Help with struggling to get things under control

cchomistek · Dec 21, 2017

I have been trying to get me tank back to where I want it to be. I have been in the hobby for 8 years and I know things tank time especially recovering from bad husbandry.

I have had my current 230 gallon setup running for almost 5 years. During that time up until the end of September of this year I did minimum water changes and had it basically fowlr. I am now to the point where I want to go reef. I have had quite a few reef tanks and even owned a saltwater store for 3 years.

So here is what I am encountering. I was not using RO water which I am sure contributed to the phosphates and nitrates. I am now using RO water since October. I am dosing 40 mL of each of the aquaforest component 123.

My readings are
Kh - 7.6
Calc - 400
Mag - 1320
No3 - 25 salifert
Po4- 0.12 red Sea

I was dosing vodka to the tank and was up to 17mL a day. I did not really see a reduction in nitrates. I had a cyano matt that accumulated on the rocks and tank and now that I have taken the vodka away the cyano bloom has gone nuts. I am moving to a nitrate destroyer in my sump that allows me to built up bacteria in a tube and dose vodka there to hopefully rid the cyano in the tank.

For flow I have 2 gyre xf 250s in the tank.

I know from experience that consistency is key in this hobby especially when it comes to corals. I only have a few corals at this time but they seem to slowly wither away over time. Anyone see anything that jumps out at anyone upon why the corals are slowly withering away or why the cyano bloom is so bad.

The cyano is green with some red on the rocks and is all red on the sand.

Is patience the key here and once the nitrate destroyer is working well and bringing the nitrates down to say 5ppm. And then get the phospates down some as well. Or is something else a miss.

I have not done a water change in the last 6 weeks or so due to the cyano as I have read this can cause it to bloom some more and am wondering whether the aquaforest is providing extra micronutrients for the cyano.

Sorry for being long winded. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Ocelaris · Dec 21, 2017

If cyano is your only problem, do chemiclean. But those are higher nutrients than I would be comfortable with. I'd review your nutrient export methods, skimmer big enough? Chaeto or other carbon dosing? Sometimes the big guns will help you over a hump, but long term you may need to watch out for algae issues when the cyano is gone.

cchomistek · Dec 21, 2017

I have chemiclean and was hoping that was a last resort. I am working to get the nutrients down.

Would those nutrient levels really have an adverse affect on corals though. I know they can cause issues with algae but figured the corals would not be that badly affected.

jsker · Dec 21, 2017

Since you just started Aquaforest patients is the key. I would suggest running the Life bio fil with a small amount of zeomix in the sump tray. This will bring your nitrates down and in line. Be careful not to get the nitrates down to low. I would also suggest using two doses of lanthanum chloride products, such as atm agent green to get the phosphates down and the run phosphate minus to control the phosphates.

I also found running my white spectrum for about 5 hours at around 30% instead of 8 hours and 30+% my cyano issues went away

cchomistek · Dec 21, 2017

I agree I am going to get a treatment of lanthum chloride. I will try the reducing the whites down as well. I also got a new 48" ati hybrid 8 bulb fixture over the last month so the increased light may also be one of the causes of the cyano bloom.

brandon429 · Dec 22, 2017

the solution to cyano is to replace or power rinse the entire sandbed. big job for a 300

post pics

rare for cyano to be in bare bottom tanks, though there are some.

cchomistek · Dec 22, 2017

We have discussed this @brandon429

brandon429 · Dec 22, 2017

I lack ginko in my diet

I was just thinking

300, that'd be a record. groundhogs day!

you could drain off all that topwater at least and put it back. that would allow you to correct it quicker wo having to make so much new water. if you could pay a lfs truck to zip you over 200 gallons or 300 premade, that'd be amazing.

saltyfilmfolks · Dec 22, 2017

It seems you’re trying to fight cyano with carbon dosing.
Organic carbon feed cyano.

Depending on the salt mix you may not see any change in cyano.
Just avoid “probiotics.”salts.
The 123 actually may even be contributing to it.

I would scrub and clean do water changes (Instant Ocean, why not?)
and use dr Tim’s one and only.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 23, 2017

Can you describe the nitrate reducing device you are trying to use?

I'd personally try something different first (like just ignoring the nitrate, or dosing vinegar).

cchomistek · Dec 24, 2017

@Randy Holmes-Farley

The nitrate destroyer is a 4" pvc u-tube that I placed bio rings in to house the bacteria. It is fed very slowly with a small pump with only about 10% of the total water volume per day through put and vodka is dosed to the reactor to feed the bacteria and allow them to do their work within the reactor. Here is a picture of the reactor.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 24, 2017

OK, so it's like a carbon denitrator. Such a device needs reasonable care to make sure the flow doesn't get so slow that it might become anaerobic and produce hydrogen sulfide, but otherwise should work well.