NEED SOME HELP/GUIDENCE getting my tank back 2 normal!!

[cooper5389]

One other thing I tried but can't confirm that this helped at all was changing my lighting: I feel like my corals along with algae responded well however I was well down the road to defeating the algae. Please weigh the pros and potential cons of changing anything on your reef carefully.

Originally had my light in the higher 20-18K spectrum. Because these a deep darker blues... I was running 60% percent intensity on my radios pro w/ TIR. The Radion is pretty powerful so tried lowering the intensity and adjusting the spectrum to allow more 14-10k whiter light. This gave me the brightness I needed without the intensify.

Again may not of been the main or any contributor but along with all the other things I tried I feel like this helped my setup.

 

[cooper5389]

Here is what I'm running:

 

[cginter]

My lights are running currently 10hr/day. Blue leds are at 80% and white leds 10% 3hrs/day. Also running 4 - 48" t5's 2 blue+ 2 coral+ and those are one 4hrs/day. I don't have a par meter to measure the light intensity either which sucks.

 

[Snookster]

It is not your lights. It is your nutrients. The cyano, like any other algae, will only grow with nutrients. Lighting will/may affect how fast it grows, but you will still have the underlying issue that creates the problem in the first place unless you also address the nutrients that are feeding it.

 

[cginter]

It is not your lights. It is your nutrients. The cyano, like any other algae, will only grow with nutrients. Lighting will/may affect how fast it grows, but you will still have the underlying issue that creates the problem in the first place unless you also address the nutrients that are feeding it.

I get ya, but in my case I don't have any po4 (0.00) and very low no3. (.75) so lack of nutrients while using carbon possibly created cyano? As well as coral loosing color, sps mainly.

 

[Snookster]

It's because they are locked up in your algaes/cyano. That's how they grow.

 

[cginter]

I'll double check all Parameters today when I get home. This will be after the chemiclean treatment, 40g WC, and new carbon. Haven't ran GFO in about 3 weeks.

 

[madweazl]

It's because they are locked up in your algaes/cyano. That's how they grow.

Not sure I agree with this. I see it posted often that tests will read 0 because it is in the algae; if that were the case, then there wouldnt be any left in the water to feed it, correct? I'm a firm believer that if something cant be measured, it doesnt exist. With that said, it is possible the test being performed is not capable of providing results in the necessary range.

 

[Snookster]

The "consumers" take it up as it becomes available.

 

[cginter]

The "consumers" take it up as it becomes available.

I get that you may get a false reading with po4 and no3. But I don't think they'll be zeros. In my case I don't have a bunch of hair algae as you would with high po4 and no3 tanks I guess what I had was a different form of cyano than I had 5 years ago.

 

[cooper5389]

I'm also in the skeptic group when I hear "zeros for Nitrates and Phosphates is because the algae consumed it all".

With this logic anybody normal size refugium packed full of macro algae should never get cyano? Right? Or dose cyano consume phos and nitrates faster? Just trying to understand if this is anecdotal stuff that just gets passed around?

Last I read about refugiums was some science that suggested most refugiums because of the relatively small size ratio compared to the display tanks dose a lot less nutrient export than most people think. Makes me wonder about the algae consumption logic?

Randy any thoughts on this?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Not sure I agree with this. I see it posted often that tests will read 0 because it is in the algae; if that were the case, then there wouldnt be any left in the water to feed it, correct? I'm a firm believer that if something cant be measured, it doesnt exist. With that said, it is possible the test being performed is not capable of providing results in the necessary range.

Yes, it is possible the kit isn't reading low enough or accurately enough, but it is also true that enough growing algae can drive down nutrients to very low levels. That's why growing macroalgae and ATS are useful export methods.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'm also in the skeptic group when I hear "zeros for Nitrates and Phosphates is because the algae consumed it all".

With this logic anybody normal size refugium packed full of macro algae should never get cyano? Right? Or dose cyano consume phos and nitrates faster? Just trying to understand if this is anecdotal stuff that just gets passed around?

Last I read about refugiums was some science that suggested most refugiums because of the relatively small size ratio compared to the display tanks dose a lot less nutrient export than most people think. Makes me wonder about the algae consumption logic?

Randy any thoughts on this?

That presumes the macroalgae is more efficient than the cyano. No inherent reason it should be.
Cyanobacteria can sometimes get N from the N2 in the air/water, and can get energy from metabolizing organics, so may be even more efficient than algae that typically does not.

 

[cginter]

Well it's been 72 hrs since I dosed chemiclean and 24hrs after the water change. Id say most of the red/green slime is gone. Some zoas are making a quick turnaround some arnt as you can see. I added 1.5 cups of rox carbon as well.

Parameters:
Cal - 440
Mg - 1420
Alk - 10
Po4 - 0.00

No3- .5-.75.

very little pink there.

 

[cginter]

So I'm going to assume I ran my tank extremely low of nutrients. And that's why my corals were and are loosing color. As far as the zoas, the water is too clean for there liking. Please correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think there's enough algae to consume false readings for both no3 and po4.

I'll give these zoas a dip again tomorrow and see if any pests come off.

Should I try and get no3 and po4 up a bit? Acropower?

 

[cginter]

Did some research and I'm pretty sure this is the type of algae/cyano I had

 

[cginter]

Well it's back unfortunately.

This stuff isn't red. It's detaches real easy with a power head or Baster. Starting to think I should run some GFO even though I'm getting a (0.00) reading with Hanna
Any thoughts?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

That is cyanobacteria. GFO and other binders can help, so does manual removal, reducing organics, increasing flow, and in desperation, antibiotics.

 

[cooper5389]

Hang in there bud... I'm telling ya after 8 months of battling.... I believe the only way forward is excessive manual removal, increasing flow, toothbrushing rocks, vacuuming sand, filtersocks, skimming heavy, running GFO, Carbon, cutting my feeding down as much as possible...

I was ready to reboot my tank, bought a quarantine tank for my fish, had bleach for my tank, and muriatic acid ready for my rocks....then I thought.... uggg let give it one more shot and I finally killed it.

I nearly lost all my corals in the process... I was just glad I didn't have to nuke my tank.

Little victories like not algae on the glass for days then weeks became my progress meter.

Hopefully it's easier on ya.

 

[cginter]

Hang in there bud... I'm telling ya after 8 months of battling.... I believe the only way forward is excessive manual removal, increasing flow, toothbrushing rocks, vacuuming sand, filtersocks, skimming heavy, running GFO, Carbon, cutting my feeding down as much as possible...

I was ready to reboot my tank, bought a quarantine tank for my fish, had bleach for my tank, and muriatic acid ready for my rocks....then I thought.... uggg let give it one more shot and I finally killed it.

I nearly lost all my corals in the process... I was just glad I didn't have to nuke my tank.

Little victories like not algae on the glass for days then weeks became my progress meter.

Hopefully it's easier on ya.

Thanks man. Funny you say that... just bought a frag tank today as by the way things are going most (90%) of my sps are receding from the base now. I've already had to frag 2 colonies and lost my WD And AFTERPARTY pieces [emoji17]. If things get any worse I'm gonna start fragging trying to save myself some corals.

I haven't had to scrape the glass in days.... it's just all over the sand bed and rocks.