Bacterial Bloom?

[erm0715]

My suspicions are it's a bacterial bloom. I normally only test Alk daily and then other parameters intermittently. pH had been running 8.2-8.4 as of the last check two days ago. Today it's between 7.8-8.0 and nitrites actually read at 0.25 so I'm suspecting a bloom. The ammonia test actually turned neon green/yellow and chunky after the elapsed time (API).

I bought a cheap UV sterilizer to use temporarily and placed it in the sump. I also grabbed a slightly undersized canister filter. Canister contains carbon and a water polisher. I've added a bag of carbon and a bag of purigen to the sump. And I am using RODI for ATO (TDS is at 1).

Anything else I can do? I have one clown i think is not going to make it but that's a separate issue (Haven't seen it eat since i got a pair a week and a half ago, stomach looks pinched).

I read water changes only exacerbate the bloom.

Today I checked everything:

Alk 8.0 (Hanna)

Ca 475 (Red Sea)

Mg 1380 (Salifert)

Ammonia 0? This is the API test and it was neon green and looked to dissociate after the 5 minutes, or rather not homogenous.

Nitrite ~0.25 (API)

Nitrate 10 (API)

pH 7.8-8.0 (API)

 

[FIN&BONEZ]

Post a picture

 

[lapin]

Sounds like a good plan. Carbon and UV are the best for bacterial blooms.
For food try live black worms or live brine shrimp. Brine are not very nutritious.The clowns might have been raised on pellets. You could try small pellets

 

[FIN&BONEZ]

Bacteria blooms if thats what it is will totally take care of it self when their done. Just a part of the process.

 

[erm0715]

Post a picture

Let's see if this gets compressed and harder to see. If it does i'll just screen shot it from my phone and upload. The vid (if it doesn't compress) shoes the cloudiness swirling.

 

[erm0715]

Sounds like a good plan. Carbon and UV are the best for bacterial blooms.
For food try live black worms or live brine shrimp. Brine are not very nutritious.The clowns might have been raised on pellets. You could try small pellets

I've been feeding frozen brine, frozen mysis, reef frenzy herbivore or TDO chroma boost pellets (Not all at once). Just trying different things to get the clowns to eat which they (or at least one) seem to refuse. One of them has a pinched stomach or looks rather slender. Never had a problem getting clowns to eat. Tried garlic soaking as well.

Admittedly it does appear a little less cloudy today after adding the UV sterilizer, carbon, purigen, and canister with carbon but the pH was a bit low at 7.8ish compared to two days ago at 8.2 so just making sure there's nothing else I can do to avoid that getting any lower.

 

[FIN&BONEZ]

It will be gone in a day or 2. Your're fine.

 

[erm0715]

It will be gone in a day or 2. Your're fine.

Thanks! main concern was livestock with the pH drop and bacteria taking up additional oxygen.

 

[Lavey29]

Thanks! main concern was livestock with the pH drop and bacteria taking up additional oxygen.

You can always add an airstone for a day or two just to be safe

 

[FIN&BONEZ]

No doubt you will be fine

 

[erm0715]

You can always add an airstone for a day or two just to be safe

Can't hurt. I have 2 Jebao SLW-20's going on "else" mode, a fluval 107 canister putting out whatever flow it does, and the return somewhere around 450gph so plenty of flow and surface agitation but airstone can't hurt. I'm more concerned with the low pH effecting what few coral I have. I have an acro looking rough though it was fine until the bloom and pH drop. I didn't buy it, was a gift, not something I would buy at this stage of tank age.

 

[Lavey29]

Can't hurt. I have 2 Jebao SLW-20's going on "else" mode, a fluval 107 canister putting out whatever flow it does, and the return somewhere around 450gph so plenty of flow and surface agitation but airstone can't hurt. I'm more concerned with the low pH effecting what few coral I have. I have an acro looking rough though it was fine until the bloom and pH drop. I didn't buy it, was a gift, not something I would buy at this stage of tank age.

I don't think PH plays as big a part as alk does when it comes to swings. Yes you want stability but a PH of 7.8 won't hurt anything. obviously PH naturally fluctuate over 24 period anyways.