Phosphate Remover and Biocubes!

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Hi Guys

I'm struggling with GHA and Briopsis.

I have raised my MG (1500 +) to combat briopsis to a point where I cant even test it as its off the chart.
I have Installed biocubes to lower Nutrients and have chaeto running in the sump.
All other parameters seem to be in check.

My question is can one run Phosphate remover and biocubes in the same system.
and other than raising the MG is there any other way to get rid of Briopsis?

Ill try to load a photo later to show the condition of the tank.
I used dead live rock when I started the system 5 months ago and it seems that
the rock might be leaching phosphates.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hi Guys

I'm struggling with GHA and Briopsis.

I have raised my MG (1500 +) to combat briopsis to a point where I cant even test it as its off the chart.
I have Installed biocubes to lower Nutrients and have chaeto running in the sump.
All other parameters seem to be in check.

My question is can one run Phosphate remover and biocubes in the same system.
and other than raising the MG is there any other way to get rid of Briopsis?

Ill try to load a photo later to show the condition of the tank.
I used dead live rock when I started the system 5 months ago and it seems that
the rock might be leaching phosphates.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

The original Bio-Cubes remove nitrates and phosphates at the same time whilst the Titanium Bio-Cubes remove nitrates only. Which cubes are you using?
 
Yes you can run Bio cubes with phosphate removers, I'm doing it for three tears now. Bio cubes do remove NO3 and PO4 when your red field ratio is correct. I like to add phosphate removers as I like to feed heavy.
 
if you remove enough of the PO4 the bio-cubes will become inefficient, unless you have the titanium version.
 
I have a mix of titanium and original.
Just cant seem to win this bloody ocean weeds
 
At 5 months with dead rock i think it's basically normal that you're still experiencing algae, best thing to do is keep up with you maintenance like syphon substrate, change out your filter media when neccessary, and manually pull out gha etc.. also try and blow detritus off your rocks and run through a filter sock
 
Firstly, cubes removes nutrients from water column, they work wonders. Many, if not most macro algae, particularly bryopsis, grows on patches of uneaten food, almost like cyano (even though they are both very different). They feed off undissolved inorganics in the water. They also have a very strong root system, and they spread very fast through small tufts you try to loosen or by vegetative reproduction.
Solution, make sure you have no eaten food that can settle, no dead spots in your tank. Keep pulling the bryopsis out. It does eventually subside. After a while snails and urchins will make light work of the short tufts of bryopsis. GHA is easily sorted with a herbivore too.
 
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You are probably overfeeding as well. Unless you see skinny fish you can almost always feed less until your GHA issues are sorted.
I would run the phosphate remover. Just make sure your phosphate media doesnt need replacing.
If your nitrates keep going up after a month or two and your phosphates are very low then maybe add titanium cubes.

It is a typically time frame to struggle with GHA though. Keep extracting the phosphates and after a while it will get better
 
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Thanks Guys.
Will keep up the husbandry and start running phosphate remover again.
 
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I used dead live rock when I started the system 5 months ago and it seems that
the rock might be leaching phosphates.

where did you get this rock? Did it came out of somebody else who shut his system down? If yes, what was the state of his system when he closed it down? Overrun with algae, high phosphates? That means that the rock is saturated with settlement buildup. Will take a long time to leach / release all the build up nutrients inside the rock, especially if you are also feeding the fish.
 
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I'm not sure if this is the right way, but if I get hair algae, I just keep adding calcium and alk slowly until it starts precipitating out of the water(water goes milky) The only thing it seems to affect a bit is my pulsing Xenia, but then, that stuff is like a weed anyway. I've had my tank so milky that I can't see my fish. It tends to put an exoskeleton on the algae, which literally just falls off the rocks then. Like I said, I don't know if it is the right way, but works for me. High calcium and alkalinity levels precipitate the nitrates and phosphates out of the water. Just be warned, it does coat everything with calcium carbonate, ie glass, heater etc. Turn off your skimmer to avoid getting it coated. Anyone else tried this? I nearly gave up the hobby before discovering this method. Now I laugh in the face of algae! Muhahahaha
 
Anyone else tried this?

Thats not something id ever try. How does pushing up Ca and KH effect other parameters, pH would be of most concern.
Raising to the point of precipitation (and im assuming you keep temp constant?) must put your livestock under severe stress...it takes a lot to get unhappy xenia so if your xenia sulks what is happening to everything else? If its putting a skeleton on your algae, what is it doing to sensitive things like fish gills?
 
Yeah, I realise this. I was on the verge of giving it up about a year ago when I overdid the alk and calcium by accident, and it worked. I now am ok with boosting these, but tend not to let it get to precipitating stage, just high. Like I said, the high levels precipitate the nitrates and phosphates out of the water. But yes, I have to agree, probably not a good idea to get the levels so high that the water goes milky. Having said that, never lost anything, my clowns barely notice and breed constantly
 
I also dont seem to keep xenia and i want it growing like weeds
 
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