This thread is one of the reasons RC is such a great place. I've been battling a GHA problem for a while now. Tried a number of more conservative approaches (GFO, carbon, biopellets and grazing crews). All did decent jobs for a while, but the damn stuff kept coming back.

Tank is a 300g mixed reef. I heard about AF from a friend and decided to research it a bit. This thread has been an amazing collection of information... Thank you to all who have posted!

Started my AF regiment this evening. Will take pix for the next couple of weeks and will post.

It's always nice to know what your algae pest looks like, so pictures are great. ;)

It's also nice to know what type of coral you have & other invertebrates.

Thanks for sharing. :)

Ill get photos tomorrow for you guys. we are 3 doses into it and already the stuff blows off with the turkey baster so easily. tank is about 3/4 rid of it and it was COVERED!!!! I am very very pleased. I have only 10 sps frags, 3 lps frags and some Zoanthids. all look quite well. I did have some burnt tips on teh SPS due to another issue but that has been corrected and the tank is truly taking off.

I had a good ammt of phosphate introduced into the tank. it should be all stripped out. I am not testing any on the salifert kit I have. maybe the Biopellets I am using are keeping up with its release from the dying algae.

Should my skimmer be turned off after dosing? Also, is the dosage any different for Algaefix rather than Algaefix Marine? I have a really bad case of hair algae, so do I dose every two days or dose more?

I dont think you should use AlgaeFix in your tank. You have to use Marine. I dont remember exactly why but I think its detrimental to inverts

I wonder if anyone can figure out why this product works for some and not for others? I almost used the whole bottle with no results at all, all along have close to no phosphates in my tank

According to one of our RC members that works for AP, the same manufacturer as AlgaeFix, both the marine version and the freshwater version are the same. The label is different for the Marine version in that it has been approved by EPA as an algaecide in reef tanks.

I would continue using your skimmer to help remove dead and/or dieing algae and other organic matter which is important. The label makes no mention that stopping skimming is necessary to control the algae. Skimming also helps to increase oxygen levels in your tank water which can be decreased during the process.

AlgaeFix attacks the cell membranes of algae by creating holes in them. This allows the cytoplasm to ooze out and the AF to enter and attack other areas inside the cell. This causes the algae cell to die.

There are different algae species that are constructed cellularly different. One group of algae are called the siphoning algae. They are different than normal algae in that they have very large cells that branch and can comprise large portions of the total vegetative organism. The siphoning algae are able to quickly close brakes and holes in the exterior cell membrane when broken off or AF attacks it. Using AF on the siphoning algae does not work well. Siphoning algae include Derbesia & Bryopsis as examples.

i do not know if it's the same, but i would NOT use it in freshwater at all. seriously depletes oxygen, and volume in pondsis notoriously difficult to get right. plus do not exceed the dosage of every 3 days in the tank, nigirl. just keep at it and use the recommended amount and frequency, i have used it successfully on both green and red h/a. it took 7 doese on green and 9 on red.

You should not deviate from the labeled directions and increase the frequency or the concentration of the dose. At higher concentrations the active ingredient in AF will kill your coral and possibly other tank occupants. At higher concentrations, the active ingredient of AF is labeled as a sterilant.

When using AF, it is important to remove as much of the algae as possible before each dose as per the labeled directions. If you allow the algae to remain in large enough quantities and AF kills it, it will brake down through microbial actions. It is the brake down process that robs oxygen from the water column & also releases large amounts of unwanted nutrients and possibly toxic defense chemicals the algae uses to survive in the environments.

There is no difference between AlgaeFix and AlgaeFix Marine......

"Bob you can use the pondcare algaefix in your marine aquarium as they are at the same concentrations. However due to different directions we usually prefer if you use the designated product for its particular application.

If you have any other questions or wish to discuss this further, please email back or give us a call at 1-800-847-0659.

Best Regards,

Nathan Fekula
Technical Service and Research
Mars Fishcare "


I have been using the Pond AlgaeFix in my 300g FO tank for months...no problems and no algae!

Nathan,

Thanks for the confirmation.

We appreciate any input about your product you care to share here in this thread. ;)

Do you think its possible I got a bad batch or old batch of this product and thats why its not working for me? It doesnt have an expiration date, but it has a LOT # 87F0909

Will call the vendor Monday as they are closed today

I would be interested in what the manufacturer states regarding an expiration date on for AF. It would seem to me it should hold up for quite some time as long as it is not diluted.

Yeah I would assume so. I am guessing the LOT number is just when it was manufactured which in my case would be September 09. I used it in Dec 10, so I dont think it would have lost its potency by then but I dont know. I just keep reading success storied with this product and for me it did nothing. Along with GFO and tiny feedings and non-detectable PO4.

*ready to break down soon and start over again*

Unfortunately, AF does not work on all species of algae. Sorry it did not help out with yours. :(

jim, is it possible that you have calculated the total volume to water incorrectly? i have used it 3 times in 2.5 years on both gha and red ha. maximum dose was 9 times.

Well I have a 92g corner tank and I was dosing 10ml. I added the sump after I finished dosing the product so I was definitely over dosing it a bit. I probably right now have 100g with the sump in place.

Cliff, I used this product a year ago with great results. Now I have a bright green film type algae on some of my rocks that I can blow off with a baster, but after four doses it doesn't appear to phase it. I know it doesn't work on everything, but, any thoughts?

I would continue dosing AF. It seems for most it takes at least 5 or 6 doses to see results. ;)

Has anyone seen adverse effects on coral from dosing this stuff? I was on my third or fourth dose and all of a sudden a lobo was all small and SPS didn't have nearly the polyp extension they did before. Could it be that I calculated too high of a total water volume and was adding too much? Corals still don't look great.

We haven't had many reports of negative result on coral. Overdosing is possible.

Do you have a lot of algae currently in your tank?

Are you running your skimmer?

Are you running GAC?

If you do have a lot of algae currently in your tank, then the AF will kill it releasing a lot of dissolved and suspended organics some of which can be toxic to other organisms. The sudden break down of these organics can rob oxygen from the water column and cause stress for fish. Also increased dissolved organics can cause problems for coral.

I would stop dosing AF and allow your tank to clear of these organics. I would also remove most of the algae to prevent the above from occurring, should you have a lot of algae in the tank. Then once the tank has cleared resume dosing AF strictly following the label. ;)

Running GAC will help to reduce the sudden DOC build-up released by AF killing the algae along with good skimming. If there is a lot of algae debris noticable in the water column, running a filter bag will help collect it faster before it breaks down.

I called them today and my product from 09 isn't expired, he said it should last until 2012. He didn't have any reason as to why it didn't help me.

It's good to know the puty about a 3 year expiration date on AF. ;)

You may have one of the siphoning algae like Derbesia which AF does not work on. Derbesia looks very similar to the regular hair algae that AF will kill.