I have been dealing with a brown algae for a few weeks now. I have reduced lighting,feeding. I have a huge ball of chaeto in sump growing like wildfire. Now I also have green and a fluffy looking maroon sort of algae growing everywhere . I just read about vodka dosing thinking about starting to dose it.any help, suggestions , experiences please chime In.
algae outbreak
- Thread starter ttboys
- Start date
USMC2897
Well-Known Member
Vodka dosing was very successful for me. I didnt have much algae but what I did have disappeared! I did it more so I didnt have to run carbon/GFO and to save $$ also cause I had a dinoflagellates outbreak. Just remember to go slow... real slow. I went too fast and I had a bacteria bloom that clogged some of my plumbing slowing my flow to next to nothing.
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dannyp02908
Non-member
Is it like a pinkish color? Maybe cotton candy algae?
No not pink its a deep maroon, like I say its kinda pretty , vivid in fact fluffy or like velvet .
What i do find funny is the assortment of colors Brown,green,maroon purple,and slight hints of yellow
However this is going to need a lot of time and more vodka than I could ever drink,,,,,,,,, hic up
What i do find funny is the assortment of colors Brown,green,maroon purple,and slight hints of yellow
However this is going to need a lot of time and more vodka than I could ever drink,,,,,,,,, hic up
Still might be cotton candy algae, nothing eats that stuff except turbo snails- but it absolutely hates H202. If all else fails start dipping your rocks in 50% hydrogen peroxide 50% tank water for 15-20 seconds.
Does it look like:
What are you using for top off water?
Does it look like:
What are you using for top off water?
Last edited:
RichardinMA
Non-member
You have a nutrient problem, and is sounds like a pretty large one. Algae does not grow without a food source and you need to address that first. Turning lights off to kill it will not work if you are still feeding it. If your tests show 0 nitrate and phosphate it does not mean you don't have any. It only means it is being consumed by the algae as fast as it is being produced, the same way your ammonia will test 0 in a cycled tank. There are shortcuts to killing off alage, but you need to remvoe the food source as well or it will only come back. I agree, with above, what is your water source? Tank stats?
ro/di I use a bulkreef supply 5 ,tds meter showing ,02 filters kinda new , my nitrates are 40ppm a little high phosphate I do not know.no test kit for that. kind of why I am asking if vodka dosing , limit feeding ,reduce lighting a bit, is at least a step in the right direction
RichardinMA
Non-member
Nitrate that high is a real problem and you will need to do some WC to drop it. A phosphate test kit is advisable although if you have algae then you have phosphate as well. What is the stocking level of the tank? Tank size? Reduced feeding may help but it you are over stocked it may not be enough.
RMc yeah cotton candy , I had on a few rocks pulled them ,
I think maybe you hit the nail on the head detritus , I have a 150 display set up about 6 months ago flows to the basement into 20 gal sump with skimmer, then to 125 gal fuge little rock and few macros recently put in, then to a 80 gal sump about half full 40 gal in it with a ball of chaeto that maybe 6 weeks ago was the size of a softball and now is the size of a through pillow.I change 50 gal every 2weeks using reef crystals, my return is a reeflo wahoo that alone makes up plenty of flow and two korrelias in display.
However I think you maybe right siphon sand more often ,as I pull a few rocks up ,not often moved ,,yup plenty of detritus.i have got to get better flow under rocks,,this will give me good start, ,,,and a lot of work to do this weekend ,, thanks all let you know what happens
to top it off had a t5 ballast quit on me this morning ,,never ends
I think maybe you hit the nail on the head detritus , I have a 150 display set up about 6 months ago flows to the basement into 20 gal sump with skimmer, then to 125 gal fuge little rock and few macros recently put in, then to a 80 gal sump about half full 40 gal in it with a ball of chaeto that maybe 6 weeks ago was the size of a softball and now is the size of a through pillow.I change 50 gal every 2weeks using reef crystals, my return is a reeflo wahoo that alone makes up plenty of flow and two korrelias in display.
However I think you maybe right siphon sand more often ,as I pull a few rocks up ,not often moved ,,yup plenty of detritus.i have got to get better flow under rocks,,this will give me good start, ,,,and a lot of work to do this weekend ,, thanks all let you know what happens
to top it off had a t5 ballast quit on me this morning ,,never ends
dannyp02908
Non-member
If you don't have test kits for nitrate and phosphate, don't start dosing carbon (vodka, vinegar). You need to watch those parameters to find the dosage.
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