bubbles coming out of liverock?

[ashr]

Hey all


So I am having bubbles coming out of my live rock or at least the algae on the rocks.. I have been having a heck of a time in my new house with growing SPS corals and I am trying to figure this out. Phos reads 0.00 on my Hannah and my nitrate API also is yellow so between the 0.00 – 0.05. I notice also my RO/DI unit is reading out wrong and may be putting out more then the TDS shows of 0.00.


Anyways, anyone know what causes the bubbles out of live rock ect? They are still happening when I have all the pumps off. I do have a brownish algae on the LR as well. Tank is over a year old.


The LPS, Zoas and clams are super happy tho and growing. SPS tips seem to be brittle and grow algae on them as well.


Alk – 8.5

Calc – 430-440

PH 7.6 -8.2

SG 1.26

Po4 – 0.00

No4 0.00


Lights are ATI 8 bulb that was at 100% for 5 hours but lowered this to 75% and is about 7” off the water.

Lots of flow as well.

 

[prsnlty]

Without seeing a picture I would have to guess it's dinoflagellates AKA dinos. They tend to show up in my experience when you have 0 no3 and 0 po4. You need to have "some" nutrients even for SPS

 

[prsnlty]

Use the search option for dinos and/or dinoflagellates to properly id it and find info on how to treat.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Dino's or cyano yes.

Your nutints are pretty low for that much light.

 

[ashr]

I agree that I need to raise my no4 and p04 a little for my SPS. I had a really crappy cryno outbreak 2 months ago and used chemiclean for that and since then I have been super low on my P04 and N04.

I also heard this could be due to a bacterial outbreak but not sure how to identify that.

 

[ashr]

I will also post some pics soon

 

[ashr]

Here are some pictures plus the worst of the Sps.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Bubble algae

 

[ashr]

Bubble algae

Right.. the battle is on for this stuff for sure. I suck it out, and it comes back. Could this be sucking everything out of the water before it can turn to No4 and Po4?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It's probably not helping.

Looking at your zoas and plays I have to say your nutints are fine if not better than fine.
I don't get bubble algae increases unless my nutints are higher. And at the heigh of my bryopsis problems i lowered the nutints so much the zoas literally shrank.

 

[thaitopher]

Definitely bubble algae

 

[ashr]

Just to clarify. I don't mean the bubble algae on the live rock. I actually get air bubbles popping off from the rocks that float to the top.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Ah. Can't see that. Could be o2 from cyano or Dino. Or nitrogen from the rock or sand.

 

[ashr]

Definitely could be.. Hard to know I suppose

 

[Grey Guy]

I have had that problem develope from micro bubblres coming out of the return and dispersing all over the tank. Some times they are hard for me to notice unless I take a closer look. Very, very tiny.

 

[alex.mccann99]

The bubbles are probably from the dinos and bubble algae producing gas. I would start pulling rocks out and doing Hydrogen Peroxide baths, scrub that crap off. Dinos are not subject to lighting, etc. You can try all you want, but dosing hydrogen peroxide and scrubbing it off in a buck with like 25% hydrogen peroxide is all that worked for me. I learned the hard way. Now I never put liverock into my tank from someone else's tank and dip all corals I put in.

 

[alex.mccann99]

And NO, the hydrogen peroxide will not hurt your corals or fish.

 

[ashr]

Will that not kill the live rock itself? So if I did to much at once I would start a recycle? Also I would need to remove any sps from said rocks before I did the bath.
1 part hydrogen peroxide to 3 parts water? I cannot get rid of the bubble algae, willing to try something new

 

[alex.mccann99]

There is also Dino X you can try...

 

[Donovan Joannes]

IME, if nutrient test doesn't show on test kit then the rock is leaching nutrients and being used by algae (any algae). The air bubble is a byproduct from the algae (except bubble algae). Is the bubbles increases when lights is on?

When my nutrient was high (long ago) even hair algae produces air bubble. Just continue with whatever nutrient control method you have in hand. It will take sometimes for live rocks to release all nutrients before the algae receded. Once gone, your rock should be sparkling clean.