Tank still maturing? IDs please...

[desi_reefer]

Hello there folks

I have all this weird stuff growing all over since last few months. I have taken some videos and need you to help me ID and let me know if my tank has matured yet or not. The tank has been wet for exactly 13 months now and has been stable lately. The entire system is about 180L. I have a sump with nyos 220, and some siporax, a large marine pure block and some marine pure cubes. Apart from that I run aquaforest zeomix, carbon and little GFO in an aquaforest fluidised reactor.

Is this green algae thats growing or something else, there is some other stuff as well popping out here and there and I'm absolutely not sure what it is.

I dose NOPOX 1-2ml a day. Nitrates at 0.2ppm stable
Phos 0-0.025 steady
Ca 460-490
Mag 1470-1500
Alk 7.1-7.9
Ph 8.0-8.3

Temperature is maintained at 25-26C.

I tried switching fromNOPOX to aquaforest NP PRO and pro bio S and had a lot of brown stuff grow on corals and killed them, several other corals died not sure why but my phos and nitrates went up to 40ppm and 0.10ppm

Now Im back to NOPOX and nitrates and phos are stable. I also add calculated amount of food to maintain nutrients stable.

Here are some videos of the stuff that pops out here and there, please help me identify and advise if I need any improvements.

Is this hair algae growing at the base of the zoas? Grows very very glow and has not got very long.



What is this hairy stuff growing on the porites? Ignore dead areas they were due to brown algae that grew when I dosed NP PRO and PRO BIOS.

Picture and video below,

The brown stuff on back glass, this used to form a thick cake whenever I dosed PRO BIOS in the past and slowly spread onto the corals. Its slowly disappearing now but very slowly, the stuff on corals disappeared quick though.

Hairy cob web like stuff growing here and there and goni losing tissue.


Branchy growth next to mushroom and rico, and dead sun coral has tunicates?


Another goni loosing tissue, is this due to shading? I have another goni next to it which has no issues.

Final FTS

Thanks all in advance!!!

 

[Tautog]

I also used NoPox, but it will deplete the important nutrients.
Are you using R/O water only? If not, you need to. Tap water, well , most people don't drink it, why would you make your tank? Just something to think about. Your hair algae issue can be as simple as that. A good 4-stage R/O is a must, just my opinion.

 

[prsnlty]

Yes all of the algae up to the Porites is GHA. For all of it you could try dosing 1ml hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons of water daily. Watch your corals if they look adversely affected which they shouldn't cut your dosage in half.

 

[desi_reefer]

I also used NoPox, but it will deplete the important nutrients.
Are you using R/O water only? If not, you need to. Tap water, well , most people don't drink it, why would you make your tank? Just something to think about. Your hair algae issue can be as simple as that. A good 4-stage R/O is a must, just my opinion.

I have an 5 stage RO unit with a permeate pump. I currently have 0 tds water.

Thanks

 

[desi_reefer]

Yes all of the algae up to the Porites is GHA. For all of it you could try dosing 1ml hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons of water daily. Watch your corals if they look adversely affected which they shouldn't cut your dosage in half.

Thank you, will try that.

 

[desi_reefer]

Yes all of the algae up to the Porites is GHA. For all of it you could try dosing 1ml hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons of water daily. Watch your corals if they look adversely affected which they shouldn't cut your dosage in half.

Would you know what the root cause could be?

 

[prsnlty]

Would you know what the root cause could be?

I'm not positive and I don't have proof but about a year ago when aquaforest as first came to the US and people were just starting to use it I did too I used the reef probiotics salt. Back then there wasn't enough information on it. I start receiving algae such as you are and I happen to go to reefapalooza last year at the same time and ran into the Distributors of aquaforest. They informed me that you MUST use their no po4 and their Pro bio s in conjunction with the pro bio salt. That right there told me where my problems came from being I didn't have them before. I went back to my old salt but I've been battling with it ever since and wound up doing a fluconazole treatment and getting rid of it.

 

[desi_reefer]

I'm not positive and I don't have proof but about a year ago when aquaforest as first came to the US and people were just starting to use it I did too I used the reef probiotics salt. Back then there wasn't enough information on it. I start receiving algae such as you are and I happen to go to reefapalooza last year at the same time and ran into the Distributors of aquaforest. They informed me that you MUST use their no po4 and their Pro bio s in conjunction with the pro bio salt. That right there told me where my problems came from being I didn't have them before. I went back to my old salt but I've been battling with it ever since and wound up doing a fluconazole treatment and getting rid of it.

My LFS has recently started a 700L system to test all aquaforest products. It is a complete aquaforest system, the tank has gone through several phases and one of them was green hair algae and other algae phase. Now it has all disappeared and the tank looks stunning. The owner told me he did nothing but just the same what I was doing, reef salt+NP PRO+PRO BIOS. But this was a brand new set up.

But another employee in the store has a 2000L tank who always used NOPOX and tried to transition to NP PRO and PRO BIOS with reef salt and has the similar brown stuff take over his tank with no poly extension, exactly the same that has happened to mine. The brown stuff grows as a thick cake on back glass and all over corals irritating them. I lost several corals in this process but still continued dosing for 4 month. And one fine frustrated day I decided I will just go back to NOPOX and within 2-3 days of dosing NOPOX I have had poly extension and all the brown stuff disappeared.

Now after like a month or 2 slowly the green hair algae start to appear. Just wasn't sure if this just a part of cycle or a phase the tanks going through or is this a nutrient issue. Sump is free of detritus as I use filter socks.

I cannot vacum the sand though due to tank being very small. But I have lot of clean up crew and make sure all food is consumed. I have 2 clown and 2 orchid dotty backs and about 10-15 snails and 1 big strombus snail and also a sandshifting start.

Any help/advise is greatly appreciated. I just give pellet food and a pinch of reef roids. Also dosing AF energy, vitality, amino mix and build supplements.

 

[prsnlty]

My LFS has recently started a 700L system to test all aquaforest products. It is a complete aquaforest system, the tank has gone through several phases and one of them was green hair algae and other algae phase. Now it has all disappeared and the tank looks stunning. The owner told me he did nothing but just the same what I was doing, reef salt+NP PRO+PRO BIOS. But this was a brand new set up.

But another employee in the store has a 2000L tank who always used NOPOX and tried to transition to NP PRO and PRO BIOS with reef salt and has the similar brown stuff take over his tank with no poly extension, exactly the same that has happened to mine. The brown stuff grows as a thick cake on back glass and all over corals irritating them. I lost several corals in this process but still continued dosing for 4 month. And one fine frustrated day I decided I will just go back to NOPOX and within 2-3 days of dosing NOPOX I have had poly extension and all the brown stuff disappeared.

Now after like a month or 2 slowly the green hair algae start to appear. Just wasn't sure if this just a part of cycle or a phase the tanks going through or is this a nutrient issue. Sump is free of detritus as I use filter socks.

I cannot vacum the sand though due to tank being very small. But I have lot of clean up crew and make sure all food is consumed. I have 2 clown and 2 orchid dotty backs and about 10-15 snails and 1 big strombus snail and also a sandshifting start.

Any help/advise is greatly appreciated. I just give pellet food and a pinch of reef roids. Also dosing AF energy, vitality, amino mix and build supplements.

Your tank may still be going through "the ugly stages." They all do it. Sometimes they clean up real nice and then it comes back again. An average mature tank is about two years provided there are no start overs

 

[desi_reefer]

Your tank may still be going through "the ugly stages." They all do it. Sometimes they clean up real nice and then it comes back again. An average mature tank is about two years provided there are no start overs

Great stuff, I shall continue with what I have been doing and see if the GHA would disappear if not I will try the H2O2 as you advised if the GHA is taking over the tank. Honestly lost so many corals so far and the remaining few more is not hurting. [emoji13]

 

[prsnlty]

Best of luck and I hope you at least keep the remaining ones

 

[desi_reefer]

Best of luck and I hope you at least keep the remaining ones

Lol thank you. I purchased a stag frag recently, if that dies I'm gonna shutdown the tank.