Yep, he's got probably another 4-5 day's worth of work to do.

i also like the sea hair for maintenance of the tank along with a tang and that combination seem to help once you get it under control .

I hear many hobbyists have luck with seahares. One caution is when the seahare runs out of algae to eat. Many will starve at that point & die, unless you subsidize their diet. Some hobbyists trade their seahare back to the lfs after the algae is gone. :)

Will be adding my 3rd dose tomorrow. I'm not sure if it's working, but I see some HA floating in the water that I never saw before. Doing a water change tomorrow before the 3rd dose to see if anything comes loose.

newsalt,

Hopefully AF works for you. I would remove as much algae as you can now. If you allow the algae to die & brakedown this will allow more nutrients back into your water column which continues to provide more food source for the algae. ;)

EDIT: One needs to keep in mind that decaying algae can also increase ammonia levels in your system (This is my understanding). Also the decaying algae can lead to lack of oxygen in your water and cause fish kills if too much decaying algae is present.

I dose Seachem Flourish Excel in a freshwater tank and it kills hair algae very well. It is also a source of organic carbon for plants. The chemistry is polycycloglutaracetal.

Has this ever been dosed in saltwater? Would it kill marine hair algae and could it be used as an alternative to other carbon dosing additives?

I would defer to Randy regarding this product. The only information I could find was from this freshwater planted aquarium site (I don't know how accurate this post was):

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/ge...xcel-fish.html

From it:

"That's an understatement. Gluteraldehyde is a strong BIOCIDE, related to formaldehyde. At sufficient concentration, it kills darn near anything, which makes it useful for sterilizing medical instruments, labware that has been exposed to infectious agents, etc. I know someone who uses it at their job. They affectionately refer to it as "Ethyl Methyl Death".

At lower concentrations, it's still not pleasant stuff. Gluteraldehyde crosslinks proteins, is a mutagen and carcinogen, is known to cause allergic chemical sensitization, and exposure is a known occupational hazard:

"The 1999 Code of Practice for Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Chemical Agents) Regulations, 1994, reduces the occupational exposure limit for glutaraldehyde from 0.2ppm to 0.1ppm."

Dosing 1ml gluteraldehyde per 100g water exceeds this limit by a factor of 26.

From the MSDS:

---
Acute Effects:
May be fatal if inhaled.
Toxic if swallowed.
Harmful if absorbed through skin.
Causes severe eye irratation.
Causes skin irritation.
Material may be irritating to mucous membranes and upper respiratory tract.
May cause allergic skin reaction.

Chronic Effects:
Laboratory experiments have shown mutagenic effects.
Target organs: central nervous system, heart.
---

If Flourish Excel really contains this, I will never use it. "

FWIW, if the above post is true, it would be banned as a pesticide by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). :lol:

GLUTARALDEHYDE
CASRN: 111-30-8


See Occupational Exposure Standards
Human Health Effects:
http://www.gasdetection.com/TECH/glutaraldehyde.html

Apparently EPA is still allowing the use of GLUTARALDEHYDE as a pesticide (as of 2007), but further documentation will needed to be provided by the manufacturer to allow reregistration. We will see how that goes. ;)

Reregistration Eligibility Decision
for GLUTARALDEHYDE
http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/glutaraldehyde-red.pdf

From my reading as of this date most registrants containing Glutaraldehyde have been banned by EPA. Glutaraldehyde was banned completely in Great Britain several years ago.

whats another way to combat the hair algae? should i go back to carbon dosing daily? the algae seems like its a healthy green now

One other possibility that comes to mind would be to try elevating your magnesium level 300-400 ppm using Tech M. Some hobbyists have reported success with various species of algae using this method.

i have been dosing this product for a month and a half now. no ill happenins' and no algea. good sh*t.

Nadzchris,

Glad to hear AF worked for you. ;)

How long did you dose AF at the every three day interval rate?

Are you dosing once per week now?

How many doses did it take to get good control of your algae?

is this product toxic?

Everything is toxic at some level. Are you asking how toxic it is to humans or how toxic it is to tank inhabitants?

For a discussion regarding the AlgaeFix toxicity for reef inhabitants see the thread below.

Chemical Control of Algae?
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1596521

For the toxicity of AlgaeFix to humans see this MSDS sheet:

http://cms.marsfishcare.com/files/ms...aefix_2456.pdf

how much should I dose of algeafix freshwater for my 90g softy/shroom/reef tank. It has a 15g sump and roughly 60lbs LR. Will this product harm shrimp?snails?urchin? I noticed on its label it warns against use with crustaceans.

One method I know of to help determine the accuracy of your tank water volume is to use the reef chemical calculator, estimate the amount of water volume and then increase your alk by about 2 dKH using baking soda. After you do this you can check your results after re-testing to make adjustments in your total water volume. You will have to be patient with this technique as it may take some time to do this safely.

Reef chemicals calculator
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

Regarding the Algaefix for freshwater vs for saltwater, we have been told by a rep. who works for the same company that they are identical. The difference is the labeling on the container. You will need to use the freshwater version per the label for AlgaeFix Marine.

This is the label for AlgaeFix Marine:

I typed the information from the label as best as I can. I am not responsible if I did not type it correctly.

"Benefits: AlgaeFix marine effectively controls these types of saltwater algae: Green algae (Cladaphora), "Red Loine" (Oscillatoria/Spirulina major), "Brown algae" (Cyclotela) in marine aquarium containing live corals, invertebrates and fish. When used in salt water will not harm snails, clams,scallops, shrimp, anemones, sea cucumbers, feather dusters, coralline algae, soft corals, hard corals and other invertebrates. Does not discolor the water or cause foaming.

Directions for use: It is a violation of federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling. Add 1 ml (1/5 tsp. for each 10 US gallons (38 L) or 5 ml (1 tsp.) for each 50 US gallons (190 L) or 50 ml. (10 tsp.) for each 500 US gallons (1,890 L) of aquarium water. Repeat dose every 3 days until algae is controlled. Siphon or scrape any dead algae from aquarium. Once algae growth is under control, add one dose per week. Weekly doses of AlgaeFix Marine will control Algae growth and reduce aquarium maintenance.

Precautionary Statement
Hazards to humans & domestic animals.

Caution: Harmful if swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Avoid contact with skin, eyes or clothing. Wash thoroughly with soap and water after handling. Note: This product contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer.

First Aid: If on skin, thoroughly wash with soap and water and remove contaminated clothing. If in eyes, hold eye open and gently flush with water for 15 minutes. If Swallowed, call a Poison Control Center or doctor immediately for treatment advice.

Storage and Disposal: Do not contaminate water or feed. Do not reuse empty bottle. Rinse throughly before discarding in trash."

FWIW, I am not going to personally state that the marine version and frewater version are identical. I am just passing on information. :lol:

has anyone had issue with shrimp dying from dosing this product? Im just worried about 120 bucks of ornamental shrimp dying.

There have been a couple of hobbyists who have reported loss of shrimp, which they could not directly attribute to AF, but were highly suspicious for lack of other possibilities. ;)