Bpb Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 ive got your classic megaflow overflow weir. It's getting some serious algae growth in the teeth and basically filling the top half of the weir. Like to the point that it's clogging the teeth and the water level gets higher in the display than I'm comfortable with. My fox face and tang keep the tank basically free of this type of algae ( bubble and cladophora) but it is free to grow safely in the overflow. Any methods recommended to inhibit the growth in the overflow? I don't want to soak the overflow in peroxide because I don't want to hit the tank with that kind of Bolus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvrEnuf Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Cover it with black acrylic or anything else to block out light. No light = no growth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Yeah, turn back on your skimmer! You try moving your light so that it doesn't hit the top of the overflow? No light... no algae... Or use some opaque color plastic to cover the overflow so that no light penetrates it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvrEnuf Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 pfft! silly skimmers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 pfft! silly skimmers Aw man, I just saw you beat me to the post! Now I'm just a copy cat with the cover thing! Not all of us have a degree in turf scrubbing like you do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viet'spride70 Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Didn't u sneak peak at my overflow when u were here, Bpb? Forgot already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted April 25, 2015 Author Share Posted April 25, 2015 I remember there was some gsp growing on it but I didn't get a top down view. Do you have yours covered on top? Ty, turn the skimmer back on? Why would I do a thing like that? Lol. Don't worry I kept it, as well as all my bio pellets and gfo because one day I may need them. I got rid of the egg crate weir cover and did some sawing, sanding, and drilling on some black acrylic I had laying around. It's not beautiful, but it blocks the light. Hopefully this works. Every two weeks I literally pull probably two solid handfuls of algae out of the teeth and top of my overflow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viet'spride70 Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Yes. It blocked from day one tank set up. Use some black spay paint from hd/lowes on the outside surface must be specified for. that ll block light out for sure...I did mime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 I remember there was some gsp growing on it but I didn't get a top down view. Do you have yours covered on top? Ty, turn the skimmer back on? Why would I do a thing like that? Lol. Don't worry I kept it, as well as all my bio pellets and gfo because one day I may need them. I got rid of the egg crate weir cover and did some sawing, sanding, and drilling on some black acrylic I had laying around. It's not beautiful, but it blocks the light. Hopefully this works. Every two weeks I literally pull probably two solid handfuls of algae out of the teeth and top of my overflow I actually don't think it's a bad idea to allow nutrients to increase a bit as you reintroduce SPS to your tank and allow their health to increase. Once their stable again, I think you'll end up lowering nutrients again to minimize algae and regain some color in the SPS... but if everything looks great... I wouldn't touch a thing. [emoji6] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Valonia and GHA can grow in really dim lighting. I mean almost black. That's why 3 days of darkness doesn't work on them. Complete darkness may work in the long term. If your fox is eating the bubbles in the DT then you are truly blessed! The Valonia is going to release all of the spores when it dies. The DT may not get anything but the sump will definitely have spores in it. If your sump is dark then they probably won't grow unless there is a portion getting light from the DT. Bubble Algae spores can survive years in the dark without germinating. That's why you can get a Bubble Algae outbreak in a tank that uses dry rock that wasn't killed properly. If you have LR in the sump then it may get spores or have them already. If it were me, then I would try and manually remove as much as I could before going dark. If your hand doesn't fit into the overflow then use a hose and siphon it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted April 27, 2015 Author Share Posted April 27, 2015 Good info there. I've dealt with valonia on and off for a couple years now. Once it's in there, it's impossible to eradicate entirely without bleaching the rock. But luckily my foxface is a miracle fish and it doesn't stand a chance in the display. Oddly enough I have a lit refugium and it doesn't grow there either. I do see bubbles growing in the dark where even the fish cannot reach. I removed all I could before covering the overflow. It doesn't really grow down low where I can't reach. The overflow is basically in blackout now since I have a background on the tank it doesn't get light spill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 What kind of fox do you have? I created a handy bubble algae siphon to help me get rid of mine. I should post a thread about it so that others can try it out. I have a lit refugium as well and it grows on my LR in there. I think I'm on the verge of removing it and replacing the macro with BP. We'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted April 27, 2015 Author Share Posted April 27, 2015 It's a one spot. They stay the smallest. I tend to be conservative on stocking so I'm on the fence if they're appropriate for my tank. Probably not by a lot of reefers opinions. I've had mine about 6 months now I guess. Was the size of my azure damsel when it went in the tank. Is about 6" now and getting kind of fat. They grow incredibly fast from my observation. Most folks I've seen report them to max out at around 7" in captivity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I had a one spot too, went from 2" up to 6" in 12 months. They grow crazy fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I really liked my One Spot Foxface. I think I'm going to get another one. They are very interesting and service a nice utility function. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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