Please advise!! Persistent light brown algea?

[saltyfilmfolks]

Yea. Sorry im no help. that low a PH and nothing in the tank turns into chemistry questions I cant answer.
As I understand Dino its a plank tonic algae that once it gets into the system and has enough food. it explodes.

 

[ReelRednekReefer]

No worries. I've learned a lot so it's not all bad. Just keep working at it and it'll work out eventually

 

[Dayson]

Does it look like this?

I have something very similar to this. Did you ever figure out what it is? I don't think it is a flow issue as I have 3 mp40s in a 180.

 

[pingzing47]

This is what my filter sock looks like after scrubbing last night.

Get rid of that sock. You might try making socks ang changing weekly. A good thread on this site not too long ago. I made a dozen of them.

 

[marco fish]

Imo its seems to be just nutrient build up. Vac the sand and to a 20% or so WC for the next 6 weeks.
Ugly truth You'll see some improvement in 3 weeks. In 8 iltll be gone. Don't change anything else, but make sure you are feeding adequately.
Some prime weekly Prob wouldn't hurt.
Imo you have a pretty good bacteria going if your not having other crazy algae going on. (maybe too good?)
Sounds like your on the right track in beating this down.
Id grab a lux meter to see How much light you have.(search lux here on the site.) Increades photosynthesis reduces PO to have your corals do the same work your chato is doing by finding out if you can up the intensity.
free
Galactica luxmeter for Iphone
LUX Light Meter by Chrunchy Bytebox for android.
All around best most accurate is still a hand held Lux meter. $15 for cheap $75 for a milwalkee.

if its excess bacteria adding may not be good. so check. Prime and refresh may be similar. Seems like prime on the west coast and DR t on the east.

Do you use the Galactica app from side to side of the tank

 

[marco fish]

Imo its seems to be just nutrient build up. Vac the sand and to a 20% or so WC for the next 6 weeks.
Ugly truth You'll see some improvement in 3 weeks. In 8 iltll be gone. Don't change anything else, but make sure you are feeding adequately.
Some prime weekly Prob wouldn't hurt.
Imo you have a pretty good bacteria going if your not having other crazy algae going on. (maybe too good?)
Sounds like your on the right track in beating this down.
Id grab a lux meter to see How much light you have.(search lux here on the site.) Increades photosynthesis reduces PO to have your corals do the same work your chato is doing by finding out if you can up the intensity.
free
Galactica luxmeter for Iphone
LUX Light Meter by Chrunchy Bytebox for android.
All around best most accurate is still a hand held Lux meter. $15 for cheap $75 for a milwalkee.

if its excess bacteria adding may not be good. so check. Prime and refresh may be similar. Seems like prime on the west coast and DR t on the east.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Do you use the Galactica app from side to side of the tank

Under the lamps over the top of the water and take an average. Practice with a light in you house first and outside.

 

[marco fish]

Under the lamps over the top of the water and take an average. Practice with a light in you house first and outside.

Thanks for your help, what is a good number for a mixed tank you think

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Depends on depth too and esp really corals distance from the lamps but 20k or so is good on the low end. And 10k probably or lower if it's close.

 

[ReelRednekReefer]

Get rid of that sock. You might try making socks ang changing weekly. A good thread on this site not too long ago. I made a dozen of them.

That sock was only 12 hours old but after a water change and deep clean of the tank. I make socks and change them every 2-3 days minimum. Once they stop returning to white color after washing I dispose.

 

[marco fish]

Depends on depth too and esp really corals distance from the lamps but 20k or so is good on the low end. And 10k probably or lower if it's close.

Do you use the direct or the redirect option when you are taking the measurements.

Depends on depth too and esp really corals distance from the lamps but 20k or so is good on the low end. And 10k probably or lower if it's close.

Picture taken with iPhone and it looks much brighter than what it is

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Direct. it should be direct not reflected. but again it takes a bit of practice.Take it out side from light to shade etc. if the readings are over 100,000 its not working right, you can put a piece of printer paper over the sensor and its pretty close OR take the printer paper and put it at the top of the tank and read the reflected from it. move it around and get the average of all readings.
Besides holind your phone over the tank this inaccuracy is a good reason to get the $15 off amazon.

In my Zoa gsp gorg mixed tank I get 20,ooo - 25k lux at the top. tha sand bed is 18 down. My tubes are very good quality so a high par. (i havent use a calculator to figure par.)
My 30 SPS with high light animals is 30 to 40k lux w a metal halide and the par I converted to approx 500 par at the very top. (i have a valeda 4in below that.

FWIW I dont know the light requirements of all your corals. they do look ok to me. but if thats a clam the do like appreciate higher light (and if thats a clam it doesnt look good in the pic).
If you decide(DOUBLE CHECK ALL READINGS) to increase lighting , use very slow acclimation.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Do you use the direct or the redirect option when you are taking the measurements.

Picture taken with iPhone and it looks much brighter than what it is

And lets not jack a brothers thread to hard. Sorry Red.

 

[marco fish]

Direct. it should be direct not reflected. but again it takes a bit of practice.Take it out side from light to shade etc. if the readings are over 100,000 its not working right, you can put a piece of printer paper over the sensor and its pretty close OR take the printer paper and put it at the top of the tank and read the reflected from it. move it around and get the average of all readings.
Besides holind your phone over the tank this inaccuracy is a good reason to get the $15 off amazon.

In my Zoa gsp gorg mixed tank I get 20,ooo - 25k lux at the top. tha sand bed is 18 down. My tubes are very good quality so a high par. (i havent use a calculator to figure par.)
My 30 SPS with high light animals is 30 to 40k lux w a metal halide and the par I converted to approx 500 par at the very top. (i have a valeda 4in below that.

FWIW I dont know the light requirements of all your corals. they do look ok to me. but if thats a clam the do like appreciate higher light (and if thats a clam it doesnt look good in the pic).
If you decide(DOUBLE CHECK ALL READINGS) to increase lighting , use very slow acclimation.

 

[marco fish]

Are you talking about the rock anemone inside the sea shell

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Are you talking about the rock anemone inside the sea shell

whew. Yes. looked like a wilted clam. My friends own a LFS and I helped them with the lights there. If they didnt sell fast they wilted. even with feeding and good water Params.

 

[JerryO]

Has anyone tried a product caalled Vibrant? They have been advertising on FB a lot lately and the comments claim positive results. Any thoughts views on this product? I've attached a picture in case anyone has seen or used this. Any comments would be appreciated.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

one review from a friend. Decent results. BUT I did contact them and they wont say what it is. PH chem biological nothing. Im not going near it till they do.

 

[JerryO]

one review from a friend. Decent results. BUT I did contact them and they wont say what it is. PH chem biological nothing. Im not going near it till they do.

That's my concern as well...I don't believe in miracle fixes which is why I turned to this forum to see if I could get positive feedback (or negative). Since no retailers carry it, this makes me even more leary of risking it.

 

[brandon429]

Consider the peroxide method for this invader if it's chrysophytes

we have collections of it being zapped in the nano-reef.com peroxide thread buried mid thread somewhere. test one external rock I bet its zapped in 24 hours, this is an obligate marine substrate hitchhiker that can't come back after zapped unless its reimported. we wouldn't go off dumping peroxide in the tank yet. but that external test is gold, and then after that a simple easy in tank test can upscale the results further, do consider this method. peroxide is ideal for obligate hitchhikers because their presence wasn't nutrient related in the first place.

Persistent diatom issues are different, and cyano too. no chems needed for those, tank cleaning is needed for those and being opposite of letting something take over a tank is whats needed. hand guide those generations out of a tank when they show up, provide no nasty sandbed to help them get food, and you can easily curb persistent diatom issues. lower white led lights and up the blue when working on those types of restores.



Consider buy/rent a giant UV sterilizer meant for a pond off amazon as well, UV is highly indicated in chrysophyte and actually diatom issues quite well. Doesn't mean you have to run it 24x7, it means its highly indicated as catch up when hand guiding wasn't done initially. all invasions start out small, check to see what we'll allow, then spike as possible/allowed.
Even UV use is to clean up after a massive manual cleaning job, it wont remove chrysophytes off rocks or persistent diatoms off a nasty sandbed. we hand clean those substrates, it catches floaters

For sure other methods may work-- ATS, GFo or other media, all valid. The way above is one way of many options

rent uv for 29 days off amazon after verifying return options as an assessment period to see if keeping is worth it, amarental. Considering the open stuff I get from time to time no foul repack well.