Persistent GHA

Justin A. · Jun 12, 2024

I have persistent GHA that i manually scrub weekly during my water changes. I literally use a scrubbing brush attached to my drill to decimate the algae but it still returns. Since the gha comes back quickly over a week i have undetectable nitrates and phosphates. I have an SPS dominate tank, mostly frags but 2-3 decent mini colonies. I have decent growth with average coloration and over the past couple weeks a few pieces are starting to pop but still not 100% on the color.

Overall im just tired of taking the rocks out to scrub them and would love to finally mount my SPS to the rocks to grow out. I have tried all kinds of clean up crews, and its a rsr250 so i will not get a tang. Urchins and snails have done nothing, if anything the urchins have been eating my coralline which probably would have helped outcompete the GHA.

I have 5 fish (clown, royal gramma, springers damsel, six line, banggai cardinal) which i feed 1 cube of mysis once a day and more recently ive stretched it to every other day to see if it makes a difference. The only other thing i dose is 5ml acropower which i started to do as my sps looked pale due to lack of available nutrients. I have a section of my sump full of Chaeto and pull clumps out weekly.

Import vs export i don't see what else i can do aside from sacrifice feeding or reduce the dosing and risk losing what sps i have due to lack of available nutrients.

Really just looking to stretch out the scrubbing period to reduce the maintenance while the SPS grow to help build more mass to help out compete the algae.

Does hydrogen peroxide kill off GHA? When i pull the rocks out to scrub could i dip the brush in hydrogen peroxide and then scrub my rocks? I am against chemical dosing to the display so I'm trying to stay away from some of those products but not finding many alternatives.

Tank is bare bottom, i wet skim, and i do not have much detritus build up as i siphon any dead spots weekly.

tzabor10 · Jun 12, 2024

Your lights might be too bright.

Justin A. · Jun 12, 2024

tzabor10 said:
Your lights might be too bright.

I wouldnt say too bright... but i have tried reducing white/red channels to see if it makes a difference. I have 2 hydra 32s mounted approx 20" above the water with a ramp up 10-12 hrs a day 3-4 hr peak and only the blue/violet channels exceed 50%. iirc my white channel is max 30% at peak after i reduced it

Glenner’sreef · Jun 12, 2024

So, it sounds like you’re doing the same routine and it’s not working your adding a cuc. But that is not working. What needs to be done always and consistently is:

1. Fresh gfo in a media bag. Or Phosgaurd. Changed out weekly.
2. Yes, a large cuc. Especially turbo snails!
Purchase 20 large turbos per 50 gal tank.
3.Reduce your lighting schedule by 3 or 4 hour. For instance: instead of a 10 hour lighting schedule, drop to 6 or 7 hours.
4. Vacuum as much of your gravel/sand as humanly possible! At least once a month!
5. Pull out gha any chance you get.
6. Make sure direct sunlight or even diffused light is restricted in the fish room.
7. Check your rodi water source.
8. Return half or more of purchased turbos to lfs after gha is gone.
9. Monthly water charges!

Your goal is to do as much as possible to rid your tank of gha. Not just 2 or 3 of these. Gone in 2 months! It’s will work! Maintained 100s of tanks over the past 5 years. It works! Good luck.