I'm upset

[Jamilio]

Been fighting a battle with red algae growth and after i completed my last 20% water change, i scrubbed the inside of my tank and then this happened. My tank just looks like death. I noticed the hair algae turned a different colour and there are white dots at the bottom on my rocks. My beautiful bubble tips are dead. And my green emerald crab is dead.
How can i fix this or should i just toss everything out and start again?

Simple advice would be appreciated. I'm not a chemist or advanced hobbyist.

 

[blaxsun]

What were your water parameters prior? Also, do you have any powerheads in the tank and what do you use for filtration?

If everything is dead there's no real harm in starting fresh once you figure out what led to this and what you may need to change with your setup.

 

[dmy535]

What did you scrub it with?! Are you sure your anemone is dead and not just angry?

 

[Jamilio]

No nitrates or nitrites. Over a year old so not a new tank or system. Took out my chemi elite and used a bag of activated charcoal filter. Only constant issues I've had are high ph, harness and the worst case of red algae I've ever had... And a clown fish that is a complete bully to the other fish.

 

[Jamilio]

Used blade to remove red algae from glass. Using floss which I change weekly and then the media balls, the expensive ones.

First chamber: floss, bag of charcoal, small media balls
Second: bag of charcoal and then large media balls
Third: pump and heater

Temp is 25 degree celcius.

 

[Jamilio]

What did you scrub it with?! Are you sure your anemone is dead and not just angry?

How do i tell the difference?

 

[Jamilio]

What were your water parameters prior? Also, do you have any powerheads in the tank and what do you use for filtration?

If everything is dead there's no real harm in starting fresh once you figure out what led to this and what you may need to change with your setup.

I have a powerhead that runs on a schedule all day and night, ona nd off every couple of hours. Points upwards as its too powerful but it's the smallest i could find. Also use a random flow diverter

 

[blaxsun]

How do i tell the difference?

Upload an image or two (fairly certain someone can offer an opinion). No nitrates may have led to the algae problem in the first place, but I digress.

 

[Jamilio]

So i cleaned out the pump chamber, rinsed out the pump as it looked clogged, and did a 60% water change with rodi water. I also picked out as many bristle worms out of the rocks. I noticed the rocks are covered in a green film that isn't coming off and everything smells like poop. Any ideas?

If i was to start over, do i throw everything out or can i try and save my fish and corals in a seperate bucket? Or do i risk contaminating the fresh new tank with whatever ruined this one?

 

[Aqua Man]

So i cleaned out the pump chamber, rinsed out the pump as it looked clogged, and did a 60% water change with rodi water. I also picked out as many bristle worms out of the rocks. I noticed the rocks are covered in a green film that isn't coming off and everything smells like poop. Any ideas?

How’s the tank look now? Can you post a new FTS?

When you change water, do you vacuum the sand?

 

[Jamilio]

How’s the tank look now? Can you post a new FTS?

When you change water, do you vacuum the sand?

Fts?

 

[Jamilio]

Fts?

 

[ying yang]

Fts = full tank shot

And you did a 60% water change with just rodi water ?
If so and you have still fish and corals in tank,that's not good idea as your salinity going be very low now.
Maybe you just saying used rodi when mixing the salt ?

 

[Jamilio]

Fts = full tank shot

And you did a 60% water change with just rodi water ?
If so and you have still fish and corals in tank,that's not good idea as your salinity going be very low now.
Maybe you just saying used rodi when mixing the salt ?

Yes i mixed salt. Salinity is at 1.2 and temp is at 28 degrees right now. What is this hard green slime that smells like dead fish all over my rocks?

 

[Aqua Man]

If i was to start over, do i throw everything out or can i try and save my fish and corals in a seperate bucket? Or do i risk contaminating the fresh new tank with whatever ruined this one?

Not seeing anything that calls for a start over. Water is cloudy, is it always like that? Or just after a water change?

Rocks could use a good scrub. Coral look mad, not dead. I see a few snails.

The smell is probably crud that is stuck in the algae growing on your rocks. Take out a rock and scrub it with a brush in some old tank water.

When you change water, do you vacuum the sand?

 

[reefcleaners Verified Sponsor]

It looks like you have a bacterial bloom. (Cloudy white water)

Assuming that is the case, a bacterial bloom should be dealt with before anything, the algae will help you in the short run and should be ignored for now. There is likely something dead in your tank that has to be removed or the surface filtration capacity in your tank has to increase or if these things were done it needs more time. If it isn’t clearing up, inspect for something dead. If nothing is noticeably dead, then maybe your rocks have die off and that is the cause. Hopefully it is not, that is more of a pain to deal with.

If it is in the rock, you would ideally try to isolate the rock that has some invertebrate die off inside of it (with dead sponges etc...sometimes the dead specimen can be removed from the rock) in a bucket and cure the rock and then return it to the tank. However removing rock will reduce your system’s filtration capacity.

It is probably best for your fish to keep the same system and recover it. If you have bio balls adding them to wherever you can in the tank would be my next step after removing anything dead.

 

[Duffer]

What are your phosphates at? That’s is what causing the algae.. if it is testing low,it means the algae is consuming them…

 

[Aqua Man]

Official Sand Rinse and Tank Transfer thread

If you are reading this thread to cure a tank invasion from a link I sent you, we do not need to identify your type of invasion here we do not need you to test anything at anytime regarding nitrate, phosphate etc Above all, we do not need to see a microscope slide picture of your invasion at...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[ying yang]

Yes i mixed salt. Salinity is at 1.2 and temp is at 28 degrees right now. What is this hard green slime that smells like dead fish all over my rocks?

Sorry I don't know what is " hard green but also slimey on your rocks "
I just noticed you said did 60% wc with rodi water so thought best ask if was pure rodi or you added salt.
Your salinity at 1.2 you say.im unsure what 1.2 means also as for reef tanks my understanding is sg should be 1 023 - 1.027 and I keep at 1.025 so gives little wiggle room each way or 35 put = 1.026 I believe but never heard anyone say there salinity is 1.2 unless you mean 1.020 which is to low for corals imo.
Your cloudy water looks like a bacterial bloom as others have stated and bacteria blooms can strip oxygen out the water ,for this reason I have 3 powerheads in my tank and 2 are pointed upto the surface for surface agitation to promote gas exchange and skimmer runs 24/ 7.
Me personally I would never have my powrrheads reminding 2 hours on and 2 hours off,maybe your return nozzle facing surface idk .
And at night when lights are off anything photosynthetic that produces oxygen through the day,at night now uses oxygen and produces c02 so even more important imo at night to have surface agitation from powerheads incase my skimmer stops working or return pump so power heads will keep flow for corals so can get rid of the c02 from themselves and surface agitation etc so my powerheads are very important to me.

All I can say is green hard slimey stuff on rocks at a guess probably some kind of algae but could also be bacterial and your hair algae turning colour probably means it died then caused the bacterial bloom or other way around idk.just trying write this real fast before take little girl swimming in 5 minutes time.

Anyway wish you best of luck and hope you get to bottom of your problems and realise what caused it and hopefully prevent it from happenning again

 

[xabo]

Been fighting a battle with red algae growth and after i completed my last 20% water change, i scrubbed the inside of my tank and then this happened. My tank just looks like death. I noticed the hair algae turned a different colour and there are white dots at the bottom on my rocks. My beautiful bubble tips are dead. And my green emerald crab is dead.
How can i fix this or should i just toss everything out and start again?

Simple advice would be appreciated. I'm not a chemist or advanced hobbyist.

What type of "Red Algae?" was it Red Turf Algae of Cyano?