Question Has anyone used Green Water Labs' Algae control?

Jeff,

I have just ordered a 6-pack of Algae Control and I mean to give it a fair trial. I think one 16 oz bottle will serve as a single dose for the 200, which is probably more like 190 gallons of water. At one dose weekly that is only 6 weeks to get results unless I buy more and keep going. The only way I'd do that would be if I see progress of some kind. The idea of using it regularly in maintenance doses does not appeal to me at the price. It is hoped that measures taken to stem algae-promoting conditions will take the upper hand at suppressing return of algae. It will be good to know that the stuff will be effective any time I need a reset. I will report this trial.

Day 1:  Monday 11/20/23, 15:00 DST

Sixpack arrived. Test dose is half-bottle, 8 ounces (240 mL) to begin with. Also leaving SeaChem Renewal chem filtration in for this. These are safety measures only. If no sign of adverse effects, tomorrow I will put in the rest of the bottle. If still okay, Wednesday I will remove chem medium altogether. Water changes will go on as normal.

The last month I have severely curtailed the light. The last week, I have done several 'big gulp' water changes in addition to the SWCR. I have removed a good deal of visible algae (scraped glass and pruned infested leaves). I think the change in lighting has been an improvement, but that has stopped all growth in the water lily. 

I am continuing the daily dose of Excel/concentrated barley straw extract algistat cocktail and all other supplement dosing.

So it begins.

Day 2: Tuesday 11/21/23, 08:00 DST

Balance (8 oz) of AC in first bottle added. A transient drop in pH when added does occur. AC is organic (reduced), so it also raises the chemical oxygen demand. Both ORP and DO show a transient drop upon addition of AC. A daily 06:00 COD spike normally occurs upon dosing of other organic additives. In future, AC will be added mid-day so that these parameter changes are kept separate in time. 

The UV sterilizer was turned off yesterday and will remain off for the duration, as it will almost certainly destroy AC.

I have seen no adverse effects in fish so far. Adding 16 oz in one dose weekly will likely not be a problem.

Day 3: Wednesday 11/21/23, 12:00 CST

Filters changed and cleaned, all Renew removed. There is no chem filtration currently in the loop. Full 16 oz bottle of AC added. 

pH dropped from 6.7 to 6.5 in 30 minutes; returned to 6.7 in 2 hours. 

thanks for putting in the work, I tend to be overly cautious when it comes to claims products like this make. most of the time they dont really scale price wise for big aquariums. How are your plants reacting? Any noticeable change in algae? 

Errata: 1) last Wednesday was 11/22

           2) all times are CST, central standard

           3) name of SeaChem product is Renew, not Renewal

Not like me to let trivial errors such as this get through. My apologies.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 8: Tuesday 11/28/23, 11:45 CST

Water change 10% (approx), after today's daily dosing. SWCR continues on schedule. Following close on a water change and waiting for parameter notches to clear, I added 16 oz AC. ORP immediately dropped 83 mV with just a small transient notch in DO; pH dropped from 6.70 to 6.57. ORP is recovering; pH normalized in just over an hour.

Early days yet and I am not seeing any obvious changes. I expect that if AC has an effect on algae, some kind of change will become evident. There are lots of places around the aquarium where I have spotted patches; these I will watch for any change. I am in the middle of some re-scaping and have replanted all remaining scraps of Hygrophila difformis (Water Wisteria) in five small pots of volcanic soil. For now I have these pots sitting out in front where the hygros are easily observed and are not shaded.

The bigger crypts are infested and much of this old growth will eventually be pruned out. These also are test subjects. These crypts are holding their own, but they were the most vulnerable plants when lighting was more intense. The new crypt volunteers popping up in the foreground have not totally avoided infestation. I've moderated the brightness considerably. However, crypts seem to me to be natural attractors, and their major handicap is that they are slow growers. Anubias, certainly, and, to a lesser extent, Java Fern also fall into this category.

If anything of this kind, i.e. a specific targeting remedy, had a profound and rapid effect, plainly showing the desirable improvement in conditions claimed for it by the maker, it would be gold, worth every bit of the asking price. This hobby definitely has its share of such representations. I am prepared to carry on this experiment through these six treatments, but some sort of change must manifest in order to justify any price. As is usually the case, problems of this sort trace back to poor maintenance or inappropriate parameter setups and nothing changes until the root issue is fixed. Throwing magic elixirs into the picture does not help, especially if they're expensive. 

I am not prejudicing the experiment. I am defining acceptance criteria. I very much hope AC works, but it passes or fails on its merits alone. Each individual user must decide whether any concoction is a magic elixir that really works. The cost:benefit ratio will play a role in this decision.

The formula for AC is proprietary. It is a natural organic, being a biochemical reduction of some kind, but exactly what it is is a trade secret. While I understand the commercial necessity, makers of "proprietary" stuff and things should be mindful that the more scientifically inclined people - like aquarists - are well aware of the hazard implicit in using unknown products to yield uncertain outcomes. Could we at least be told whether AC is an algicide or an algistat? Is it possible to briefly describe its mode of action without giving the game away? Unsatisfactory answers to these obvious questions simply generate suspicions.