7 month cycle?

[graham_kyle1]

hi all. I set up my 90 back in October. ...

1.025
0 detectable PO4 (Salifert)
0 Nitrate (Salifert)
10 DKH (API)
460 Cal (API)

Originally setting it up I got a quick and easy diatom bloom. But right now almost 6 months later I have a giant hair algae issue. Running a fuge and GFO reactor.....should I ride it out or do something?

 

[brandon429]

There is a distinction between cycling and algae


Your algae problem can arise in two week old reefs or ten year old reefs just the same


Your algae issues are merely a result from conditions including lighting, nutrients, non removal of the target, and lack of grazers to do the usual work. There are several common modes for algae curing, should pick one and run the whole method see if it works


If you started with bone dry rocks and literally added nothing, no bac, no ammonia, no organics yep it would probably take seven months to base cycle off natural scums regarding ammonia...but surely this tank had some live rock or live sand when it started?


Your tank is likely one of the three kinds we reviewed here
http://reef2reef.com/threads/new-ta...d-cocktail-shrimp-live-rock-no-shrimp.214618/

 

[graham_kyle1]

There is a distinction between cycling and algae


Your algae problem can arise in two week old reefs or ten year old reefs just the same


Your algae issues are merely a result from conditions including lighting, nutrients, non removal of the target, and lack of grazers to do the usual work. There are several common modes for algae curing, should pick one and run the whole method see if it works


If you started with bone dry rocks and literally added nothing, no bac, no ammonia, no organics yep it would probably take seven months to base cycle off natural scums regarding ammonia...but surely this tank had some live rock or live sand when it started?


Your tank is likely one of the three kinds we reviewed here
http://reef2reef.com/threads/new-ta...d-cocktail-shrimp-live-rock-no-shrimp.214618/

A large portion of the rock was dry. Some was bought semi-wet. Substrate was dry too....just odd because I have been keeping parameters and numbers are great. But algae everywhere. ..Blue tang doesn't even for the seaweed.

2x osc clowns
1x Benhghai
1x blue Hippo Tang (juvenile)
1x (grey fprdver)yellow watchman goby (took the pistol back, buried coral)
1x blue green chromis.

I jumped in to the sps world just before this happened. Have a montipora cap(red), branching hammer 3 (turning into five)? A lottle zoa garden, Couple mushrooms (but purple), birdsnest the size of a baseball

 

[brandon429]

That's an interesting cycle you described

If the mostly dry substrate was simply kept in the presence of fish, other organisms, and some algae it will force the bacteria to catch up quickly by seeding and by feed via waste ammonia and proteins to degrade in the system (detritus waste)

It never ammonia spiked in the early phases of fish inclusion? Dilution may have covered that, neat to consider. Either way it's considered cycled now for ammonia purposes due to time known and animals present during that time frame

We can cause algae in any tank on this whole board simply by shining a 250 watt metal halide planted tank 6500K right over the top down low. Any tank here

It's no surprise your algae found a way past good params, they are that adapted which is why only altering light can both boost and delay algae. Depending on your test kit details, the params could have tested wrong and a critical one like nitrate or phosphate be far off goal

So if you are running full on light mode, then you need a bunch of corals requiring that or we should start by lessening whites. Reduce intensity

Let's see full tank pic or pm it to me

 

[graham_kyle1]

That's an interesting cycle you described

If the mostly dry substrate was simply kept in the presence of fish, other organisms, and some algae it will force the bacteria to catch up quickly by seeding and by feed via waste ammonia and proteins to degrade in the system (detritus waste)

It never ammonia spiked in the early phases of fish inclusion? Dilution may have covered that, neat to consider. Either way it's considered cycled now for ammonia purposes due to time known and animals present during that time frame

We can cause algae in any tank on this whole board simply by shining a 250 watt metal halide planted tank 6500K right over the top down low. Any tank here

It's no surprise your algae found a way past good params, they are that adapted which is why only altering light can both boost and delay algae. Depending on your test kit details, the params could have tested wrong and a critical one like nitrate or phosphate be far off goal

So if you are running full on light mode, then you need a bunch of corals requiring that or we should start by lessening whites. Reduce intensity

Let's see full tank pic or pm it to me

I have the 180 razor only peaking for like 3 or 4 hrs now.

 

[brandon429]

That's good and to me it furthers like this

The option exists to wait and see if it responds, gets less algae, but what I do is call it a weekend and rip clean the whole tank all the rocks, scrape clean the glass, change mass water, siphon top layer of sandbed, and then dim the lights. A combo

We cheat and use a little chemical algaecide cheats when i do tank clean ups, spot treatments to kill algae while scrubbing it off the rocks...so when our tank is reassembled it's algae free

No residence allowed


For high fish bioload tanks UV filters can help

People set up algae scrubber filters, all kinds of ways

Have to just pick a way and document how it works in your tank

 

[graham_kyle1]

I just don't know why if params are that low consistently. Been adding mag and dosing steadily. Been awhile since a WC and I've been slacking a bit...but the bad stuff is undetectable? Previously had a 36BF with a dino issue.

 

[brandon429]

its just that algae can get at the nutrients we think aren't there. its true some nutrient limiting setups control algae, but those keepers think it works for all tanks and its just not the case. some manual work is required more times than not. nutrient controls alone, without manual backup, work about 40% of attempts or less imo.

we should never adjust nutrients in reaction to algae. nutrient management is independent. you set a target param for po4 and no3 and run that param, and you use the other methods to handle algae that get past. you set your target nutrient params around what corals need, not what algae starving requires. problems only develop if most reefkeepers expect params to control their algae solely.

 

[FishOfHex]

hi all. I set up my 90 back in October. ...

1.025
0 detectable PO4 (Salifert)
0 Nitrate (Salifert)
10 DKH (API)
460 Cal (API)

Originally setting it up I got a quick and easy diatom bloom. But right now almost 6 months later I have a giant hair algae issue. Running a fuge and GFO reactor.....should I ride it out or do something?

A couple questions, did you start the tank with dry rock or live? also was the rock used in another system before you got it? If you are having a hair algae issue you clearly have a nutrient problem. You are not detecting any PO4 because the algae is using up all available in the water. I recommend you take a step back and look at everything you add to the tank to help determine how you are getting this elevated nutrient levels. Some common things are over feeding, high TDS water, to many fish, not enough rock, bad skimming and used rock from another tank. Best of luck i hope you can find the problem.