Carbon CAUSING algae? Help

[Burrito]

so my tank was running great and over the shopping holiday I picked up a bed reactor to try running carbon just because...(probably should’ve left it alone). Anyway. I did a little sump cleaning. Vaccummed put some ditritus and marinepure dust, cleaned my skimmer and added another block of marinepure. Then I started the reactor using .8 rox carbon. 2 days later my sand is getting slightly brown and half of my rocks have a slight brown algae film on it.

Tanks been up since August and was an upgrade/transfer from my tank started in April.

I do 20g water change a week through automatic changes a few gallons a night. Tank is 100g

I’ll update in a bit after I run a slew of tests. Any of the events above seem like they can cause an outbreak?

 

[Flippers4pups]

so my tank was running great and over the shopping holiday I picked up a bed reactor to try running carbon just because...(probably should’ve left it alone). Anyway. I did a little sump cleaning. Vaccummed put some ditritus and marinepure dust, cleaned my skimmer and added another block of marinepure. Then I started the reactor using .8 rox carbon. 2 days later my sand is getting slightly brown and half of my rocks have a slight brown algae film on it.

Tanks been up since August and was an upgrade/transfer from my tank started in April.

I do 20g water change a week through automatic changes a few gallons a night. Tank is 100g

I’ll update in a bit after I run a slew of tests. Any of the events above seem like they can cause an outbreak?

It’s likely from the detritus that was kicked up, not the carbon.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It’s likely from the detritus that was kicked up, not the carbon.

Agreed.

 

[Burrito]

It’s likely from the detritus that was kicked up, not the carbon.

I turned off the return while doing the sump
Cleaning and waited for the water to calm before turning it back on.

I plan on havin apex change out 10g every night for the next week instead of my normal 2g


If it is the ditritus, anything I can do to mitigate the damage?

 

[Flippers4pups]

I turned off the return while doing the sump
Cleaning and waited for the water to calm before turning it back on.

I plan on havin apex change out 10g every night for the next week instead of my normal 2g

Don’t take much kick up, especially in a sump to end up throughout the system. Water change may help.

 

[Burrito]

Alk: 8.7 (a little lower than usual, just added 12 frags from cyber Monday, I’ll adjust my dosing)
Ca: 400
Mg:1320
Phosphate: .01
Nitrate: 0...tested twice with Red Sea kit to be sure. Is this possible? I run a healthy growing fuge of cheato
Temp 77-79

 

[Burrito]

In a follow up, I took a little Coral turkey baster thing and the algae is almost like a diatom break out. It all blew right off. Hmmm

 

[User]

Take the carbon out of the reactor and replace it with pillow stuffing floss. Run it fir 48 hours, replace as needed. It’ll filter out the diatoms.

Then put the reactor back on the shelf until something that requires running carbon crops up.

Why mess with something good just for giggles?

 

[User]

Your nitrates are zero because the chaeto is absorbing it all. Remove the chaeto and I’ll bet your nitrates go up overnight

If you want a little nitrates in there in order to grow sone corals that lijebit a little dirtier, or something, then adjust your fuge light cycle to have more off time, until you find the sweet spot.

 

[ca1ore]

Your nitrate isn’t really zero, it’s just not measuring on the test. If it were really zero that’d be a problem.

 

[Burrito]

Any ideas on what algae I’m dealing with? It blows off easily with a turkey baster but a couple hours later it’s coverimg everything again.