Nutrient issue

[hiimsean]

I’ve been having green algae maybe cyano issues for a while. I vacuum it up, do regular water changes, scrub the rock, been using diy reef snow with mb7 and still having issues. Lately some corals have been having issues. I lost a few torch heads but the colon is still doing well. No sign of BJD. Other LPS have been losing tissue while others are growing and doing great. I started the tank about a year ago with clean rock that I used muriatic acid on to ensure nothing was coming in on the rocks. I’m wondering if some nutrients are in the sand, also started with dry new sand. The sand bed is kind of deep 2-3”.
My parameters are always pretty stable, I had a od of kalk around Christmas time
Ca-400
Alk-9.5
Mg-1300
Nitrates-2.8
Phosphate-0.11
Temp-78-79
Ph fluctuates from 8.15-8.3 from night to day

if it’s possibly the sand, what’s the best way to remove it? Scooping it or sucking it out? I usually do 5g water changes on a 70g system each week. I’ve got a 12g water change prepping to do a large one this weekend

 

[project1004]

It’s probably best if we know what kind of filtration system you are running but if it’s algae issue, you probably have abundant amount of nutrients in your tank. I used flux tab to get rid of hair algae as new tank. Cyano can come in and out as long as it’s not completely covering your corals, it should be easy to manage it.

If you move the deep sand bed (I never had one), I would remove one section at a time without disturbing the rest of the sand bed. I expect this will cause least problems. Also raise your nitrates. What if your nitrate is lower than 2? Bring ‘em up to 10ish so you good. If you worry about gha, flux tab. I got some. It kills them very slowly so it doesn’t hurt anything in your tank. It’s anti-biotic I believe.

And if your corals are having issues, do bigger water changes. Like 50Gallon on 70g. 12gal on 70 is very little to make any impact.

I sow lots of tots are “bargain hunt” for very cheap. Rubbermaid “roller tote” 30+g for $30. One off Barrett and Cobb pkwy. They also had 4-5 other sizes rubbermaid totes that are 30gal plus as well. And grab all the slim Jim’s.

Edit: Sean, I know you have condition you are dealing with at the moment. Let me know if I can help you do these things. I can come prepare it and come back other day and change out the water etc. Anytime~

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hiimsean]

It’s probably best if we know what kind of filtration system you are running but if it’s algae issue, you probably have abundant amount of nutrients in your tank. I used flux tab to get rid of hair algae as new tank. Cyano can come in and out as long as it’s not completely covering your corals, it should be easy to manage it.

If you move the deep sand bed (I never had one), I would remove one section at a time without disturbing the rest of the sand bed. I expect this will cause least problems. Also raise your nitrates. What if your nitrate is lower than 2? Bring ‘em up to 10ish so you good. If you worry about gha, flux tab. I got some. It kills them very slowly so it doesn’t hurt anything in your tank. It’s anti-biotic I believe.

And if your corals are having issues, do bigger water changes. Like 50Gallon on 70g. 12gal on 70 is very little to make any impact.

I sow lots of tots are “bargain hunt” for very cheap. Rubbermaid “roller tote” 30+g for $30. One off Barrett and Cobb pkwy. They also had 4-5 other sizes rubbermaid totes that are 30gal plus as well. And grab all the slim Jim’s.

Edit: Sean, I know you have condition you are dealing with at the moment. Let me know if I can help you do these things. I can come prepare it and come back other day and change out the water etc. Anytime~

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

the tank is. 66g plus a 20g sump. I have about 40-50lbs of live rock. Running a reef octopus regal 150. I run filter floss on and off. I have a large bag of matrix in my sump as well.
As far as algae, cyano or this green stuff is the only algae I have, no hair or anything else.

I really have no room for a container much larger than what I’m using unfortunately. I do have another 14-20 gallon tote that I could probably also use to make a 30g change total

 

[project1004]

You should use some activated carbon. It’s always good to use carbon in lps and mixed tank to take out any toxic war that we can’t see. Also uv will definitely help you with that cyano. So it’s not green hair algae. I would raise your nitrate to 10+. Just a opinion. Which should also help you with that cyano. And do larger water change if you can. Having that much live rock (granted it was new) plus matrix and deep sand bed…. Too much filter action isn’t always good Im guessing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hiimsean]

I do have some activated carbon that I was thinking of running. I’ve never used it so that always makes me worried trying something new. I’ll toss some in tonight and see how things are looking in the morning.

 

[project1004]

I have some full bags of zeovit activated carbon that you can have if you need some. In your case, I would add full on activated carbon and strip out your water of all the gunk and toxic. Which isn’t always recommended. Let me know if you need some! And add some miracle mud. It will help your tank be more natural to sea having minerals released into your tank for everybody.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hiimsean]

I’ve got a pretty full container of 0.8 rox. I just added a little over half a cup, I didn’t want to come back to a dead tank in the morning

 

[project1004]

I never heard carbon doing anything weird other than clearing the tank too fast which can cause SPS tips to burn. Maybe I’m missing something but I use them sparsely. If you stick your hand in your tank and you dry it and smells clean? Your carbon is in good shape. If it smells like old water waste, carbon will be good to use. And for toxic war and medication and clearing water… lots of good!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hiimsean]

I guess I’ve just heard horror stories of it stripping nutrients too fast and nuking tanks.

 

[project1004]

Activated carbon will pick up only the inorganic compounds in your water column including all soluble matters has to go thru the carbon as well. You can use uv to alter the organic compounds in your water column so whatever is in your water don’t become blooming or airborne?. You should also shake off your matrix rocks in a used or fresh salt water time to time to clean the surface of the pores eliminating gunk buildups. I keep my ceramics in a bag for easy shake off.

Now that you added your carbon, give it a few days. It will need more contact time for your carbon to do it’s thing than a day. After few days, do a water change and add half amount of carbon (new) you used and hopefully that will help your issues.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hiimsean]

I did my water change this morning and changed out the carbon. I lost my Todd’s torch last night and 3 of 5 heads of my green torch. My cynarina is on its way out. My meat and chalices all look super happy. My Duncan is looking better than it has in a few weeks now. I’ll prep some more water for another water change this week

 

[project1004]

I’m sorry to hear about you loosing other torches. I’m hopping it was already at its last straw and it is possible that clearing the water with carbon may have had some impact in their death. (I can’t say how without pictures etc)

I think you did the right think to remove the carbon you used other day. I would add about 50% (so 1/4cup) of new carbon in your tank. And UV if you have many fishes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Justin Ranke]

Had something similair happen in my tank a few months ago with very similair parameters. Phosphates a little elevated and nitrates super low ( a little lower than yours, mine was undetectable using redsea)

Lost about 20 heads of torches, had a bunch of LPS struggling bad. I couldn't figure it out. I just ended up coming to the conclusion with nitrates being so low that maybe the coral were not eating enough. I started feeding every day with reef roids, ab + , and phyto and I saw an improvement with all the LPS immediatly.

The parameters never changed much from that response though. Maybe raised nitrates to 2 and phosphate some too, but everything in the tank is happier than I have ever seen them.

When I back off the feeding I notice a lot of the LPS starting to struggle again after a few days. But the moment I start again they bounce back.

I'm not sure if that helps but just some of the similarities I noticed.

 

[richards]

In the beginning, my cleaner shrimp were starving and eating Zoanthids and torch. I had to feed the cleaner shrimp twice a day for over five months, waiting for the delivery of ten tiny yellow & purple aquacultured tangs. In the beginning, even once dosing nitrate and dosing phosphate, both were non-detect. But the dosing helped all the coral.

I now feed fish and coral liberally. And have very low or no detect on water levels of pollutants. Some of the LPS have struggled, including too much current on bubble. I lost one beautiful colony of branching hammer, and a Acan colony, that totally melted when on vacation one week this summer. Other LPS are fine.

Tangs, Emerald crabs, and snails, have cleaned up all the hair algae on the rock. I continue to get brownish green dust on the glass and sand. Use the magnet on the glass each evening prior to feeding the fish.

Uncertain why some of the LPS have struggled? SPS are going gangbusters. Duncan and torch and branching hammers are quite happy. S P.S, are high elevation in the tank; and LPS at the bottom of the tank, partially shaded by the rock work.

Had two colonies of quarantined Australian Elegance this summer. After about 10 weeks, the colonies shrunk to tentacle length of 1/2 an inch. One colony melted, the other colony was relocated to a friends aquarium, and fully opened immediately, being in an acknowledged “dirty water “tank.