Solving Algae Problems in My Tank. Any Thoughts?

[Spare time]

Could I try the chemiclean and see if it works? I already ordered it. Should I also cut out the red/green channels on the lights? If the chem clean does not work, I could take out the rocks and scrub them with h2o2, add a UV, and then vacuum the sand.

UV doesn't do anything for cyano

 

[TheGrimReeferTx]

I will say, raising the nitrates fixed my cyano issue when I was low nutrients like you are right now.

 

[noobreefer2]

UV doesn't do anything for cyano

?????

 

[noobreefer2]

I actually tried doing that and it just made the Cyano worse, I thought that they fed off of high phosphate. If you think its the problem I can try it again but I cant really see how it could help.

I agree upping the nitrates may help. Cyano can get their nitrogen from the atmosphere unlike some other organisms that may be limited in growth because of ultra low nitrate.

I will say, raising the nitrates fixed my cyano issue when I was low nutrients like you are right now.

I just don't understand how raising nitrates could help with the cyano situation; I'll do it if I know why that would help.

 

[noobreefer2]

Your CUC is minuscule for your tank size. Adding another 10-15 Astrea and 10-15 Nerite snails, and a conch or two wouldn’t be excessive, possibly add a few more varieties on top of that.

I don't think that is the cure of the problem right now, I have had large CUCs and they just die, I am just trying to get rid of the cyano.

 

[noobreefer2]

I have some battles like that logged

best steps on file

remove the sand as a skip cycle disassembly surgery. animals held in buckets first and removed from tank

covered with lids so no jumpers

then with no animals present the tank is drained/substrate 100% removed and the tank is wiped clean from the inside as if it's new dry glass.

then we take only the live rocks and you'd clean each one in the sink using directed flow or rubbing off of any attachments

use peroxide, it's not going to hurt anything, avoid coralline areas with it but it's helpful to kill virulent cyano strains as a direct application

then you final rinse each rock in saltwater and set them aside to go back in the tank

set up the perfectly cleaned tank again with all new water, doesn't have to be high quality water just use instant ocean or fritz etc.

set the rocks back in, then the animals into the perfectly clean system. resume reefing but this time cut your light power -30% from where it sits right now and run only that subtracted strength

you now have a skip cycle ripped clean reef, we track degree of growback work you must do on the tank walls and surfaces to keep clean. it's from the regrowth we learn about the invasion, not once it's fully invaded.

keep the substrate or get new, we'd only put perfectly rinsed substrate back in the system (rinsed for hours in tap water to clear, then final rinse in saltwater) after the system showed no signs of cyano or spirulina invasion

Just to clarify, would this method require trashing all my old saltwater and making 75 gallons of fresh saltwater?

 

[brandon429]

It's your choice on the continuum scale of thoroughness

Using any old water is using old invasion cells directly in suspension, but to pull and reuse old water but still separately remove the sand is better than not removing the bed for such a challenging strain. You can save that for last option after trying anything else

 

[noobreefer2]

It's your choice on the continuum scale of thoroughness

Using any old water is using old invasion cells directly in suspension, but to pull and reuse old water but still separately remove the sand is better than not removing the bed for such a challenging strain. You can save that for last option after trying anything else

I was wondering, becuase it might be easier, I can just keep the fish in the tank while removing the sand rock, and maybe 50% of the water. Or is it not worth it if I don't remove it all?

 

[Spare time]

?????

UV's only work for free floating algae. It will do nothing for the cyano on the rocks and sand.

 

[Spare time]

I just don't understand how raising nitrates could help with the cyano situation; I'll do it if I know why that would help.

So here is why it seems like a reasonable thing to do.


Cyano can get their nitrogen from the atmosphere. Therefore they can thrive in water with very little nitrogen. Other organisms, which may compete with cyano, may struggle in a 0 ish nitrate environment because they are being limited by a resource that the cyano is not. Therefore, providing them with a form of nitrogen they can use may allow them to better compete against the cyano.

 

[brandon429]

it will be too clouded with waste to use at that point from the removal process.

 

[noobreefer2]

Hi guys, quick update: I did one dose of chem clean in mid-December, and it mostly got rid of all the cyano. I then dosed nitrated up to about 2. After that, there was still some cyano so I did another dose on the first of January. I realised that on the second dose, I was not dealing with cyano, but instead what I belive as dinos (they go away at night, brown slimy stuff, and chemi-clean did not do anything):

(pic taken near night so it looks a little weird lol)

I dosed nitrates up again, and I have been feeding more, so as of one week ago, they were around 1.5-2 and 0.06 (they spiked at 5 and 0.07 a few weeks ago). I think the reason I have dinos is because of the sudden change in nutrients/biomass, I also noticed a big bloom of GHA in my fuge and in some parts of my tank.

My plan for the algae:

1. Stability/wait it out and see what happens - I want to keep everything the same for a while, not change anything, when I dosed nitrates and changed things in my tank did not respond well to that
2. CUC - I ordered from Reef Cleaners (get rid of GHA, churn up sandbed):
- 35 Dwarf Ceriths
- 13 Nassarius
- 11 Florida Ceriths
- 10 Nerites
- 9 Hermits
- 10 Astraeas
3. More nutrients - I want to raise my nutrients over time. In the past few weeks, I have seen a crazy amount of coral growth, more than in all of the past 2-3 years combined. I also think getting a tang to clean out GHA would be a good idea, and maybe some more other fish.
4. If all else fails - Rip Clean - I am unsure if I want to upgrade to a bigger tank, so if I do a rip clean, I want to do it when I am going to upgrade. I also may be renovating the room my tank is in, so I may do it then.

Other than that, does anyone else have any input/suggestions? I know this was more of a statement than a question post, but feedback is still welcome.

Here is other pics

 

[Isaac Alves]

I’m dealing with similar scenario as you. Although my nutrients were always high. I had cyano for some time along with algae issues. Chemiclean took care of the cyano fine.

Now what’s remained the last feed weeks are the algae and chrysophytes.

My current plan is installing a large UV which I just finished installing today. I’ve got nutrients under control but the chrysophytes are just not something my tangs and urchins will touch.

I’ll see if the uv helps.

 

[noobreefer2]

I’m dealing with similar scenario as you. Although my nutrients were always high. I had cyano for some time along with algae issues. Chemiclean took care of the cyano fine.

Now what’s remained the last feed weeks are the algae and chrysophytes.

My current plan is installing a large UV which I just finished installing today. I’ve got nutrients under control but the chrysophytes are just not something my tangs and urchins will touch.

I’ll see if the uv helps.

keep me updated, I'm interested

 

[lostmojo]

For your nitrates and keeping them in check, have you tired turning off your skimmer for 1/2 the day or more? I run mine for 2 hours to keep my nitrates at around 6 right now, im about to drop it down even further to try to get it to around an average of 8.

 

[noobreefer2]

For your nitrates and keeping them in check, have you tired turning off your skimmer for 1/2 the day or more? I run mine for 2 hours to keep my nitrates at around 6 right now, im about to drop it down even further to try to get it to around an average of 8.

That's a cool idea, if they get too low I can try that.

I think what I want to do right now is get more fish. As said in my first post, I don't have that many. I have gotten other fish before but they have all died from what I think was starvation (they just disappeared).

 

[brandon429]

the tank will be deep into fish disease vectoring by now though, and it isn't just a possibility for the cause of the prior fish, it's the single most likely scenario. to stock from a pet shop applying no fallow + qt for the display plus all wet entrants is to enroll directly in disease issues. they didn't starve is the bet.


it is good to see how non rip clean options play out, and over what time span. though it's not required/possible to have a shiny reef a month ago it is very helpful science for large tank owners to track, they don't have any other option but to wait and see. its not like you can just rip clean a 200 gallon setup for example, and what your tank is doing models what big tanks do with cyano challenges, the alternation of generations

if you find a way to beat it indirectly you're keeping headway on large tank management science so its helpful

 

[noobreefer2]

the tank will be deep into fish disease vectoring by now though, and it isn't just a possibility for the cause of the prior fish, it's the single most likely scenario. to stock from a pet shop applying no fallow + qt for the display plus all wet entrants is to enroll directly in disease issues. they didn't starve is the bet.

What do you mean by disease vectoring? Do you think the fish I got died from diseases?

 

[brandon429]

You'll have to study a few days worth of reading in the disease forum to be able to rule it out. It's the most likely cause since losses were fish only

Start here

Biosecurity

A short introduction to aquarium biosecurity

www.reef2reef.com

Notice that anything wet brings in disease unless you're using some effort to prevent incursion

 

[brandon429]

The way to study the fish disease forum is to read every single help thread for several pages. See how Jay fixes the issue; see what steps the keepers took that invited disease in, study the patterns. Imagine after reading all that: taking no steps to prep for disease