Is my tank going through a mini cycle?

Danmuges · Apr 29, 2020

Hi all, last week I removed all the egg crate from my zoa frag tank and replaced with new frag racks. Over the last few days there has been a lot of diatom algae forming on my Zoa polyps preventing them from opening. Would this be due to a possible mini cycle after much of the beneficial bacteria was probably living on the old frag rack?

Webslinger · Apr 29, 2020

doubtful...any changes will always effect the tank. Could always add some MicroBacter7. I always do if i make any major changes or cleaning

Maltese · Apr 29, 2020

Webslinger said:
doubtful...any changes will always effect the tank. Could always add some MicroBacter7. I always do if i make any major changes or cleaning

What's the volume of your tank? and how much you dose MicroBacter 7? As a methodology when you make water changes and add MicroBacter 7 do you take off your filter socks and turn off your skimmer for at least 4 hours? Thank you.

Webslinger · Apr 29, 2020

Maltese said:
What's the volume of your tank? and how much you dose MicroBacter 7? As a methodology when you make water changes and add MicroBacter 7 do you take off your filter socks and turn off your skimmer for at least 4 hours? Thank you.

I would go by directions first. But I might put a cap full in once a month. Or a couple if I vacuum out my sump rock or sand bed. I only run a filter sock for a day or 2 after I blow off my rock or clean sump. Yes turn I the skimmer off as it auto turns on the next day. Cheap wifi power-strips are awesome.

Maltese · Apr 29, 2020

Thank you for replying to me. Did you know why I asked those questions? Because I read the thread of Danmuges and it hit me. I own a 100g reef tank for 10 years. I am having big problems with high No3 and Po4 problems. I did everything, I mean everything to export the high levels of phosphates and nitrates. Then a friend told me that I have an Old Tank Syndrome. I showed him pictures of my sump and he asked me how old was the crushed live rock used as a bio- media in my sump, and I answered him I never changed it in 10 years. He told me to take it off because the crushed live rock was the problem, it was leeching the high nitrates and phosphates, and replace it with new Bio- media bricks. I believed him and that day I take out all crushed corals, cleaned the sump and replaced with five Bio-Home bricks. I dosed Microbacter 7 a full 250ml bottle. By the time my tank filled up with brown algae that I don't have control on it. I clean it every day but still growing on the live rock it is growing on everywhere. I clean it today the next day it will grow again, it grows so fast. My tank is bared. For the live rock in my main tank, I was suggested to cook the 10 years old live rock in a food-grade plastic tank using new saltwater the same water parameters, powerhead and a heater close the tank and to do a full water change weekly so I don't kill the heterotrophic bacteria and don't cycle the tank again. I have been doing this procedure for the 5th week now. I was told that it takes to cure about 6 to 8 weeks. The live rock in the plastic tank is doing well my nitrates and phosphates have been reduced by half. But the main tank remained with high nitrates and phosphates. My fish and coral left in my main tank although high nitrates and phosphates are doing well. I think i lost all my beneficial bacteria in my main tank. Any suggestion please as I am brainwashed now?

Webslinger · Apr 29, 2020

You should of replaced sections at a time

. I would throw some DR.Tim's in and keep using MicroBacter 7 it can't hurt. Watch your levels. 100% water changes is a little crazy. It really depends what your levels are. Depending on tank and inhabitants you could use vibrant until your bacteria gets replenished (not a big fan but it works)

Maltese · Apr 29, 2020

Webslinger said:
You should of replaced sections at a time . I would throw some DR.Tim's in and keep using MicroBacter 7 it can't hurt. Watch your levels. 100% water changes is a little crazy. It really depends what your levels are. Depending on tank and inhabitants you could use vibrant until your bacteria gets replenished (not a big fan but it works)

I do 100% water change, not in the main tank !! I do the 100% water change to cook my old live rock in the plastic tank to get out the nitrates and phosphates from the leeching old live rock. In my main tank, I only do 10-20% water change. If I use Dr.Tim's I'm afraid that my tank will cycle again and I don't want that. Yes, I will complete using MicroBacter 7 like you sad it can't hurt. About using Vibrant it doesn't work on a Old Tank Syndrome. Cooking is the best idea I think. You can click on this link so you can understand me more

Webslinger · Apr 29, 2020

Maltese said:
I do 100% water change, not in the main tank !! I do the 100% water change to cook my old live rock in the plastic tank to get out the nitrates and phosphates from the leeching old live rock. In my main tank, I only do 10-20% water change. If I use Dr.Tim's I'm afraid that my tank will cycle again and I don't want that. Yes, I will complete using MicroBacter 7 like you sad it can't hurt. About using Vibrant it doesn't work on a Old Tank Syndrome. Cooking is the best idea I think. You can click on this link so you can understand me more

Vibrant is for DT's algae issue and it works.

Maltese · Apr 29, 2020

Webslinger said:
Vibrant is for DT's algae issue and it works.

I will give it a try, but right now it's difficult to buy it online with this pandemic (COVID-19). As I live in Malta. Here LFS's don't sell it, unfortunately. Does Vibrant works on brown algae?

Thespammailaccount · Apr 29, 2020

#brandon429

Webslinger · Apr 29, 2020

Learning Center - Bulk Reef Supply

Learn about saltwater aquariums and reef tanks with Bulk Reef Supply. Our extensive collection of videos and educational articles focus on teaching you how to become a better aquarium owner.

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Maltese · May 2, 2020

Webslinger said:
Learning Center - Bulk Reef Supply

Learn about saltwater aquariums and reef tanks with Bulk Reef Supply. Our extensive collection of videos and educational articles focus on teaching you how to become a better aquarium owner.

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Thank you Webslinger for your help. I follow all videos from BRStv. But unfortunately, BRS doesn't ship to Europe, I don't know why because others do.

brandon429 · May 2, 2020

How to cure and prevent OTS in any aquarium, 33 pages

no cooking, ever.

no vibrant ever

lack of bacteria, not a concern if cleaning order of ops is set

and we don’t dose bottle bac we just clean, in a special way

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

take two hours to read, and any aquarium running that method will turn out like the others, ageless

we show how to stop and avoid any cycle or mini cycle during tank access, we have 100% control over cycling if we have control over the waste detritus most people just kick up into cloudy water.

since the original poster here likely has no sand, relevance might be in question but the work above eliminates a mini cycle and lets you seek the cause of the invasion coverage. Completely cleaning out your system all at once, if willing to do the work, shows strong results.

Thespammailaccount · May 2, 2020

Maltese said:
Thank you for replying to me. Did you know why I asked those questions? Because I read the thread of Danmuges and it hit me. I own a 100g reef tank for 10 years. I am having big problems with high No3 and Po4 problems. I did everything, I mean everything to export the high levels of phosphates and nitrates. Then a friend told me that I have an Old Tank Syndrome. I showed him pictures of my sump and he asked me how old was the crushed live rock used as a bio- media in my sump, and I answered him I never changed it in 10 years. He told me to take it off because the crushed live rock was the problem, it was leeching the high nitrates and phosphates, and replace it with new Bio- media bricks. I believed him and that day I take out all crushed corals, cleaned the sump and replaced with five Bio-Home bricks. I dosed Microbacter 7 a full 250ml bottle. By the time my tank filled up with brown algae that I don't have control on it. I clean it every day but still growing on the live rock it is growing on everywhere. I clean it today the next day it will grow again, it grows so fast. My tank is bared. For the live rock in my main tank, I was suggested to cook the 10 years old live rock in a food-grade plastic tank using new saltwater the same water parameters, powerhead and a heater close the tank and to do a full water change weekly so I don't kill the heterotrophic bacteria and don't cycle the tank again. I have been doing this procedure for the 5th week now. I was told that it takes to cure about 6 to 8 weeks. The live rock in the plastic tank is doing well my nitrates and phosphates have been reduced by half. But the main tank remained with high nitrates and phosphates. My fish and coral left in my main tank although high nitrates and phosphates are doing well. I think i lost all my beneficial bacteria in my main tank. Any suggestion please as I am brainwashed now?

Refer to brandon429 post a few post down. A good rip clean is in order