rock to complete the aquascape. Any other advise would be greatly appreciated as I am getting tired of the constant manual removal and seeing no positive results.
Current parameters:
PO4-.12
NO4-12.4
Alk-9.4
Cal-407
Mag-1380

 

[JSmith]

I do have some GHA growing on the bottom glass, how much of a nutrient spike would i get if i put sand over it and it dies? I realize there would be some die off but would the nutrients remain trapped under a 2" sand bed?

 

[NanJ]

I feel your pain - we have battled GHA off and on for over a year. Due to my husband's health issues we were not able to really focus on the problem until this past September. I read a longgggg thread on R2R about tackling GHA by removing the rock work and scrubbing. (I'll see if I can find the post.) With a 300 g tank, extensive rock work, and many, many corals we did not see removing all the rocks as feasible.

Weekly we scrubbed the rocks while standing on step stools. Our tank is 30" tall and 36" deep so there are places we cannot reach. We have a big assortment of brushes and the best ones have stiff bristles to really scrub the rocks. Even with weekly scrubbing and blowing off the rocks with a small pump, we were barely keeping up with the algae.

On YouTube I saw Reef Bum interview Jack Kent with Brightwell and in one segment they discussed Razor and Clean. That interview convinced me to give the products a try.

We began the treatment on November 10. I can say unequivocally that the combo has drastically improved our GHA infestation. BUT, I will qualify the success - each week we have continued to scrub the rocks but, each week, there has been a lot less algae to scrub. The algae we can't reach looks scraggly and unhealthy.

We also noticed that the algae released from the rocks much, much easier. It seems also that the areas we scrub, the GHA does not return, or returns in much less quantity. Brightwell stresses that the products take time to work and don't judge for 8-10 weeks. That timeframe for us will be late January so we will see then if the GHA begins to come back.

I have researched Vibrant, Razor, GHA ad nauseam on this site and the internet. There is no magic bullet. It is a bunch of little things that inch you toward success.

For reference: Four year old tank. Our corals are all LPS with a few Ricordia/Rhodactis. About 20 fish total, 4 large Tangs, 1 large Fox Face. Many inverts including variety of snails, crabs, shrimp. Nitrates run 10-15 ppm with Nyos kit, Phosphates run 0.13-0.19 ppm on Hanna Checker, pH 8.3, 20% water change monthly, 3% water change daily. Chaeto the size of a basketball in the refugium.

We have not noticed any impact to the chaeto with the Razor and Clean treatments. The jury is out on our Duncan. It has closed up for over 3 weeks now but does not show any deterioration. No other corals show any stress.

Our tank from February 2022. Makes me ill to look at it!

Tank Video

youtube.com

 

[FIN&BONEZ]

I would try a couple large sea hares before breaking it down. They will have to be rehomed or fed macro after the job is complete but imo well worth the try. We keep one that absolutely gets in all the spots I cant reach and simply travels between the sump and refugium when not working the dt.

 

[JSmith]

I feel your pain - we have battled GHA off and on for over a year. Due to my husband's health issues we were not able to really focus on the problem until this past September. I read a longgggg thread on R2R about tackling GHA by removing the rock work and scrubbing. (I'll see if I can find the post.) With a 300 g tank, extensive rock work, and many, many corals we did not see removing all the rocks as feasible.

Weekly we scrubbed the rocks while standing on step stools. Our tank is 30" tall and 36" deep so there are places we cannot reach. We have a big assortment of brushes and the best ones have stiff bristles to really scrub the rocks. Even with weekly scrubbing and blowing off the rocks with a small pump, we were barely keeping up with the algae.

On YouTube I saw Reef Bum interview Jack Kent with Brightwell and in one segment they discussed Razor and Clean. That interview convinced me to give the products a try.

We began the treatment on November 10. I can say unequivocally that the combo has drastically improved our GHA infestation. BUT, I will qualify the success - each week we have continued to scrub the rocks but, each week, there has been a lot less algae to scrub. The algae we can't reach looks scraggly and unhealthy.

We also noticed that the algae released from the rocks much, much easier. It seems also that the areas we scrub, the GHA does not return, or returns in much less quantity. Brightwell stresses that the products take time to work and don't judge for 8-10 weeks. That timeframe for us will be late January so we will see then if the GHA begins to come back.

I have researched Vibrant, Razor, GHA ad nauseam on this site and the internet. There is no magic bullet. It is a bunch of little things that inch you toward success.

For reference: Four year old tank. Our corals are all LPS with a few Ricordia/Rhodactis. About 20 fish total, 4 large Tangs, 1 large Fox Face. Many inverts including variety of snails, crabs, shrimp. Nitrates run 10-15 ppm with Nyos kit, Phosphates run 0.13-0.19 ppm on Hanna Checker, pH 8.3, 20% water change monthly, 3% water change daily. Chaeto the size of a basketball in the refugium.

We have not noticed any impact to the chaeto with the Razor and Clean treatments. The jury is out on our Duncan. It has closed up for over 3 weeks now but does not show any deterioration. No other corals show any stress.

Our tank from February 2022. Makes me ill to look at it!

Tank Video

youtube.com

Beautiful corals and fish. I tried the clean but will try it with the Razor next. I’m hesitant to use the vibrant but will use it as a last resort if I must. You’re right there is no silver bullet but I’m hoping shooting buckshot at it will start to slow it down some. Please keep me posted on your progress!

 

[NanJ]

Beautiful corals and fish. I tried the clean but will try it with the Razor next. I’m hesitant to use the vibrant but will use it as a last resort if I must. You’re right there is no silver bullet but I’m hoping shooting buckshot at it will start to slow it down some. Please keep me posted on your progress!

Thank you - it has been a journey. I was hesitant to use Vibrant after reading the thread on discovering it is practically identical to an algaecide. But then I read a thread where Randy wonders if Razor might be, too!

 

[NanJ]

I feel your pain - we have battled GHA off and on for over a year. Due to my husband's health issues we were not able to really focus on the problem until this past September. I read a longgggg thread on R2R about tackling GHA by removing the rock work and scrubbing. (I'll see if I can find the post.) With a 300 g tank, extensive rock work, and many, many corals we did not see removing all the rocks as feasible.

Weekly we scrubbed the rocks while standing on step stools. Our tank is 30" tall and 36" deep so there are places we cannot reach. We have a big assortment of brushes and the best ones have stiff bristles to really scrub the rocks. Even with weekly scrubbing and blowing off the rocks with a small pump, we were barely keeping up with the algae.

On YouTube I saw Reef Bum interview Jack Kent with Brightwell and in one segment they discussed Razor and Clean. That interview convinced me to give the products a try.

We began the treatment on November 10. I can say unequivocally that the combo has drastically improved our GHA infestation. BUT, I will qualify the success - each week we have continued to scrub the rocks but, each week, there has been a lot less algae to scrub. The algae we can't reach looks scraggly and unhealthy.

We also noticed that the algae released from the rocks much, much easier. It seems also that the areas we scrub, the GHA does not return, or returns in much less quantity. Brightwell stresses that the products take time to work and don't judge for 8-10 weeks. That timeframe for us will be late January so we will see then if the GHA begins to come back.

I have researched Vibrant, Razor, GHA ad nauseam on this site and the internet. There is no magic bullet. It is a bunch of little things that inch you toward success.

For reference: Four year old tank. Our corals are all LPS with a few Ricordia/Rhodactis. About 20 fish total, 4 large Tangs, 1 large Fox Face. Many inverts including variety of snails, crabs, shrimp. Nitrates run 10-15 ppm with Nyos kit, Phosphates run 0.13-0.19 ppm on Hanna Checker, pH 8.3, 20% water change monthly, 3% water change daily. Chaeto the size of a basketball in the refugium.

We have not noticed any impact to the chaeto with the Razor and Clean treatments. The jury is out on our Duncan. It has closed up for over 3 weeks now but does not show any deterioration. No other corals show any stress.

Our tank from February 2022. Makes me ill to look at it!

Tank Video

youtube.com

Update on my comment about Brightwell Razor's effect on chaeto: Yes, I believe Razor does negatively impact chaeto. We have been using Razor (and Clean) since November 10 and this week (7 weeks later) I realized the chaeto in the refugium was "falling apart". Before Razor the chaeto ball was the size of a soccer ball and when I would lift and turn it it would stay together and be bouncy. This week I went to turn it and it was limp and started falling apart.

 

[I never finish anythi]

Update on my comment about Brightwell Razor's effect on chaeto: Yes, I believe Razor does negatively impact chaeto. We have been using Razor (and Clean) since November 10 and this week (7 weeks later) I realized the chaeto in the refugium was "falling apart". Before Razor the chaeto ball was the size of a soccer ball and when I would lift and turn it it would stay together and be bouncy. This week I went to turn it and it was limp and started falling apart.

Is the razor working on the gha??

 

[NanJ]

Is the razor working on the gha?

About 5 posts up I explain that yes, Razor has helped. BUT, we've also used Brightwell's Clean and weekly we scrub the rocks and use a pump to blow detritus off the rocks. We have made lots of progress but the GHS is not gone. Razor is certainly not a "dump and done" cure in our tank.

 

[JSmith]

I had an aquarium service come to my house yesterday and we made some process pulling a lot out. We also did a 60 gallon water change (150 total gallon system) and I'm doing another 30 gallons on Friday. We are going to continue doing this weekly for the next month. I had GFO running in a reactor and he wants to add another reactor in the next week to help reduce the phosphates. I got rid of all green, reds, and whites from the LED's and shortened the photo period from 12 hours to 8 hours. I will be scrubbing the rocks when i do the next water change and will be looking to add pods and phyto in the next few weeks. We're hoping to reduce the phosphates significantly in the coming months.