Bacterial bloom in established tank

[Denisk]

Had it pop up in my established tank, but after freaking out it just went away...

Should I just freak out in hopes it goes away?

 

[sixty_reefer]

Well you were spot on! Any suggestions as to how to fix this?

Increase oxygenation and ride it out it should clear once the carbohydrates are depleted. Remove any algae that looks translucent or starting to loose colour. Nitrates will be back once the bloom is over.

edit: if you are skimming? Skim it a bit more wet

 

[Denisk]

Increase oxygenation and ride it out it should clear once the carbohydrates are depleted. Remove any algae that looks translucent or starting to loose colour. Nitrates will be back once the bloom is over.

edit: if you are skimming? Skim it a bit more wet

No skimmer. But can you explain why this happened to begin with?

I feel like one moment macro algae looks great one moment then next it’s covered with a white film. I feel like feeding more is never the answer and it’s not like this hasn’t happened before.

 

[nuxx Verified Sponsor]

Should I just freak out in hopes it goes away?

Exactly!

 

[sixty_reefer]

No skimmer. But can you explain why this happened to begin with?

I feel like one moment macro algae looks great one moment then next it’s covered with a white film. I feel like feeding more is never the answer and it’s not like this hasn’t happened before.

Will be difficult for me to determine what caused it without knowing your previous parameters, sometimes only a icp can determine the issue. It all depends on what was limited in your system, if they become limited in any of they’re nutrients for a long period of time they start to melt.

 

[Denisk]

Will be difficult for me to determine what caused it without knowing your previous parameters, sometimes only a icp can determine the issue. It all depends on what was limited in your system, if they become limited in any of their nutrients for a long period of time they start to melt.

Makes sense. Maybe I will have an icp test done to rule anything off in the water. Would dosing nitrate typically cause more of an issue? Just trying to see what I should do and not do in the mean time.

 

[MrGisonni]

Mechanical filtration can't remove bacterial blooms

400 Micron filter socks may... these cells often clump

 

[MrGisonni]

Well you were spot on! Any suggestions as to how to fix this?

Api will be fine, at this point there’s more chance you will find them to be zero. That could confirm a bloom of heterotrophic bacteria caused by some algae die off, macro algae is fairly rich in carbohydrates that can trigger this blooms as they perish.

Yes an algae die off followed by a heterotrophic bacteria bloom makes sense. They wouldn't have stripped away your nitrates though. Nitrates at zero is a problem for me in my mixed reef.....cyano, dinos then hair algae. Uggh. I dose Brightwell neonitro

 

[Denisk]

Yes an algae die off followed by a heterotrophic bacteria bloom makes sense. They wouldn't have stripped away your nitrates though. Nitrates at zero is a problem for me in my mixed reef.....cyano, dinos then hair algae. Uggh. I dose Brightwell neonitro

So do you does brightwell neonitro on a daily basis?

 

[sixty_reefer]

Makes sense. Maybe I will have an icp test done to rule anything off in the water. Would dosing nitrate typically cause more of an issue? Just trying to see what I should do and not do in the mean time.

Dosing nitrates could help, although if you have nitrite (no2) nitrates will come back after the bloom is over. Not sure if the algaes are new but dipping them in freshwater can cause them to stress and melt sometimes. Cold during transport can also induce stress.

 

[Denisk]

Dosing nitrates could help, although if you have nitrite (no2) nitrates will come back after the bloom is over. Not sure if the algaes are new but dipping them in freshwater can cause them to stress and melt sometimes. Cold during transport can also induce stress.

No they have been there ever since the rock was there since it came on the live Florida rock that was shipped to me two years ago.

 

[sixty_reefer]

No they have been there ever since the rock was there since it came on the live Florida rock that was shipped to me two years ago.

If it’s been there for a wile and your tank didn’t suffer any drop I’m tempted only a limitation in nutrients could caused it.

 

[Denisk]

If it’s been there for a wile and your tank didn’t suffer any drop I’m tempted only a limitation in nutrients could caused it.

Well that’s probably the issue is a nutrient thing. It’s always been one minute the algae is growing the next moment dying. Then new algae would appear of the same type. Literally just on repeat over the last 6 months.

 

[MrGisonni]

So do you does brightwell neonitro on a daily basis?

No just as needed. I have 2 clams and a significant amount of ricordea and the rest LPS, I dose as needed. My tank looks the best between 20 to 30 ppm of nitrates. I am old school...always believing Nitrates we're bad. Now it seems in modern reefing it's just about the sweet spot with higher being preferable to lower in a mixed reef.

 

[Denisk]

No just as needed. I have 2 clams and a significant amount of ricordea and the rest LPS, I dose as needed. My tank looks the best between 20 to 30 ppm of nitrates. I am old school...always believing Nitrates we're bad. Now it seems in modern reefing it's just about the sweet spot with higher being preferable to lower in a mixed reef.

Yeah that sounds like a great idea. I see some of the best looking sps tanks and they have fairly high nitrates. I just didn’t realize that was really the issue with my tank. Curious do you dose only to raise nitrate or something for po4 as well?

 

[MrGisonni]

I was amazed reading an article here in R2R about the nitrates some of the reef masters have in their tanks all 20 to 30 ppm. I only dose nitrates for now I use a tiny bit of GFO in a bag in my sump and never measure any phosphate. I know they are there bc I have macro algae growing but they are in the organic form which doesn't show up in a test from what I have read.

 

[Denisk]

I was amazed reading an article here in R2R about the nitrates some of the reef masters have in their tanks all 20 to 30 ppm. I only dose nitrates for now I use a tiny bit of GFO in a bag in my sump and never measure any phosphate. I know they are there bc I have macro algae growing but they are in the organic form which doesn't show up in a test from what I have read.

Very interesting! Thanks for all the help!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Well you were spot on! Any suggestions as to how to fix this?

When a sudden increase in the number of bacterial colonies generates and becomes suspended in the water column, it grows so quickly that it becomes more visible causing the water to become milky and hazy in appearance due to an increase in the nutrients in the water especially nitrates and phosphates.
I would suggest to take a water sample to a store that does NOT use Api kits and compare readings- then you'll know
I will never trust a $7 badge or $25 master kit to sustain hundreds of dollars in livestock.

 

[Denisk]

When a sudden increase in the number of bacterial colonies generates and becomes suspended in the water column, it grows so quickly that it becomes more visible causing the water to become milky and hazy in appearance due to an increase in the nutrients in the water especially nitrates and phosphates.
I would suggest to take a water sample to a store that does NOT use Api kits and compare readings- then you'll know
I will never trust a $7 badge or $25 master kit to sustain hundreds of dollars in livestock.

Yeah I totally agree. I honestly never had an issue with nitrates or po4. But seeing the cloudiness and the sps being pale, I figured I use just whatever l had laying around. However with everything you said, is there something that could have caused that and or something I should be doing now?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yeah I totally agree. I honestly never had an issue with nitrates or po4. But seeing the cloudiness and the sps being pale, I figured I use just whatever l had laying around. However with everything you said, is there something that could have caused that and or something I should be doing now?

Focus on biological and chemical filtration. Biological utilizes compounds and bacterias to clarify water and break down waste and microscopic waste. Chemical such as reactors with carbon and gfo would be examples . Filter socks also help to entrap this microscopic sediment