Bacterial bloom after CUC added

[ethankap]

Hi

A new 45 gallon tank and I'm doing the Reef Mature kit from Red Sea on it. I started with dead rock, but have been following the procedure to the letter. Right when it was supposed to, I was 0 Amonia, 0 Nitrite, 30 Nitrate and after a 50% water change 10ppm Nitrate. I added the clean up crew at that point. Some snails, hermit crabs and a Blemmy.

I've had since adding the livestock two bacterial blooms. They clear up in about a day. I also noticed that on my testing kit (haven't tried the LFS'), Nitrites are showing around 0.2

The protein skimmer is running pretty dry, but producing gunk and foam, and I have an ATO in place for evaporation. Temperature is at 79.4. I've only lost one snail, and got him out of the tank. The crabs have disappeared into the scape but the ones I can spot seem OK. I'm dosing with NO3PO-X at 5.4ml a day as per instructions.

Here's the tank right now:



Thanks for any help or advice! I'm new to the hobby.

 

[Whipples]

Nitrites at that level are not really something to be concerned with. Nitrites in saltwater is very different from freshwater, and if its under 1ppm you likely won't have anything to worry about. What is likely happening is that your tank is just beginning its balance phase, which will take some time. Bacterial blooms aren't uncommon, if you have an airstone you can run one as blooms tend to deplete oxygen and warm saltwater is already low on oxygen to begin with. Otherwise just keep up your maintenance, maybe run some carbon to take any contaminates out of the water, and let it do its thing . What snails did you add? Some snails will reproduce via pumping out gametes into the water which can look like a bacterial bloom.

 

[ethankap]

The tank is a Red Sea Max 170E, so it came with a carbon media bag, which is in there. I added Astrea, Nassarius one emerald crab (who I can't locate anymore, he moved) and 8 hermit crabs (some of whom I can find).

The protein skimmer seems to be aerating the water, I have it running with the foam about ⅓ up the cup, and the skimmate is collecting nicely. Is there a step for carbon beyond the bag?

 

[Whipples]

Nope, you've got it in the right place! Astrea snails I believe use gametes so it could be bacterial, it could be breeding. You will want to be careful with the hermit crabs since they will start picking off snails as they grow for their shells, which may have been what happened to the snail that died. The emerald crab you will want to keep an eye on, as they are opportunistic omnivore feeders and can develop an appetite for corals if you plan on having those.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

 

[ethankap]

Also the CUC kit had a Blemmy in it, which died in a day. I couldn't see anything in the chemistry that would have caused that. The LFS said "sometimes they just die" and has a 15 day guarantee so assume that's the case?

 

[Whipples]

I would strongly recommend quarantine with any new fish, there are a ton of helpful resources here that can set you up, head over to the fish disease section and there are stickies. Without a QT the death could have been to shock from acclimation, existing disease, or other factors but hard to know at this point. When you added the blenny what was your acclimation method?

As for the blenny, if you noticed any spots or anything on his external body you may need to let the tank run fallow for 76 days to defeat whatever he may have introduced to the tank. That's the most cautious route, but just know it's always a risk now that a fish was introduced.

Not trying to scare you, just want to give you the information I wish I had when I started and that this site has offered me

 

[ethankap]

I would strongly recommend quarantine with any new fish, there are a ton of helpful resources here that can set you up, head over to the fish disease section and there are stickies. Without a QT the death could have been to shock from acclimation, existing disease, or other factors but hard to know at this point. When you added the blenny what was your acclimation method?

As for the blenny, if you noticed any spots or anything on his external body you may need to let the tank run fallow for 76 days to defeat whatever he may have introduced to the tank. That's the most cautious route, but just know it's always a risk now that a fish was introduced.

Not trying to scare you, just want to give you the information I wish I had when I started and that this site has offered me

I did drip acclimation for him for an hour and did it in a separate container and water pool from the inverts since there was copper in the Blemmy's water from the store. He seemed fine initially but when I got home after work the next day he was dead and a Nassarius was starting to eat him.

 

[Whipples]

Hmm. Did you have a chance to look over his body before disposing of it? Did he show any visible signs? It was likely ok and he could have just been weak/overly stressed, which I am hoping for.

 

[ethankap]

Hmm. Did you have a chance to look over his body before disposing of it? Did he show any visible signs? It was likely ok and he could have just been weak/overly stressed, which I am hoping for.

Didn't see anything obvious, but the store didn't seem to think it was a big deal. Parameters were fine, could have just been a weak fish. I'll pick up another on Saturday and be more attentive to his condition when we do. It'll also have been another week of the tank functioning and working.

 

[OREGONIC]

I have a e170 aswell, had several bacterial blooms the first few months. When you add livestock the tank has to balance and blooms seem to go hand and hand with tank balancing before it matures.

 

[ethankap]

I have a e170 aswell, had several bacterial blooms the first few months. When you add livestock the tank has to balance and blooms seem to go hand and hand with tank balancing before it matures.

Thanks for the heads up. I was freaking out. I setup a camera to watch the tank from work

 

[ethankap]

Post script: bloom cleared up within the day. The skimmate was pretty healthy (dark, icky) and everything appears pretty healthy. I didn't have a chance to test parameters tonight but will in the AM.

 

[ethankap]

Post post script:

I dosed the NOPOX and cleaned the skimmer cup last night as usual and this morning another bacteria bloom. :/

I turned the UV up on the hydra to hopefully clear it today.

Can the use of tap water to clean the skimmer cup cause this? Or the NOPOX dose?

 

[ps2cho]

I would advise against using anything. The system will balance out. Don't use additives, do water changes. Adding carbon dosing ramps up more bacteria, and with a tank so young, its the complete opposite of what you should be doing.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

Whoever told you to dose NOPOX; stop taking their advice. Not trying to be mean but a system that small and that new with limited livestock does NOT need stuff like that.

Just keep your skimmer in top shape, clean your sump/tank and do water changes. It's that simple; the natural progression will be to eventually start dosing alk, calc, and mag but that will depend on if, when and how often you put corals in the tank.

If anyone says your tank needs anything other than that, they are wrong.

 

[OREGONIC]

NOPOX feeds bacteria would imagine it is compounding your blooms. Let your tank stable out, it will naturally go through the uglies, bacterial blooms, algae outbreaks, and most likely some cyano. It takes time and evertime you add livestock the tank has to re-balance to adjust to the bioload, the more mature your tank gets the faster and less noticeable these adjustments will be. Like i had said in a previous post i have the same tank, but i did add a sump to mine which was the best decision i made as far as upgrades go. I do occasionally use nopox my self but only in small amounts and as needed. If my nitrates get close to 5 ppm i will dose 3ml a day for about a week till they drop back down to 1-2ppm. Nopox does cause all types of slimy bacteria to build up on my pumps though so i only use as needed to help keep things stable. Add a few clowns or some other hardy fish and let your tank stable out. Do water changes regularly and it will balance on its own. Dont expect nitrates and phosphates to be perfect at first, water changes should keep both of them at a reasonable level till your tank matures a little and gets a little more stocked. Once you have a few pieces of coral and you notice your alk starts dropping start dosing 2 part. Theres so much to learn just start simple and make changes slowly and enjoy the ride.

 

[ethankap]

I suspect the issue is the NOPOX considering I have carbon media in the rack. Stupid mistake on my part (not reading the NOPOX box) and following the Reef Mature Pro program. I'm doing a 5% water change tomorrow and won't dose this evening, see if it settles out today.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[ethankap]

Post-post script: didn't dose the NOPOX last night, tank crystal clear this morning and the hermit crabs are more active. Will test water and do a 5% change today. And add a Blemmy.

 

[OREGONIC]

Post-post script: didn't dose the NOPOX last night, tank crystal clear this morning and the hermit crabs are more active. Will test water and do a 5% change today. And add a Blemmy.

I love my blenny they have tons of personality. Please share a piture of your rock scape, from what i can tell based on hazy photo it looks great.

 

[ethankap]

I love my blenny they have tons of personality. Please share a piture of your rock scape, from what i can tell based on hazy photo it looks great.

Here's the scape. Still slightly cloudy in the tank but clearing up a lot and all the critters are pretty active now. The hermit crabs are doing well and I put a huge turbo snail in which did fast work at some algae.

This is red dry rock (the artificial kind) and the diatom bloom receded but the rocks got pretty well colonized.