Will a 3 Day Black Out Eliminate Algae in a Reef Tank?

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for Will a 3 Day Black Out Eliminate Algae in a Reef Tank?

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shawnriv9 - 8 years ago

1:54 I'm having the same issues right now! I'll manually scrub them off the rock and they come right back. My nitrates and phosphates are both zero and I am having difficulties finding the reason behind it. And not to mention, my RODI unit is putting out 0.0 TDS.

ReefBum - 8 years ago

It can be very frustrating. The key is to find the source of the problem or else they will come back.

wcdeich4 - 8 years ago

Also, some species form spores, so even if the algae dies, the spores are ready to start growing again. Every species is a little different. Once I was battling bluegreen algae in a freshwater tank & no amount of blackout, water changes, improved filtration, nitrate/nitrite/phosphate/ammonia reduction, nor algacide would kill it. This blue slime killed any fish that ate it & smelled so bad it made people throw up! Finally, the only thing we could do was to break down the tank, clean every hard surface w/ bleach, soak the surviving live plants in hydrogen peroxide & treat the plants w/ antibiotics at 10X the recommended dose for a week & get all new filters & gravel..... that was what it took in that case, but that was an extremely fast growing, toxic, foul smelling, spore forming type of cyanobacteria - most are not that bad, but that one was :(

ReefBum - 8 years ago

Yeah.....there are so many varieties out there. One key is to identify what you have and then come up with a treatment plan to eradicate the little buggers!

Young Tank - 8 years ago

Great video

El mundo De los corales - 8 years ago

Hi, sorry, I saw your video of (Setting Up a Spectrapure RODI Unit) I have the same filter but above it has a key right in the middle of the membranes and I was wondering if that key is sawed or opened THANKS

ReefBum - 8 years ago

Can you post a link to a picture to give me a better idea about what you are referring to?

HNiCDuke - 8 years ago

it will knock out algea but it will comeback when the lights are running again. the root of the problem need to be identified and fixed to get rid of unwanted algea. as for fish and corals, fish can go days without food. It's not necessary to feed fish if the tank is fully covered, I didn't feed mine. HEALTHY corals will be fine as well, in the oceans some corals go days without sun as the season change

ReefBum - 8 years ago

Agree.....good points.

ReefBum - 8 years ago

It can stress out corals that are in a weekend state and it can cause some SPS to fade, although the colors should eventually return. A black out is a great way to knock back a really bad algae problem but it will likely come back unless the source is addressed and eliminated.

Hillary for President - 8 years ago

UV Sterilizer to eliminate algae

ReefBum - 8 years ago

Thanks for bringing that up...UV can be effective for reducing and controlling free floating algae and algae spores but it will not help with the removal of existing algae on the sand and rocks.

Eric Rodriguez - 8 years ago

do you feed your fish during that 3 day period?

ReefBum - 8 years ago

I typically will turn my T5s on for 5 minutes or so each day to feed my fish. Algae is 99% gone when the lights come back on after 3 days.

pauls reef - 8 years ago

Never worked for me.

ReefBum - 8 years ago

The big key is to find the source of the problem and fix....yes, a black out is just a band aid and the algae will return if the issue causing the algae isn't addressed.

10. comment for Will a 3 Day Black Out Eliminate Algae in a Reef Tank?

garrrbo - 8 years ago

Two things; Do you turn on any light to feed the fish and should you try to limit natural light during the 3 days by covering the tank or keeping window shades closed in the room? Thank you for all your great information.

ReefBum - 8 years ago

I have turned my T5s on for 5 mins a day to feed my fish and I have not always covered my tank since it is in a basement with little natural light. If your tank is in a room with a lot of natural light then you should probably close the shades/blinds....if that is not possible then I would cover the tank.

Bob Escher - 8 years ago

Good discussion and great info

Wayne Scott - 8 years ago

Great video. I'm glad you notified that you would have to find the problem to why the hobbyists has the algae and the ways to solve the issue. Keep those informative videos coming.

ReefBum - 8 years ago

Thanks!

MikeTheReefer - 8 years ago

I agree with this, however the hardest part for me is identifying the source. Red Sea pro test show nitrates at 0 ppm and phosphates at 0.04 ppm, testing every week for the past 2 months. These parameters I have been consistent for these 2 months. Still I fight dinoflagellates (mainly on the sand bed). H2o2 as helped but not completely eliminated the dinoflagellates. I have also been changing out rowaphos every 2 weeks. Only feeding once a day and not much, feeding nori every other day. Have changed out all of my RO/DI filters including membranes. T5 bulbs less than 3 months old. Not sure where the problem is.

MikeTheReefer - 8 years ago

Thanks Keith! I will keep working on the phosphates. So far luckily most of the corals have been fine. I only have a couple SPS, rest are LPS and clams which are doing great!

ReefBum - 8 years ago

Dinos are a tough one.....if you can get your phosphates even lower I believe that would help.....but be careful because your corals will show signs of stress if you strip it all out too fast.