Ugly stage or worse???

Rob0019 · Jun 27, 2019

I've had my tank set up for 3 months. First 2 months were cycling with dry rock and no light. Turned light on and added fish about a month ago. About a week ago I got a bad algea bloom. It looks like it might be dinos but I'm not sure. That week my nitrates dropped to 0. I added a fuge with cheato when I added the fish. Does this look like a dry rock ugly stage or should I do something like turn off the fuge to raise nitrates.

road_runner · Jun 27, 2019

Hermie · Jun 27, 2019

IMO, it looks like the refugium wasn't "ready" to take on the nutrients that the fish added to the system, while there were a bunch of either cyano or dinoflagellates already "primed" and then the lights+fish gave them the advantage... it's possible that they get worse, I would recommend physically removing as much as possible and then adding some more bacterial product that can outcompete the nuisance algae... not necessarily a cycling bacteria, but the "waste" eating bacteria blends.

Rob0019 · Jun 27, 2019

Rocks were in the tank cycling. They had room light but the aquarium lights were not on. They were not sitting in a garbage can or something like that. I've done weekly 10g changes on the 80g tank. Rocks are the mined dry rocks. I also soaked them in fresh water before I added them to the aquarium.

Jason Truong · Jun 27, 2019

looks like ugly stage

road_runner · Jun 27, 2019

Rob0019 said:
Rocks were in the tank cycling. They had room light but the aquarium lights were not on. They were not sitting in a garbage can or something like that. I've done weekly 10g changes on the 80g tank. Rocks are the mined dry rocks. I also soaked them in fresh water before I added them to the aquarium.

The cycle water is full of nutrients now.. thats.
There is no diffrence between garbage can vs in aquarium. It's all about the conditions.
Were these rocks dry? Or live? Or dry live rocks?
Have you soaked the rock before you add it to the system or did you add right away?

If you did not then this is the ugly phase and it will take a long time to pass. My advice just wait it out, add good activated carbon to your system. Preffrably in a reactor.

Jason Truong · Jun 27, 2019

If you don't want to run carbon just do a 20% water change every week and a half or s

Rob0019 · Jun 27, 2019

Ohashimz said:
The cycle water is full of nutrients now.. thats.
There is no diffrence between garbage can vs in aquarium. It's all about the conditions.
Were these rocks dry? Or live? Or dry live rocks?
Have you soaked the rock before you add it to the system or did you add right away?

If you did not then this is the ugly phase and it will take a long time to pass. My advice just wait it out, add good activated carbon to your system. Preffrably in a reactor.

The rocks were mined reefsaver rocks with very little if any organics on them. They were soaked in a garbage can before added to the aquarium.

road_runner · Jun 27, 2019

Rob0019 said:
The rocks were mined reefsaver rocks with very little if any organics on them. They were soaked in a garbage can before added to the aquarium.

Then you good.
And can you help me with summary of your parameters?

road_runner · Jun 27, 2019

Jason Truong said:
If you don't want to run carbon just do a 20% water change every week and a half or s

Without carbon cycle will be longer..for sure. But agreed more wc will be needed as well without carbon

Rob0019 · Jun 27, 2019

I am running carbon. It's in a filter cup that also has filter floss. What are u considering high nutrients. After the 2 month cycle nitrates were 5. Highest they got was 8. Phosphates have been below 0.03. The rocks had little to no organics. The outbreak didnt start until my nitrates got very low. I was wondering if the cheato did to well of a job stripping all the nutrients which gave the dinos a better environment to take over.

road_runner · Jun 27, 2019

Rob0019 · Jun 27, 2019

Ohashimz said:
Then you good.
And can you help me with summary of your parameters?

End of cycle nitrate was 5. Added fish and chaeto and light. Next week nitrate 4 no algea at all. Next week nitrate 8 no algea at all. Next week nitrate 4 no algea at all. This last week is when it started happening . Mid week saw something I thought was diatoms. At end of week nitrates were zero. That was last Saturday. They keep getting worse. Nitrates still 0.

80 gallon sca cube. Sca skimmer. Fuge with cheato. 2 mp10s. Sg 35ppt Ammonia 0 nitrite 0 ph 8.0-8.2 phosphate 0.03 have a filter cup with carbon and filter floss. Change carbon every 2 weeks. 10g water change every week.

jttran · Jun 27, 2019

it’s ugly stages.....use turkey blast and turn your powerhead couples knob.

Rob0019 · Jun 27, 2019

Ohashimz said:
If tour test is correct I have a hunch if you test nitrite and ammonia you will find it detectable cause my suspicion is that your system have not finished the cycle yet.
If am correct, at some point you will see a spike in no3 po4..
What kits you use?
Is your carbon in high flow area where water flow through it not around it?

I used a nyos nitrate and api nitrate to double check. Both read zero. Hanna checker phosphorus for phosphate. Carbon is in filter cup attached to my drain pipe so all water that goes to sump passes through carbon.

road_runner · Jun 27, 2019

jttran · Jun 27, 2019

i’m using Hanna checker phosphate (0 to 2.50 ppm reading), do a 20% water changes, and it will help. Hanna checker Phosphorus ultra low (0 to 200ppb) is very accurately check at low level reading. check it out at Bulk reef supply.