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BRS
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Is it Lyngbya or hair algae. I wasn't clear if anyone diagnosed from the visual. It could be Lyngbya. The animals perishing is odd.

Standard questions:
  1. How old is the tank?
  2. Has it fully gone through its cycle?
  3. The nutrients are coming from somewhere if it's algae. If it is the cyano, this Lyngbya variant is poisonous could be a potential culprit in the animal deaths. And if it's cyano then you can't do anything about nutrients since they'll make their own.
  4. Have you tried Chemiclean? It seems to be very effective. Even BRS did a video on its effectiveness some time back.
  5. If it ends up being algae, and the tank is cycled...I would consider a lawnmower blenney and a small rabbitfish. These animals will decimate your algae issue -- but you'll need to make contingencies for the foxface as it grows. I'm not a fan of the slow-moving snails and urchins. The fish are just more fun to watch and will seriously eat everything.
I'm curious how it goes. I'll be following.

Cheers,
Isaac
 
isaacalves said:
Is it Lyngbya or hair algae. I wasn't clear if anyone diagnosed from the visual. It could be Lyngbya. The animals perishing is odd.

Standard questions:
  1. How old is the tank?
  2. Has it fully gone through its cycle?
  3. The nutrients are coming from somewhere if it's algae. If it is the cyano, this Lyngbya variant is poisonous could be a potential culprit in the animal deaths. And if it's cyano then you can't do anything about nutrients since they'll make their own.
  4. Have you tried Chemiclean? It seems to be very effective. Even BRS did a video on its effectiveness some time back.
  5. If it ends up being algae, and the tank is cycled...I would consider a lawnmower blenney and a small rabbitfish. These animals will decimate your algae issue -- but you'll need to make contingencies for the foxface as it grows. I'm not a fan of the slow-moving snails and urchins. The fish are just more fun to watch and will seriously eat everything.
I'm curious how it goes. I'll be following.

Cheers,
Isaac
Click to expand...

Tank was started in July last year. Fully cycled and all was well until April this year...
I tried chemiclean about two months ago. No results.
 
dexterie said:
Tank was started in July last year. Fully cycled and all was well until April this year...
I tried chemiclean about two months ago. No results.
Click to expand...

In that case yeah... Refresh your RODI components, and I would still consider an algae Blenny (lawnmower) and a foxface. Watching a lawnmower rip algae off of rocks is one of the most satisfying things to watch.
 
isaacalves said:
In that case yeah... Refresh your RODI components, and I would still consider an algae Blenny (lawnmower) and a foxface. Watching a lawnmower rip algae off of rocks is one of the most satisfying things to watch.
Click to expand...
Won’t I have trouble mixing it with the bicolor blenny I already have?
 
Deltec
dexterie said:
Won’t I have trouble mixing it with the bicolor blenny I already have?
Click to expand...

There could be issues. The rabbit fish is a must. But in your case, I'd rehome the bicolor into your fluval so you could get the lawnmower Blenny.
 
Pretty sure a good rodi unit will help with this, just takes time, salt and manual labor.

Hire some janitors, urchin is great for this. I know you lost one, but try again after scrubbing the long stuff away.


You have a full tank shot, to see anything else going on, could be a mix of issues along with the rock just leaching.
 
Tidal Gardens
No chemicals. try an algae blenny.... Yellow eye Kole tang , or foxface rabbit. As an option a sea hare will mow through this. when its gone, sea hare will need constant algae sheet or be re-homed to a tank riddled with algae.
 
Have you considered a refugium for nutrient export?

As far as the heat wave, what was the temperature in the house? Do you have A/C?
 
If you are in fact losing inverts and cuc , I would adress the rodi high tds first , run a granular Ferric oxide to remove heavy metals from the tank , do a bunch of big water changes , then try a new clean up crew.
Go slow. You’ll get there.
 
www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com
Dom said:
Have you considered a refugium for nutrient export?

As far as the heat wave, what was the temperature in the house? Do you have A/C?
Click to expand...

No A/C just ventilation. We don’t get that kind of weather here. Last time something like that happened was in 1976. So, it’s not that common to have A/C at home.
Not sure what temperature it was. I know tank was reaching 28C without its fan on.
 
JoshH said:
A TDS of 9 is astronomical when it should be at 0. I would say this has a lot to do with your issues...
Click to expand...

I just had alot of algae problems with algae also. I was using water from a lfs an i tested the water at a friends an it was .5 tds. I recently got a brs 4stage rodi unit an all my algae is gone. I manually cleaned an got a cleanup crew an now my tank is spotless. An it much did looks like your problem. I would listen to this fellows advice an use 0 tds rodi water an use that water to mix your salt. I have been reefing for 5 years now an im finally have the hang of things. Its a long journey of ups and downs but ill tell you if you love having a tank to look at an you love the hobby you will do everything in your power to get things right ! Goodluck man hope you can get some good rodi water an start cleaning away slowly.
 
Top Shelf Aquatics
RealistMiami said:
I just had alot of algae problems with algae also. I was using water from a lfs an i tested the water at a friends an it was .5 tds. I recently got a brs 4stage rodi unit an all my algae is gone. I manually cleaned an got a cleanup crew an now my tank is spotless. An it much did looks like your problem. I would listen to this fellows advice an use 0 tds rodi water an use that water to mix your salt. I have been reefing for 5 years now an im finally have the hang of things. Its a long journey of ups and downs but ill tell you if you love having a tank to look at an you love the hobby you will do everything in your power to get things right ! Goodluck man hope you can get some good rodi water an start cleaning away slowly.
Click to expand...

I just hope I can find one at the store. From what I see on their website, they only have systems with 3 filters (ro)...
 
www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com
dexterie said:
I know tank was reaching 28C without its fan on.
Click to expand...

It would appear to me that there are a few different problems contributing to your algae issue.

For those that aren't used to metric measurements, 28 degrees celsius = about 82.5 degrees fahrenheit. I agree; this temp is a bit high (I maintain 25 C = 77 F) and should be addressed.

Another thing to consider is use of a refugium. The idea being nutrient export. By promoting algae growth in the refugium, few nutrients remain to feed algae in your tank.

Personally, I use an undersized refugium in my tanks as I don't want my tanks stripped of ALL nutrients. My NO3 (Nitrates) test somewhere 5-10. Prior to setting up a refugium, I'd easily test in the 40-50 range.

Off the shelf solutions are nice, but, excessive nutrients in your tank are the problem. And not just nitrates; PO4 (Phosphates) and NH3 (Ammonia) are also food sources for algae. So unless you find out where these nutrients are coming from, you will spend a lot of money only to fight a losing battle.

I'm wondering; might it be that the elevated tank temps have killed off good bacteria to a point where what remains can't keep up with the bio load?

In a perfect world, TDS of ZERO is the target. 9 is starting to get up there. My RODI system has a flush valve. I flush my RODI for about 5 minutes after every use. They cost about 10 bucks from BRS and have extended the life of my media. Without flushing, I'd get about 9 months out of my media. With flushing, I'm at 16 months without having to change my media. Need it or not, I'll change it at 24 months.
 
dexterie said:
I just hope I can find one at the store. From what I see on their website, they only have systems with 3 filters (ro)...
Click to expand...

I legit just bout a 4 stage so idk what your talking about but ok have fun with your algae problems. Just tryna help man
 
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