Bacterial Bloom? (Need Advice)

[Aaron-A2]

Tank has been running for 2 months. Rock was cycled instantly (cured for 3 months, kept the cycle during aquascaping).

Parameters:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 2
Phosphate: 0

pH: 8.3
Calc: 420
Alk: 9

Notable Events:

• Started dosing kalk via ATO 2 weeks ago. Using 1.5 tsp/gallon. As pH is stable, I don't think it's a kalk overdose
• Last week concluded a 4 day blackout to kill an outbreak of Dino. The dino has not returned.
• Added a bag of activated carbon to handle any toxins from the Dino dying. I left it in the sump.
• No Sand Sifters (Blue Spotted Jawfish), but he just hides in his hole.

I'm not sure what this is. I've never had a bacterial bloom/issue before. I just did a 15% water change earlier this afternoon (It was the normally scheduled WC). Any thoughts on what this is and how to fight it?

 

[Maggie321]

You don't need kalk yet!
Probably was cyano (normal tank stuff) and not dino. No worries, a blackout doesn't hurt anything.

 

[Aaron-A2]

You don't need kalk yet!

I was gifted 6 sps frags. I was able to notice a measurable decrease in alk/calc.

 

[Maggie321]

Also, be patient a 2 month old tank still has a lot of "growing pains" it will encounter in the future.

 

[Maggie321]

I was gifted 6 sps frags. I was able to notice a measurable decrease in alk/calc.

6 frags in a tank that size shouldn't use an amount that's measurable for months. If you insist on using kalk, start with .5 tsp per gallon. But I don't think you need it yet.

 

[Maggie321]

It is an absolutely beautiful tank btw. I can't wait to see it fully matured!

 

[Aaron-A2]

It is an absolutely beautiful tank btw. I can't wait to see it fully matured!

Thanks!

As for your suggestion on kalk, what I'll do is just continue to monitor my levels and adjust my kalk dose (or stop it all together) if it outpaces my coral consumption.

Do you have any thoughts on the cloudy water?

 

[Reef Jeff]

Maggie hit the nail on the head as far as not dosing kalkwasser yet. No need. Those 6 frags didn't draw down the calcium and alkalinity enough to matter yet. I assume your sand has been in for a while and that is not the cause. Too much kalkwasser can cause cloudiness and will cause levels to drop because of precipitation. Can you tell us more about the calcium, alkalinity and PH levels prior to and during the cloudiness starting up? That may help diagnose. 1.5 teaspoons per gallon is too much for your current load.

Assuming your sand is not the cause and calcium and alkalinity never spiked high enough to cause precipitation then the cloudiness is most likely a bacterial bloom that is common in the early stages of a tank. Two months is a tank in it's infancy. Your parameters shows the tank finished cycling, but there are still bacterial growth processes settling in, both aerobic and anaerobic types and it is not unusual to get a bloom. That is why it is generally recommended not to add any delicate livestock like anemones and SPS corals that early.

Most tanks go through a diatom bloom, cyano and/or Dino event an then a hair algae event before fully settling in.

Wait it out...it will clear on its own. Avoid additives too. They can cause issues this early.

 

[Aaron-A2]

Maggie hit the nail on the head as far as not dosing kalkwasser yet. No need. Those 6 frags didn't draw down the calcium and alkalinity enough to matter yet. I assume your sand has been in for a while and that is not the cause. Too much kalkwasser can cause cloudiness and will cause levels to drop because of precipitation. Can you tell us more about the calcium, alkalinity and PH levels prior to and during the cloudiness starting up? That may help diagnose. 1.5 teaspoons per gallon is too much for your current load.

Assuming your sand is not the cause and calcium and alkalinity never spiked high enough to cause precipitation then the cloudiness is most likely a bacterial bloom that is common in the early stages of a tank. Two months is a tank in it's infancy. Your parameters shows the tank finished cycling, but there are still bacterial growth processes settling in, both aerobic and anaerobic types and it is not unusual to get a bloom. That is why it is generally recommended not to add any delicate livestock like anemones and SPS corals that early.

Most tanks go through a diatom bloom, cyano and/or Dino event an then a hair algae event before fully settling in.

Wait it out...it will clear on its own. Avoid additives too. They can cause issues this early.

Thanks for the response! To answer your question, my alk/calc/ph has been stable since I started dosing kalk. It's possible there was a spike at some point in time and I missed it, but every day I test the numbers look good.

How would I know if it's kalk precipitation? Does that occur when it's an overdose situation, or if your coral aren't using it up? As a side note, my pH has been pretty steady, so I have a hard time thinking it was an overdose.

Let's assume it IS the kalk. If it is, what option do I have? I can change out the water in my ATO with pure freshwater no problem. I already did a 10-15% WC earlier today with no visible change to the cloudiness-level. Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Jeepguy242]

what option do I have?

water changes or let it come down on its own...


you dont need the kalk or the vodka yet

 

[Aaron-A2]

water changes or let it come down on its own...


you dont need the kalk or the vodka yet

Not dosing vodka, though after this I'll probably be dosing myself with some

Is there a method to know if it's a bacterial bloom vs. calc precipitation?

 

[Jeepguy242]

Not dosing vodka, though after this I'll probably be dosing myself with some

Is there a method to know if it's a bacterial bloom vs. calc precipitation?

my bad, i thought i read you started dosing vodka.... im dosing some myself with orange juice right now...

as for any way to know if it is a bacterial bloom, i can only say if your ph and dkh are in the ball park its not a kalk overdose

 

[Reef Jeff]

Jeepguy is right. Based on what you said about stable parameters I agree it's not precipitation. Just discontinue the kalk. Monitor alkalinity and calcium and if both stay in range, do nothing. For a bacterial bloom the intervention is the same...do nothing, it will clear on its own once bacterial levels settle where they want to be. A bloom is pretty normal early on.