Don’t judge or do just need advice

[D. Torres]

Pretty certain this is green Cyano. Tank was severely neglected. Went through a divorce moved tank twice in less than 6 months. Then couldn’t keep up with maintenance. I know I did it to myself but I’m trying to get back on track. Lost all my coral except GSP and some mushrooms, fish made it just fine. It’s about 160g total volume. Here is the test my local LFS ran. I’m thinking of running chemiclean. But I am open to any and all suggestions before doing so. My main concern is an ammonia spike due to the amount of cyano that will be killed off because it is literally covering every single rock and about 50% of the sand bed. I’ve been reefing for about 6 years but this is the worst condition I’ve had my tank ever and I’m always open to learning new tips and techniques. Thank you in advance.

 

[cwerner]

Your actual numbers are likely much higher for Phos and Nitrate, but it's all bound up in the algae.

Honestly my thinking would be to dose API AlgaeFix. Considering you don't have corals it's not going to be a danger to them. The algae will be disintegrating so make sure your skimmer is running and is pulling good amounts of skim. The bottle will have specific instructions.

Long term you need to think about some sustainable method of nutrient export. Water changes don't really keep up with it unless you're doing weekly large % water changes. Think about an algae scrubber or refugium, or maybe carbon dosing with an oversized skimmer.

 

[mjw011689]

Couple things that come to mind… i personally have used that tester many times, and i will say it’s ok but leaves some room for error. It’s pretty easy to do the test wrong and get inaccurate readings. Also, it definitely is not extremely accurate. Close, yes, but even APIs website shows the allowable +/-, and specifically with phosphate I’ve noticed it can be a bit off. I’ve compared same water samples against a Hanna checker and got very different readings. You may be even higher on the phosphate (or lower for that matter).

Playing devils advocate and assuming it’s actually accurate, .2 is still high. Not horribly, but it is definitely high.

I would personally attack with a large water change (gravel vac the sand, use a pump to blow as much off the rock as possible). If you have a sump with a filter sock, I’d even take a hose and run a siphon down through the sock and siphon off as much from the rock as possible instead of blowing it off with a pump. If not, blast it off the rock with a pump and then try to suck up as much of the free floating as possible when you do your water change.

Next, get the phosphates corrected. What are you using for water? (Top off and for mixing salt). Run some rowaphos or phosban or something similar to help pull the phosphates down.

Reduce or completely cut lighting for a few days. If you cut the lighting completely your corals will be ok for a few days. This will usually clear it up pretty quickly. If it does clear it up, I’d do a water test again to see if a lot of phosphate and nitrate were released. If so, hit it with another water change to try and reduce those numbers again.

 

[D. Torres]

Couple things that come to mind… i personally have used that tester many times, and i will say it’s ok but leaves some room for error. It’s pretty easy to do the test wrong and get inaccurate readings. Also, it definitely is not extremely accurate. Close, yes, but even APIs website shows the allowable +/-, and specifically with phosphate I’ve noticed it can be a bit off. I’ve compared same water samples against a Hanna checker and got very different readings. You may be even higher on the phosphate (or lower for that matter).

Playing devils advocate and assuming it’s actually accurate, .2 is still high. Not horribly, but it is definitely high.

I would personally attack with a large water change (gravel vac the sand, use a pump to blow as much off the rock as possible). If you have a sump with a filter sock, I’d even take a hose and run a siphon down through the sock and siphon off as much from the rock as possible instead of blowing it off with a pump. If not, blast it off the rock with a pump and then try to suck up as much of the free floating as possible when you do your water change.

Next, get the phosphates corrected. What are you using for water? (Top off and for mixing salt). Run some rowaphos or phosban or something similar to help pull the phosphates down.

Reduce or completely cut lighting for a few days. If you cut the lighting completely your corals will be ok for a few days. This will usually clear it up pretty quickly. If it does clear it up, I’d do a water test again to see if a lot of phosphate and nitrate were released. If so, hit it with another water change to try and reduce those numbers again.

I tried brushing it off the rock with a large nylon brush and did a 35 gallon water change 5 days ago. I have a 5 stage RODI reading at 0 TDS with a hand held tester. I use Red Sea Reef Salt. I’ve done this the past 3 weeks trying to get my system back on track and I hit 1/3 of the sandbed each time. After the second water change is when the Cyano broke out. I think it might have been due to disturbing the sandbed. About 5 days after scrubbing the rocks it looks the same as if I never touched it. I know I need to try one thing at a time. I have some rowaphos. I have chemiclean. My skimmer is the Red Sea RSK 900 which according to online can handle up 240 gallons with a heavy bioload. Just need a plan of action.

 

[D. Torres]

@twilliard I’ve noticed that your are knowledgeable in this subject. Any suggestions?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I tried brushing it off the rock with a large nylon brush and did a 35 gallon water change 5 days ago. I have a 5 stage RODI reading at 0 TDS with a hand held tester. I use Red Sea Reef Salt. I’ve done this the past 3 weeks trying to get my system back on track and I hit 1/3 of the sandbed each time. After the second water change is when the Cyano broke out. I think it might have been due to disturbing the sandbed. About 5 days after scrubbing the rocks it looks the same as if I never touched it. I know I need to try one thing at a time. I have some rowaphos. I have chemiclean. My skimmer is the Red Sea RSK 900 which according to online can handle up 240 gallons with a heavy bioload. Just need a plan of action.

it is indeed Cyano and your readings do not support what is happening and I suspect false numbers
For the cyano, cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate. When the protein skimmer does not output the best efficiency or you do not have the suitable protein skimmer to cover the tank, the air bubbles created by the skimmer might be insufficient. And this insufficiency of air bubbles can trigger the cyano to thrive.
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development

I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 3-5 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.

After the 5 days, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.

 

[JCOLE]

I would add a good CUC and give it a couple months. Everything should balance itself out.

 

[D. Torres]

it is indeed Cyano and your readings do not support what is happening and I suspect false numbers
For the cyano, cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate. When the protein skimmer does not output the best efficiency or you do not have the suitable protein skimmer to cover the tank, the air bubbles created by the skimmer might be insufficient. And this insufficiency of air bubbles can trigger the cyano to thrive.
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development

I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 3-5 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.

After the 5 days, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.

Tank isn’t heavily stocked. 4 tangs, 2 clownfish, 3 fire fish, 1 scissor tail goby. No corals except for some GSP and about 5 rhodactis mushrooms that survived my tank moves. Skimmer pulls great. I go for a drier skim, should I go for a wet skim? Also should I turn just the whites off and leave the blues or go for a complete black out? Any particular bacteria that you recommend?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Tank isn’t heavily stocked. 4 tangs, 2 clownfish, 3 fire fish, 1 scissor tail goby. No corals except for some GSP and about 5 rhodactis mushrooms that survived my tank moves. Skimmer pulls great. I go for a drier skim, should I go for a wet skim? Also should I turn just the whites off and leave the blues or go for a complete black out? Any particular bacteria that you recommend?

Complete blackout most effective as light is fuel for this bacteria.
Wet skim pulls organic matter best and dump the skimmer cup daily during blackout

 

[jda]

Chemiclean has always been safe for me, but it is just temporary. If you need a reset, then give it a shot. You will need to get a good cleanup crew - maybe a few urchins and 50-100 each of cerith and astera... these are cheap out of the Keys from ReefTopia or the like.

If you are worried about an ammonia spike, then vacuum all of it out that you can just before you treat. I would not worry about it, but it won't hurt either.