Do blackouts really help with algae?

Let us know how it turns out

 

hey! Thanks for the concern! i'm right in the middle of day 3 following Inwall75's instuctions,i've done 3 water changes since i begun and will be doing another later today,the tank stinks(like dying algae),i have the glass covered with plastic,so i can't see much and don't want light leaking in,but when i lift the hood for a wc,i been manually removing what i can see and scrubing with my wifes toothbrush (;Dj/k,the tank has it's own)still treating with algaefix per instructions.Tomorrow is the last day of the blackout,and i'm just sweating that my corals will all be ok,they're all closed pretty tight.

 

Oh grinder you got is all wrong. You only use the wifes tooth brush when you have strep throat, get with the program already.

 

Your corals are fine....just trust me. When a Tropical Depression evolves into a Tropical Storm and then evolves into a Hurricane, corals in the wild barely get any light for a long time.

Photosynthesis is not their only source of feeding.

 

I told you we both just got over the flu(but she's still sick for some reason ;D ?)

Oh,I trust you and I know they will be fine,but you all know how it is,they're like your own little kids in there and you can't help but to worry about them.

 

From the sound of things it seems the algea is just down right taking over you tank. Know I'm a ferm beloved in not putting any thing in my tank that I can't measure or somewhat control. So I my self wouldn't recomend any chemicals at. Algea is like anything alse that you place in you tank that you would love to look at. The only thing is most algea is ugly and we font want to see or have it. So with that in mind. Think about this. So what I'm saying is you placed the algea in your tank and know you don't want it in it. How did I stick algea I'm my tank you ask. Simple it was already on your live rock before you bought it and then you stuck it in your tank. And everything that was on the live rock before it was in your tank is know in your tank. But know your saying well I didn't see it on the rocks when I first got the rock (well I hope you didn't). The reason why is also simple and most people have kinda told you already. In order for stuff to live it has to have light and food. I'm sure you new that though. To me it is almost imposable to remove all light or food from you tank without killing everything in it. So don't deprive your entire tank. Just deprive the live rock of life. You posted you have around 50 lbs of live rock. Yes!

So the steps to kill all the algea on you rocks. Items you need for this are simple and cheep. You need a new 5g bucket with a lid, a small power head and a new wire (steel) brush.
The remove the worst or most algea covered peaces of live rock. Try to remove around 1/2 the live rock from your tank. Don't remove it all or you will majorly deplet your filtering (the live rock). So only remove 1/2. Once you have that half our scrub the crap out of it with the brush and try to remove as much algea as you can. Then was the rock off with some water (r/o) then scrub the rock some more to get the spots you missed. Then wash the rock again and place it in the new clean 5g bucket. Then place the small power head in the bucket. It doent have to be a large power head. Somthing
Like the Koralia 250 works great. Then add some good salt water and turn on your powerhead and then place the lid on the 5g bucket. You are going to leave everything inside the bucket with the lid on for 2 weeks. DONT STOP READING

As for the rest of the rock that is still in you tank. Take out a peace at a time and scrub very very good and wash with salt water very very good. And place it back into you tank. Do this to all 50 pounds that is still in the display tank. Try your best to also clean the rock that you have corals on as well. If the corals are attached to the rock scrub around as best you can. Try not to rub the wire brush over the coral for obvious reasons. The coral will be fine out of the water for several min. So don't freak.

Know remimber you just removed 50 the LR from you display tank. So you need to keep the algea in it in check. So once the 2 weeks have past do a
25% water change in your tank and do a 100% water change in the 5g bucket. I would also wash off all of the live rock in the bucket as welland then change out the water. Once hat is done place the lid back on the 5g bucket and keep it that way (with the power head in the bucket) for a month and a half. At this point. At that point everything that was once on the live rock is no longer alive and any type of seeds or roots will be dead as well. Wash the rock off with some good r/o water and I mean really good ad place it back into you tank a little each day. Don't add it to fast just incase you mist some of the dead stuff in the washing part.

Know you might be wondering what about all the algea on the rock that I keep in the tank. Guess what your know going to take it out BUT ONLY 25% of it not all of it and repead the above.
Know when you place the 50 lbs of rock that was in the 5g bucket for 2 mounths. Be sure to place it back into your tank so that it doesn't touch any of the other LR that was left in your tank at the start of this process. Simply because the algea that is on that LR could and most Likely will spread onto you nice clean and algea free rock.

Know you should still have that 25% of you rock inside the 5g bucket. Once that 25% is done with it process. Cream well just like you did the 50% of rock and place it back into you tank. But before you do remove that last 25% from your display tank and scrub, clean well and into the 5g bucket for 2 mounths like other two batches. Once it's done.......

I must advise you to not cut corners or time from this process if you want the best results.

What you will have done in this process is taken control of what is inside of your system for the most part.

Also it is a very good idea to add a few good creaners to your tank just after you get started (when you removed the first set of rock). When I say cleaners I'm refuring to few crabs and good sea urchin or two.

As you can tell this is a long process but it is easy to do hardest part is scrubbing the rock.

 

Btw know that you have everything I check. Like most people have or will tell you. You need to maintain good water peramitors and a good balanced bio load. Keep up with water changes and I strongly recamend a refugi with creato algea.

If you need any advice in the process I wrote above fill free to pm me and I'll guide you along weather be pm or phone.

 

Thank you for the very helpful advice,and i believe i got a good upper hand on it forthe moment ;D

And thanks to everyone,especially Inwall for his help with this,I am back up on lighting schedual now,and the blackout really helped,not to mention all the scrubbing i did,along with the use of algaefix,there is still a little here and there,but plan on continuing with my wc's and periodic scrubbing.Agreeing that i introduced most of this algae and i also think the age of the tank is and the wal-mart water i was using were playing a big factor.All corals are bouncing back just fine,but now coupled with less feedings and 0tds water,the problem hopefully should be gone soon and for good.