Pump Failed Now I have algae? Correlation?

[MattR]

Ok this is frustrating. I woke up at 6:30 am about 5 day ago to notice no flow in my tank. Check the outlets everything is plugged in, stock nuvo 10 pump dead. Better yet, take the pump out and try it out separately after cleaning it, shocks the crap out of me so I replaced with a Sicce 0.5 pump. While the tank was with no flow and the fish store two air stones were used for about 4 hours to keep the oxygen up. As I expected the kenya tree coral, the hammer, and the RBTA that split the day before were all ticked off and not opened. Fast forward to today, I now I habe this algae issue on the rocks and the nem box. I have not had any algae issues since this tank was set up and went through the uglies about 3 months ago. I did lose 2 snails that were removed. Tank parameters ph 7.4, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 30, salinity 1.24. The only thing I dosed and have been is vibrant for a month or so as a preventative measure. Please help me.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Flow can keep algae spores from attaching to surfaces. Should say makes it harder for them. Lol

 

[MattR]

Flow can keep algae spores from attaching to surfaces. Should say makes it harder for them. Lol

so youre saying the 8 hours this tank had no flow was enough time for algae to attach to rocks causing this?

 

[Flippers4pups]

so youre saying the 8 hours this tank had no flow was enough time for algae to attach to rocks causing this?

Very well could

 

[MattR]

Very well could

Reef tanks are crazy.... any advice

 

[MattR]

Anyone else can chime in? Did a 60% water change and scrubbed the rocks and sprayed them with h202. Still no change. Help

 

[MattR]

Bump anybody?

 

[BakedFish]

Anyone else can chime in? Did a 60% water change and scrubbed the rocks and sprayed them with h202. Still no change. Help

It has happened to me before, that 8 hours can make that much of a difference. I didn't do as big a water change as you did a 10 -15% and added some Chemi-Pure Elite for about a week or two and that cleared my tank back up.

 

[MattR]

It has happened to me before, that 8 hours can make that much of a difference. I didn't do as big a water change as you did a 10 -15% and added some Chemi-Pure Elite for about a week or two and that cleared my tank back up.

Thank you for this, thats crazy to me! I do run carbon already, but I do also have a little small thing of chemi pure blue left that I may just throw in. Ordered purit so will throw that in. Really appreciate the information

 

[BakedFish]

No problem!

Thank you for this, thats crazy to me! I do run carbon already, but I do also have a little small thing of chemi pure blue left that I may just throw in. Ordered purit so will throw that in. Really appreciate the information

 

[MattR]

Any other advice/help? Thank you in advanced

 

[slojim]

possible you had some stuff normally suspended fall out of the water column and into rocks, or you had some tiny critters that died off as oxygen depleted in their little holes - bacteria would have kept working but no flow to circulate in new water, creating anoxic zones. Maybe it was bad enough to create some "soil" for your algae. You say you scrubbed the rocks. In my tank, I can scrub them all day long but they will still be full of detritus until I take a spatula or turkey baster to them and blast out the debris into the water column.
might be worth a try

 

[MattR]

possible you had some stuff normally suspended fall out of the water column and into rocks, or you had some tiny critters that died off as oxygen depleted in their little holes - bacteria would have kept working but no flow to circulate in new water, creating anoxic zones. Maybe it was bad enough to create some "soil" for your algae. You say you scrubbed the rocks. In my tank, I can scrub them all day long but they will still be full of detritus until I take a spatula or turkey baster to them and blast out the debris into the water column.
might be worth a try

Thank you for that. I do infact use a turkey baster everytime I do a water change to blow off anything on the rocks and sand bed (about 10 minutes before I do the water change. it's weird now because I have slight GHA on the bottom of the rocks near the sand bed but also seem to have coraline forming there as well

 

[Miller535]

I don't think it looks that bad. Nothing a good clean up crew couldn't resolve in a few days. Which I do not seem to see much of in your pictures.

 

[MattR]

I don't think it looks that bad. Nothing a good clean up crew couldn't resolve in a few days. Which I do not seem to see much of in your pictures.

I have about 6 nassarious snails, 1 hermit crab, two trochus snails, and one skunk shrimp. This has been the case for about a week now and I do not think it looks that bad but its clearly effecting my corals since they have not opened up since this has happened...

 

[Miller535]

I have about 6 nassarious snails, 1 hermit crab, two trochus snails, and one skunk shrimp. This has been the case for about a week now and I do not think it looks that bad but its clearly effecting my corals since they have not opened up since this has happened...

Well other then the trochus snails, none of your clean up crew is going to do much if anything to that algae. I would get a couple of turbos OR just one pincushion or tuxedo urchin.

As far as your corals not opening, I suspect there is something other then algae going on. Have you checked your parameters?

 

[MattR]

Well other then the trochus snails, none of your clean up crew is going to do much if anything to that algae. I would get a couple of turbos OR just one pincushion or tuxedo urchin.

As far as your corals not opening, I suspect there is something other then algae going on. Have you checked your parameters?

Thanks for the advice on increasing my clean up crew... will pick up some more snails or an urchin. I did check my parameters and they are listed above. Anything else I should test for?

 

[Miller535]

Thanks for the advice on increasing my clean up crew... will pick up some more snails or an urchin. I did check my parameters and they are listed above. Anything else I should test for?

I would definitely be checking calcium and alkalinity.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Thanks for the advice on increasing my clean up crew... will pick up some more snails or an urchin. I did check my parameters and they are listed above. Anything else I should test for?

And phosphates

 

[MattR]

And phosphates

I would definitely be checking calcium and alkalinity.

Tomorrow I will be going to my LFS where I get my water tested. They are a very well known fish store who I trust. I will get my ph, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, salinity, copper, calcium, Mg, and phosphate tested and will post the results on here and see what you guys think. Thank you again for all your help.