Nuisance algae and bacteria. Please help 🙏

[MattLaw]

Hello all.


I am having a problem with nuisance algae and bacteria. I have attached pictures of my tank.


Background: I purchased this tank used and it came with the live rock and sand and one fish. For the first month or so the nitrate was around 40 and the phosphate was around 0.8, so in other words super high. I have been slowly battling this over the last 3 months. About two weeks ago I finished a three week treatment of reef flux. It did a great job on my bryopsis and hair algae. At the end of that three week period I did the suggested 30% water change and took the opportunity to thoroughly clean the gunk out of the sump. This was a mistake.


The next day my tank, especially the sand bed was covered in red/purple dust/ yuck.


I tested my params and it looks like I had bottomed out my nitrates and phosphates. So I have reduced skimming and gotten them back to about 2 and 0.05 respectively.


I have been adding drTims eco-balance for the past two weeks avording to instructions, and for the past couple days have been runing a cheap in tank uv filter.


Can anyone please help me, this is starting to really drive me nuts. What can I do to establish a balanced eco system and get things looking pretty?


Also I am fairly near Perimeter mall, so if any pros think they can help id be happy to have you come take a look.


Thank you all in advance.

 

[project1004]

I’m going to tell you that your tank isn’t as bad of looking as you think.

I think what happen is for last 3 month, you been constantly stripping out the phosphate and nitrate. (Your test kit isn’t the best indicator or your system). Cleaning the sump was the tipping point of you sending the tank into bacteria bloom. And cyano took over.

I would stop adding dr Tim stuff. Let your tank with its own bacterias overcome the cyano. Feed more. Keep using uv.

What’s your flow like? Flow helps a ton with cyano. Have good flow go over your sand bed.

Your tank initially had high nutrient so I would have lower about 50% and stay for a little and lower 50% more and so on. Don’t let your tank starve.

 

[MattLaw]

Okay, so if I'm understanding your suggestion, I should stop adding products and just let the tank do it's thing. I should also add some extra flow especially around the sand bed?

Here is my record of my params, just in case. Lol

Date	PH	Salinity	Alkalinity	Cacium	Nitrate	Phosphate	Magnesium
3-15	7.8	1.26	10.4
3/18	7.9	1.026	9.6	523	35.5
3/19					31.7	0.85
3/20					3.5	0.84
3/21	7.9	1.026	9.7		28.1
3/23					29	0.75
3/25	7.9	1.025	8.9	496	28.3	0.75
3/27					29.5	0.72
3/28					26	0.54
3/29	7.8	1.026	8.8	370	27	0.52
3/30	8.1	1.025	9.4	437	24.1	0.48	1210
3/31	7.9		9.9		22.8	0.36
4/1					20.9	0.43
4/2	7.9	1.025	10.4	383	21.3	0.3	1150
4/4	7.9	1.025	10.8	412	15.1	0.16	1195
4/6	7.8		10.5	537	9.3	0.1	1255
4/8			10.5	402	8.5	0.05	1180
4/10	7.9	1.024	10.3	430	7.1	0.07	1240
4/12	7.9		10	373	6.3	0.12	1210
4/14	8.1	1.0245	9.8	425	4.4	0.15	1255
4/17	8.1	1.025	9.1	490	2.2	0.03	1250
4/19	8.1	1.025	8.8	392	2.2	0.03	1250
4/22	8.1	1.025	8.7	473	1.2	0.04	1360
4/25	8.1		9	394	2.3	0.09	1480
4/26	8.1	1.0255	9.2	406	1.6	0.1	1495
4/27					2	0.1	1320
4/29	8.4	1.0255	9.3	450	3.2	0.15	1280
4/30					4.4	0.1
5/1	8.2		9.4	450	5.5	0.19	1320
5/2					6	0.17
5/6	8.2		9.4	465	7.5	0.19	1320
5/8	8.1	1.026	9.2	445	7.4	0.15	1200
5/10					7.8	0.19
5/12	8		10.4	460	8.8	0.2	1280
5/14	8.2	1.0255	10.5	450	8.4	0.17	1300
5/17	8.2		9.9	425	5.3	0.06	1200
5/19						0.08
5/20	8.2		10.2		1.7	0.03
5-22	8.3	1.026	10	440	2.1	0.05	1240
5/25					2.9	0.06
5-28	8.5		9.6	410	1.9	0.05	1240
5-31					0	0.01
					1	0.04

 

[project1004]

That’s very helpful and easy to read.

Are you testing at the same time each day? If not, it’s not as useful. Assuming it is?!


You are in the right direction. Add some flow if you don’t have it.

Do you do water changes? Stop water changes if you are doing it, your tank need to settle down instead diluting.


I would keep magnesium above 1300 to 1400 to have stable alk and calcium. I don’t think your mag tester is working right.

You were good around 4/26. That would have been perfect place I would have settled at,

 

[NAS]

Looks like you have Dino’s. You need a microscope to figure out exactly which kind but I would start with a strong UV connected directly into the display. Sometimes you need to dose waterglass to initiate a diatom bloom to outcompete the Dino’s. Also dosing phyto should help.

 

[chaples55]

I second increased flow, UV, and patience. Reef tanks are really slow to mature. Since the rock and especially the sand were used, it probably came loaded with years of gunk. When the tank was moved and the balance of the ecosystem was upset, all the nuisance algae and bacteria took advantage and took over the tank. It will take time for all the microorganisms to fight it out and find a new balance. Best you can do is to steer it in the right direction.

I wouldn't fret too much about specific nutrient values. Just keep it steady in a reasonable range. Clean the tank manually if things get out of hand. I think it's ok to keep adding beneficial bacteria, but not necessary. I tried a couple Dr Tims products and didn't notice any difference. Copepods and amphipods can help if you don't already have robust populations of them. CUC will help too. Things like stomatella snails, collonista snails, and even asterina stars can get into nooks and crannies that most other critters can't, so I like to add them to all my tanks.

You could try chemiclean if the red cyanobacteria gets out of hand, but it will probably just be replaced by some other problem. Another aggressive option similar to UV would be ozone. I like the cheap Weipro ozonizer from Amazon. I've found it to be totally safe to run 0.5mg/gallon via a skimmer. I've seen others with more experience than me recommend 1mg/gallon, but I prefer to play it extra safe. Gets me that crystal clear water with no need to monitor ORP. The probes are horribly unreliable anyway.

 

[MattLaw]

That’s very helpful and easy to read.

Are you testing at the same time each day? If not, it’s not as useful. Assuming it is?!


You are in the right direction. Add some flow if you don’t have it.

Do you do water changes? Stop water changes if you are doing it, your tank need to settle down instead diluting.


I would keep magnesium above 1300 to 1400 to have stable alk and calcium. I don’t think your mag tester is working right.

You were good around 4/26. That would have been perfect place I would have settled at,

Yes this is taken around 5pm everyday. I agree 4/26 would have been a perfect balancing point, if only it where that easy.

About the magnesium, I started with a hannah checker, then migrated to the redsea titration test because my results where all over the place. The magnesium is funny, because my other numbers are pretty consistent. I have a three part auto doser going and my magnesium is the highest dose, yet the lowest number.

I normally do 10% water changes but was thinking I would hold off a while, so it's glad to hear you agree.

 

[MattLaw]

I second increased flow, UV, and patience. Reef tanks are really slow to mature. Since the rock and especially the sand were used, it probably came loaded with years of gunk. When the tank was moved and the balance of the ecosystem was upset, all the nuisance algae and bacteria took advantage and took over the tank. It will take time for all the microorganisms to fight it out and find a new balance. Best you can do is to steer it in the right direction.

I wouldn't fret too much about specific nutrient values. Just keep it steady in a reasonable range. Clean the tank manually if things get out of hand. I think it's ok to keep adding beneficial bacteria, but not necessary. I tried a couple Dr Tims products and didn't notice any difference. Copepods and amphipods can help if you don't already have robust populations of them. CUC will help too. Things like stomatella snails, collonista snails, and even asterina stars can get into nooks and crannies that most other critters can't, so I like to add them to all my tanks.

You could try chemiclean if the red cyanobacteria gets out of hand, but it will probably just be replaced by some other problem. Another aggressive option similar to UV would be ozone. I like the cheap Weipro ozonizer from Amazon. I've found it to be totally safe to run 0.5mg/gallon via a skimmer. I've seen others with more experience than me recommend 1mg/gallon, but I prefer to play it extra safe. Gets me that crystal clear water with no need to monitor ORP. The probes are horribly unreliable anyway.

This is good feedback. If patience and flow does not work I can try some of the later solutions, but I think I will try my best to sit on my hands for the next couple weeks.

 

[MattLaw]

Looks like you have Dino’s. You need a microscope to figure out exactly which kind but I would start with a strong UV connected directly into the display. Sometimes you need to dose waterglass to initiate a diatom bloom to outcompete the Dino’s. Also dosing phyto should help.

I agree I am fairly sure I have dynos, I have not gotten a Microscope but I have observed that they are almost all gone in the morning then come back heavy as the lights come on. So I know they are entering the water column.

 

[MattLaw]

Looks like you have Dino’s. You need a microscope to figure out exactly which kind but I would start with a strong UV connected directly into the display. Sometimes you need to dose waterglass to initiate a diatom bloom to outcompete the Dino’s. Also dosing phyto should help.

I definitely believe I have a diatom bloom now, everything is getting rust colored and my glass gets brown and dirty within 24 hours. Is this a good sign? Will the diatom bloom just run its course and disappear on its own?

 

[NAS]

Yes diatoms are a good sign. They should go away on their own in time.

 

[gill]

I also think a lot of this is the tank settling into its system. I used to have these same problems. After 8 years, no hair algae and only occasional cyano.