Running on a treadmill, nothing is working! Aglae, cyano?

[SaltLifeMom]

Hello!

I'm frustrated and I feel like an idiot, so I'm hoping someone can help.

Weeks ago, my sand starting getting covered with a green/brown stringy whispy substance. It could be easily picked off in clumps. Ordered more CUC, they don't touch it. Lawnmower blenny doesn't either. It fades a bit at night and comes back with a vengeance hours after being removed.

Started to get long algae on rocks.

I did a ton of ready and send a sample to a friend to scope. Was told no dinos no diatoms. Most recent water test on 6/1 was as follows:

Salinity 1.024
Alk ppm 151
Alk dkh 8.456
Ph 8
Phosphate 0.2
Calcium 371
Mag 1184
Amonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 29

Did a 50% water change last night, added cleaned sand, cleaned all the pumps, hoses, chambers, etc. Siphoned all that stuff out. Left the rocks alone, hoping that once I got nitrates down, that algae (hair algae?) Would die off.

Today I tested:
Phosphate: 0.04
Nitrate 21
Alk 7.5
Ph 7.6

The growth on the sand is already coming back.

I feel like I don't know what I'm fighting, so im just hoping something works. But I'm making no progress.

I have a waterbox 25 penninsula. I have 2 wavemakers placed opposite of each other but I feel my flow on substrate is lower maybe than it should be bc my octo and hammer don't like it higher. Pics included.

Thank you so much♡♡♡

 

[Jasonak]

chem clean would take it out right away but make you skimmer go nuts for a few days and not solve the root problem. Whats your light schedule? You could always cut them back a few hours and that will help also.
How old is the tank ?

 

[KStatefan]

I have no help for you but understand your frustration. Two year old crap looking tank here.

 

[Evil1]

How old is the tank? Any corals? Nitrates 21? Do you mean .21? What are you using to test parameters?

 

[SaltLifeMom]

How old is the tank? Any corals? Nitrates 21? Do you mean .21? What are you using to test parameters?

Tank is 8 months old. I take my water to LFS for their electronic test but today I tested using my Hanna tests

 

[SaltLifeMom]

Tank is 8 months old. I take my water to LFS for their electronic test but today I tested using my Hanna tests

I have a Duncan coral, 2 zoas, a hammer, an octo, toadstool, dragon soul facia and green star polyp

 

[SaltLifeMom]

chem clean would take it out right away but make you skimmer go nuts for a few days and not solve the root problem. Whats your light schedule? You could always cut them back a few hours and that will help also.
How old is the tank ?

I cut my lights back a few weeks ago. Down to about 8 hrs a day

 

[Evil1]

Tank still young. In my opinion I would not do such large water changes and definitely not replace sand you vacuum up. Use a small net to gently remove as much as you can. I think your messing with your bio load by taking arch extremes and keep resetting tank cycle. I’d let it be.

 

[Evil1]

Do you use RODI water to top off/water changes?

 

[SaltLifeMom]

Do you use RODI water to top off/water changes?

Yep, I have a 5 stage rodi system here for top off

 

[ReeferMonkey]

doesnt look like cyano to me . Is it purple stringy? brown could be dynos in which case buy copepods en masse and add at night. if cyano do Chemiclean but make sure you have air bubbles and follow directions dont go crazy stirring up sand bed.

 

[SaltLifeMom]

doesnt look like cyano to me . Is it purple stringy? brown could be dynos in which case buy copepods en masse and add at night. if cyano do Chemiclean but make sure you have air bubbles and follow directions dont go crazy stirring up sand bed.

Wouldn't dinos show under a microscope though?

 

[Rmckoy]

Wouldn't dinos show under a microscope though?

I believe Dinos and cyano would if you could positively identify the different species or strain

 

[Dburr1014]

Wouldn't dinos show under a microscope though?

Your your friend used a microscope, any chance they have pictures?
I know people have used there cell phone through the eyepiece and take pictures or a video. Maybe they can do that for you?

 

[doubleshot00]

It took months for my cyano in my sand to go away. I vacuumed the sand beed 2x a week for months then tried dr tims waste away and I assume that combo knocked it back. Keep sucking it out.

 

[SaltLifeMom]

Your your friend used a microscope, any chance they have pictures?
I know people have used there cell phone through the eyepiece and take pictures or a video. Maybe they can do that for you?

 

[apb03]

I think chemiclean is your best bet, followed by a very large water change and microbactor 7 to get the nutrients down.

 

[Dburr1014]

How are you exporting nutrients?

The fact that it goes away at night and comes back during the day says dinos but the video shows none. I do feel however that a UV sterilizer will help with this.

Can you get a close up picture of this stuff? In the water and one on a paper towel spread out.

Definatly need to get this nutrients down.
GFO, algae scrubber/refugium, ect. Will help too.

My LAST resort is chemicals. If this is an algae, chemiclean won't work. That is for cyano.
I have been battling gha for over a year. Finally I gave in and dosed fluconazole. No more hair algae.

 

[Dburr1014]

@taricha can you help with an ID of this stuff?

 

[SaltLifeMom]

I'll try and get some pics tonight. I have been adding MB7, and running a uv sterilizer. I have a chaeto refugium. That's what so nuts is I have a lot going on to help, with no change.