YHSublime February 20, 2013 Share February 20, 2013 So I'm getting some rock tonight. Great stuff and price is right. Catch: It has hair algae. I'm using it to cycle my tank. What's the best way to get rid of it? I've already started putting old water from my 14 gallon in to start a little cycle, and the crushed coral was from an established tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin February 20, 2013 Share February 20, 2013 pull out as much as you can with your hands or tweezers. it should die down after the cycle.if it dont, cover the tank with a blanket or towel so no light gets into the tank , do water changes and run gfo. i would just do nothing until after the cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella February 20, 2013 Share February 20, 2013 Does the tank have livestock in it.? If not then no need for lights. Also becareful of any other pests that might be on the rock and canr be seen bc of the HA. You can also scrub the rock really good and rinse it in Ro water. Remember that nutrients are stored in the algae,,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan February 20, 2013 Share February 20, 2013 Kent Marine Tech M at 1400ppm's or slightly higher along with GFO. Do this in a seperate tank with no live stock. Then once all the algae is gone do a massive water change. Buying rock with hair algae for someone starting out is very challenging. It's challenging for someone whos been at this a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackers February 20, 2013 Share February 20, 2013 I prefer to start my tank with dry rock, like from Bulkreefsupply. I had a bad bubble algae outbreak and got too many hitch-hikers buying live rock. The live stuff will speed up your cycle though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime February 21, 2013 Author Share February 21, 2013 Yeah, in hindsight, it's going to be a lot of work. but I got some great rock for a great price. The guy was very nice, but... interesting. I don't know if he's on the forum or not He told me that he had his tank running for 8 years, and he never did water changes, just added RO. Swore it was the only way to run a tank. Also, no sump, just a protein skimmer and some pumps. I suppose that's the way nature does it, but you never can tell... I'll stick to my water changes in such a small environment... especially if I'm controlling it. It's got hair and a LOT of bubble algae all over the main display pieces, but other than that, there are some great pieces from underneath that are clear, big as well, and I can't beat that. I don't have a doser, can I run GFO in a nylon in my sump? I got a scrubbing brush, and I'm getting ready to keep it in my first ever batch of home made saltwater. I bought instant ocean reef crystals, and I'm currently using two power heads in a rubber tub to stir all the salt up. Should I put the rock in my tank? I just have live sand in there, and nothing running yet... or should I scrub, and store separate in a tub with a lid on it and power heads? I'm talking to a forum member about picking up her algae blennie, thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin February 21, 2013 Share February 21, 2013 might want to add the blenny after the cycle. not sure about the bubble algae. maybe cleaning and cooking the rock would be a better option now that you are aware of his aquarium practices. after you kill everything on the rocks, use a rock from your 14 to seed it. if he dont change the water, who knows what else he does or doesnt do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Weaver February 21, 2013 Share February 21, 2013 (edited) Algae (AKA Lawnmower) Blennies only eat film algae, not hair algae. I would scrub the rock, bleach it, rinse the heck out of it, and then put it into the tank with no lighting for a month and see what happens (or in a dark tub.) You can also search for peroxide soaking on reefcentral. Interesting reading there. I don't think you want to mess with hair and bubble algae, it's a nightmare that will take you at least $100 in GFO to kill because the rock is probably loaded with phosphates, and that's if you ever get it all. Edited February 21, 2013 by Marc Weaver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quantum Aquaria February 21, 2013 Share February 21, 2013 (edited) go to CVS, got a few bottles of hydrogen peroxide. Mix a 5-1 solution (5 times tank water to 1 ratio of hydrogen peroxide). get a soft toothbrush (at the dollar store or somewhere cheap). put the rocks in the bucket for about 5-10 minutes and scrub lightly with the toothbrush. Have another bucket of tank water ready and rinse the rock around by swooshing it around and put it back in tank. You'll see bubbles where the algae is and within a day, it will turn white.. .within a few days, all the algae will be gone... ... it works like magic. Edited February 21, 2013 by tekken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime February 21, 2013 Author Share February 21, 2013 go to CVS, got a few bottles of hydrogen peroxide. Mix a 5-1 solution (5 times tank water to 1 ratio of hydrogen peroxide). get a soft toothbrush (at the dollar store or somewhere cheap). put the rocks in the bucket for about 5-10 minutes and scrub lightly with the toothbrush. Have another bucket of tank water ready and rinse the rock around by swooshing it around and put it back in tank. You'll see bubbles where the algae is and within a day, it will turn white.. .within a few days, all the algae will be gone... ... it works like magic. Even for the bubble algae? I hope so, I was starting to worry if I was going to/should use the rock... since I'm cycling a tank, I have no problem waiting, or letting it run a course, I just don't want to start off with a horrible foundation and have to scrap the whole thing or end up having problems down the road because of. There are some nice pieces though! I've been scrubbing for about 2 hours, this is how much I have left This is my "new pile" that I plan on mixing with Hydrogen Peroxide tomorrow... And this is the piece I just finished gently brushing for about 15 minutes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quantum Aquaria February 21, 2013 Share February 21, 2013 just scrub what you can of the bubble algae... let the bubbles burst in the hydrogen peroxide and the peroxide will take care of the rest... make sure to swoosh and rinse in clean salt water or tank water... put back in tank... swing by sometime this week... got some emerald crabs that will take care of the rest of the bubble algae you don't scrub off... just make sure to catch them before you put fish in since they is da devil... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin February 21, 2013 Share February 21, 2013 good plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime February 21, 2013 Author Share February 21, 2013 just scrub what you can of the bubble algae... let the bubbles burst in the hydrogen peroxide and the peroxide will take care of the rest... make sure to swoosh and rinse in clean salt water or tank water... put back in tank... swing by sometime this week... got some emerald crabs that will take care of the rest of the bubble algae you don't scrub off... just make sure to catch them before you put fish in since they is da devil... Awesome. I did a pretty solid scrub right now. I bought a tile and grout brush and just scrubbed everything for about 3 hours. I have never made my own water before, so that was a treat, 5 gallon bucket had to do a quick run through petsmart at 8:50 tonight. I have yet to test it, but I have been doing 2.5 cups per 5 gallons (.5 per gallon), so I figure the powerheads will stir it all up, waited about half an hour to put the rock in, kept the powerheads in as well. My only concern is that there is bubble algae in some really tiny cracks and crevices, maybe I'll soak it just a little longer, 15-20 minutes? I'll definitely swing by and pick up some crabs. I'll make sure to count how many I put it so I can account for them when I remove good plan. amen, QR to the rescue, what else is new But seriously, thanks everybody for your help, there's 100 ways to skin a cat, and together, WAMAS members know all 100 of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime February 21, 2013 Author Share February 21, 2013 Kent Marine Tech M at 1400ppm's or slightly higher along with GFO. Do this in a seperate tank with no live stock. Then once all the algae is gone do a massive water change. Buying rock with hair algae for someone starting out is very challenging. It's challenging for someone whos been at this a while. I just want to make sure the challenge is BEFORE I start my tank, not after! Algae (AKA Lawnmower) Blennies only eat film algae, not hair algae. I would scrub the rock, bleach it, rinse the heck out of it, and then put it into the tank with no lighting for a month and see what happens (or in a dark tub.) You can also search for peroxide soaking on reefcentral. Interesting reading there. I don't think you want to mess with hair and bubble algae, it's a nightmare that will take you at least $100 in GFO to kill because the rock is probably loaded with phosphates, and that's if you ever get it all. That's what scares me, is all the nooks and crannies... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quantum Aquaria February 21, 2013 Share February 21, 2013 go forth and conquer... you'll be fine. don't worry too much about the nooks and crannies... like i said, increase the ratio of the peroxide and you'll see everything bubble, including those located in the nooks... get a toothbrush if you're worried since you can get in between the small spaces a lot better... that brush you have is a bit big... see how everything goes in a few days... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubbleHead February 21, 2013 Share February 21, 2013 I had a problem with bubble algae recently and some hair algae, mainly due to not paying attention to the tank while working on setting up a new larger tank. I bought a couple Green Emerald crabs to take care of the bubble algae (an sps frag that I placed next to a group of bubble algae actually killed most of it) The emeralds cleaned out the bubble algae in a few days and today I saw one eating the hair algae. When I get the new tank set up, this rock that had the hair algae will go in the dark for awhile. Scrubbing the rock (as you have done) and then cycling in the dark what I would try first. But the way things are done has changed a lot since I got back into the hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 21, 2013 Share February 21, 2013 Scrubbing the rock (as you have done) and then cycling in the dark what I would try first. But the way things are done has changed a lot since I got back into the hobby. The way things are done by paranoid reefers has changed since you got back into the hobby. There's so much disinformation about live rock out there and how to cure it or cook it, boil, bleach, or dip in hydrogen peroxide. No one reads books anymore- they just bounce off of other peoples' experiences and take them as fact. If it were me, I'd have just taken a good stiff bristle brush and a toothbrush and scrubbed as much stuff off as possible, rinsed it well in water, then throw it right into the tank and use it. There's just not enough factual evidence that supports using hydrogen peroxide to rid the rock of things other than all the life that it once had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella February 21, 2013 Share February 21, 2013 Hair algae I can understand dealing with, but not bubble algae.. Not worth the risk especially on a new tank. IMO its not worth the risk . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella February 21, 2013 Share February 21, 2013 Also... If your gonna boil, bleach and burn it at the stake, then whats the point of buying live rock.? It wont be live for long, well the pests may live but not the beneficial bacteria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime February 21, 2013 Author Share February 21, 2013 The way things are done by paranoid reefers has changed since you got back into the hobby. There's so much disinformation about live rock out there and how to cure it or cook it, boil, bleach, or dip in hydrogen peroxide. No one reads books anymore- they just bounce off of other peoples' experiences and take them as fact. If it were me, I'd have just taken a good stiff bristle brush and a toothbrush and scrubbed as much stuff off as possible, rinsed it well in water, then throw it right into the tank and use it. There's just not enough factual evidence that supports using hydrogen peroxide to rid the rock of things other than all the life that it once had. All I've done thus far is scrub it using RO water. It looks considerably better, but there is still bubble algae in the crevices. Rob, can you recommend some books on the subject of reef keeping? Anything updated that I might be able to find at Central Library? Hair algae I can understand dealing with, but not bubble algae.. Not worth the risk especially on a new tank. IMO its not worth the risk . I honestly don't know what the difference between hair and bubble algae is (at least in how it's formed, not how it looks, obviously.) Also... If your gonna boil, bleach and burn it at the stake, then whats the point of buying live rock.? It wont be live for long, well the pests may live but not the beneficial bacteria. I agree 100% again, I got a great deal on some, IMO, nice looking pieces, I wasn't expecting them to be perfect. I might take a picture tonight to share with how much better it looks after I scrubbed rinsed, and soaked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella February 21, 2013 Share February 21, 2013 Bubble Algae... http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/hcj/feature/index.php Hair Algae... http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-07/nftt/index.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin February 21, 2013 Share February 21, 2013 bacteria you can get from your 14 to seed them. bubble algae is pretty hard to get rid of. worth killing everything in my opinion since it looks like it was infested with them and usually come back without chemicals. get some tiny stars, feather dusters etc from fellow reefers to get the critters in the rocks and you should be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime February 21, 2013 Author Share February 21, 2013 Bubble Algae... http://reefkeeping.c...ature/index.php Hair Algae... http://reefkeeping.c.../nftt/index.php Great reads, thanks for that! I feel like after scrubbing the rock, I can use it to cycle my tank, and just use heavy skimming, putting some emerald crabs in there, let them work, toss them in my sump and presto! I don't need to run lights... I don't need to cycle my tank quickly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mling February 22, 2013 Share February 22, 2013 A Sea Hare took care of my hair algae problem. BRK often gets them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 22, 2013 Share February 22, 2013 If you get more than one Emerald Crab, make sure there's only one male and multiple females. I've eradicated Bubble Algae (Valonia) with 6 Emeralds in a heavily infested 40g. I also did my best at removing as much by hand as possible during every water change. Almost all nuisance things can be eliminated naturally if done in the correct ratio. I NEVER use chemicals for removal of nuisance things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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