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♡♡♡

 

[taricha]

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

That is mostly GHA, at least the stuff under the microscope looks a lot like it.

 

[Rugops]

Remove as much of it as possible and raise your Mg to 1600 mg/L. I did that and it went away for me but be aware that it doesn't always work.

 

[SaltLifeMom]

Thanks so much! I'll work on the Mg!

 

[SaltLifeMom]

Tested again with the Hanna tests I have. Today it is
Phostphate 0.04
Nitrate 22.6
Alk 8.5
Ph 7.8

I'm worried that my nitrates are where they are. Is it possible I don't have enough good bacteria? I'm adding a capful of MB7 every night....

 

[19Mateo83]

I had something similar and asked @vetteguy53081 about it. He recommended turning my lighting to blues only and dosing 1ml per 10 gallons of hydrogen peroxide at night at lights off and 1.5ml per 10 gallons of microbacter 7 in the morning at lights on. This method has helped quite a bit.

 

[FUNGI]

Nitrate 22.6...
Thats a little high no?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Nitrate 22.6...
Thats a little high no?

Actually, No
Nitrate 15-20
Phos .04 - .08 up to 1 safely

 

[SaltLifeMom]

Actually, No
Nitrate 15-20
Phos .04 - .08 up to 1 safely

So today it's back with a vengeance but is like a brown dust almost? Maybe cyano? I've been dosing mb7, lights are just blues. Bought a hare, he cleaned the rocks, but not touching tgis....

 

[vetteguy53081]

So today it's back with a vengeance but is like a brown dust almost? Maybe cyano? I've been dosing mb7, lights are just blues. Bought a hare, he cleaned the rocks, but not touching tgis....

Please post same pics under white lighting.

 

[SaltLifeMom]

Please post same pics under white lighting.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Its diatoms which generally appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle but they can also appear in an established reef tank. They cover sand, rock, pumps, glass, you name it. they look ugly but in most cases they are harmless so the key is to not panic when they appear. Yours is not too bad.
Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates. Unfiltered tap water can contain silicates and is a good way to jump start a bloom if you use it to mix salt or to replace water that evaporated from the tank. The best way to prevent this from happening is to filter water through a RODI unit, although you can still get a diatom bloom when using RODI if the cartridge that removes silicates expires.
If you are not happy with its appearance, consider a 3 day blackout. Diatoms are easily wiped from the glass with a magnet algae cleaner and a toothbrush for surfaces of the tank. Be prepared for them to re-establish themselves though. Also helpful is addition of snails such as Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails which are effective at removing diatoms.

 

[ClownSchool]

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 ?

Absolutely, ChemiClean will fix your problem.
Draw some water from the tank into a cup. Add one level spoon of ChemiClean (included in the box) for every 10 gallons of your system into the cup. Turn off your skimmer and remove any carbon or GFO from the system. Put an air stone in, pour the cup into your tank, and wait three day before doing a 20% water change.

 

[ClownSchool]

Its diatoms which generally appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle but they can also appear in an established reef tank. They cover sand, rock, pumps, glass, you name it. they look ugly but in most cases they are harmless so the key is to not panic when they appear. Yours is not too bad.
Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates. Unfiltered tap water can contain silicates and is a good way to jump start a bloom if you use it to mix salt or to replace water that evaporated from the tank. The best way to prevent this from happening is to filter water through a RODI unit, although you can still get a diatom bloom when using RODI if the cartridge that removes silicates expires.
If you are not happy with its appearance, consider a 3 day blackout. Diatoms are easily wiped from the glass with a magnet algae cleaner and a toothbrush for surfaces of the tank. Be prepared for them to re-establish themselves though. Also helpful is addition of snails such as Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails which are effective at removing diatoms.

Like vetteguy said, it feeds on silicates. So, adding more clean sand to your system probably made the problem worse.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Like vetteguy said, it feeds on silicates. So, adding more clean sand to your system probably made the problem worse.

High likelihood

 

[Troylee]

Absolutely, ChemiClean will fix your problem.
Draw some water from the tank into a cup. Add one level spoon of ChemiClean (included in the box) for every 10 gallons of your system into the cup. Turn off your skimmer and remove any carbon or GFO from the system. Put an air stone in, pour the cup into your tank, and wait three day before doing a 20% water change.

How would chemi clean fix hair algae and diatoms? I’m curious why a few of you are pushing this.. have you seen the pics or read the threads???

 

[ClownSchool]

How would chemi clean fix hair algae and diatoms? I’m curious why a few of you are pushing this.. have you seen the pics or read the threads???

…for Cyano and diatoms. Based on the original post, hair algae wasn’t the focus of concern.

 

[ClownSchool]

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♡♡♡

As it builds up through your photo period, are you seeing any air bubbles in the brown growth?

 

[exnisstech]

Like vetteguy said, it feeds on silicates. So, adding more clean sand to your system probably made the problem worse.

Agreed. I just added sand to an established tank so I could add a haddoni. Made it a few days and now the sand is starting to get covered.

 

[SaltLifeMom]

Its diatoms which generally appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle but they can also appear in an established reef tank. They cover sand, rock, pumps, glass, you name it. they look ugly but in most cases they are harmless so the key is to not panic when they appear. Yours is not too bad.
Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates. Unfiltered tap water can contain silicates and is a good way to jump start a bloom if you use it to mix salt or to replace water that evaporated from the tank. The best way to prevent this from happening is to filter water through a RODI unit, although you can still get a diatom bloom when using RODI if the cartridge that removes silicates expires.
If you are not happy with its appearance, consider a 3 day blackout. Diatoms are easily wiped from the glass with a magnet algae cleaner and a toothbrush for surfaces of the tank. Be prepared for them to re-establish themselves though. Also helpful is addition of snails such as Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails which are effective at removing diatoms.

Thank you SO much. That gives me a path forward, much appreciated ♡♡♡

 

[Digger76]

Hi! I did a 4 days blackout twice when I had diatoms/cyano blooms in the past and they backed off. Hope it helps.

Edit: I covered the tank with a blanket so no ambient light could enter and only took it off for a few minutes to feed the fishes.