Need advice Randy

rob safron · Jan 25, 2018

125 gallon reef with heavy SPS. Started vinegar dosing 2 years ago and after several months and 65 mls vinegar was able to get nitrate to 2 and phosphate to .01-.02. Have not had any alge issue for that time till now. About 8 weeks ago I got a diatom breakout. The only change to the tank was moved to 2 Gyre 250 pumps from Wav pumps. Figures that could have caused it. Around a week or two later came down with cyno. I currently dose 20 mls vinegar as my maintenance dose. Much advice I am getting is stop vinegar dosing completely and it will go away. Obviously I am concerned nutrients will go up increasing the cyno. I did start adding MB7 about a week or 2 ago as a try. Any advice? Should I stop dosing all vinegar and for how long? Other than vinegar I have lots of live rock, carbon and GFO.

rockslide123 · Jan 25, 2018

I'll throw this out there.
I have read this on the web here and there and it worked for me. Change vinegar to a "Carbon Equivalent" dose of vodka (off the top of my head I think the ratio is 8:1 vinegar to vodka- check on that). Place 10 micron socks on your sump inlets then use a power head to blow all the cyano into suspension. Replace the socks 8 hours later. I had to blow the rocks off two days in a row and never saw more than the slightest hint of cyano again.
Hope this helps

rkpetersen · Jan 25, 2018

Where do you get 10 micron filter socks?

rob safron · Jan 25, 2018

Yes. That was another thought I had. Weird that vinegar worked for years and now having issues.

rob safron · Jan 25, 2018

I use Aquaforest products other than was using vinegar. I may try to use NP Pro and pro bios s instead of vinegar. I have it sitting on a shelf.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 25, 2018

If you are sure it is diatoms, the vinegar seems an unlikely contributor. If it is cyano or dinos, that's a different story (IMO).

rob safron · Jan 25, 2018

Started with diatoms, small brown dust and some tiny brown pellets. Then it turned into cyno. Guess I will replace vinegar with NP Pro and Pro Bios S and see if they helps

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 26, 2018

Seems reasonable to try.

Cory · Jan 27, 2018

Diatoms is caused by silicates not vinegar. Check your fresh water for silicates.

rob safron · Jan 27, 2018

Yep I’m aware. TDS 0 as normal and used a silicate test just for fun, zero. I did hear that the new gyre punps could have stirred up areas that have not been bothered for years and caused Diotoms (silicates that were in the gravel). Good theory since it kind of started shortly after changing to them. However, cyno is caused by carbon dosing and that’s now my issue.

Cory · Jan 27, 2018

rob safron said:
Yep I’m aware. TDS 0 as normal and used a silicate test just for fun, zero. I did hear that the new gyre punps could have stirred up areas that have not been bothered for years and caused Diotoms (silicates that were in the gravel). Good theory since it kind of started shortly after changing to them. However, cyno is caused by carbon dosing and that’s now my issue.

Yes exactly. What kind of sand do you have? Diatoms are the easiest algae to get rid of once silicate is gone they dissapear.

rob safron · Jan 27, 2018

Mainly crushed coral. Very old, tank was originally re-set up about 10 years ago.

rob safron · Jan 27, 2018

Maybe an 1 inch deep

Cory · Jan 27, 2018

If its actually crushed coral it wouldnt have much silica in it. Got a pic of the diatoms?

rob safron · Jan 27, 2018

It’s on the gravel, rocks and back glass. It’s not overtaking yet but everywhere. Have been doing water changes, vacuuming and blowing off rocks. I change socks every couple days. Changes from vinegar to np Pro yesterday to see if a change in carbon will help.

jsker · Jan 27, 2018

What Aquaforest products at you running and how long? The NP Pro and Pro bis s and not going to do anything and make the cyano worse. I also have been using the Aquaforest for a little over two years and fought with cyano outbreaks pretty much the whole time until I adjusted my white light spectrum intensity and time and I have not had an issue in 3 months.

I used to dose NP Pro and Pro Bio s a long with a couple of other products.

rob safron · Jan 27, 2018

Run competent 123
Ran ABEV until a few weeks ago to see if that was feeding it. Potassium, iodine and strontium. Reef salt.

I understand a lot of people claim carbon dosing causes cyno period but not sure I buy that 100%. Vinegar worked like a champ for 2 years, which is pretty much same idea as NP Pro. Nitrates for 2 years steady at 2 and phosphate steady at .01-.03. I’m pretty convinced my change in flow cause this outbreak. If I stop dosing nitrates go up and certainly don’t want to go back to green hair alge like I had 2 years ago.

Cory · Jan 27, 2018

rob safron said:
It’s on the gravel, rocks and back glass. It’s not overtaking yet but everywhere. Have been doing water changes, vacuuming and blowing off rocks. I change socks every couple days. Changes from vinegar to np Pro yesterday to see if a change in carbon will help.