Need advanced help!

[Lowefx]

#reefsquad I need some help. No3 po4 near or at zero. I tried dosing no3 and po4 last week. Colors improved slightly, but now I got cyano. Still reading zero. 120g temp 79, 1.025, 2x150w mh (4hrs) 4x54w t5s (10hrs), cheato, skimmer, 2 MP40s, I dose red sea ABCD 10ml once a week, little sand bed. Thanks

 

[redfishbluefish]

I'm only see one fish. Add more fish....feed more. Feed your corals....that shot my N and P sky high.

 

[Hitman]

So your dosing 10ml each a week?
Anytime I dosed more then 2 ml of C the iron in a week I also had a similar outbreak. I'm guessing your PO4 is bound up in the algae which is why your PO4 is reading zero. Personally I would hold back on the iron unless one of the many smarter folks jump in and say otherwise. Maybe run some rowaphos or GFO to help with the nutrients as it dies off.

 

[Lowefx]

Usually C is an every other week dose, but I will hold off on in for a few weeks. I'm afraid to add gfo because I dont want to nuke my sps.

 

[Lasse]

If it was my aquaria - I would stop with ABCD until the cyanobacteria was under control. And if you dose NoPox - stop that too.I would dose NO3 upp to a reading of 2 ppm and taking away the mats mechanical every night, I would also buy a Hanna checker low phosphate - I do not really believe that you have 0 in PO4 (but I can be wrong) because your Euphyllia looks great - and the Florida too. To defeat cyanobacteria - you need patience and time

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lowefx]

If it was my aquaria - I would stop with ABCD until the cyanobacteria was under control. And if you dose NoPox - stop that too.I would dose NO3 upp to a reading of 2 ppm and taking away the mats mechanical every night, I would also buy a Hanna checker low phosphate - I do not really believe that you have 0 in PO4 (but I can be wrong) because your Euphyllia looks great - and the Florida too. To defeat cyanobacteria - you need patience and time

Sincerely Lasse

Thanks, I can give it a try. I have not dosed nopox4 in a few weeks.
How long do you reccomend doing this for? Untill the cyano goes away?
I tried chemiclean once. It worked for a week then came back.....

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

What’s the issue ? Pale corals?

Start your dose slower or lower. Give time for the coral to absorb it rather than the cyano.

Obviously you won’t have an issue with extra nutrients from die off. You need em.
Gfo would strip the Po4 yes.

 

[Michael E.]

Do you run an Algae Scrubber?

 

[Lowefx]

What’s the issue ? Pale corals?

Start your dose slower or lower. Give time for the coral to absorb it rather than the cyano.

Obviously you won’t have an issue with extra nutrients from die off. You need em.
Gfo would strip the Po4 yes.

Issue is the cyano. I have decent colors in the coral.

 

[Lowefx]

Do you run an Algae Scrubber?

No, but a fuge with only cheato in it

 

[Lasse]

Thanks, I can give it a try. I have not dosed nopox4 in a few weeks.
How long do you reccomend doing this for? Untill the cyano goes away?
I tried chemiclean once. It worked for a week then came back.....

Keep 2 ppm NO3 in the future - do not panic if it come up higher

My experiences with NO3 dosing and cyanobacteria is that Cyanobacteria fix its own nitrogen below the mats and dosing NO3 will favour other algae that yo can use grazers on (CUC). If you have it most in the sand - just suck the sand away for a while. But different aquaria is - just different so take @saltyfilmfolks advise and ramp it up to 2 ppm during some days. What´s normal happens is that first - you see nothing, and then yo see nothing and at last you see some. But if you dose and not see anything happens with the concentration - your organisms use it up.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Michael E.]

I would at least consider running an ATS over the cheato. I had a tank like yours with good readings (minus the occasional phosphate spike) and that cleared it up over time to a point where it is Chrystal clear. I took the recommendation from a neighbor. Worked just as advertised. I would also recommend not dosing ABCD for a while...especially C. Just my experience though. Good luck!

 

[Lasse]

No, but a fuge with only cheato in it

How does the chaeto do? If you are 0 in NO3 - the chaeto will take up some.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Issue is the cyano. I have decent colors in the coral.

Let the nopox wane from the system.
It is bacteria food after all.

Keep blowing the mats off.
Not sure I’d even dose no3.
Double check the Po4

 

[lapin]

I had the same thing happen. Tank was .02 P / 1 N my cyano had gone away. I dosed N and P thinking it would help my coral = Stupid mistake. I also had some freebie A&B coral stuff that came with each bucket of salt. Plus I dosed some iron for my macro's. Well guess what? The cyano loved the change. So now I have to play the waiting game until the red sand goes away. I think upping my nitrates is a good idea in the long run but realize that my corals are used to low N and it will take time for them to process more. Moral of story, dont mess with le tank if it looks good and if you do, do it very very very slowly.

 

[Lowefx]

I had the same thing happen. Tank was .02 P / 1 N my cyano had gone away. I dosed N and P thinking it would help my coral = Stupid mistake. I also had some freebie A&B coral stuff that came with each bucket of salt. Plus I dosed some iron for my macro's. Well guess what? The cyano loved the change. So now I have to play the waiting game until the red sand goes away. I think upping my nitrates is a good idea in the long run but realize that my corals are used to low N and it will take time for them to process more. Moral of story, dont mess with le tank if it looks good and if you do, do it very very very slowly.

My tank has been running for almost 2 years, and I've been battling diatoms the whole time. Started tank from dry sand and dry rock. At the time I started the tank with Zeovit. I stopped zeovit 6 months ago and went with red sea abcd. If you look at my tank picture, I dont have much sand left. Should I just vacume it all out, and replace with live sand?
For some reason I just cant ballance my tank.

Heres my sump with little cheato growth. #bashsea

 

[lapin]

I would vac the sand and add more as needed. It does not have to be live sand. Time will get rid of cyano. I think you have enough rock for filtration with the fish load you have. As stated above, avoid the nopox and chemiclean. They can work for some tanks, but for most, the cyano comes back and other problems pop up.
For what its worth, I dont think you have much of a problem. Your tank looks great.

 

[Lowefx]

I would vac the sand and add more as needed. It does not have to be live sand. Time will get rid of cyano. I think you have enough rock for filtration with the fish load you have. As stated above, avoid the nopox and chemiclean. They can work for some tanks, but for most, the cyano comes back and other problems pop up.
For what its worth, I dont think you have much of a problem. Your tank looks great.

Thank you.

My only issue is that if I stop dosing abcd my corals lose their color. I may syphon what I can out, and add live sand, and see what that does

 

[Lasse]

Cyanobacteria is a more actual threat than pale colours - fight that first - fix the colours afterwards.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lowefx]

Cyanobacteria is a more actual threat than pale colours - fight that first - fix the colours afterwards.

Sincerely Lasse

What about the diatoms also? You can see them on the bottom right of my tank. My 7 stage rodi still reads .000