ID please .. NASTY green ... cyno?

specialk · Mar 23, 2016

(see pic below .. is this a form of cyno?)

Have a 125 gallon tank. 55 gallon tank sump (about 25 - 30 gallon of water in there). Had a nitrate and phosphate problem.

* Started treating by adding a whole bunch of chaeto macro algae in the sump and replacing the sump light for maximum growth. (did not have macro in there during this outbreak -- I previously did, but died out when I moved the tank and the fuge light broke)

* Starting running a phosban reactor and GFO.

* Was doing the chaeto and phosban for the last month and a week.

* Started also dosing Red Sea NoPox for the last 2 weeks.

Since then the nitrates have come down to near 0 and phosphates have dropped although I have not been testing with a the good digital phosphate checker ( I know I need to get one) , just the junk test kit -- although I have noticed a drop in the color of the phosphate test kit .. for what its worth.

I am STILL getting this nasty crap breaking out. I have researched and heard all sorts of opinions .. looking for some insight on what this is and the right way to do this as I am taking all the necessary and recommended steps in removing the nastiness in the water. ...

specialk · Mar 23, 2016

Nasty

specialk · Mar 23, 2016

Nasty 2

twilliard · Mar 23, 2016

Pic?

Cyanobacteria can live in even the most nutrient free water.

specialk · Mar 23, 2016

twilliard said:
Pic?

Cyanobacteria can live in even the most nutrient free water.

There ya go ...i added the pic after the post

twilliard · Mar 23, 2016

Is it creating O2 bubbles?

specialk · Mar 23, 2016

twilliard said:
Is it creating O2 bubbles?

It is not ...just looks like a green sludge that forms in spots all over

twilliard · Mar 23, 2016

specialk said:
It is not ...just looks like a green sludge that forms in spots all over

Does it siphon off easily?
As of right now I am still in the early phases of cyanobacteria treatment.
You can use chemiclean but many steps are needed to protect the tank from downfall.

twilliard · Mar 23, 2016

Also try not to do too much with dosing products. As I have said if it is cyanobacteria it will still survive even at low nutrient levels. (Carbon dosing or GFO)

Here is a good read on cyanobacteria
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanobacteria

specialk · Mar 23, 2016

twilliard said:
Does it siphon off easily?
As of right now I am still in the early phases of cyanobacteria treatment.
You can use chemiclean but many steps are needed to protect the tank from downfall.

Yes it does come off with relative ease. It was on some of the rock as well and I just blew moatbof it off with a turkey baster.

specialk · Mar 23, 2016

I am going to look into that chemiclean

twilliard · Mar 23, 2016

Well refrain from blowing it off.
It's a bacteria (if it's cyano) and can spread
During water changes use the siphon to catch it to help from spreading.

specialk · Mar 23, 2016

Im just stumped from whwre the phosphates are coming from. I know awhike back I had 2 led lights go bad and Inlost many of the blues...did not keep up with water changes like I normally do and my refugium went down a bit with the loss of all my macroalgae. ..this all happened due to an overload of work and my schedule got jacked....so did my tank as I am assuming that is where it came from and during thia time is when all hell broke lose. Now I just want to get it back to where it was

hybridazn · Mar 23, 2016

I would siphon it out when doing a water change and try to increase flow to those areas. Make sure not to over feed and keep up with water changes, along with changing out media. It's beatable, just takes time.

specialk · Mar 23, 2016

hybridazn said:
I would siphon it out when doing a water change and try to increase flow to those areas. Make sure not to over feed and keep up with water changes, along with changing out media. It's beatable, just takes time.

I currently am not running carbon...should I start doing that as well?

hybridazn · Mar 23, 2016

specialk said:
I currently am not running carbon...should I start doing that as well?

I would recommend doing so. Use a nice high quality carbon like 0.8 rox

specialk · Mar 23, 2016

hybridazn said:
I would recommend doing so. Use a nice high quality carbon like 0.8 rox

Done! Thanks my friend

Btw..what is the difference between the run of the mill carbon and the 0.8 rox?

hybridazn · Mar 23, 2016

Absorption capabilities, less dust are the major points.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 24, 2016

specialk said:
Im just stumped from whwre the phosphates are coming from.

Food is usually the primary source, unless you are using tap water or have rock that is heavily coated with phosphate.

specialk · Mar 24, 2016

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Food is usually the primary source, unless you are using tap water or have rock that is heavily coated with phosphate.

Well I def do not over feed. I feed a pinch of flake food every other day, and a seaweed strip on a rock for my tang once a day. I also use RODI pure water.

The live rock that is in there now was in there when the outbreak of high nitrates and phosphates occurred. So would these same live rock now be soaked in nitrates and phosphates and thus leaking them into the tank? Annnnnnd ... if so, how do I fix that situation? Take all the live rock out and soak it in something? Replace it..?