Yup it turned blue, I think i reallllly overdosed on phosphate. Here is the salifert test I ran yesterday, I did a water change to see if I can get some phosphate out….
You're getting a lot of advice here so I'd suggest just slowing everything down a bit. You need to confirm that super high hanna checker reading. Make sure you are following the steps right as well. Judging by that Salifert test kit you are still near .1. When ScottB asked about the blue tint, he is referencing the Hanna vial after mixing for 2 minutes, stating this because you showed Salifert which is also blue.
You're probably thinking the Salifert is wrong because it didn't register anything before but I think under .1 phosphate level and it's really hard to tell on that kit with how light the color will be. Kind of on the outside of it's range IMO due to that.
Here are some tips I found useful for my hanna:
- Use the same vial per test aka *Don't fill both, use one to calibrate while you mix in the other.
- Have your packet cut and ready
- Turn you checker on with the top closed
- Fill your vial to the 10ml mark.
- *Important part I think is overlooked - Dry vial. Then use a soft shirt of soft cloth and make sure there are no smudges or streaking, finger prints. After you clean the vial, handle it by lid and place in checker
- Close lid and press button
- C2 pull vial and remove lid. Think of that packet as a milk container, open it so you are pouring out the corner radius on the cut line. This makes it so much more accurate for pouring and tapping to get all reagent.
-Mix just like the picture shows for a timed two minutes. Not shaking it but inverting it over and over.
-*Important, polish the vial with a clean soft cloth again to ensure there are no finger prints or smudges.
-Times up place back in checker and hold the button until the 3:00 timer displays on the checker. I set a timer since I'm usually testing the rest of my parameters and have gotten distracted and missed the reading before. Goes blank after 2 minute mark and you're doing it over.
I keep a dedicated spray bottle marked "RO/DI". I use this to spray out vials after testing and to clean my aquarium glass. Works better than Windex without the worry.
Personally I'd keep the UV on. I'd keep the skimmer on regardless of nutrients. If anything shut it down for a few hours at your peak light period in the tank. The aeration and ph help the health of your coral, specially throughout the night.
It looks like you are dealing with cyano bacteria to me - it looks red and I see no stringing bubbles. I also see some other nuisance algae in there. You've been messing with your nutrients quite a bit chasing your sps issue, that probably caused an imbalance of some kind. I suggest addressing the problem with adding some different types of bacteria to attempt to balance out your issue. Also go the route of water changes and siphoning whatever you can out, manually removing any GHA/turf algae from your rocks. Make sure your parameters match for the WC. I will even match nutrients on the new water if I don't want them lowered. It's gonna take time regardless.
I'm just coming out of a similar spiral that went-
Cyano>Treated chemiclean >Allowed bryopsis to rear it ugly head> Flux HD> killed off all competition>Dinoflagellates and stripping of nutrients. I've been adding nutrients and trying to restore my biodiversity in the tank now and running UV. It's starting to come around now. I wish I just addressed the biodiversity issue in the first place for cyano.
A fellow reefer turned me onto PNS Probio and substrate sauce. I really like that product and feel it helped my tank a lot recently. Bacteria that don't seem to pull down my nutrients when dosed. Really helped knock back the dinos too.
If you confirm your readings are actually that high on phosphate then you do need to take action. Just make sure first. If it's a false reading and you react you will just be creating another major swing that will lead to more stress on the sps. If you find it's not correct then move forward slowly and naturally as possible. I'm not a fan of GFO or phosphate strippers, I just never have luck with them.
