# Anyone use API "algaefix" to get rid of algae?



## goldfish (Nov 22, 2011)

Hi Forum.

Has anyone ever used this product from API called "algaefix"?

It's suppose to combat different type of algaes.

http://www.apifishcare.com/Products/Product.aspx?ProductID=127

Can we get this product locally here?

Please share your experience if you have done so.

I'm having some issues with green hair and brown wafer algae.

Thanks.


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## notclear (Nov 5, 2011)

I did. At the time I could get it locally but not any more now. You need to order from abroad.

It will kill cheato, not any corals though, soft, LPS, and SPS are all OK. If you dose more than 10 doses, it can kill small fish and give problem to those scaleless fish such as powder blue tang, etc.

It actually can kill green hair algae!


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## CRJ (Sep 7, 2012)

its a bandaid. dont waste your money on it, buy a reactor and run a phosphate remover. Thats the only way to properly fix the problem. will take roughly a month on average to bring level within check.

i run this stuff:


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## goldfish (Nov 22, 2011)

notclear said:


> I did. At the time I could get it locally but not any more now. You need to order from abroad.
> 
> It will kill cheato, not any corals though, soft, LPS, and SPS are all OK. If you dose more than 10 doses, it can kill small fish and give problem to those scaleless fish such as powder blue tang, etc.
> 
> It actually can kill green hair algae!


Will be a problem ordering it from the US if it has to pass Canadian customs?

I'm trying to get rid if green hair algae + lobophora (brown wafer algae)


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## goldfish (Nov 22, 2011)

CRJ said:


> its a bandaid. dont waste your money on it, buy a reactor and run a phosphate remover. Thats the only way to properly fix the problem. will take roughly a month on average to bring level within check.
> 
> i run this stuff:


I got a phosban reactor already (i believe phosguard pellets) running and chaeto in my refugium but still encountering algae issue.

See my other post here :

http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38887

Thanks


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

Stop feeding the algae, and it will go away.

You are doing something to allow it to grow. Remove that, and it dies off. Killing it with chemicals is temporary. Once the dose has done its job, and dissipates, the algae will start growing again. Funny enough, it will grow faster. The now dead algae will feed new algae!

Posted with my Xperia, using Tapatalk 2


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## CRJ (Sep 7, 2012)

goldfish said:


> I got a phosban reactor already (i believe phosguard pellets) running and chaeto in my refugium but still encountering algae issue.
> 
> See my other post here :
> 
> ...


Then you need to change out the media in the reactor and get more flow through it. To rid my 14 gallon biocube i had to change the media twice, and it finally dropped and the algae disappeared in 36hrs. If its not going away, its because your feeding too much, your rocks are leeching phosphates because you didnt soak them, or your using tap water to top off the tank and not RO water.

Which is it?



J_T said:


> Stop feeding the algae, and it will go away.
> 
> You are doing something to allow it to grow. Remove that, and it dies off. Killing it with chemicals is temporary. Once the dose has done its job, and dissipates, the algae will start growing again. Funny enough, it will grow faster. The now dead algae will feed new algae!
> 
> Posted with my Xperia, using Tapatalk 2


couldnt have said it better.


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## goldfish (Nov 22, 2011)

CRJ said:


> Then you need to change out the media in the reactor and get more flow through it. To rid my 14 gallon biocube i had to change the media twice, and it finally dropped and the algae disappeared in 36hrs. If its not going away, its because your feeding too much, your rocks are leeching phosphates because you didnt soak them, or your using tap water to top off the tank and not RO water.
> 
> Which is it?
> 
> couldnt have said it better.


I changed my media about 3 weeks ago and I'm using RO/DI for water change and top-off. I'm pretty good at doing a 20% water change every 2 weeks.

I run 4-lamp T5 lights (Blue for 10hrs, Blue+White for 6hrs, Actinic for 1 hr) per day.

What do you mean by not soaking the live rocks? I bought it from SUM, brought it home and installed in tank. Did I miss a step?

Another thing that I'm thinking is that my CUC might not be enough or the right type? Currently , I got about 50 astrae snails and maybe 5 cerith snails - they don't go near my green hair or brown algae.

I'm thinking to get a couple of Mexican turbo snails as they go for all kind of algae. Do you think that could be the reason?


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

Careful with Mexican turbos. They are big, and get really big! 

My 155 gallon is home to 3. Any more, and they would starve. They are my only snails that work on the glass, and rocks. 

I have a ton of Cerith, and even more Nassarius (they breed). I still have some diatoms, and a couple patches of HA. No snail IMO will eat HA. They may rip it off the rock, but not so much they are eating it. Likely they are eating whats under, or around it. The surface algae.

Keep removing the Phos, and eventually you will win. The rocks could be holding phos. Only way to pull that out, is the GFO, and clean water. It will keep pulling it out of the rocks.


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## CRJ (Sep 7, 2012)

goldfish said:


> I changed my media about 3 weeks ago and I'm using RO/DI for water change and top-off. I'm pretty good at doing a 20% water change every 2 weeks.
> 
> I run 4-lamp T5 lights (Blue for 10hrs, Blue+White for 6hrs, Actinic for 1 hr) per day.
> 
> ...


the issue isnt snails, the issue is the phosphates in your tank. when i was riding my tank of phosphates i swapped media weekly. it took me 3 weeks to get it in check. cut your white light down on time and run more actinic, white light grows algae.

If you are feeding only a tiny amount of food, have a reactor with fresh media running and are using the proper water, your issue will go away withing a couple weeks. but something tells me that somewhere in there lies your problem.

and if you dont have a skimmer running, id be changing the water weekly


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## goldfish (Nov 22, 2011)

J_T said:


> Careful with Mexican turbos. They are big, and get really big!
> 
> My 155 gallon is home to 3. Any more, and they would starve. They are my only snails that work on the glass, and rocks.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your feedback - I got 3 small Mexican snails and I have big and heavy rocks. I don't think that they are capable of toppling my rocks


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## goldfish (Nov 22, 2011)

CRJ said:


> ...
> If you are feeding only a tiny amount of food, have a reactor with fresh media running and are using the proper water, your issue will go away withing a couple weeks. but something tells me that somewhere in there lies your problem.
> 
> and if you dont have a skimmer running, id be changing the water weekly


Both you and J_T recommend I change my media more frequently. I will take your advice and do so. I wished that the media could change some sort of color to let you know that it's time to change it. The way I understand how the media works is that it will absorb the phosphate but it will still be present in your tank until you get rid of it and change the media? So technically, the phosphate is stiil there for the algae to use up then even though the media has absorbed it?

I am running a skimmer and clean the skimmer cup every few days. I have the algae in only certain parts of the tank, not out of control that I have seen on some other tanks.


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

Keep up the cleaning, and it will all go away.

The tank needs some phos. Your corals will have no color if not for algae! As well, most of our snails, and starfish enjoy film algae.

Trick is to find that fine line. Once you have it, no problem! Just need to make sure we don't make things worse!

Nothing good happens fast in this hobby. And what happens fast, takes a long time to fix!


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## goldfish (Nov 22, 2011)

Thanks J_T.

Do you run both chaeto and GFO? Is it overkill to run both?


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## thmh (Mar 17, 2011)

i had algae problems aswell in the beginning but then i started to run biopellets and gfo and all the algae is gone and my tank never look so good.

also if you want a quick fix you can also try doing dark days where you turn off all your lights. Also take some time and blast your rocks of all the algae and increased your flow with the combination of coral snow plus your skimmer the algae should go away slowly but surely.

note:do not rush into things by adding chemical or any substance to get ride of something. you should always take it slow because you can run the risk of stripping all the nutrience and bacteria from your tank and cause it to crash.


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