Can you have too many nutrients?

[telsonman]

I've been having some cyano issues. Not a ton, but I just don't like seeing the purple that isn't coralline. There's just a little on the substrate, and a tad by some zoas. I checked my water and this is what I got.

Temp 77
Salinity 1.025
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10ppm (water change coming)
DKH 9
Calcium 460
Mag ~1510 per my Salifert kit

My zoas are doing awesome. My euphyllias aren't extending fully though, even when I lowered the amount of flow on them. Trumpets are looking great.

It bothers me that my euphyllias aren't coming out like they should be. And the cyano is upsetting me. The tank in question is a Biocube 32. I adjusted the lighting. Blue light is on from 0700-2200. White light is on from 0900-1700.

Thoughts?

 

[xilez]

"nutrients" is a pretty macro term. You can have too many or too little of them.

If you have cyano, it's probably high phosphates (I noticed you didnt test for, which is understandable as I only trust one kit to do it [hanna ULR]) with a combination of dead spaces with flow.

Phosphate could be caused by over feeding, rotting food etc...what are you feeding habits?

I would do a pretty big water change (40-50%) and vacuum a portion of the sandbed (you want to do a different small portion each time you do a water change). We also need a way to remove the phosphate before the Cyano sucks it up, try running some GFO and skimming wetter if you have a skimmer.

Euphyllia could be experiencing too much flow still, they are finicking.

 

[snowmansnow]

ok so cyano does need nutrients to live, but it is also photosynthetic and in my very limited experience I've never ACTUALLY been able to get rid of it by just controlling nutrients and or cutting lights.
The bottom line is.. imo.. if you want to get rid of cyano you'll need to use ChemiClean and be done with it.
10NO3 is just fine for whatever you're keeping, and probably why your sps are looking good to be honest.
Perhaps the cyano is agitating your hammers and such
B

 

[telsonman]

Sorry I tested the phosphates using the cheap API kit. Got .25. So they are there. But they aren't super high.

 

[telsonman]

I'm just running filter floss and purigen. I was thinking about running some chemipure elite on my third shelf, unless there's something better.

 

[civics14]

My nitrates are like 40ppm+ and phosphates are .25, but everything looks good and is growing, so I didn't change a thing, just made sure it stays the same

 

[civics14]

Yup - when you tested it for me it was at .44 LOL

 

[telsonman]

Tested phosphates. Got .25 again

 

[xilez]

While I don't doubt you might have High Phos..you really can't trust an API test kit (for PO4). I wouldn't worry about testing for phosphates, and move forward with dealing with the suspected high phosphates with the things recommended above.

 

[civics14]

Have you had it tested other the API?

 

[telsonman]

tested with a Sera kit too. Same.

 

[civics14]

I had a really bad cyano outbreak, I just vacuumed it out weekly with water changes after about 6 weeks of 20% water changes, I finally won the battle. I was feeding really heavy too back then, now I cut back to only a small serving of pellets, frozen, and half a sheet of seaweed a day. Also, I went to doing a 15% water change every 3 weeks. It's been about 4 months since 5 months since then, and everything looks good. Phosphates are pretty high but I added cheato into my sump and run lights 24/7 for the past month or two, now it's been cut in half. I'm assuming in a few months, my nutrients should be fully under control.

 

[civics14]

...4 to 5 month is since then...

 

[telsonman]

I ordered some phosguard to put in it. So we'll see how that works out. I'm pretty optimistic. I cut my feeding down to every other day. However I have been doing 5 gallon water changes every week.