What will eat this much phyto ?!

[Katze]

Hello everyone!

I got a phytobloom in my ~100g tank !
I want to eliminate(/decrease their numbers of) the phytos since they take nutrients up too quickly and my zoas and an acan is starving.
I have no idea what to do. I don't want to use UV, but something more biological... like sponges or feather dusters, anything that will eat them !

NO3: 5-10
PO4: 0.00-0.01

These are candidates:

Sun cup coral colony (5-10cm diameter) -I'm afraid that they are just simply too large so they can't consume phyto or can they?
Gorgonians
SPS corals
Hepatus tang -I believe they mostly eat microalgaes
Dragonet perhaps??? -I know that they primarily eat pods but maybe just maybe they like phyto ?

I'm open for other critters aswell.

But forget these:
Clam -"cute" but too expensive
UV -for short term it would be useful, but it would probably kill good things aswell
LPS -They will starve (in my opinion)

(+) I could collect the planktons so I could sell them. A system would be preferable, one that could mechanically remove them. My filter sock did not work (200nm) I need ideas on this side...

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Sun cup coral colony (5-10cm diameter) -I'm afraid that they are just simply too large so they can't consume phyto or can they?
Gorgonians
SPS corals
Hepatus tang -I believe they mostly eat microalgaes
Dragonet perhaps??? -I know that they primarily eat pods but maybe just maybe they like phyto ?

Unless the gorgonians are NPS specimens, I wouldn't expect any of these to consume meaningful amounts of phyto (and even NPS gorgonians could be hit or miss).

Feather dusters, filter feeding sea cucumbers, tunicates, bivalves that aren't giant clams or coldwater/temperate species (think like the clams, mussels, and oysters you'd find at the beach), pods, etc. are all things that'll eat phyto that might do well in a tank.

Do you know what kind of phyto it is?

(+) I could collect the planktons so I could sell them. A system would be preferable, one that could mechanically remove them. My filter sock did not work (200nm) I need ideas on this side...

A 1 micron mesh/net should be able pull the phyto out - are you sure your filter sock is 200nm (0.2 microns) not 200 microns?

You could potentially just run the water through a pump that dumps into a 1 micron sock/container and empty the sock as needed, or automating a net to take phyto from your tank and dump it into something else wouldn't be too tough (at least not in a rough, prototype form - getting it nice and smoothed out could potentially be very tough).

 

[tzabor10]

I once remember a postThere is a lot here to help

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I once remember a postThere is a lot here to help

The link didn't work, but here's the thread:

Can you overdose phytoplankton?

I regularly use phytoplankton to feed corals in my 120 gallon mixed reef tank. I realize that my tank is now an oversized phytoplankton reactor. There is a green haze on the glass every 8 hours. Fleece roller is forest green and going quickly. Can you have too much? I usually dose 2-4...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[tzabor10]

The link didn't work, but here's the thread:

Can you overdose phytoplankton?

I regularly use phytoplankton to feed corals in my 120 gallon mixed reef tank. I realize that my tank is now an oversized phytoplankton reactor. There is a green haze on the glass every 8 hours. Fleece roller is forest green and going quickly. Can you have too much? I usually dose 2-4...

www.reef2reef.com

Tanks a million

 

[Katze]

Unless the gorgonians are NPS specimens, I wouldn't expect any of these to consume meaningful amounts of phyto (and even NPS gorgonians could be hit or miss).

Feather dusters, filter feeding sea cucumbers, tunicates, bivalves that aren't giant clams or coldwater/temperate species (think like the clams, mussels, and oysters you'd find at the beach), pods, etc. are all things that'll eat phyto that might do well in a tank.

Do you know what kind of phyto it is?

A 1 micron mesh/net should be able pull the phyto out - are you sure your filter sock is 200nm (0.2 microns) not 200 microns?

You could potentially just run the water through a pump that dumps into a 1 micron sock/container and empty the sock as needed, or automating a net to take phyto from your tank and dump it into something else wouldn't be too tough (at least not in a rough, prototype form - getting it nice and smoothed out could potentially be very tough).

I looked it up it is 150 microns (sorry on my side thought nanometer=micron)
I have no idea what kind it is. But they do consume nutrients quickly 3 days ago my NO3 was 10 now it's 5
I'll take a look at the thread and whether or not 1 micron mesh are available.

 

[Katze]

+I'm mostly concerned about my current corals, 1 acan loves that's going on but my zoas are all closed and an echinata aswell.

 

[tzabor10]

+I'm mostly concerned about my current corals, 1 acan loves that's going on but my zoas are all closed and an echinata aswell.

Acans can live in sewer water

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

turn your lights off

 

[Katze]

Acans can live in sewer water

Yep, +1 my lordhowensis loves to eat the phyto while the echinata and zoas hate the ULN conditions - those are closed.

turn your lights off

That would be a last resort option, if my diy filter thingy won't work.

 

[tzabor10]

Someone in the articles I was sent mentioned using stone clams from the supermarket. He used a basket to suspend them and they cleaned out the water in no time. Then you can freeze them and use them as food.

 

[twentyleagues]

The typical clam you get from the super market is a temperate species. They will live for a while in typical reef temps but will eventually die. This may be an option for the short term. A 100% water change would probably also work. The filter idea is good if you can find one large enough to process the water volume. I dont see any rock or sand so catching your fish and removing corals should be easy. Is there rock in the sump? As long as you match temp and salinity you would be fine netting fish into a holding container and moving corals also. Change out water and put fish and corals back. Uv should not harm anything thats beneficial as they should not be going through the uv.

 

[Katze]

turn your lights off

So I tried filters and turning the light off, this is the 2nd day with lights off and corals just started to recede while phyto only decreased a bit.
So I am forced to turn the lights back on.