Is there a dummy's guide to how hydrogen peroxide helps with nuisance algae?

[Northern Flicker]

I used it recently to help fight back against cyano, and I see it being used quite often to help with algae.

How does it work?
Why does it kill the bad stuff, but the tank seems to be perfectly fine? Why is the good bacteria spared?
How is it affecting the inverts?
Does it accumulate and need to be w/c'd out, or is it being broken down at a molecular level?

I am guessing the "oxide" aspect is key, and something is happening at the ion level, but I'd love if someone could help my 3 lonely brain cells understand it a bit better.

 

[Propane]

I used it recently to help fight back against cyano, and I see it being used quite often to help with algae.

How does it work?
Why does it kill the bad stuff, but the tank seems to be perfectly fine? Why is the good bacteria spared?
How is it affecting the inverts?
Does it accumulate and need to be w/c'd out, or is it being broken down at a molecular level?

I am guessing the "oxide" aspect is key, and something is happening at the ion level, but I'd love if someone could help my 3 lonely brain cells understand it a bit better.

Can’t answer the question but I’ll be watching to learn. Also how do you dose the h2o2?

 

[GARRIGA]

It’s literally liquid ozone and I’m also curious how to best use it and apply it. Gonna be a heck of a lot cheaper and won’t need more equipment. Cool if one could just dose it since it doesn’t just solve algae. Should also clarify water and potentially help reduce some bacteria infections. Based on what I know about ozone which isn’t exactly much.

 

[Northern Flicker]

Can’t answer the question but I’ll be watching to learn. Also how do you dose the h2o2?

I have seen people dose both the whole tank, or also target dose. The concentration I used was 1ml of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide per 10g. I did this 5 days in a row, while dosing some bacteria.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

I did this to a Staghorn Coral, since it was going back in my 120, I just dumped the solution back in the Aquarium. Staghorn Coral, Dipped in 75ml Hydrogen Peroxide to 2.5 Liters of Saltwater for Six Minutes. Worked very well with just one Dip.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

How does it work?
Why does it kill the bad stuff, but the tank seems to be perfectly fine? Why is the good bacteria spared?
How is it affecting the inverts?

Those unanswered questions are why I have not been fast to embrace it.

 

[SPS2020]

I targeted 1ml per 10g of 11% in my 100g Acropora DT for GHA that I could not physically remove. I noticed no ill effects to inverts or corals and the GHA was eradicated. Turn off all flow and wait until the bubbles stop (~ 30min) after application. I did this for several days last year and it has not returned. Keeping PO4 around .05.

 

[LeannaBanana]

So I tried this in one of my tanks recently, used the 1ml 3% h2o2 per 10gal rule after lights out, and had GREAT success. I can't explain the why, but I would love to know, too.

I was also in combination with daily manual removal (toothbrush to the rocks and siphon) and increased CUC, then a five-night "treatment" as outlined above and things were well managed and are currently still maintained after about 10-14 days post-dosing. All corals and inverts thriving.

 

[Troylee]

I used it recently to help fight back against cyano, and I see it being used quite often to help with algae.

How does it work?
Why does it kill the bad stuff, but the tank seems to be perfectly fine? Why is the good bacteria spared?
How is it affecting the inverts?
Does it accumulate and need to be w/c'd out, or is it being broken down at a molecular level?

I am guessing the "oxide" aspect is key, and something is happening at the ion level, but I'd love if someone could help my 3 lonely brain cells understand it a bit better.

Idk how it works but it works lol! I’ve been using it for years myself.. I always used it many years ago to dip frag plugs with algae and then came along my first bout with Dino’s…. A chemist friend of mine told me hey! Dose the 1ml per 10gal of volume to your display and get back to me on what happens with the Dino’s… low and behold they were gone in just a short couple days and I started that thread on here like 15 years ago! “The original h202 dosing for Dino’s” call it a fluke idk but it worked for me back then and had zero ill effects on my tank so I do it till this day! I can tell you lps love it and get super fluffy when you dose daily for awhile.. it’s never affected my inverts or my corals…

 

[Salty_Northerner]

Those unanswered questions are why I have not been fast to embrace it.

It's hard to embrace the unknown. Lou Ekus and Ryan we're talking on brstv a couple days ago about using hydrogen peroxide and how it works but there isn't enough knowledge out there. For them to dose a tank.

I've used it a number of times this past year getting rid of bristle worms and GHA. Works like a charm. I sprayed directly on Zoa's outside of the tank to clean their body up a little bit. Sprayed it on and used to very soft brush to loosen up all the crud and then dumped them into some old tank water and plopped them back into the tank and within 30 minutes they were opened up like nothing happened.

GSP on the other hand I did the same thing and their recovery time is 3 to 4 days. It's almost like it's stunts its growth and I don't like to open their chutes. Day one after the hydrogen peroxide no sign of opening, day two you can see a hint of them starting to poke out. Day 3 all 25%, we're open and by day for around 60% are open.

 

[KK's Reef]

What about peroxide as a dip? What is the commonly used ratio of peroxide to water?

 

[Salty_Northerner]

I've used 250 ml to 3 liters of water for 5 min. Use at own risk. Read my above on coral I've tried.

 

[Derrick0580]

Think this will help

Peroxide dipping guidelines (for corals)

A while back Justin Credabel published this chart detailing the concentration of hydrogen peroxide appropriate for dipping various genera of corals. I've used these guidelines myself a few times to remove algae from coral frags and it's been quite effective. Justin Credabel's hydrogen...

humble.fish

 

[MnFish1]

It is basically a free-oxygen radical - added to your tank - which will attach to anything - an immediately become inert (inactive). I do not think it helps with GHA at all

 

[GARRIGA]

It is basically a free-oxygen radical - added to your tank - which will attach to anything - an immediately become inert (inactive). I do not think it helps with GHA at all

Why I don’t grasp how it kills algae and was hoping perhaps it replaced the use of ozone although I plan to run a Fuge and concerned it might kill the macroalgae. Lots of confusion around this new option to me I’ve used so often as a kid to treat scrapes and wounds where it was amazing at cleaning up and preventing bacterial issues. At least that’s what I was told it was supposedly doing.

 

[Snoopy 67]

I have used it successfully on rocks.
I take them out & spray them with 3% peroxide, let them sit a while, & returned to the tank.
Last time a small Mantis came flying out of the rock, he did not make it although I tried.
That's the second one, there is @ least one more in the tank.

 

[JMM744]

I have used it several time to eradicate bubble algae. Using a pipette full of 3% and the pumps off I slowly expel it along the base of the algae. It causes a slight distortion in the water as it's applied so you can see where it goes. Each day the bubbles get lighter till they are translucent and then gone.
I also use it in my business to remove blood . I soak the item being cleaned in soapy water with a 1/8 cup of 3% and let it do its thing. Even with agitation of the items in the water it still works. Eventually it causes a nice froth on the surface of the water and the items are quite clean of blood.
My fear with dosing a whole tank is if it might affect the algae in the soft corals to a point of killing them eventually. No idea about that.

 

[Snoopy 67]

Back before I thought I knew what I was doing I had a FO 220. Peroxide was supposed to increase oxygen levels in the water. I poured in so many bottles the water turned orange.
There were no casualties to any of the fish.

 

[zoomonster]

Don't think I would add it to a whole tank unless it was trashed with algae. I do however use it for treatment a lot especially for zoa's getting some algae growth or brown jelly in Euphyllia. Think this originally came from bulk reef supply and are pretty good guidelines I saved off a long time ago.

Tolerance
Dip 5 minutes N milliliters of Hydrogen Peroxide 3% to 1 Liter of Seawater.

Low 20-40ml
Acropora (tolerance varies widely among species), Montipora, Astreopora, Duncanopsammia, Turbinaria, Galaxia, Cyhpastrea, (*Alveopora)(**Hydnophora) Echinophyllia, Mycedium, Oxypora, Tubastrea,

Low/Med 50-70ml
Pocillopora, Seriatopora, Stylophora, Caulastrea, Clavularia, Pachyclavularia, Sympodium, Cespitularia, Yellow Leathers, Pachyceris, Echinpora, Leptoseris, Pectinia, Psammacora

Medium 80-120ml
Porites, Xenia, Brown Leathers, Pavona, Fungiids, Heliofungia,

Med/High 130-200ml
Goniopora, Favia, Favites, Goniastrea, Platygyra, Leptastrea, Blastomussa, Cynarina, Physogyra, Plerogyra, Symphyllia, Sinularia, Corallimorpharian (Mushroom Anemone)

High 210-350ml
Zoanthids, Palythoa, Scolymia, Acansthstrea, Micromussa, Lobophyllia, Euphyllia, Catalaphyllia, Trachyphyllia,

Coral can be dipped longer in a lower concentrate solutionfor up to 20 minutes for deep, persistent algae or bacterial infections, or necrotic areas.

 

[LadAShark]

It’s literally liquid ozone and I’m also curious how to best use it and apply it. Gonna be a heck of a lot cheaper and won’t need more equipment. Cool if one could just dose it since it doesn’t just solve algae. Should also clarify water and potentially help reduce some bacteria infections. Based on what I know about ozone which isn’t exactly much.

It is not. Ozone and H2O2 react differently, though ultimately achieve a similar thing... for the most part. They are both strong oxidizers, ozone, however, has the means to break down more complex molecules, and off the top of my head, no organisms can actually break down/destroy ozone preemptively before it causes damage (though it does deplete as it reacts with organics)

For those who don't want a briefing on organic chemistry, it essentially is able to break down cell walls and also damage cellular machinery. However, hydrogen peroxide is a naturally found and used defense (in fact our bodies produce it in the process of fighting some infections). Some bacteria, in the meanwhile, have enzymes that break down or neutralize hydrogen peroxide, as a defense or just by means of how they naturally operate. So not all bacteria or organisms (including some disease causing organisms) are affected by peroxide. This also differs between organisms because not all of them break it down the same way. Some, despite being resistant, can be overwhelmed by excess peroxide as their mechanisms cannot keep up, some can rapidly keep up with increases in peroxide. More complex multicellular organisms usually have outer layers that essentially shield them from extensive damage. Mucus too can prevent extensive damage as it blocks the peroxide from directly contacting flesh, or at least limits the extent of the damage.

So long story short, we're exploiting general natural resistances of favorable organisms and lack thereof of less favorable organisms.