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I would recommend using the Salifert test kit, it has a low range and seems very accurate. Just make sure your source water is reading 0ppm, and that you are not adding in any other organics with supplements you may be adding.. .check the label! Some of those supplements could also be the source of your extra organic waste if you are having phospate and or nitrate problems. I too would only recommend every 3rd day water changes.
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Not exactly what I would consider an even remotely convincing argument. I had the cleaning lady at the local pharmacy look at the stuff, and she disagreed. And then she left the country, presumably to do more testing.
Funny how you would say that with out knowing anything about the testing and are basically blowing hot hair. It has been ID twice, one in part an once fully. That one place was Germany where you are not allowed to put products on the market without divulging its full active ingredients if requested, as deceptive advertising is not allowed there. They don't allow hype there. It was also ID by a university professor who has a Ph.D in Organic chemistry who ID erythromycin /esters/salts but not that is was actually Erythromycin cetyl sulfate, as he had no clue what it was when tested, let alone being sulfate based. If he would have known that it would have been a second + ID. Not much merit in this his surviving original team members. So for kicks I asked my acquaintance about the Boyd's product and gave him a sample to look at. He did explain to me that positively identifying compounds (esters and salts) of erythromycin is a fairly complex, multistep process, but there were certain indicators one could look for, and he had a (much) younger colleague take a look. The verdict was that if the Boyd's product contained any erythromycin compounds, Your so called friends seem to be clueless and did not real testing and are guessing :lol: And yes it has small amounts and when using Succinate it is the same. Large amounts of these will wipe out a nitrification bed 100 %, such as those when used as a fish antibiotic at full dosage. It is the #1 antibiotic on the list for killing nitrifying bacteria along with MB. Despite the fact it is a gram positive drug it has a massive impact on gram negative nitrifying bacteria. So much for knowing what you know or should I say don't know. Take it to a lab and have is assayed and you will find out it is as stated, Erythromycin cetyl sulfate. It does not much of a deal for somebody in a lab to determine if it is sulfate based. There are many mthods fo dectecting "E" HPLC, TLC, GLC and Electrochemiluminescence will tell you if it is a Erythromycin. THE END |
Should I continue using GAC & GFO while using AlgaFix Marine? Thanks!
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No Doug, not a good idea, as both willl suck the drug right out of the water.
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I'm running Chemi-Pure and Purigen. I'm guessing I should take these out to while dosing? The directions don't say to.
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any idea what these algae are?
1) bryopsis? or what is this?? http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/...42Bryopsis.JPG 2) red algae http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/...2red_algae.JPG Thanks much |
Ok, so my Toadstool Leather is making a comeback (mentioned on pg 23). I think it maybe was just going thru something and the algaecide had nothing to do with it. On my 5th dose and still have not seen any noticeable reduction in GHA or discoloration to indicate that the algae is dying. However I have noticed that when I blow my rocks with a turkey baster several small chunks of algae detaches from the rocks. So I guess it's doing something - maybe? I will continue to dose and monitor.
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i found that it also helps to increase your CUC critters too.
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sana |
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sana |
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1st pic looks a lot like bryopsis 2nd pic is cotton candy algae for bryosis raise your mag to 1600-1800 with tech-m, and for cotton candy algae i heard that mexican turbos eat it... sana |
btt
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Guys I am glad I came across this thread. A while back I had nutrient issue with my tank. To make a long story short, I shut down my fuge which was being fed directly from my tank. I got rid of my live sand, bought a sulphur denitrator and a wave maker. I have been using algaefix just as a precaution. As my tank was cycling again I was having to clean the glass a lot. Used AF to get rid of the diatoms. Tank is super clear and sand is white. I vacume it weekly as I am using a large grain sand. JMO...I think if you guys are having nutrient issues it may be your sand or you may have a lot of junk in your rocks that aren't being exported.
Q: Once you get to the point you are dosing once a week can you run your GFO and GAC? |
mmotown,
Thanks for sharing your experiences with AF. ;) Many hobbyists who have used AF in this thread did not stop running GAC & GFO while dosing AF and received good results. The GAC and GFO can adsorb some of the AF. I would think you can start using them again, especially if you have no signs of algae. |
This is my experience with algaefix marine. I have a hair algae issue. My tank is a 72 gallon bow front with 80 lbs of rock and 4 inch sand bed. I run a aqua c pro skimmer, brs dual reactor with gfo and gac, 2 k4 power heads. I have 10 (no more than 1.5inches) fishes, I know high bio load. Softies and a few ls corals and a cuc of snails and a couple of crabs.
At one point the hair algae covered ½ of my live rock. I took out some of the smaller pieces that I could get to and put them in a dark tank with heater and power head after 2 weeks algae was still present. I found this page read it and started dosing in the small tank first. With some results I started dosing in my DT. After 8 doses I stopped. The hair algae had thinned out a bit and turned from a dark green to a dull green/gray. After trying to pull it off with no luck I tried a scrub brush. My method has been to scrub off 1 rock every week, do my water change and the dose my my tank. This seems to be working have not noticed any new algae growth. All fish, cuc and corals are doing great. I have had some red cyno growing on my sand bed |
kwws,
Glad to hear AF worked for your pest. It is not uncommon to experience cyano problems after the algae is gone. In reality, the cyano was there all along and without competition, it now can be grow to where it can be seen. Staying on top of removing the cyano mechanically will work in many cases along with good skimming and water changes. |
At the end of my rope!!!
Hi everyone, I'm new here, lots of cool knowledgable peeps on this forum. I'm a new reefer (tee-hee) so I know enough to be dangerous but not nearly as much as many of you.
So I'm also battling GHA since I started my tank in April. The silly newbie I am, I started it with tapwater (since I thought i was going to make a freshwater tank at first, you can't really blame me). Since then, I've done copious water changes with natural sea water from Catalina island, that I buy from my LFS. I'm in Southern CA, and apparently that's where they get it. Tank Specs: - 55 gallon acrylic - DSB mixed with crushed coral substrate (another newb mistake) - 65 lbs live rock (tucani) - Aquaclear 110 HOB filter w/ no media (just for flow) - Hydor Koralia powerhead - Skimmer rated for up to 100 gallons - 24" blue, white actinic bulbs (brand new Coralife retrofit) - Maintain about 79-80 degrees Bio Load: - Fish: 2 oscellaris clowns, 2 damsels, 1 royal gramma, 1 clown trigger, 1 twin spot goby - Inverts: 1 frogspawn, 1 bubble tip anemone, 6 green stripe shrooms, a tiny acro frag, and a softy i haven't ID'd yet. Also 9 astria snails, 1 emerald crab. - Algae: tons of GHA, I'll sell it to you, $1500 for all of it. What I've tried: - Pulling the algae off the rock (forget that) - Snails and crabs (they're full after 10 minutes) - Red slime remover (worked for the red cyano, but GHA bloomed like crazy after... can't win) - Brushing the crap off and letting the skimmer pull it out (sorta works) - Mechanical/GAC filtering (made it worse somehow) What I'm trying now: - Leaving the tank in the dark (moon glow LED's only) for a couple days Next on the list: - Lawnmower blenny - AlgaeFix Marine (last resort) Anyway, any advice would be appreciated, I'm at wits end with this stuff. - The Banker |
Re: At the end of my rope!!!
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Darkening the tank can knock the algae back somewhat, but won't kill or eradicate it (it will also take at least 4-5 days to even begin to have a noticeable effect). A lawnmower blenny will most probably not be very interested in your GHA. We have found that AlgaeFix is rather specific in the species of algae it will be effective towards, and some users, including myself, have reported negative affects on inverts (mostly snails) and some corals (mostly sps). I'd recommend having your GHA positively identified (I'd think somebody at UCSB, USC, or UCLA can help with that) to see if AlgaeFix is even a worthwhile option. Among those for whom AlgaeFix has worked, most have seen positive and quite definitive results by the 4th to 6th dose. AlgaeFix is definitely not as reef safe as we might be led to believe, particularly once we get up beyond 10 or so doses. That might indicate that if you're not seeing very definite results by 6-7 doses, then it would be prudent to halt the treatment. |
I'm finally starting to see die off of GHA after what I believe is either the 11 or 12 dose. So far the only negative effects that I've encountered is that I believe this product killed off my halimeda that was in my display. Other than that all fish, soft corals, lps, sps and inverts seem to be doing well.
I will continue with a few more doses. I visually looks like it won't be long until the pest is gone. |
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During this algae-removal quest, I've been diligent about cleaning my skimmer regularly, especially so the foam around the venturi doesn't act as an algae-spawning device. I noticed that when I keep foam filter media in the HOB, it has the effect of collecting algae and spreading it all over the place, so I've forgone traditional mechanical filtration and have changed the tank to more of a Berlin style system. I'll keep you guys posted on the results. Just curious, I've been told that Lawnmowers DO eat the GHA from multiple sources, including reading many posts on this board... what makes you think one would not help the issue? |
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Someone should start a sticky thread about battling the various pest algaes & cyanobacteria, there are many of them scattered through RC's sub-forums. |
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It doesn't mean there aren't blennies that will eat GHA, but I have yet to experience a personal verification of what is typically sold as a "Lawnmower Blenny", Salarias fasciatus, doing so. There are always exceptions... but I've never personally seen any blenny, including "Lawnmower"s, eat the stuff. Of course, they are still awesome little fish, so even if you get one that doesn't, you still have a wonderful addition to the tank. |
I used Algeafix, in combination with raising my mag levels to just over 1500 with great results. I follwed the twice a week schedual but under dosed slightly for my tank volume (80%) of the recomendation and after the 4th dose noticed a bit of browning out on the algea. I pulled what I could and lightly scubbed the rocks and rockwalls to put it into the water column then siphoned out the floaties. After the 5th or 6th dose the die off was pretty impressive, with no noticable effect on any of the corals (sps,lps, and zoo's) or the macro in my sump. I went out of town for two days after my last dose (7th) and came back to a clean GHA free tank...
The majority of the algea in my tank was the feathery looking bryopsis blended in with GHA and it just vanished leaving clean rock work. I am pretty impressed with the results and am not sure if it was the Algeafix or the elevated mag levels that did the trick, but since stopping the algeafix I am keeping my mag up around 1500 and have just a few little spots of GHA that the hermits, snails and Bicolor blenny seem to be keeping in check. |
I have put together a few thoughts on a program for algae pest control and at the end is a statement from Boomer regarding control of cyanobacteria. Hopefully it helps. ;)
There are a lot of hobbyists in your same position. Reducing your nitrate and phosphate levels to a zero reading will help in getting rid of many type of algae pests. IME, reducing nitrate and phosphate levels too low can kill or cause problems for many types of coral. Running GAC & GFO will all help in reducing the growth of these type of pests. In many cases they will not eradicate the pest. Vodka dosing will help reduce the nitrate and phosphate levels also, but will not necessarily eradicate the pest either. A common problem is being able to identify your pest to a catagory correctly: true algae, cyano, dino, bacteria & other assorted pests that look similar. In many cases a micro look at your pest is best to properly ID it to one of these catagories. IMHO, if you are faced with an algal type pest problem, it is best to implement an algae pest control program strategy: 1) Wet skimming with a good quality skimmer. Clean your skimmer cup at least once per week. 2) Reduce your nitrates and phosphates to a zero reading using the hobby grade test kits. See Randy's articles regarding this: Phosphate and the Reef Aquarium http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...t2003/chem.htm 3) Proper lighting. I find that the higher wavelength bulbs are less conducive to algae growth. I now run 20,000 K bulbs from using 10,000 K bulbs. 4) Proper day length is a good thing also. I would not run your lights for more than 12 hrs total. Keep in mind that light entering from a window nearby is added to this figure. 5) Running GAC is a good practice in my book. It will help reduce the total dissolved organic carbons in your tank water and this is a food source. 6) Proper 30% per month total water changes will help export the DOC as well as some of the pests in the water column. It will help maintain the micro-nutrients as well. 7) Physical removal of the pest by hand, scrubbing and siphoning is important as well. If the amount of pest in your aquarium is overwhelming, perhaps dealing with one section at a time is a better idea. 8) Proper water circulation in your tank to prevent dead zones. When dealing with cyanobacteria pests increasing the flow where it grows seems to help. 9) Use RODI water for all top-off, salt mixing, additive mixes... etc. 10) Dosing iron may have benefits for macro-algae, but if you are experiencing algae pest problems than I would stop dosing it as it can add to the problem in many cases. 11) If you are dosing other supplements such as vitamins, amino acids, or others that contain a mix of supplements other than the basic alk., calcium and magnesium, I would stop these until you gain control of your pest. This includes many of the store bought products with unknown ingredients. Dosing Vodka or sugar to reduce your nitrates and phosphates would be an exception in my opinion. 12) Proper feeding habits. This can be the number one problem when trying to reduce your nitrate and phosphate levels. Use low phosphate fish foods. 13) IMHO, lighted refugiums may be a problem when trying to deal with an algae type pest problem. They are wonderful when it comes to reducing nitrates and phosphates. However, the light over most refugiums is conducive to the microalgae type pests. If the refugium becomes infested with a microalgae pest, I would clean it throughly of all pests as best as possible, remove the macro and turn off the lights until you gain control of your pest. Re-using the same macroalgae later may serve as a source for re-infestation of your pest. 14) Adding fish and other creatures that will eat your algae pest will help. 15) There are other items that can be added to this list if others care too share and some of the items listed may be disputed. ;) _______________________________________________________________________________ If after you have tried all these procedures and you are still loosing the battle, I would recommend that you initiate the use of AlgaeFix Marine based on the reports I have seen in this thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1595003 I hate to see anyone give up on this hobby due to algae type pest problems. ;) ============================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This a quote from Boomer regarding Cyanobacteria control: "Some added thoughts from over the years from many The only known fish to eat Cyano is Amblygobius stethophthalmus and it needs to be the real one not its close relative that is often Mis-ID with it. A 2- 3 month scheme 1. Water changes. 25% weekly. 2. Bare bottom refugium only for cheato nutrient export and not for critters. 3. Siphon, sump, refugium, etc. every week during water change and clean all filter you have. 4. Blow off all the Cyano and settled stuff you can so it can be siphoned off. 5. Clean out skimmer and cup every week. 6. Carbon, 1 cup per 50 gallons / 2 wks. Try to use ROX 7. GFO -HC , change every month. 8. Purigen, every month 9. Soak frozen food in RO/DI and discard water before use. This is especially true for brine shrimp. Matter of fact I use to pour off the water, and then fill it back up, to repeat it until there was only whole brine shrimp in the container. 10. Read what is in the food and look for things low in phosphates. 11. Keep the pH in the very low 8's or very high 7's, as Cyano will out compete other algae's in higher pH water. 12. The # 1 limiting nutrient for Cyano is N, not P based on studies in various microbiology texts. 13. During these water changes and blowing stuff off and siphoning it up run a Diatom filter with a second cake of PAC (Powdered activated carbon)." 14. Increase water flow where Cyano are growing, as they do not like high currents. 15. Shutting of all lights, almost total darkness for 48 hr. every few days. Last resort is Chemi-Clean by Boyd. 99.9 % of the time if nothing eats it and it looks like yours it is Cyano. |
How many people ran there skimmer from the start after adding the algae fix. I would like to run it but will it take away any of it's power
Thanks Rich |
I ran my skimmer, carbon and gfo full time during my use of algaefix marine
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AlgaeFix will brake down within 24 hrs once introduced into your system. Running your skimmer will help remove organic matter including the dead algae which is important.
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I have a question, if this brakes down in 24hrs then why does it say dose again in 3 days? I can understand a certain time to allow die off but 3 days would allow recovery and maybe that's why so many people need 6 dose before it really works? Would would happen if you dosed , say every 2 days? Better effect or worse? |
One hobbyist tried just what you are asking. He was dosing AF every other day. Resulted in problems. You can find this buried somewhere within this thread. I would not recommend trying this, with the exception of when there are no fish, coral or invertebrates present in your system. The exact reason for this, I do not know. One possibility would be not to interfere with the symbiotic relationship within your coral. The dinos and other symbiotic organisms within the coral tissues are protected to a degree from AlgaeFix, how much, I am not sure. Doing this may cross that line. Concerns about invertebrates is another factor. ;)
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So after reading the thread I decided to buy and dose AF. I must say after the 2nd dose I saw some major improvement. I started doing water changes and plucking as much as I could out and tomorrow will be my forth dose. What I have noticed is that while the areas that had hair algae growing are dying off new areas are springing up in areas that I never had hair algae before. So my question is has anybody else experienced this and if so how did you deal with? It is it related to the pieces that are dying off and unattaching being blown over to another area and starting to grow back?
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badewilly,
Most hobbyists report decline in algae after about the 3rd or 4th dose. It is still to early yet to make any statements. My best guess, would be that this algae was already there and is just now starting to grow enough to be seen. I recommend removing as much of your algae pest as possible using whatever means at your disposal (siponing, had picking......), before you dose the algae fix on the third day. The less algae present, the quicker the control. |
well, I finished the whole 8oz bottle last week, nothing happend :( my tank is 75gl, maybe I am running a skimmer rated 10 times my tank??:mad2:
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Can you post a focused close-up pic?
Perhaps your pest is not an algae or it is one of the algae that AF is not effective on. :( |
i had hair algea and on about my 3rd dose, it just started falling off the rocks, this works pretty good , i have a mixed reef and actually ran my skimmer the whole time, it didnt make it go crazy.
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yeah, I did not turn off my skimmer at all when under treatment :(
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My guess would be Derbesia. This is a siphoning algae which can be difficult to control.
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There are many species of Derbesia. This is an example of but one:
http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/FPAS/bcs...ia-marinea.jpg Take a look at this search result: http://images.google.com/images?gbv=...art=18&ndsp=18 Also, you will find cyanobacteria commonly living in close harmony with Derbesia, which helps feed it when living closely together. This makes it even harder to control. |
HR, thanks for posting up my picture. I do not run a refugium and do not have a sump, all my my filtration is through LR and skimmer, maybe I should try running carbon through a canister see if it helps.
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Have you tried elevating your magnesium levels to around 1500? Many hobbyists have had success with this when controlling Bryopsis. Derbesia is closely related to Bryopsis.
AlgaeFix does not seem to work well on Bryopsis, Derbesia or any of the siphoning algae. |
Instead of posting a new post about my experience with Algaefix I thought I would just add it here. Seems to be the place. I'm about one month into the experiment and have had decent results. I have been fighting off Caulerpa nummularia in my tank for over a year. It has never been a huge problem but I was getting tired of fighting it. like most tanks I have a very small amount of green hair algae and a little bit of bubble algae. so anyways I followed the instructions to a T. I have skimmed and used carbon and some phosphate removing media the hole time. And have also kept up on my water changes. The few bubble algae I have had seem to be getting smaller, and the hair algae is all gone. I can't tell you the last time I cleaned the glass. But as for the Caulerpa nummularia it has not done a thing. The algaefix does not seem to hurt it at all. I think I am done dosing and will go back to the old way of fighting it off with tweezers:) That is my experience with algaefix. On a side note with the die off from the algae that was there it seemed to put more nutrients into the water, and definitely had a positive effect on my coral colors. All my sps colored up and the polyp extension seems noticeably more. I guess it taught me that I had low nutrients in the tank before this. Or at least thats what I'm contributing it to. It was deffently a good side effect. Thanks for letting me share.
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Ssamick,
Thanks for posting your results. It's good to hear that the AF helped with the algal problem you had. ;) Caulerpa is another siphoning algae. Very difficult stuff to control. Many hobbyists have good results with finding animals that will consume it. This link may help (Note that there are other links for different species of Caulerpa): Caulerpa prolifera & biological control http://www.seaslug.info/display.cfm?id=9418 This article may help with controlling your bubble algae: Bubble Algae: Selected Description, controls and Comments http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-0...ture/index.php |
I have not tried elevate Mag. level, read it a long time ago, well, will give it a try!!!
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Here we go...
No sump and just a standard 75 gallon. I dosed 5 ml about 15 minutes ago and we'll see what happens. Being Friday I will do a 15 gallon WC on Sunday as I usually do every other week. I'll pull what I can and see what happens with the rest as I go along.
These pictures were taken as soon as I turned the daylights on... Sorry for the quality, I don't have a good camera for this. http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i1...6/DSC06977.jpg Closer on the left. http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i1...6/DSC06978.jpg Closer on the right. http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i1...6/DSC06979.jpg Shelf that I want to have some good stuff on eventually. http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i1...6/DSC06981.jpg |
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64Texan,
Interesting pests you have there. I am not sure exactly what you have. I see a purple color mixed in. The purple pest looks like a cyano. AF will not have much effect on it. If the AF gets rid of your green colored pest then you will probably still have the cyano remaining. Keep us posted on your results. ;) |
LOL! Only me I suppose ; )
Actually I think the purple is because of the lighting and the camera. The tank shot is pretty indicative of the overall look of the tank. Monday I will take a better pic with a different camera. |
I am sorry, but I have tried reading all of this thread, and I WILL finish reading it, but I need an answer to a question... sorry if it is somewhere in this book...
I decided to begin dosing Algaefix after fighting some small patches of HA for some time... my tank is 180 gallon, with a 100 gallon stock tank sump.. I figure my total water to be around 200 gallons... I dosed as instructed, every 3 days, I got as far as 10 doses...I saw SOME results, before stopping, the HA receded a small bit, but not totally erradicated... but even more troubling, I saw some negative results on some of my corals. It is mostly on my blue or purple SPS...instead of being very brilliant in color as they have been FOREVER.. they began looking dull, not brown, but as if someone has sprinkled powder over them and dulled their color...I even ended up losing my prized very blue, green polyp valida...:( VERY sad about this Has anyone else experienced this using algafix? I guess what I really want to know is what NEGATIVE effects has everyone experienced using algaefix??? Also, why did I not have a total erradication of this HA??? I have stopped dosing now because I am not seeing enough positive results and do not want to chance losing any other corals... I can only attribute this color change and the loss of the one coral to this algaefix, as nothing else has changed in my tank... my parameters are as follows... temp 79-80 SG 1.025 PH 8.2 ALK 9 dKh Cal 500 Nitrates...0 Mag... 1060... getting this higher with tech M I use home made 2-part..dosing 40 ML about twice a week... So, can anyone give me some insight to these issues with color of my blue/purple sps and how can I get their vivid color back... and why I may have lost the one and also why it did not totslly get rid of my HA?? I would like to know what negative effects people have seen using this also. sorry to write so much...:) |
reefmamma:
We too, lost an acropora valida and a beautiful pink birdsnest after my first dose of algaefix-completely bleached white. I was really dumb and dosed before going out of town for 2-1/2 days so I can't say FOR CERTAIN nothing else happened while gone, but I believe the algaefix was to blame. I think our loss was due to overestimating the water volume of our system. I used about 1/3 less algaefix on subsequent doses and have virtually no HA in the system now. I only dosed about 3 times over 2-3 weeks and have dosed a couple more times over the past 4-6 weeks. The only other problem I am noticing is a sarcophyton that is very pale. I don't like using it and it really took a lot of nerve after that first dose but it absolutely did the trick on the HA. I think if I use it again I will use even less. keatons momma :) |
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