GHA during fallow is a uphill climb.

[Reef Wizard]

Good Afternoon,

I have got 36 days left on fallow for my main display tank. Im running into a grueling battle with GHA. My CUC and Chaeto in the fuge is severally outgunned. I would turn off the lights but I have coral in the tank. I run lights from 930am-730pm.

My nutrients are not in the water it appears so it has to be from my Marco rock. Po4 is 0.02ppm and Nitrate is 13.1ppm. I havent done a water change in probably 2 months my nutrients almost bottomed out once.

I have been manually scrubbing with toothbrush and sucking out with baster. I only feed the tank once a week to keep my shrimp and some corals growing and healthy.

I have a single MP40 currently and my flow is pretty low.

What's the easiest way to remove GHA from the sand bed? Its turning into a carpet in some areas.

Thoughts? Suggestions? I am opposed to any chemical means to rid the GHA as I want to avoid the dino's and anything else worse than GHA.

 

[David_CO]

Turn off your lights for 3 days, your corals will be fine. Considering your ongoing nutrient battles I’m assuming you don’t have any thriving sensitive sps at this point.

 

[Lavey29]

How old is this tank? Do you have turbo snails and tuxedo urchins? Do you do daily manual removal?

 

[Reef Wizard]

Turn off your lights for 3 days, your corals will be fine. Considering your ongoing nutrient battles I’m assuming you don’t have any thriving sensitive sps at this point.

I have two acro frag's one birdsnest frag and some lepto frags. Acros are on the higher flow side of the mp40

 

[Reef Wizard]

How old is this tank? Do you have turbo snails and tuxedo urchins? Do you do daily manual removal?

I have some Astrae ceriths a conch and 3 emerald crabs. I thought about an urchin just not sure on the risk once fish are back in.

I try to atleast do every other day on manual removal

 

[Reef Wizard]

Tank is going on 9 months now

 

[Dan_P]

Good Afternoon,

I have got 36 days left on fallow for my main display tank. Im running into a grueling battle with GHA. My CUC and Chaeto in the fuge is severally outgunned. I would turn off the lights but I have coral in the tank. I run lights from 930am-730pm.

My nutrients are not in the water it appears so it has to be from my Marco rock. Po4 is 0.02ppm and Nitrate is 13.1ppm. I havent done a water change in probably 2 months my nutrients almost bottomed out once.

I have been manually scrubbing with toothbrush and sucking out with baster. I only feed the tank once a week to keep my shrimp and some corals growing and healthy.

I have a single MP40 currently and my flow is pretty low.

What's the easiest way to remove GHA from the sand bed? Its turning into a carpet in some areas.

Thoughts? Suggestions? I am opposed to any chemical means to rid the GHA as I want to avoid the dino's and anything else worse than GHA.

An observation.

One thing that I noticed about the rocks is how little growth there is on the surfaces except for the hair algae. They look so clean and dry. I don’t see much if any coralline algae growth. While keeping algae under control with herbivores is probably the best approach, having the surface form micro algae growth that minimizes hair algae settlement opportunities seems like another defense. Growth of GHA on the sand might also be happening because the sand is also free of micro algae growth. Said more simply, your system’s surfaces do not seem to be developing life.

This observation is almost useless in the fight against GHA except to point out that nutrients and water change rate might not be directly responsible for the growth.

 

[Reef Wizard]

An observation.

One thing that I noticed about the rocks is how little growth there is on the surfaces except for the hair algae. They look so clean and dry. I don’t see much if any coralline algae growth. While keeping algae under control with herbivores is probably the best approach, having the surface form micro algae growth that minimizes hair algae settlement opportunities seems like another defense. Growth of GHA on the sand might also be happening because the sand is also free of micro algae growth. Said more simply, your system’s surfaces do not seem to be developing life.

This observation is almost useless in the fight against GHA except to point out that nutrients and water change rate might not be directly responsible for the growth.

Yeah the snails I added some time go basically cleaned the rock it was covered with film algae. Then gha came and took over after I got fish out. I only put in about 10 astrae and 10 cerith. Actually had some cerith lay eggs couple weeks ago

 

[Lavey29]

GHA is normal in new tanks. You got to much white light. Add some turbos, 3 tuxedo urchins, 10 troccus snails and keep getting your hands wet

 

[cooltowncorals]

I would suggest sucking the algae through a filter sock into you sump, so get a siphon going on a hose maybe have some one help and hold the bottom of the hose in a sock and then you can run the siphon endlessly until you catch all of the hair Algea as you remove it.

Then head over to reef cleaners the website and take a look at their recommended crew for a tank your size. To get an idea of what size crew you should get. (It’s probably way bigger than you think)

I would also start using some phosphate remover, like GFO, tiny amounts of food equal large amounts of phosphate, nitrates are controllable with water changes but I’ve always found phosphates to need some control.

You could always do a rip clean search for site lots of people into it, it works .


Suck the gha off you sand. You just take sand with it.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

Been there, done that. Keep at it! Scrub the rock and siphon it out if you can’t scrub the rock in a separate bucket with old tank water. Siphon the top layer of sand and rinse/replace or throw it out. I never use any additives/chemicals as I feel there’s too much risk in throwing the system off. But it can be exhausting and feel futile for weeks to months. But hang in there!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Algae growing on the sand means too low flow to me, turn it up. Good flow is one of the best deterrents to algae.

 

[Reef Wizard]

GHA is normal in new tanks. You got to much white light. Add some turbos, 3 tuxedo urchins, 10 troccus snails and keep getting your hands wet

If I add new things doesn't that start the fallow timer over?

 

[Reef Wizard]

I would suggest sucking the algae through a filter sock into you sump, so get a siphon going on a hose maybe have some one help and hold the bottom of the hose in a sock and then you can run the siphon endlessly until you catch all of the hair Algea as you remove it.

Then head over to reef cleaners the website and take a look at their recommended crew for a tank your size. To get an idea of what size crew you should get. (It’s probably way bigger than you think)

I would also start using some phosphate remover, like GFO, tiny amounts of food equal large amounts of phosphate, nitrates are controllable with water changes but I’ve always found phosphates to need some control.

You could always do a rip clean search for site lots of people into it, it works .


Suck the gha off you sand. You just take sand with it.

Yeah what cuc I do have is from reef cleaners. And I was letting the algae go into the socks but quickly got clogged. Right before fallow I didn't have much of any gha. So I didn't get a full cuc. But yepp. I will be getting a gfo Reactor setup soon.

 

[Reef Wizard]

Been there, done that. Keep at it! Scrub the rock and siphon it out if you can’t scrub the rock in a separate bucket with old tank water. Siphon the top layer of sand and rinse/replace or throw it out. I never use any additives/chemicals as I feel there’s too much risk in throwing the system off. But it can be exhausting and feel futile for weeks to months. But hang in there!

Thank you I'm trying. I hoping my foxface and tangs get on it once they are back in

 

[Reef Wizard]

Algae growing on the sand means too low flow to me, turn it up. Good flow is one of the best deterrents to algae.

Yeah it is pretty low flow at the moment. My torches and hammers seem to love it haha. I was thinking of turning it up but don't want to disturb them.

Maybe a little at a time?

 

[Lavey29]

If I add new things doesn't that start the fallow timer over?

Technically yes but most good cleaner crew vendors have dedicated invert tanks separate from the main water tanks so they are essentially isolated from being carriers of fish disease.

 

[Reef Wizard]

Technically yes but most good cleaner crew vendors have dedicated invert tanks separate from the main water tanks so they are essentially isolated from being carriers of fish disease.

I think I asked John at reef cleaners and he said their tanks are fishless but they don't use any kinds of medications or something to that effect