Brown algae and false nitrate and phosphates readings.

[Pulsing Xenia]

Just curious what I can do to reduce the brown algae building up. Atm, I'm cleaning the glass, and surrounding of the brown algae, skimmer running, removed filter socks, reduced light cycle, Rodi water is at 0 tds.

All my snails died for some reason, even though there's brown algae? parameters are almost in check, minus Calc and magnesium, slowly raising them up. Algae is eating up all my nutrients for my corals and I constantly get false readings. So, I'm sure I'm missing nutrients in the water column. Trying to clean my kenya tree and zoa from algae build up, they really don't like it, stress out and stay close up. Mushrums, Xenia, star polyp and other coral are perfectly fine. Once I clean them they tend to open a bit and close again. Parameters are pretty much stable all the time minus the false nitrate and phosphates.

Chaeto not growing either, I'm assuming nutrients are locked up from the algae?

Tank fully cycled but still fairly new.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[paul barker]

What test kit are you using Nitrite should be 0 my Calcium 450 po4 .03 no3 2.5 Alk 12 my tank is doing good it's about 4 month old

 

[Pulsing Xenia]

What test kit are you using Nitrite should be 0 my Calcium 450 po4 .03 no3 2.5 Alk 12 my tank is doing good it's about 4 month old

Red sea, my tank is slowly getting better, I've been cleaning everyday

 

[paul barker]

Red sea, my tank is slowly getting better, I've been cleaning everyday

That's good it just takes time go slow a have fun with it I clean the glass every day and for you CUC I add them in slowly with some tank water and store water

 

[K. Steven]

Do you have a picture of the tank? Snails dying sounds like dinoflagellates. You have detectable NO3 and PO4 from your 04/19 testing, so you're not getting a false reading. Also, you have a reading for NO2, which means your tank isn't fully cycled either.

 

[Pulsing Xenia]

Do you have a picture of the tank? Snails dying sounds like dinoflagellates. You have detectable NO3 and PO4 from your 04/19 testing, so you're not getting a false reading.

Tank is clean now, the previous days it was a build up on rock and glass. I just started showing signs of NO3 and PO4, I've removed socks, and anything that can leech onto. Previously I had clear little bubbles on top of my rocks, I added more flow, and blew the rocks off and things seem better today.

 

[Pulsing Xenia]

Do you have a picture of the tank? Snails dying sounds like dinoflagellates. You have detectable NO3 and PO4 from your 04/19 testing, so you're not getting a false reading. Also, you have a reading for NO2, which means your tank isn't fully cycled either.

For the last 2weeks I got 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 0 phosphates and brown algae showed up. I'm starting to see change in those parameters as of the last tests

 

[mcarroll]

Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether?

Use the test there to make sure it's not dino's.

For the time being stop trying to keep 0 on nitrates or phosphates.

Mature tanks can tolerate those conditions (for good reason), but new tanks should be allowed to grow in slowly, using up available nutrients as it grows.

Unfortunately, starving a new tank of dissolved nutrients does not produce an algae free tank – it tends to promote the hardiest, most competitive algae which have many ways (or exclusive ways) of acquiring nutrients and often the ability to generate toxins or other problematic chemicals.

Certainly do nothing to "push down" on your tank's NO3 and PO4 levels until you get past this. So remove chaeto, carbon dosing, GFO, and anything else "extra" in your filtration. Live rock + protein skimmer ought to be it.

 

[mcarroll]

Nitrites can be quite toxic as well, so verify that test result....if verified, CUC death can be attributable to that I think, at least in part.

 

[Pulsing Xenia]

Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether?

Use the test there to make sure it's not dino's.

For the time being stop trying to keep 0 on nitrates or phosphates.

Mature tanks can tolerate those conditions (for good reason), but new tanks should be allowed to grow in slowly, using up available nutrients as it grows.

Unfortunately, starving a new tank of dissolved nutrients does not produce an algae free tank – it tends to promote the hardiest, most competitive algae which have many ways (or exclusive ways) of acquiring nutrients and often the ability to generate toxins or other problematic chemicals.

Certainly do nothing to "push down" on your tank's NO3 and PO4 levels until you get past this. So remove chaeto, carbon dosing, GFO, and anything else "extra" in your filtration. Live rock + protein skimmer ought to be it.

All I got left to remove is the chaeto, I removed socks, and pads. So, basically, remove the chaeto and maintain stable water weekly changes? It seems like it's going better today, corals opening better, color coming back. Only my leather and zoa left to open. Everything else is looking up.

 

[K. Steven]

Do you have a close-up of the algae you're dealing with? Is it snotty or slimy? Does it grow quickly when lights come on?

 

[Pulsing Xenia]

I'll get a pic when I get home. It's not slime. It's like a coating of brown dust like algae. Comes off extremely easy

 

[K. Steven]

I'll get a pic when I get home. It's not slime. It's like a coating of brown dust like algae. Comes off extremely easy

Sounds more like diatoms, which are common in new tanks.

 

[mcarroll]

So, basically, remove the chaeto and maintain stable water weekly changes?

As long as you don't mind losing the chaeto (i.e. you can get/afford more) then yeah pull it for now. Even water changes might not help if you're drawing nutrients levels back toward zero with them. I'd do water changes only based on nutrients if there's nothing in the tank that "needs cleaning". That's to say I'd only do a water change if NO3 was ≥5-10 ppm and PO4 was ≥0.10 ppm. (≥ = greater than or equal to!) Alternately, you can spike your water change water with those levels of NO3 and PO4 until this is all over-with and keep going with your normal weekly schedule. Both are good options.

How are your nitrites looking now?

Have you had a chance to try any of the dino tests from that thread?

Are you using source water that's fully RODI? (i.e. zero TDS)

 

[Pulsing Xenia]

Sounds more like diatoms, which are common in new tanks.

Here are a few pictures, overall looks clean now. But I still see the light dusting of brown algae. I removed my chaeto as well, running just skimmer and live rock in sump