Took some bad advice from LFS, now what?

[RobinV]

I recently returned to the hobby, last time I was in it was 1990. Wow have things changed.
I have a Waterbox 20 Cube, set it up in August '20. Didn't use live rock like I had before, because I was told people don't do that anymore.
A week after the tank was running, LFS told me it was time to add 2 clowns.
1 died three days later, the other 1 is still going strong.
When the diatom stage hit (I know about this now from digging through this site -- I don't remember hitting any of these stages back in 1990?) the LFS told me I was probably overfeeding and needed to get rid of the phosphates. So I backed off feeding to once a day and started using PhosGuard, and added a small protein skimmer. Now Nitrates and Phosphate test 0 consistently, which again after reading here, seems bad. Stopped the PhosGuard and went back to feeding twice a day. Still at 0 on both, but ordered some NeoPhos hoping it will help?
I've got a fairly large out break of either dinos or cyano, I can't tell. On the advice of LFS, I tried Chemiclean, twice, didn't work either time. I did a three day blackout that seemed to help, but a week later it's back stronger than ever. However, I didn't do the hydrogen peroxide at night and Bacter 7 during the day as I've seen recommended here.
I was also doing 25% water changes, sometimes twice a week, just to vacuum up all the red/brown hairy stuff on the gravel.
All through this, the fish (2 clowns, 1 six line wrasse, 1 yellow watchman goby, 1 peppermint shrimp, 1 pistol shrimp) have seemed absolutely fine. The zoanthids and acroporas, too. The only one who seems changed by things is the red bubble tip anemone, who used to be bubbly but is now stringy-er, though just as colorful and eating fine.
So. I don't know. Any thoughts would help. I now have the hydrogen peroxide and Bacter 7 if I wanted to try another blackout -- the rbta really did not enjoy that the first time.
Or I could just let it get dirty and do once a week 25% water changes and hope it goes away eventually?
Like I said, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[homer1475]

Red... Looks like cyano.

Your testing 0, but what test kits are you using? Some are better then others at registering low levels, and not a true 0.

 

[bmbpka]

Chemi-clean works great but it takes time. Just got done using it about a month ago. You said you used it twice and nothing? Do you mean you dosed twice and that was it? I think mine took 2month worth of dosing for the cyano to go away for good.

 

[William Mumford]

Bubble tip nems get long drawn out tentacles in higher flow. You can suck all that cyno looking stuff out durring your water changes. Higer flow cyno less likely to form.I wouldn't add anything to the tank to help it. Any adds have negative effects and set other problems in motion and most should be used as last resort in my opinion.

 

[RobinV]

Red... Looks like cyano.

Your testing 0, but what test kits are you using? Some are better then others at registering low levels, and not a true 0.

For phosphate, I have the Hanna checker and for Nitrate I've been using the API 5 in 1 test strips. Are these okay?

 

[RobinV]

Chemi-clean works great but it takes time. Just got done using it about a month ago. You said you used it twice and nothing? Do you mean you dosed twice and that was it? I think mine took 2month worth of dosing for the cyano to go away for good.

I was really worried about using it to begin with, but I tried the liquid version first, following the directions strictly -- let it run with an airstone, took the phosguard out, for 48 hours then did a 25% water change. It didn't help, so I waited a month and tried the powder version, following the same directions, and again nothing. Am I using it incorrectly?

 

[Reef.]

Sorry can’t help but I think you know now to stop listening to the LFS!

I would in general take advice from many sources before you act, then decide yourself what is best, if after taking advice you still can’t decide yourself, you haven’t taken enough advice, do more research then you decide!

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

Plus one on cyano. Try changing up your flow.

 

[RobinV]

Bubble tip nems get long drawn out tentacles in higher flow. You can suck all that cyno looking stuff out durring your water changes. Higer flow cyno less likely to form.I wouldn't add anything to the tank to help it. Any adds have negative effects and set other problems in motion and most should be used as last resort in my opinion.

Yeah, he got drawn out during the 3 day blackout, then when I turned the lights back on he was parked too close to some zoanthids glued to the rock, so I pointed the powerhead at him to try to convince him to move a bit. He's not moving. Wondering if maybe I should try chipping the zoanthids off the rock and moving them?
Yeah, I'm kind of inclined to sit back and let the tank be ugly for a bit if it's not bothering anyone in there, and hope it goes away.

 

[bmbpka]

I was really worried about using it to begin with, but I tried the liquid version first, following the directions strictly -- let it run with an airstone, took the phosguard out, for 48 hours then did a 25% water change. It didn't help, so I waited a month and tried the powder version, following the same directions, and again nothing. Am I using it incorrectly?

I just followed direction for powder version. Slowly but surely went away.

 

[RobinV]

Plus one on cyano. Try changing up your flow.

I added another powerhead two weeks ago, didn't seem to help, but definitely didn't hurt anything so it's still in there.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Looks like cyano and dino. As a happy medium, lower white light intensity which cyano love or even blackout tank for 3 days and check Phos and Nitrate for elevated levels.
Are you using RODI water or tap water from the faucet?
Siphon the dino as needed and some snails that will help are :
4 astrea
3 trochus
4 nassarius
3 nerite
6-8 blue leg hermits.

Make Chemiclean which works well a last resort.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I added another powerhead two weeks ago, didn't seem to help, but definitely didn't hurt anything so it's still in there.

Aim flow downwards without agitating the sandbed.

 

[RobinV]

Sorry can’t help but I think you know now to stop listening to the LFS!

I would in general take advice from many sources before you act, then decide yourself what is best, if after taking advice you still can’t decide yourself, you haven’t taken enough advice, do more research then you decide!

I have definitely learned that lesson! I won't be going back there.
Back when I started in 1990 I learned everything from a book I took out at the library and all was great. Any books anyone can recommend?

 

[William Mumford]

Yeah, he got drawn out during the 3 day blackout, then when I turned the lights back on he was parked too close to some zoanthids glued to the rock, so I pointed the powerhead at him to try to convince him to move a bit. He's not moving. Wondering if maybe I should try chipping the zoanthids off the rock and moving them?
Yeah, I'm kind of inclined to sit back and let the tank be ugly for a bit if it's not bothering anyone in there, and hope it goes away.

You dont have to let it be ugly its just that sand takes diligence clean it every water change a little at a time its a bit annoying but once you are on top of it. It becomes manageable. People say to let it go through the ugly stage I think to much you can do things for it but its not something to be worried that you are a bad keeper.

 

[RobinV]

Looks like cyano and dino. As a happy medium, lower white light intensity which cyano love or even blackout tank for 3 days and check Phos and Nitrate for elevated levels.
Are you using RODI water or tap water from the faucet?
Siphon the dino as needed and some snails that will help are :
4 astrea
3 trochus
4 nassarius
3 nerite
6-8 blue leg hermits.

Make Chemiclean which works well a last resort.

I will try lowering the white light -- haven't tried that one yet. I have an AI Prime and I just used the Waterbox recommended schedule and settings.
I am and have always used RODI.
I have 2 astrea and 4 blue leg hermits -- is that enough or should I try more?
I don't want to use the Chemiclean again if I can beat this naturally.
Thanks so much I think it was your post I read previously about the blackout with hydrogen peroxide and Bacter 7. I'll make that my new last resort since the rbta did not like the blackout, and trying lowering the white lights for now.

 

[RobinV]

You dont have to let it be ugly its just that sand takes diligence clean it every water change a little at a time its a bit annoying but once you are on top of it. It becomes manageable. People say to let it go through the ugly stage I think to much you can do things for it but its not something to be worried that you are a bad keeper.

Thank you for the reassurance! And yes I do vacuum the bed with every change. I'll just keep at it. It's still a young tank -- only been up since August. I'm trying to be more patient.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I will try lowering the white light -- haven't tried that one yet. I have an AI Prime and I just used the Waterbox recommended schedule and settings.
I am and have always used RODI.
I have 2 astrea and 4 blue leg hermits -- is that enough or should I try more?
I don't want to use the Chemiclean again if I can beat this naturally.
Thanks so much I think it was your post I read previously about the blackout with hydrogen peroxide and Bacter 7. I'll make that my new last resort since the rbta did not like the blackout, and trying lowering the white lights for now.

More cleaners on snails and the peroxide/bacteria method is for dino.

 

[RobinV]

More cleaners on snails and the peroxide/bacteria method is for dino.

Thanks! I will find some more snails and hermit crabs and lower the white lights and cross my fingers.

 

[terraincognita]

One thing to stop doing is continually doing something else.

i.e. stop doing x, then y, then z, then a, b, and c

chose 1 or 2 things and stick to those.

by constantly changing you’re going to send your tank into constant swings.

nothing wrong with some GFO and a skimmer.

that’s a little Cyano, which also never hurt anyone.

doesn’t look nice. But it’s not dangerous. You more or less just don’t want it to consume your tank, but I think any long term keeper will tell you forever more you’ll be constantly having little bits of Cyano, diatoms, algae and other things pop up here and there.

you have a new tank.

also I don’t think I have EVER seen any tank ever exist that from start to maturity didn’t have at least 3 nuisance algae’s pop up.

It’s just not how it works. So stop stressing over it too much.

don’t act the second it happens unless it’s something like a disease or parasite killing things.

instead, observing, testing, comparing, and looking over any significant recent changes to find out what needs to be tweaked, will get you a lot farther.

otherwise listen to the other advice so far and I’m sure to come.