yup. CUC does SOOO much more than we today seem to realise. And fwiw one of the things I dint like about The Vibe was the somewhat consistent report of snail death. Secondly that does look like what happens to many using Vib.
Heres something unpopular. I dont use anything in my tanks. My Po4 is .25 on api last time I checked, the No3 is high too. I have on 2in spot of cyano on a rack. been there about 3 days. I used to never qt, I use natural mostly unfiltered seawater, put stuff in the tank right from the ocean too. I run an undersized skimmer and a large refugium. My corals grow great. My Ph is always above 81 82.
I kinda think the constant "battle mat be the prob" A new tank probably needs the ugly phase to burn out things like diatoms(read randys article), and other macro flora and fauna to compete with other nastier ugly ones. Most of the ugly ones are pretty easily out competed for nutrints just by a healthy and strong biofilter. Something a young tank wont have. From all Ive read we still dont know what can truly be considered beneficial bacteria in a tank. beyond the common nitrifying ones. Thus Ive avoided chemiclean. When I rehabbed the last tank from an overfeeding cyano fueled crash, I used a small refugium and light. it took 3 months. Didn't come back till 2 months ago.
IMO, once one has cleared all organisms now deemed unwanted, it leaves a huge opening for another organism to take root. In all honesty, Id stop all the stuff go back to basics maybe do something to boost the nitrifying bacteria and biofilter and be patient.
That tank looks bloody great(need more corals), and its only going to get better looking. Whats going on now is like a zit. It happens, we all get them, it'll pass and eventually we'll get another one.
One of the great pieces of advice from Paulb and most other older and the legendary reefers is, the tank will go through phases, stuff will come and go and you do have to make a plan to keep it down but...
I was fortunate enough to be poor and have to work with only the most natural of approaches. and yea, hes and the others are right.
Wait till you get the lime green cyano. Boy that's weird stuff. wanna guess what I did to get rid of it?
oh,and the stuff in the pictures. we all have that stuff...
