a little help with nutrients

[hopperjl16]

Ok I have a 29g Biocube up and running for a year. Things got a little out of whack the last few months (likely total laziness on my part, sorry), and I'm trying to get back on track. I have a hair algae and cyano issue right now, I think in part b/c I hadn't changed out my filters on my at home RODI system in awhile. I fixed that, but now that I've finally gotten around to getting all my tests in order and testing the water, I realize some nutrients are definitely in need of help. Here are my numbers:

29g biocube
I do a 5 gallon water change every week, but the last 2 weeks I've stepped up to twice per week
Livestock - 2 clown fish, 1 watchman goby, 1 firefish, 1 fire shrimp, 1 pistol shrimp, couple snails/hermit crabs
Corals - kenya trees, ricordia floridas (who keep letting loose and dying), ricordia yuma, leather toadstool, GSP (who is dying), a couple mushrooms, one frogspawn

Specific gravity 1.024
Temp 78
Nitrate = 0
Nitrite = 0
pH = 8.0
Alkalinity = 5mEq/L
Ammonia = 0.25
Calcium = 320
Phos = 0 (I now realize this probably isn't real since I have a hair algae problem and is probably higher)
Magnesium 1140

I have been dosing Seachem Reef Builder twice per week for a couple months now b/c my alkalinity had been low. Looks like I have that fixed, but my calcium is low and my magnesium is low. So I think I need to dose for those? Is that easy? Any recommendations? Also this is the first time I've gotten anything other than zero for my ammonia. Any advice on that?

Thank you!

 

[Reefnewb]

alk and cal are definitely low. What salt mix are you using? Since you're doing 5g water changes weekly I bet if you use a salt with higher alk and cal you'll see those number rise! I like reef crystals... And for your nutrient problem... what test do you use to test phosphates? A hanna checker is really the most accurate way for hobby grades. Some people do have success of killing hair algae by raising magnesium to 1400-1450 and manual removal. Hope some of this helped!

 

[hopperjl16]

alk and cal are definitely low. What salt mix are you using? Since you're doing 5g water changes weekly I bet if you use a salt with higher alk and cal you'll see those number rise! I like reef crystals... And for your nutrient problem... what test do you use to test phosphates? A hanna checker is really the most accurate way for hobby grades. Some people do have success of killing hair algae by raising magnesium to 1400-1450 and manual removal. Hope some of this helped!

My alkalinity is still too low? My test kit says I should be between 4-6meq/L?

I use instant ocean sea salt. I buy it in bulk in like 3-4 large bags that come in a big box.

I don't have a hanna checker for phos, I think it's an API test kit.

 

[james983]

You would be best served by changing all your R.O. filters and performing multiple water changes after you change the filters. That will help you balance you levels easier than individually.

What are you using for PO4 control?

 

[hopperjl16]

You would be best served by changing all your R.O. filters and performing multiple water changes after you change the filters. That will help you balance you levels easier than individually.

What are you using for PO4 control?

Yup just changed out all the filters 2 weeks ago and started doing twice weekly water changes.

I have a bag of chemi pure elite in chamber 2 that I change out every 4 months. The current bag is 3 months old.

 

[james983]

I believe only Chemi Pure Elite removes PO4. I have used Phosban before with good results. Just go slow with it as you do not want to further stress your corals.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I would more closeley look at the wc shed. in that small a tank you can pretty easily reset the cal and alk with water changes. rodi filters arent going to impact cal alk and No3 Po4.
its quite likely the suppliment your using is dosing the tank unequally. so you may want to consider a two part or kalk.
do you have a lot of stony corals? or lots of coralline?
Its likely you are having some testing errors too.

understanding good alk cal ratios.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry

fwiw id be a bit more concerned about zero numbers impact on the corals. And IMO cycno can feed almost directly on the dissolving organics and doent rely on the amount of Po in the tank. Like using gfo, when your testing if the gfo or algae is present the Po4 is bing stripped directly from the water, so you not seeing the actual amount in the tank.

and yea Mag tests are terrible and it seems like the most likely to be wrong.
wtwr changes wont really effect Po4 but it will effect No3, and doing so many water changes actually should pretty much reset the cal alk mag ratios in the tank esp with a low stony coral population.

 

[Jason mack]

alk and cal are definitely low. What salt mix are you using? Since you're doing 5g water changes weekly I bet if you use a salt with higher alk and cal you'll see those number rise! I like reef crystals... And for your nutrient problem... what test do you use to test phosphates? A hanna checker is really the most accurate way for hobby grades. Some people do have success of killing hair algae by raising magnesium to 1400-1450 and manual removal. Hope some of this helped!

My lfs advised me too raise my mag upto 1700 too rid hair algae .. and iT worked raised iT over a period of 2-3 weeks then let iT slowly decline back too normal levels ..

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Oh and def retest the ammonia and add a bacteria. On my JBJ cube that back chambers became a sludge factory and I eventually only did wc from there just to keep the funk down.

 

[Ridem32]

Is your tank upgraded with led lights?

 

[Reefnewb]

My alkalinity is still too low? My test kit says I should be between 4-6meq/L?

I use instant ocean sea salt. I buy it in bulk in like 3-4 large bags that come in a big box.

I don't have a hanna checker for phos, I think it's an API test kit.

Opps sorry! misread that! i thought it said 5DKH

 

[hopperjl16]

I would more closeley look at the wc shed. in that small a tank you can pretty easily reset the cal and alk with water changes. rodi filters arent going to impact cal alk and No3 Po4.
its quite likely the suppliment your using is dosing the tank unequally. so you may want to consider a two part or kalk.
do you have a lot of stony corals? or lots of coralline?
Its likely you are having some testing errors too.

understanding good alk cal ratios.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry

fwiw id be a bit more concerned about zero numbers impact on the corals. And IMO cycno can feed almost directly on the dissolving organics and doent rely on the amount of Po in the tank. Like using gfo, when your testing if the gfo or algae is present the Po4 is bing stripped directly from the water, so you not seeing the actual amount in the tank.

and yea Mag tests are terrible and it seems like the most likely to be wrong.
wtwr changes wont really effect Po4 but it will effect No3, and doing so many water changes actually should pretty much reset the cal alk mag ratios in the tank esp with a low stony coral population.

I only have one LPS (frogspawn) but I do have a lot of coralline. My coralline started turning white before the algae got bad. It's rebounding some now.

Would it be worth taking water to my LFS to have them check it?

 

[hopperjl16]

Oh and def retest the ammonia and add a bacteria. On my JBJ cube that back chambers became a sludge factory and I eventually only did wc from there just to keep the funk down.

Every couple of water changes I do suck out the back chambers bc stuff def accumulates there.

 

[hopperjl16]

Is your tank upgraded with led lights?

Noy yet, I was wondering if that needed to happen. Current lights are one year old and are the stock lights.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I only have one LPS (frogspawn) but I do have a lot of coralline. My coralline started turning white before the algae got bad. It's rebounding some now.

Would it be worth taking water to my LFS to have them check it?

It can be helpful esp if you have questions on your readings. But if you know your lfs is full of knuckleheads, no.
If you can keep up on WC;s 5g x2 a month you should be fine, and may want to look into an easy cal and alk balanced dosing. Mag should take care of its self with the WC's but you can also dose that manually.
On the bright side, your tank is hitting the one year mark and and I think youll be looking forward to a much easier time balancing nutrints and cal and alk.

Hair algae is best done manually IMO, and you may want to look into an aggressive bacterial to help the gunk build up you may have gotten esp in the sand.

Id get the cleaning done and then consider the new bulbs or lighting upgrade. If you did it today you'd quite likely have a bit of a cyano & gha bloom.

 

[hopperjl16]

alk and cal are definitely low. What salt mix are you using? Since you're doing 5g water changes weekly I bet if you use a salt with higher alk and cal you'll see those number rise! I like reef crystals... And for your nutrient problem... what test do you use to test phosphates? A hanna checker is really the most accurate way for hobby grades. Some people do have success of killing hair algae by raising magnesium to 1400-1450 and manual removal. Hope some of this helped!

So this is kinda a dumb oversight on my part.....the buckets I use to make my water (originally from the LFS) are Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. When I first started ordering salt to do my own water I just looked up Instant Ocean and ordered the salt in bulk.....not realizing the Instant Ocean Sea Salt and Instant Ocean Reef Crystals were different. I think I might give the Reef Crystals a try....I'd really rather not get into having to add a bunch of different things to the tank. Though sadly I still have like 2 large bags of the Sea Salt. Think I could mix the Sea Salt and Reef Crystals?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

So this is kinda a dumb oversight on my part.....the buckets I use to make my water (originally from the LFS) are Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. When I first started ordering salt to do my own water I just looked up Instant Ocean and ordered the salt in bulk.....not realizing the Instant Ocean Sea Salt and Instant Ocean Reef Crystals were different. I think I might give the Reef Crystals a try....I'd really rather not get into having to add a bunch of different things to the tank. Though sadly I still have like 2 large bags of the Sea Salt. Think I could mix the Sea Salt and Reef Crystals?

not together, but if you slowly change its prob fine. Use up one, then the other IMO.

 

[hopperjl16]

not together, but if you slowly change its prob fine. Use up one, then the other IMO.

No I was thinking if I got Reef Crystals I'd use that one week, then the Sea Salt the next week and keeping trading back and forth until the Sea Salt is gone then just use Reef Crystals

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

No I was thinking if I got Reef Crystals I'd use that one week, then the Sea Salt the next week and keeping trading back and forth until the Sea Salt is gone then just use Reef Crystals

the concern there would be alk swings, esp from low to high. the sea sea is what brand? instant ocean?

 

[EW_Fish]

Just my .02. I would just stick with your 2 x 5g water changes for a week. Your testing is showing zero because your algae is taking it all up. Keep up the water changes and your algae will starve amd go away. This will take time but will work. If you have sponge filter or filter socks in the chambers rinse them out every 2 days. You dont want to give the algae anything to feed on in the water column