So since the beginning of this year, I have been battling and trying to get ahead of what’s going on with my system. I don’t know what it is, dinos or cyano or something else. It recedes at night. I blow off my rocks and coral everyday, multiple times a day and siphon up as much as I could a few times per day as well. As the photo period goes on, it progressively gets worse. Do a 10% gallon change every week. It started after I used GFO and purigen, both are offline and have been for the past couple of months.
I tried the peroxide test a few times and all times only some bubbles formed but the clumps floated to the top. And the water seemed like it had a bit brownish tint. I don’t know of what to make of that. I really need to just buy a microscope I guess.
Well so I had been using API to test Nitrates and I was not getting accurate results apparently. I automatically was estimating it up to be 5ppm even though the color was not quite dark enough, but the color never quite matched 0ppm for me either. So I started using Red Sea and found out that my Nitrates were actually 0ppm. Started using Hanna ULR Phosphate and phosphates have been on average .11ppm the last month. This past week, I started dosing KNO3(saltpeter) to help raise my Nitrates and am following Randy’s dosage instructions on it. I also am running skimmer at night only now. The imbalance of the two parameters made me lean towards cyano. But I’m not quite sure.
I don’t know what else to do. I am debating on whether I should just take it apart and clean the tank out and put in new sand and scrub the rocks and just do a reset. But that is so drastic and I am trying to see if this is a phase. But it’s been going on since January!!!!!
I am open to suggestions and sorry about this long rant. Let me know what you think this looks like as well please.
Oh, tank is about a year old and half
55g, ~20g sump w/fuge (chaeto, mangroves, Fiji mud), GAC in media bag
(4) h. Erectus, Bengai, Yellow Watchman, Mandarin, Chromis
(2) Harlequin Shrimp, (2)Sexy Shrimp, (2)Fire Shrimp, Randall’s Shrimp
CUC: Shore shrimps, Hermits, Snails
Various gorgonians, softies, SPS and LPS
3” aragonite sandbed (looks disgusting now btw)
1.025
74degs
7 dKH
425 Ca
1420 Mg
7.92-8.34 pH night to day
I tried the peroxide test a few times and all times only some bubbles formed but the clumps floated to the top. And the water seemed like it had a bit brownish tint. I don’t know of what to make of that. I really need to just buy a microscope I guess.
Well so I had been using API to test Nitrates and I was not getting accurate results apparently. I automatically was estimating it up to be 5ppm even though the color was not quite dark enough, but the color never quite matched 0ppm for me either. So I started using Red Sea and found out that my Nitrates were actually 0ppm. Started using Hanna ULR Phosphate and phosphates have been on average .11ppm the last month. This past week, I started dosing KNO3(saltpeter) to help raise my Nitrates and am following Randy’s dosage instructions on it. I also am running skimmer at night only now. The imbalance of the two parameters made me lean towards cyano. But I’m not quite sure.
I don’t know what else to do. I am debating on whether I should just take it apart and clean the tank out and put in new sand and scrub the rocks and just do a reset. But that is so drastic and I am trying to see if this is a phase. But it’s been going on since January!!!!!
I am open to suggestions and sorry about this long rant. Let me know what you think this looks like as well please.
Oh, tank is about a year old and half
55g, ~20g sump w/fuge (chaeto, mangroves, Fiji mud), GAC in media bag
(4) h. Erectus, Bengai, Yellow Watchman, Mandarin, Chromis
(2) Harlequin Shrimp, (2)Sexy Shrimp, (2)Fire Shrimp, Randall’s Shrimp
CUC: Shore shrimps, Hermits, Snails
Various gorgonians, softies, SPS and LPS
3” aragonite sandbed (looks disgusting now btw)
1.025
74degs
7 dKH
425 Ca
1420 Mg
7.92-8.34 pH night to day