Boomer's IM 20G Nano

[boomeraudio]

When do algae outbreaks start? I’ve had my tank for about 2.5 months and so far so good!

Mine has been up and down over the last year and 3 months. Tank is still establishing. Blackouts have helped me and I’m just finding some stability with consistent water changes.

I tried to go to fast in the beginning. Lost a bunch of frags and coral and have finally been able to keep some stable through this process.

starting with live rock will put you ahead of where I am. I started fresh fresh. Ha ha. Wish you luck!

 

[boomeraudio]

3/6/21

Finding stability in the parameters with weekly water changes.

1ppm nitrates
.03ppm Phosphates

just finished a 3 day blackout to get rid of the algae everywhere and will continue with the weekly water changes.

Ive also added a daily dosing schedule for the last 7 days as follows:
2ml of MicroBacter7
2ml of Phytoplankton

During the dosing I turn the UV and Skimmer off for 4 hours.

Everything is starting to look good and the blackout definitely helped the Dino’s. The sand doesn’t have that light brown color anymore.

Plan going forward: continue to dose Phytoplankton 2ml daily. Weekly water changes. Frozen nano food every other day for the clowns and shrimp.

Is this a light at the end of the tunnel?! I certainly hope so.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

3/6/21

Finding stability in the parameters with weekly water changes.

1ppm nitrates
.03ppm Phosphates

just finished a 3 day blackout to get rid of the algae everywhere and will continue with the weekly water changes.

Ive also added a daily dosing schedule for the last 7 days as follows:
2ml of MicroBacter7
2ml of Phytoplankton

During the dosing I turn the UV and Skimmer off for 4 hours.

Everything is starting to look good and the blackout definitely helped the Dino’s. The sand doesn’t have that light brown color anymore.

Plan going forward: continue to dose Phytoplankton 2ml daily. Weekly water changes. Frozen nano food every other day for the clowns and shrimp.

Is this a light at the end of the tunnel?! I certainly hope so.

Sweet!

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

How's it looking/doing?

 

[boomeraudio]

How's it looking/doing?

Hey! Thanks for checking in - it's certainly been a battle in March. I'm still having a very hard time maintaining any phosphate reading - which I believe is ultimately contributing to the dino's.

Here's a pic from this morning:

You can see that there's still some evidence of dino's in the sand. I believe that the corals and rocks are sucking up A LOT of the nutrients in the tank.

It's starting to look better due to a dosing schedule. I starting dosing Phyto, MicroBacter7 and NeoPhos. The NeoPhos is the most important right now, as the tank does not seem to be holding steady phosphate levels. When I stop raising the phosphate levels is when I find the long stringy dino's appearing. I just finished a 3 day black out roughly 2 days ago which helps but never actually solves the problem.

Nitrates are fine and can be boosted if necessary with NeoNitro.

I'm keeping a log in Excel and hope that this is just a small hiccup in the years I have this tank. Starting with brand new dry rock was certainly a big part of this challenge...at least I think. Even a year and a half into this, the tank is still establishing itself.

 

[Nick Steele]

Have you tried raising your temp yet? I swear it’s what helped push me over the edge. I’m going on a month or so Dino free with temp still at 81f and now adverse effects to corals. Actually having some of my sps rebound quite nicely and lps look amazing too.

 

[boomeraudio]

Have you tried raising your temp yet? I swear it’s what helped push me over the edge. I’m going on a month or so Dino free with temp still at 81f and now adverse effects to corals. Actually having some of my sps rebound quite nicely and lps look amazing too.

I did try that for a few days and didn't notice a major difference - it was over a month ago that I tried it. Might be worth trying again?

 

[Nick Steele]

Try again take about 2-3 days to increase to 81 and then keep it for a week and see then.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Hey! Thanks for checking in - it's certainly been a battle in March. I'm still having a very hard time maintaining any phosphate reading - which I believe is ultimately contributing to the dino's.

Here's a pic from this morning:

You can see that there's still some evidence of dino's in the sand. I believe that the corals and rocks are sucking up A LOT of the nutrients in the tank.

It's starting to look better due to a dosing schedule. I starting dosing Phyto, MicroBacter7 and NeoPhos. The NeoPhos is the most important right now, as the tank does not seem to be holding steady phosphate levels. When I stop raising the phosphate levels is when I find the long stringy dino's appearing. I just finished a 3 day black out roughly 2 days ago which helps but never actually solves the problem.

Nitrates are fine and can be boosted if necessary with NeoNitro.

I'm keeping a log in Excel and hope that this is just a small hiccup in the years I have this tank. Starting with brand new dry rock was certainly a big part of this challenge...at least I think. Even a year and a half into this, the tank is still establishing itself.

Looks much better! What is the nitrate level? Some detectable nitrates helps feed the microbacter7. Using a hanna on the phosphate testing?

I might do some more coral stocking at this point?

Any one local you can get some larger colonies from? Xenia, green star polyps, kenya tree corals--things that grow quick and suck up nutrients--become the main nutrient eaters...

Even if just for a few months--you can add/trade out what you really want later....

 

[boomeraudio]

Looks much better! What is the nitrate level? Some detectable nitrates helps feed the microbacter7. Using a hanna on the phosphate testing?

I might do some more coral stocking at this point?

Any one local you can get some larger colonies from? Xenia, green star polyps, kenya tree corals--things that grow quick and suck up nutrients--become the main nutrient eaters...

Even if just for a few months--you can add/trade out what you really want later....

Well, the dinos are just sticking around and like rust-colored and stringy. My Zoas are starting to decline, which sucks because they are incredible. The Monti started to bleach out a little after I raised the temp to 80 so I pushed it back down to 78.

Last test Phosphates were at .03ppm and Nitrates at 3ppm. I can't seem to get this figured out. I'm afraid to do a blackout again because of the coral decline.

This is insanely frustrating and I'm not sure how to beat this crap. Installed UV sterilizer way back, it's done virtually nothing. Started dosing for over a month, nothing. Manual removal, they just come right back. I'm feeling very defeated and frustrated.

As far as corals, I have a very fast-growing GSP on the back wall, some mushrooms and candy cane. Monti, some zoas, and a few more pieces.

Should I up the dosing? I'm truly at a loss now...

 

[Nick Steele]

Well, the dinos are just sticking around and like rust-colored and stringy. My Zoas are starting to decline, which sucks because they are incredible. The Monti started to bleach out a little after I raised the temp to 80 so I pushed it back down to 78.

Last test Phosphates were at .03ppm and Nitrates at 3ppm. I can't seem to get this figured out. I'm afraid to do a blackout again because of the coral decline.

This is insanely frustrating and I'm not sure how to beat this crap. Installed UV sterilizer way back, it's done virtually nothing. Started dosing for over a month, nothing. Manual removal, they just come right back. I'm feeling very defeated and frustrated.

As far as corals, I have a very fast-growing GSP on the back wall, some mushrooms and candy cane. Monti, some zoas, and a few more pieces.

Should I up the dosing? I'm truly at a loss now...

Tanks are truly weird and no two tanks are the same!

Curious on your uv if it’s the IM UV that is placed in the over flow try turning down your return pump to the Lowest setting to give it as much contact time as possible. Also maybe try switching which overflow you have it in. My tank is slight uneven 1/8-1/4 in and my left side overflow doesn’t get as much water through it so I placed my UV in the right overflow.

On dosing try to keep levels at or above .1 phos and 5-10 nitrate will be best. You should see algae growth start to outcompete the Dino’s over a few weeks. Might have some corals change colors (mostly acros).

Dino’s have been gone from my tank for little over a month. I had a very bad cyano and green algae outbreak not too long after and it’s starting to clear out now. Just rank re maturing in my eyes. Corals are really taking off now though.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Well, the dinos are just sticking around and like rust-colored and stringy. My Zoas are starting to decline, which sucks because they are incredible. The Monti started to bleach out a little after I raised the temp to 80 so I pushed it back down to 78.

Last test Phosphates were at .03ppm and Nitrates at 3ppm. I can't seem to get this figured out. I'm afraid to do a blackout again because of the coral decline.

This is insanely frustrating and I'm not sure how to beat this crap. Installed UV sterilizer way back, it's done virtually nothing. Started dosing for over a month, nothing. Manual removal, they just come right back. I'm feeling very defeated and frustrated.

As far as corals, I have a very fast-growing GSP on the back wall, some mushrooms and candy cane. Monti, some zoas, and a few more pieces.

Should I up the dosing? I'm truly at a loss now...

Sounds like the tank is still struggling with undetermined problems. I think you have two options.

First, be patient and ride it out. No major changes other than regular maintenance. If you haven't got a refugium with some macro algae, that can help out compete the nuisance algae. My tank seemed to hit its stride when macro grew reliably and consistently.

Keep dosing of anything to minimum to promote stability. A month of dosing anything isn't really long enough to see many changes IMO, so give that longer.

EDIT **this was meant under the first option**You could add some cheap softies like Xenia and leathers to try to out compete the problem algae. Manually remove/syphon problem algae gently around corals.

Second, other option, if you can't take it anymore and the impending loss of corals is too much to bear, is to re-boot. You don't seem to have a ton of corals so this could be a viable option. Remove the water and put the corals and fish and rock and water in tubs or buckets with heaters and bubbles or power heads. They'll be good for a day like that anyway. Take your time. I have done this moves at few times and its not a big deal just pay attention to temp and aeration and everything will be fine.

Make sure to have new sand on hand and some bacteria starter and new water on hand that has been mixed for a few days. Enough to fill the tank.

1. Syphon out the old sand and toss or clean well and let dry for reuse for some other tank later.
2. Clean the tank well with water and citric acid as needed.
3. Clean all the equipment. Rinse well. Let reasonably dry.
4. Clean the rock and coral plugs of nuisance algae. Tooth brushes at this point, iodine dips, coral dips, hydrogen peroxide (carefully applied to zoo's if hair algae), are all things that fine for a reboot IMO.
5. Add the new sand and new water to tank. Add a healthy amount of bacteria starter. Acclimate the corals and fish to the new water.
6. You could go bare bottom, but i agree with the BRS team that dead rock and bare bottom equals another hard 12 months. I've always had sand and the limited frag tanks i have had have struggled with nuisance algae because bare bottom.

Let me know what you do?! And thanks for sharing, even the rough times. We all learn from it! No matter what you do, once the tank hits its stride--just know it will be hard to create problems--remember i was having dino issues last fall and now i literally dump piles of food and crap and in my tank and can't create nuisance algae problems if i wanted to (even with this fish load!) and corals growing gangbuster--so it can be done in your exact tank!

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

My phosphates are 0.13. Same as january ICP. Nitrates 0.75. Up from 0.01 ICP in January. I dosed nitrate a few weeks back to get above 0. Not sure it was necessary. Tank looks the same either way.

My zoos, when they've had fits, take time to open and grow again. So there is lag in getting water quality right and then them later telling u its all good that for sure, fyi..

You could try some aminos for the corals? Help them fight through this?

I started adding aminos for the hell of it and kalk too and thats been noticeably faster growth i think.

Current dosing.

1/2 ounce kalk twice a day (1 teaspoon per 1000ml solution).

12 ml all for reef once a day.

5 gallon water change with IO once a week.

Sea lettuce, chaeto (multiple strains it seems), and red macro in refugium. Cut back 2/3's every couple weeks. About 60 watts of leds light up CPR refugium (a lot of light on small refugium...).


10 to 20 ml of live phyto a day.

Pinch of reef roids a day.

Two cubes of frozen good blend twice a day.

Reef plus once a week, 5ml.

2 ml brightwell aminos a day.

1 ml acropower a day.

If your doing anything remotely similar, scaled for bioload, , i think your good. Just whether you can and corals can weather this dino storm or whether a re start would be quicker?

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

You got current pics? Everything i do is based on what i see rather than test results. That might help Nick or me or someone else...

 

[boomeraudio]

You got current pics? Everything i do is based on what i see rather than test results. That might help Nick or me or someone else...

Here's two from March 29:

One from April 5:

One from this morning 4/21/21: (before they typically start coming out):

Let me know what you think? I've been very diligent in maintenance because I look at it all day ha ha. This morning seems to be a better day than all of the last week and I've upped the dosing.

 

[Nick Steele]

Well it looks better over time. They are also going into the water column clearly so your UV should be working. Maybe try switch witch overflow you have it in and see if that help. Keep up with dosing and checking levels to make sure you don’t bottom out.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Totally agree with Nick that the tank is looking fine. That little BS on the sand will go away when corals cover those rocks .... Just keep things simple and stable, IMO, ride this out.

Buy some corals. Fill that sand bed up and perhaps the rocks toot. Nothing expensive. Just get simply stuff to get growing and sucking up nutrients and to get the reef going. You can switch them out later.

Reality is that without corals taking up the space in the tank and utilizing light energy and fish poop to grow--nuisance algae will grow...

Just stick easy corals.. get them growing.... macros in a refugium too...

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Hell man when some frags encrust over in my little qt tank that im sticking coral frags in for now--ill ship you some bulletproof frags.... ive tortured these frags, they just dont die, and i run a rigorous, many months, qt on fish and corals...

 

[boomeraudio]

Hell man when some frags encrust over in my little qt tank that im sticking coral frags in for now--ill ship you some bulletproof frags.... ive tortured these frags, they just dont die, and i run a rigorous, many months, qt on fish and corals...

That’d be amazing. Just ordered DinoX. They are wreaking havoc. Look at this Monti - not good.

 

[boomeraudio]

Alright. Blackout #3 while I wait for DinoX.

NItrates 10ppm, Phosphates .08ppm. Finally holding some levels and not bottoming out with Nitrates and Phosphates.

Temp 80 degrees. Just switched the UV sterilizer to the other side. I'm determined to beat this.

Monti is nearly bleached out. Probably won't be able to save it, unfortunately. Definitely learning a lot along the way.