Algae?

[pjb9166]

So as the title states. I have this white fuzzy algae. Does not turn green. Is it a type of hair? I try manually removing every weekend with 15% water changes. RO/DI. Particulate, 2x carbon, RO, x2 DI cartridges. Ive been carbon dosing since May. Also run carbon and GFO,
Lights = Blue 10 hrs Whites 6 hrs 300w Viparspectra led. W=20% B=40. What can I do to fix situation before it totally gets out of hand? Can anyone suggest any effective grazers? My clean up crew consists of 6 Trocus and 3 Sarith snails. Sorry about spelling?? Tank is a 60 gal with about 20 gal in sump. Still have to figure out how to post pictures.

All perameters are in line.
8.4 ph
9 dkh
480 cal
0 ammonia
0 Nitrates
0 Nitrites​

 

[pjb9166]

No suggestions??
I have a young harem of clowns ten strong. Only a few months old so quite small. I was thinking a yellow or hippo tang but worried about how easily sick they can get. or maybe a foxface. Or maybe a lawnmower blenny????? What has everyone had the best luck with?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Can you get a picture of the stuff?
What’s your Po4 at ?

 

[pjb9166]

All I have is a ****** crApple 5c phone. you can't simply upload pics. It asks for a URL??????? Answer to question my brand new test kit reading 0 ppm. I also did a high resolution test. 0ppm

 

[BoomCorals]

Yellow tang is a good grazer. May be a little small of a tank but if you find a little one it should be fine.

Why are you carbon dosing? A little nutrients are nothing to get afraid of. Really! Macro algae is a nice way of naturally keeping nutrients at acceptable levels.

TApatalk for your phone can make uploading pictures easier.... here’s my fuge.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

If you are truly at zero Po4 with few no3 , def stop the carbon dosing.
A rather common occurrence now is bottoming out phosphate resulting in phosphate block. The nitrifying bacteria need Po4 to process so they die off. Most often the results are organisms that require much les Po4 to survive. Those organisms include dinoflagellates and chrystophytes among a few others.
Many then have to dose Po4 and no3 while manually removing the organisms.l with uv peroxide or toothbrush.

So an Id will be needed.

@Mods is there a guide to post pictures for our friend here?

 

[cracker]

@BoomCorals very nice looking Macro tank !

 

[dbl]

All I have is a ****** crApple 5c phone. you can't simply upload pics. It asks for a URL??????? Answer to question my brand new test kit reading 0 ppm. I also did a high resolution test. 0ppm

If you have a picture on the device you're using to post, just click the "Upload a File" button at the bottom of the text entry box. Then choose the file/picture you want to upload. You can choose thumbnail or full size. Just choose full size and the site will adjust the picture size accordingly. This all assumes you're using a web browser and not the app or tapatalk as I'm not familiar with those apps.

Hopefully this helps.

 

[JMetaxas]

You don't want zero phosphate and zero Nitrate. Raise them up. I like phosphate about .05 and Nitrate around 10ppm. This solves problems for many people. I'd stop dosing carbon, stop the GFO and add Potassium Nitrate.

A strong clean up crew is great too. Snails and blue legged hermits are cheap and effective.

 

[pjb9166]

Sincerely, Thank you all for taking the time to share and respond to my thread. Beautiful macro garden BoomCorals.
The reason I was /am carbon dosing is because I adopted this tank. I literally moved the entire thing from the previous owners home to mine water and all. The tank was absolutely over taken with algae. They were using tap water treated with a conditioner. The tanks parameters were way off the charts. So since may I've been doing my water changes with RO/DI.
So Ok I have to change and abandon the old thought process of the ULN tank. I purchased Pete's 90 Gal from Reef News Network. currently in the process of completely cleaning the tank and polishing the glass. Painting the stand etc.. In a 20 gal long I have 80+ pounds of BRS Reef Saver rock. That has been cycling /curing for almost 2 months now. The water I'm taking out of my tank is replacing the rock's water every week. Still debating if I'm going sandless bottom or not in the 90. So while I'm gathering all the new equipment. The rock will continue to cycle. Absolutely no rush. I'd like to do this right this time. Not just a 2-3 year tank and crash.

 

[pjb9166]

Sorry so blue

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Yea , you’ll need to try again. A bright flashlight Might help too if you can’t change the lights.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

This

 

[pjb9166]

This

Exactly...... I stopped carbon dosing. Removed carbon and GFO.... Now isn't this going to send my tank in a downward spiral??

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Exactly...... I stopped carbon dosing. Removed carbon and GFO.... Now isn't this going to send my tank in a downward spiral??

No. You can recover.
Keep the carbon.
Check that you haven’t bottomed out the PO4 and No3.
You may have to actually dose those and bottles of nitrifying bacteria , while manually removing. (Peroxide , Toothbrush and canister filter , UV , etc )
Same treatments as in the dino threads.

Some folks have also used micro bio diversity as well. Garf grunge and Fiji mud to add bacteria, corralines diatoms etc , to compete.

 

[pjb9166]

I'm not sure exactly why you bringing up my nitrifying bacteria? Ammonia Nitrites and Nitrates is in check at 0 ppm. Though I'm understanding I should have some Nitrates. But a clown harem of 10 and just recently added a lawnmower blenny, all fish are fine. Tells me I have to have a decent bio filter??? Yes/No???
Not sure if it's boredom or what but I test water parameters twice a week. Never got a spike in Ammonia or Nitries. I guess the latter would only be seen after an Ammonia spike. I'll just have to keep brushing away at the Algae. But all this seems counter productive since I've been so proactive at removing everything that causes the Algae. Now I'm going to be creating an environment that it can easily flourish and solely depending on manual removal. I just don't get it. There just seems to be so much contradicting information out there. I'm not questioning your advice. I'm just trying to wrap my mind around this.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I'm not sure exactly why you bringing up my nitrifying bacteria? Ammonia Nitrites and Nitrates is in check at 0 ppm. Though I'm understanding I should have some Nitrates. But a clown harem of 10 and just recently added a lawnmower blenny, all fish are fine. Tells me I have to have a decent bio filter??? Yes/No???
Not sure if it's boredom or what but I test water parameters twice a week. Never got a spike in Ammonia or Nitries. I guess the latter would only be seen after an Ammonia spike. I'll just have to keep brushing away at the Algae. But all this seems counter productive since I've been so proactive at removing everything that causes the Algae. Now I'm going to be creating an environment that it can easily flourish and solely depending on manual removal. I just don't get it. There just seems to be so much contradicting information out there. I'm not questioning your advice. I'm just trying to wrap my mind around this.

No sweat.

I bring up nitrifying bacteria becuse if the Po4 zeroes our to nothing the bacteria die. It’s called phosphate block.
Organisms that require less Po4 then take over. Ie dinos And chrystophytes.
So if phosphate block occurs then the bio filter is gone or weak and other organisms are the ones processing the ammoina and no3.

Sadly the myth of super low and zero no3 Po4 to stop algae is false.
Low numbers do discourage growth in many of them yes, but it can lead to poor coral coloration and in extreme cases phosphate block.

A fwiw , chrystophytes is only kind of an algae. It’s a primitive of shoot.
https://chrysophytes.weebly.com/


So, like dino treatments caused by phosphate block, dosing of Po4 and no3 May be required while adding new colonies of nitrifying bacteria while at the same time removing or killing the unwanted organism.

We all have dinos Chrysto and cyano, it’s just somtimes the conditions are just right for one organism to become dominant.

Make sense?

 

[pjb9166]

Yes very much so now. Thank you for your patience and willing to take the time to help me out. So it seems I'm going to be in for a bumpy ride through all this. I'm guessing I'll have a bunch more questions as they arise.
I thought I was taking the information online and applying it to the best of my abilities. Not totally understanding the entire picture. Again.. Thank you.

 

[pjb9166]

Reading an article @ http://www.bioconlabs.com/nitribactfacts.html
I'm understanding even more. Shoot this is where I could have gone terribly wrong in the past.

*All species of nitrifying bacteria require a number of micronutrients. Most important among these is the need for phosphorus for ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate) production. The conversion of ATP provides energy for cellular functions. Phosphorus is normally available to cells in the form of phosphates (PO4). Nitrobacter, especially, is unable to oxidize nitrite to nitrate in the absence of phosphates

*Fortunately, phosphate block is easy to remedy. A source of phosphate needs to be added to the aquarium. Phosphoric Acid is recommended as being simplest to use and dose, however, either mono-sodium phosphate or di-sodium phosphate may be substituted. When using a 31% phosphoric acid mixture, apply a one time application of 1 drop per 4 gallons of water to activate the Nitrobacter. This small dosage of phosphoric acid will not affect the pH or alkalinity of marine aquaria.

So this does bring me to have a question or two. LOL... How does one know if the are faced with Phosphate block? Does one just simply start dosing if they suspect?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Reading an article @ http://www.bioconlabs.com/nitribactfacts.html
I'm understanding even more. Shoot this is where I could have gone terribly wrong in the past.

*All species of nitrifying bacteria require a number of micronutrients. Most important among these is the need for phosphorus for ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate) production. The conversion of ATP provides energy for cellular functions. Phosphorus is normally available to cells in the form of phosphates (PO4). Nitrobacter, especially, is unable to oxidize nitrite to nitrate in the absence of phosphates

*Fortunately, phosphate block is easy to remedy. A source of phosphate needs to be added to the aquarium. Phosphoric Acid is recommended as being simplest to use and dose, however, either mono-sodium phosphate or di-sodium phosphate may be substituted. When using a 31% phosphoric acid mixture, apply a one time application of 1 drop per 4 gallons of water to activate the Nitrobacter. This small dosage of phosphoric acid will not affect the pH or alkalinity of marine aquaria.

So this does bring me to have a question or two. LOL... How does one know if the are faced with Phosphate block? Does one just simply start dosing if they suspect?

Lightbulb moments are the best.

Usually it’s strait observation. Low range tests = zero and the appearance of odd organisms. Dinos very very often.

And don’t sweat it. Common thought(rumors) and and competitive nature I believe.
“I’m always zeros “ as a badge of great husbandry.