dino's or cyano or maybe diatoms plus alk problems

[nano reef]

I cant really identify whatI have going on because it dosnt fit the norm. To star t with I added 30 frags to a 5 or 6 month old 36 gallon.! Way to many but won most of them. My nitrates shot up from 5 to 80! So I stared adding nopox. I was an idiot that I keep adding it once it got to 10 which was pretty quickly but woulnt budge under 10 so keep adding for weeks without a water change and thats all I had to do to finally get it to 3!

I usually change water weekly to 10 days. I also used gfo so phospates were pretty low but bottomed out to zero after nopox. I had no algae before the waterchange but after nopox then my sand bed and walls looked just like the persons in the pic. I dont know how to post pics but wish I did. I have been dosing vibrant 2 x'scounting to day so 1 x a week and MB7 2 x's a week and it seemed to get better but came back again hard right after water change. I have heard that if phos. is 0 and comes on after waterchange its likely dino's. Its not snotty or weblike. Looks like diatoms but heavy. I notice where it is on glass has bubbles attched to glass. maybe a few fine looking sort hairs of algae here and there mixed in.

Does all this mean its dino's or maybe cyano? Its also not snotty like cyano and its a brownish green in color. I do have a few patches of GHA on my rocks. I cleaned most of my rock with peroxide but ran out so couldnt finish all but its coating my rocks or the ones I didnt clean. The ones I clean are along the back wall and dont get as much light. I mean they are touching backwall. Like arches and tonga branch.

My biggest problem and maybe why it came back is I have to do waterchanges. it had gotten a lot better b4 WC and was looking like it ws working but afraid if I keep doing WC I wont get anywhere.

When I added all those frags it threw everything off and alk was dropping like crazy! down to 6.4 now its getting better but very erratic. I am scared to do 2 part because last time after wc it sustained for 5 days then maybe drop 0.1 then maybe 0..3 its just not consitent so I cant dial in a dose so by 10 days it stars getting to 7.0 and about to get to low so I do a WC. Also most frags are small and only few sps so I really shouldnt need to dose a tank so young. Also these bacteria say they also lower the nutrients so I am not sure what to do. How am I supposed to p nutrients when the stuff to fight dino's and cyano also lowers them? I am also dosing neophos and getting nowhere plus feeding corals nightly! Apreciate any help! I am at my witts end

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[sunken3]

uh wow... without knowing anything else about your situation, my first guess is you're using too much "stuff" to try and fix your issues, which is causing more issues. cyano and dinos ( I have had them both but am not an expert in any way).. i have heard are often correlated to water imbalances (algae / bacteria spurts) from phosphate and nitrate issues.

i would just try to suck up all the dino/cyano you can... do a 90% water change and call it a day (only 30 gallons).

i cannot see how adding frags would increase your nitrates (if anything they could reduce them)... unless something was dying or you started feeding them. They could reduce your alk , especially that many in a small tank... so 2 part would be a good idea, however, not without testing - otherwise you could over/under shoot your needs.

and just to keep rambling, zero phosphate could be an issue (you want an ever so small amount) - again you may have over done it with all the chemicals. last, small water changes are good for maintenance, not for fixing an issue - fixing an issue requires a large/substantial water change. think about it, in theory if your nitrates are at 80, even a 50% water change would only bring them down to 40.

good luck.