In need of help, mentoring, or guidance...

[Stege_saurus]

So have been battling both Dinos and Cuando I believe and it's getting the best of me. At times it makes me want to give up and start over. I just need some sort of information or guidance to get rid of it. I'm tired of seeing my tank look this way. I can post pics and parameters when I get home later today.

A little info:
120g (72x18x24) tank
20g sump (algae scrubber and protein skimmer)
2 power heads (1300gph)
Been up and running since Spring 2019 (April or May)

Livestock:
Yellow tang
Striped blenny
2 Clownfish
Niger Triggerfish
Blue tang
3 damsels
Sailfin Tang
Arc eye hawkfish
Tomini tang
Dottyback
Pencil urchin
Coral banded shrimp
Various snails and crabs

I have about a dozen different corals ranging from zoa's to mushrooms to hammers and frogspawn, gsp, and kenya trees.
They were all growing good and now things have come to a halt and I can't seem to get it back under control. Soon I will have a few weeks off work and can do anything in that time. What should I do?

 

[Deep]

So have been battling both Dinos and Cuando I believe and it's getting the best of me. At times it makes me want to give up and start over. I just need some sort of information or guidance to get rid of it. I'm tired of seeing my tank look this way. I can post pics and parameters when I get home later today.

A little info:
120g (72x18x24) tank
20g sump (algae scrubber and protein skimmer)
2 power heads (1300gph)
Been up and running since Spring 2019 (April or May)

Livestock:
Yellow tang
Striped blenny
2 Clownfish
Niger Triggerfish
Blue tang
3 damsels
Sailfin Tang
Arc eye hawkfish
Tomini tang
Dottyback
Pencil urchin
Coral banded shrimp
Various snails and crabs

I have about a dozen different corals ranging from zoa's to mushrooms to hammers and frogspawn, gsp, and kenya trees.
They were all growing good and now things have come to a halt and I can't seem to get it back under control. Soon I will have a few weeks off work and can do anything in that time. What should I do?

You dont have to struggle with Cyano. Yes there may be many ways to tackle this that may or may not work, but for me chemiclean always does. So I would just use that.'

As for Dinos, did you ID what type these are ? Also where are your nitrates and phosphates ?

 

[Stege_saurus]

You dont have to struggle with Cyano. Yes there may be many ways to tackle this that may or may not work, but for me chemiclean always does. So I would just use that.'

As for Dinos, did you ID what type these are ? Also where are your nitrates and phosphates ?

I've used chemiclean, it worked great don't get me wrong, it just eventually came back. I have not identified the type of Dinos, and I can do a few tests when I get home later this afternoon. I will post the results as soon as possible. I can also take a few pics when I get home, maybe that will help?

 

[Stege_saurus]

I've used chemiclean, it worked great don't get me wrong, it just eventually came back. I have not identified the type of Dinos, and I can do a few tests when I get home later this afternoon. I will post the results as soon as possible. I can also take a few pics when I get home, maybe that will help?

Phosphate: 1ppm
Nitrate: 50ppm
Yikes, I didn't realize these were this high. I'm gonna have to do a water chang this weekend I guess...

 

[Rhoads238]

Levels are kind of high. It happens to the best of us. Try doing a few large water changes like 30 percent a week apart. that should help bring things in line. As far as the cyano, try syphoning it out. I've had some success with doing a three day blackout in the past. You turn the lights off and cover the tank to prevent any light at all from getting in. This should cause the cyano to recede. This should be combined with a large water change to remove what died off from the system. It might be worth a shot.

 

[Stege_saurus]

Levels are kind of high. It happens to the best of us. Try doing a few large water changes like 30 percent a week apart. that should help bring things in line. As far as the cyano, try syphoning it out. I've had some success with doing a three day blackout in the past. You turn the lights off and cover the tank to prevent any light at all from getting in. This should cause the cyano to recede. This should be combined with a large water change to remove what died off from the system. It might be worth a shot.

Sounds good. Thank you!

 

[TriggersAmuck]

If you have a sand bed, make sure you start doing frequent sand stirring (in batches, not all at once) to get the detritus out of the bed and into your mechanical filtration and eventually out of the tank. After you have been stirring for a couple weeks the water should be pretty clear after a good stir. Ideally clean any sponges/sump socks daily. (When I had socks I had a rotation of 7 of them to last a week before laundering them). But especially make sure you do this stirring and blasting of all rock (with powerhead, controlling flow with the palm of your hand blocking the input when needed) on the day you do your water change. If you are doing feeding daily, back it off to every other day or 3 times a week. Make sure to give the corals a really solid feeding the day of the water change (so as to be able to siphon off unused food afterwords). Clean (wipe) the neck of the skimmer daily to remove the film which develops and is in constant contact with the water column. You may also want to really up the next few water changes to 50% or more, being careful to match salinity and temperature before doing so. Using a kitchen scale to measure out the salt is a great way to achieve consistent salinity between mixes. (I change 80% of my 14 gallon nano weekly, not as easy to do with a big tank of course, but rubbermaid trash cans help in mixing).

 

[sfin52]

Let's start at the basic. Can you post you numbers including po4 and no3

I get cyanobacteria in little to no nutrients. As well as high nutrients.

 

[Stege_saurus]

Let's start at the basic. Can you post you numbers including po4 and no3

I get cyanobacteria in little to no nutrients. As well as high nutrients.

Po4: 1ppm
No3: 50 ppm

 

[sfin52]

Po4: 1ppm
No3: 50 ppm

Are you sure your dino?

 

[TriggersAmuck]

Let's start at the basic. Can you post you numbers including po4 and no3

I get cyanobacteria in little to no nutrients. As well as high nutrients.

Posted above, hence my recommendations:

Phosphate: 1ppm
Nitrate: 50ppm

 

[Stege_saurus]

Are you sure your dino?

To be honest I'm not entirely sure. Here's a few pics of my situation:

 

[sfin52]

I don't think that looks like dino. There is a sticky thread dealing with dino and how to ID with out scope.

 

[Stege_saurus]

I don't think that looks like dino. There is a sticky thread dealing with dino and how to ID with out scope.

Okay. What would you think it could possibly be? I can do a water change it will go away for a few days but it always returns. The cyano I had gone for awhile but it recently came back.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I see cyano and diatoms. Reduce white light intensity. Cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations go haywire. Just like when you eat too much sugar and your waistline starts to bloom, the same happens in your tank when 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
- 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 beautifully 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 5-7 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 week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.

 

[sfin52]

I see cyano and diatoms. Reduce white light intensity. Cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations go haywire. Just like when you eat too much sugar and your waistline starts to bloom, the same happens in your tank when 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
- 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 beautifully 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 5-7 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 week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.

I was just typing diatoms. Your write up is very detailed.

 

[Stege_saurus]

I see cyano and diatoms. Reduce white light intensity. Cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations go haywire. Just like when you eat too much sugar and your waistline starts to bloom, the same happens in your tank when 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
- 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 beautifully 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 5-7 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 week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.

Wow thanks! That's alot of info I didn't think of. I won't be able to get any supplies such as bacteria or anything until this weekend, but I am going to do a water change this weekend.

On another note: Due to a previous ich outbreak, I quarantine anything that goes into my tank. With that said, how likely is it that a crab or snail shell might carry an ich spore or something along those lines. My LFS's don't quarantine and I have seen their tanks have ich and avoided them at all costs...what would you recommend?

 

[Jekyl]

I'm also battling nitrates at that level. I was over 100 when I started. Through a series of water changes and dosing nopox over the last couple weeks I'm now down to 30. Nopox seems to be starting to work. I recommend the same treatment for you.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Wow thanks! That's alot of info I didn't think of. I won't be able to get any supplies such as bacteria or anything until this weekend, but I am going to do a water change this weekend.

On another note: Due to a previous ich outbreak, I quarantine anything that goes into my tank. With that said, how likely is it that a crab or snail shell might carry an ich spore or something along those lines. My LFS's don't quarantine and I have seen their tanks have ich and avoided them at all costs...what would you recommend?

I would say very low chance with shells

 

[Stege_saurus]

I would say very low chance with shells

I sure hope so, I don't want to deal with that again lol