Confused

[saltyfilmfolks]

I know things don't get fixed over night. I am just trying to wrap my head around why what is happening is happening and what needs to be done. The picture in my avatar is of the tank just a few months ago. Nothing bad growing but just couldn't get the water crystal clear. I am told by several reputable people my nutrients are to low. I increase my feeding and reduce exporting. My nutrients never get up to where I am shooting for but the tank gets overwhelmed with algae. It has been several weeks with almost no nutrients yet the algae is so thick it is killing corals dayly. I have a 3000gph return pump. 15 minutes after cleaning all the rocks the water is clear again. In a hour you can see the algae already growing back.

This is still what is confusing me. If someone has explained it I didn't get it. My nutrients are still too low yet the solution is to do thing to lower nutreints?

I'd like to see some pictures in white light please.

I'm sorry it's confusing. From the pictures , it looks like some cyano.
I'll stand by my post earlier.
It's why cleaning can be important and why it can turn into a loop kinda till it balances. Your scrubbing and stirring stuff into the water and it feeds the nasties for a while. But it does go away in most cases.
Nutrients (n/p), are not the cause. I don't have cyano and my tanks have high nutrients. I can show you some mind blowing tanks with them too.

With some pics let's see if we can find the root of your problem. Could be flow, could be a dirty sump blowing food back into the tank. Hard to say.

Oh what's your turnover rate? And how's the flow and ph?

 

[rcpalmer1]

Are you running any biopellets/balls, matrix, marinepure?

I have 4 liters of matrix in my sump.

 

[reeferfoxx]

I have 4 liters of matrix in my sump.

To me, the point of matrix is to reduce nitrates? One could say the algae/bac consumes the nutrients giving a false reading or another could say its growing because nitrates are the limiting factor? Could we say for sure, since the filtration is forcing nitrates into a limiting factor? Just my thought.

 

[rcpalmer1]

To me, the point of matrix is to reduce nitrates? One could say the algae/bac consumes the nutrients giving a false reading or another could say its growing because nitrates are the limiting factor? Could we say for sure, since the filtration is forcing nitrates into a limiting factor? Just my thought.

I like this because it is something different and is trying to understand/explain the problem. I don't fully understand what you are saying but it is late. I will reread it in the morning and hopeful I will get what you are saying .
Thanks

 

[rcpalmer1]

I'd like to see some pictures in white light please.

I'm sorry it's confusing. From the pictures , it looks like some cyano.
I'll stand by my post earlier.
It's why cleaning can be important and why it can turn into a loop kinda till it balances. Your scrubbing and stirring stuff into the water and it feeds the nasties for a while. But it does go away in most cases.
Nutrients (n/p), are not the cause. I don't have cyano and my tanks have high nutrients. I can show you some mind blowing tanks with them too.

With some pics let's see if we can find the root of your problem. Could be flow, could be a dirty sump blowing food back into the tank. Hard to say.

Oh what's your turnover rate? And how's the flow and ph?

The tank is 120gal. I have a 3000 gob pump running at about 80% with less than a 5' head pressure. Definitely over 2000 gph returning to the tank plus two 1050gph power heads alternating at 100%. I didn't check the ph tonight but will try and get it in the morning before I go to work.

 

[reeferfoxx]

The tank is 120gal. I have a 3000 gob pump running at about 80% with less than a 5' head pressure. Definitely over 2000 gph returning to the tank plus two 1050gph power heads alternating at 100%. I didn't check the ph tonight but will try and get it in the morning before I go to work.

Kind of looks like my tank but mine are dinos. Might have to get a scope.

I like this because it is something different and is trying to understand/explain the problem. I don't fully understand what you are saying but it is late. I will reread it in the morning and hopeful I will get what you are saying .
Thanks

Basically, having nutrients in the tank not only feeds coral and algae its a food source for other micro organisms. No3 being one of those food sources. But your running biomedia that removes it. Yes it has both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria but when I ran it I was forced to dose nitrates. Kind of goes against having nitrates. I would either remove the matrix or cut it back. Add it when you need it. Run the tank with the skimmer and uv till it stabilizes. It's only 6 months old right?

 

[rcpalmer1]

another could say its growing because nitrates are the limiting factor?

foxx

Ok so I get the Matrix reduces nitrates. So are you saying the algae is growing because the nitrates are low. Is that why said you were forced to dose nitrates?

Something I had changed was the light color. I like almost all blue. My wife likes more whites. She has been out of work on medical leave. She wasn't able to do much other than sit by the aquarium. I had added a little more white for her. I am going to change that back tonight when I get home and turn the timer off on the UV so it will run 24 hours a day.

 

[reeferfoxx]

foxx

Ok so I get the Matrix reduces nitrates. So are you saying the algae is growing because the nitrates are low. Is that why said you were forced to dose nitrates?

Something I had changed was the light color. I like almost all blue. My wife likes more whites. She has been out of work on medical leave. She wasn't able to do much other than sit by the aquarium. I had added a little more white for her. I am going to change that back tonight when I get home and turn the timer off on the UV so it will run 24 hours a day.

I'm saying your tank is going through an ugly phase. We call it a phase because they come and go. They go because bacteria, micro fauna, and other organisms grow to combat pest bacteria and algae. Setting up a tank and thinking adding gfo or biomedia is going to reduce pest growths only prolongs the tanks maturation process. Live rock and precured rock tends to go through this process without us having to deal with it. Dry rock setups need to go through this process to establish the correct biofiltration.

 

[rcpalmer1]

It has been a week since I started this post. I had been waiting for things to clear up on their on. It had been a few weeks before I started this post after things had been going down hill.

I have been blowing everything off every night when I get home. I have about 25 times turnover with my return pump. It only tales a few minutes for the water to clear back up. I have been changing socks every other day. I have noticed it has been less growing back each day. I also have done a 20% water change. Phosphates have been undetectable and nitrates have been under 5. They are currently 2. In the last 2 days my hammer and acans are shriveling up. I have ordered some ICP test kits. They should be in Monday.

This is my problem. I drop the nutrients so low the algae goes away. Then my corals are starving. I raise nutrients then my tank is over run with algae.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

The hardest thing is patience.

Manual removal is always the best case sadly. And one difficulty is the algaes and other nucanse organisms thrive on more than just n/p.
IMO most folks chasing n/p have more issues than any other.

Sadly , what you may see as starving corals may in fact be toxins organismis use to take over space and become dominant. Our tests and icp tests won't detect them.
I do hope it's a simple fix but...

I don't belive I've seen that strain of algae before.
We do know that nutint limitation can cause problems. But if your fish are fed healthfully there are both being returned to the system.

Most people's confusion lies in the misconception that n/p alk and light are the largest contributor to these problems. It's far more complicated than that.

I have a lot of stupid interets in several other complicated hobbies , agricultures , and and sciences. Most every master of every one those at the bottom line all say or do one thing , go with your gut.
Our instincts are better than our analytical mind becuse the analytical mind is only that. Instinct uses everything including the analitical part of the brain.


Right now , my gut is saying there is something wrong with your source water and you may have too much light. But water is what my gut tells me.