Originally Posted by
Soulwind
If you've already got algae growth, then there's no other options. You have to drain, disassemble, and clean every part of the loop.
Once it's in there, even dead, it will still be clogging things up. What you want to do is prevent it from growing in the first place.
If you've "always experienced problems with algae growth", then you've been doing it wrong. I've been running water for 4 years and have never had any algae growth at all (not the same water for 4 years obviously, but I only drain and refill maybe once every 6-9 months).
You need to use a good biocide agent in any water loop. Either use one of the chemical agents like PT Nuke or else use a good .99% pure silver kill coil. If you use a kill coil, then it's a good idea to "pre-soak" the coil for awhile in the water (in a sealed container) so that it's nice and ionized before you actually use the water. Get a gallon of distilled water, open the container just long enough to drop in a kill coil, close it back up and let it sit for a few days before using it. That way, when you use it in your loop, it's already toxic to algae (obviously you want to have another coil in your loop itself so things stay toxic).
If it's too late though and you already have growth, then you'll have to take everything apart, discard and replace the tubing, give all the metal a good cleaning, and then put everything back together again.