Last Call Before Tearing Down Tank

[incloud design]

It appears so far that my Cyano problem is settled but now my critters are slowly dying it seems. I lost my CBS today and my Fighting Conch.

 

[RELLIK-REEF]

It appears so far that my Cyano problem is settled but now my critters are slowly dying it seems. I lost my CBS today and my Fighting Conch.

Oh no.... [emoji46] did your parameters get all out of wack?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Factors that affect the tank with cyano. If you can answer yes to any- changes are in order

1- Are you running bright white lights for extended periods during day?
2- Are you using RO water and not tap or well?
3- Is the tank at or near a window
4- are you feeding multiple times per day and have uneaten food that is noticeable on sandbed?
5- Are you testing for phosphates and have a high level?
6- Do you have fairly good water movement almost creating a gyre effect?
7- Are you utilizing a cleanup crew comprised of snails and red/blue leg hermits?

 

[incloud design]

Oh no.... [emoji46] did your parameters get all out of wack?

Actually my parameters are fine other than a bit of nitrates of .2. I think maybe a wrasse might have got at the CBS and it turns out the conch is okay.

 

[RELLIK-REEF]

Actually my parameters are fine other than a bit of nitrates of .2. I think maybe a wrasse might have got at the CBS and it turns out the conch is okay.

Well I guess that's good and bad news.

 

[incloud design]

Factors that affect the tank with cyano. If you can answer yes to any- changes are in order

1- Are you running bright white lights for extended periods during day?

I was but cut them way down. I actually don't like the look at all with bright whites.

2- Are you using RO water and not tap or well?

Here's one Yes, I am using RO and then some, not tap.

3- Is the tank at or near a window

Unfortunately yes, I am going to put up curtains in my living room this weekend. It's been snowing lately and little sun so that's good.

4- are you feeding multiple times per day and have uneaten food that is noticeable on sandbed?

I feed very sparingly and try and be aware of any uneaten food. I also blow out the rocks a couple times a week with a turkey baster to filter out excess.

5- Are you testing for phosphates and have a high level?

I test for Phosphates with Hanna and they always come back barely detectable.

6- Do you have fairly good water movement almost creating a gyre effect?

I don't believe I had enough flow in my display or my sump for that matter and have now increased it a lot in both. I added a Mag9 to my sump and now it is like a wave pool. The display has rolling water on the surface while not being too harsh on the coral.

7- Are you utilizing a cleanup crew comprised of snails and red/blue leg hermits?

I have a pretty hefty clean up crew but could use a few more hermit crabs. Unfortunately they are very limited around me so I'll have to order some. There are about 12 in my tank now and one big Halloween crab, 4 Emeralds, 2 Fighting Conch.

 

[Sean1986]

Hey incloud! Just my opinion here. I just skimmed through this thread so sorry if I missed or am repeating anything that’s been said.

Can you post your light schedule for your main display and what light you are using? Red,green and white can really help fuel algae’s.

What all are you dosing or using on your tank? Are you dosing Red Sea colors or aminos or anything like that?

Nutrients there is a ratio I can’t recall what it’s called I think it’s reds ratio or something I’m sure I just butchered that or am completely wrong on the name. But nitrate and phosphate should not be near zero in my opinion. I keep my nitrate at 5-15 with stump remover because like you I can’t keep it detectable if not. Phosphate I see algae issue in my tank if I go below .04 I have to dose that as well.

Chemi clean works. If you did a dose and it didn’t work give it a week and add 1/3 more. If that doesnt work add more the next time. Make sure to leave your skimmer running and skimmer cup off. It will lower your tank oxygen if you shut it off.

If you still can’t beat it back go and get a micro scope and make sure it isn’t Dino’s.

You seem to have an open basement and a large open sump. Is anything possibly floating around in the air”debris” that’s getting in the sump?

Sorry for my rant just want to help. I’m also about to set up a reefer series and went through your thread a while back. Love the hood and what you have done. Keep up the great work

 

[incloud design]

Hey incloud! Just my opinion here. I just skimmed through this thread so sorry if I missed or am repeating anything that’s been said.

Can you post your light schedule for your main display and what light you are using? Red,green and white can really help fuel algae’s.

What all are you dosing or using on your tank? Are you dosing Red Sea colors or aminos or anything like that?

Nutrients there is a ratio I can’t recall what it’s called I think it’s reds ratio or something I’m sure I just butchered that or am completely wrong on the name. But nitrate and phosphate should not be near zero in my opinion. I keep my nitrate at 5-15 with stump remover because like you I can’t keep it detectable if not. Phosphate I see algae issue in my tank if I go below .04 I have to dose that as well.

Chemi clean works. If you did a dose and it didn’t work give it a week and add 1/3 more. If that doesnt work add more the next time. Make sure to leave your skimmer running and skimmer cup off. It will lower your tank oxygen if you shut it off.

If you still can’t beat it back go and get a micro scope and make sure it isn’t Dino’s.

You seem to have an open basement and a large open sump. Is anything possibly floating around in the air”debris” that’s getting in the sump?

Sorry for my rant just want to help. I’m also about to set up a reefer series and went through your thread a while back. Love the hood and what you have done. Keep up the great work

Thanks, it would be difficult to explain any type of treatments, schedules, or dosing at this point seeing I have been all over the place trying to get this sorted over the past couple months. I am happy to say that I went 6 hours today with my lights and all is well, still no trace of Cyano and sandbed is glistening white. My lights are Kessil I believe A360 W Tuna in the center and two custom strips in my canopy with a full spectrum and run by 6 channels and 4 drivers off a Bluefish Controller. I upped my Nitrates reduced lighting but have been going 24 hours lit over the sump with a grow light and a cool white LED. I put a Mag9 in the sump so it is like a typhoon in there now which i honestly believe was one of my biggest problems. Regarding my skimmer I can not use it right now at all due to the foaming from the Chemi-Clean. It just pours over even with a lowered level and no air restriction. I have no salt until Thursday and my water line in the sump is getting low. Granted there is still over a 100 gallons but not to my level I've set. Thursday I have a case of salt coming along with new carbon and sediment filters so I'll do a water change and top off my system. I wish I could run the skimmer but I also think running it 24/7 is not wise in my system. I struggle to have nitrates and phosphates and now I have no algae whatsoever after Chemi-Clean. I'm keeping a close eye but it sure is nice right now that the tank seems happy again or at least I am.

 

[bigdrew]

This thread is awesome! This is why I signed up for Reef2Reef. The support is incredible. Nice work everybody. Plus, I have learned an incredible amount: I’m just starting my tank and I’m driving for numbers already. That is a potentially big mistake. This thread really highlights why!

Way to keep fighting @incloud design

 

[JP Reef]

As far as the skimmer. After the last time I used chemi-clean, i turned on my skimmer and popped off the collection cup slightly. This allowed it to foam, but not overflow the cup. After a couple days it was back to normal and the waste was purple.

 

[incloud design]

As far as the skimmer. After the last time I used chemi-clean, i turned on my skimmer and popped off the collection cup slightly. This allowed it to foam, but not overflow the cup. After a couple days it was back to normal and the waste was purple.

I'm not sure what you mean exactly but I have a tube running down to a 5 gallon bucket for the time being but the foam is so bad it is filling the buckets and I don't have water made right now until Thursday. I tried lowering the level and have taken the venturi shaft out but it still has excessive foam. The only other thing I could do would be remove the cup all together and just let it foam back into the sump until it stops foaming but I highly doubt it will until I do a water change and run carbon.

 

[incloud design]

As far as the skimmer. After the last time I used chemi-clean, i turned on my skimmer and popped off the collection cup slightly. This allowed it to foam, but not overflow the cup. After a couple days it was back to normal and the waste was purple.

Someone on here mentioned a way that would takes away the foam in this situation but for the life of me I can't remember who said it or what it was they did. It was brilliant though, lol.

 

[Sean1986]

I cloud reduce any white,red color in your main display tank turn it full blue if needed for now.

And as far as dosing I meant additives to your tanks, like coral food, amino acids, Red Sea color program. Not treatment stuff for possible cyano

Leave that skimmer running it’s not useless take that skimmer cup off and let it overflow into your sump it’s oxygenating the water, you need this. It’s not skimming at this point it’s keeping oxygen in your tank especially when you dose Chemiclean.

Carbon should not be run when using chemi clean

Are you leaving that sump light on 24/7? Have it run a reverse cycle of your display. I start my refugium light an hour before lights off and an hour after my display turns on.

 

[Sean1986]

When your done dosing and after a water change leave your skimmer cup on and just dump what ever it fills up. Even if it’s 15 times. If you don’t have salt water then don’t put the skimmer cup on until you do.

 

[JP Reef]

I'm not sure what you mean exactly but I have a tube running down to a 5 gallon bucket for the time being but the foam is so bad it is filling the buckets and I don't have water made right now until Thursday. I tried lowering the level and have taken the venturi shaft out but it still has excessive foam. The only other thing I could do would be remove the cup all together and just let it foam back into the sump until it stops foaming but I highly doubt it will until I do a water change and run carbon.

What I did essentially was took the cup off and then just lightly set it on the skimmer. This kept the bubbles from overwhelming and flooding the cup. You should at a minimum run it without the collection cup on it though. It was still overflowing on my tank even after the water change.

 

[incloud design]

What I did essentially was took the cup off and then just lightly set it on the skimmer. This kept the bubbles from overwhelming and flooding the cup. You should at a minimum run it without the collection cup on it though. It was still overflowing on my tank even after the water change.

I ran the export tube into the pre-sump where it sits and will just let it run. It's foaming pure white foam but can't hurt I'd imagine.

 

[Martin Kuhn]

I might be totally wrong ...anyhow

You show lots of pictures/vids of your tech room. At the moment i‘m lacking at least visual impressions from „within the tank itself“

An optical inspection of course is only a starting point and you should use a microscope to look what you have in your tank

Some of the issues you report would be typical for a combined infection with dinoflagellates.

I‘ve Seen lots of pics of tanks with algae / bacteria issues .... maybe I can support seeing some from your tank

- if possible use your camera with „as white as possible light“
- Post pics of the areas which are covered most
- Post pics that show us how you installed „the flow“ within your tank

 

[Martin Kuhn]

Maybe this compendium i wrote helps. It includes several (algae/bacteria pest)images as well as hints for the microscopic evaluation.

http://mathgame.de/Aqua/FAQ_Plagues-AlgaeBacteria.pdf

 

[incloud design]

I might be totally wrong ...anyhow

You show lots of pictures/vids of your tech room. At the moment i‘m lacking at least visual impressions from „within the tank itself“

An optical inspection of course is only a starting point and you should use a microscope to look what you have in your tank

Some of the issues you report would be typical for a combined infection with dinoflagellates.

I‘ve Seen lots of pics of tanks with algae / bacteria issues .... maybe I can support seeing some from your tank

- if possible use your camera with „as white as possible light“
- Post pics of the areas which are covered most
- Post pics that show us how you installed „the flow“ within your tank

I don't have a microscope and wouldn't remember how to use it if I did or what I'm looking at. As far as pictures go the reason I haven't had many pictures inside the tank is because it's not really stocked much yet in comparison to others. But the main reason I don't have many pics of inside the tank is my camera or any camera I've had doesn't capture what it looks like to any degree with the lights on. The pictures are always over exposed or far too blue in color. I've tried different camera settings and even purchased a couple filters but to date I've had no luck. At this point the tank is clear as can be and there is no trace at all of Cyano. Thanks for the PDF I'll read through it after work today.

 

[RELLIK-REEF]

I don't have a microscope and wouldn't remember how to use it if I did or what I'm looking at. As far as pictures go the reason I haven't had many pictures inside the tank is because it's not really stocked much yet in comparison to others. But the main reason I don't have many pics of inside the tank is my camera or any camera I've had doesn't capture what it looks like to any degree with the lights on. The pictures are always over exposed or far too blue in color. I've tried different camera settings and even purchased a couple filters but to date I've had no luck. At this point the tank is clear as can be and there is no trace at all of Cyano. Thanks for the PDF I'll read through it after work today.

I think he wanted you to take a picture with only your white lights on and as high as possible just to show. It should provide a clearer picture. I'm glad so far things are looking on the up side for you.