Cyano? Spirolina?

TheEngineer · Jan 20, 2018

I grabbed myself a kid's microscope this weekend to see if I get make some sense of this purple scourge that is wreaking havoc in my tank. It looks like cyano, but I'm thinking it isn't. This is a really cheap toy, so the pics and vids aren't great...I ordered real slides and covers so hopefully I'll be able to focus better with them.

Noticed a little worm dude or something moving around.

Something freaking out on the bottom right... what are the dots? Some moved around, but before I could get the camera on

Same spot

Some stills:

I think I see spirals, but maybe my eyes are playing tricks.

Closest I could get on the little dots.

F

TheEngineer · Jan 20, 2018

Here’s what it looks like. That spot in the middle is where the sample is from.

mcarroll · Jan 20, 2018

That's a really typical cyano-dominated algae patch. Ugly, but probbaly good for the tank.

As for ID of all those critters? I've been told that the wiggly worms are very often nematodes. I'm seeing spirals too, but I duno if spirulina is the only candidate there.

Look at PhycoKey (it's a visual guide....no prior knowledge needed) and browse around to see what else (if anything) might fit those pics.

Not sure about the guys with dots....kinda shaped like dino cells, but not sure about that white/reflective spot....never noticed that before in dino pics. (I think you've been in the dino sticky before....compare with some of the photos in there...links to photo searches for the different dino types on the first post.)

mcarroll · Jan 20, 2018

What are NO3 and PO4 levels like in this tank, BTW?

TheEngineer · Jan 20, 2018

mcarroll said:
What are NO3 and PO4 levels like in this tank, BTW?

NO3 is 10
PO4 is 0.049

As of this morning. I’m running Vibrant.

mcarroll · Jan 20, 2018

Ah....well that's another path.

Keep us updated.

Cyano isn't that hard to beat by normal measures...arguably it shouldn't be beaten at all since it's growing there for a reason and is almost always just a phase. Usually a phase that is on the way toward tank maturity and stability. (Presuming you correct the condition.)

For what it's worth, that looks like a classic settling area for detritus - and it's probably a prime location for another coral or clam!

In addition to detritus settling, there's also a fraction of mucus coming off that clam and any corals in the vicinity – which is a carbon source.

Cyano is probably covering up the detrius area to take advantage of the nutrients being released as other microbes break it down....they're really good at acquiring macro nutrients like N and P even when it's not generally available or limited thanks to denitrification or what have you. (There's probably very little N or P coming from the sand.....just plenty of everything else.)

Bubble algae kinda works the same way...it tries to cover up a patch of detritus and actually grow little root-link things into it and then uses the detritus almost like a plant uses dirt for nutrients.

So don't let your rocks or sand become impacted with detritus. This is the most ideal thing, but takes some effort/dscipline. If it does tend to get compacted, then KEEP IT CLEANED.

@Paul B has one of the oldest, most successful tanks around and he routinely blasts his rocks and sand with something like a power head to keep them clear. (And he's not a clean tank freak...that is NOT the point at all.)

jsker · Jan 20, 2018

What kind light are you running and how long are you running the white spectrum?

Yes the phosphate could come down a tad bit

TheEngineer · Jan 20, 2018

mcarroll said:
Ah....well that's another path. Keep us updated.

Cyano isn't that hard to beat by normal measures...arguably it shouldn't be beaten at all since it's growing there for a reason and is almost always just a phase. Usually a phase that is on the way toward tank maturity and stability. (Presuming you correct the condition.)

For what it's worth, that looks like a classic settling area for detritus - and it's probably a prime location for another coral or clam!

In addition to detritus settling, there's also a fraction of mucus coming off that clam and any corals in the vicinity – which is a carbon source.

Cyano is probably covering up the detrius area to take advantage of the nutrients being released as other microbes break it down....they're really good at acquiring macro nutrients like N and P even when it's not generally available or limited thanks to denitrification or what have you. (There's probably very little N or P coming from the sand.....just plenty of everything else.)

Bubble algae kinda works the same way...it tries to cover up a patch of detritus and actually grow little root-link things into it and then uses the detritus almost like a plant uses dirt for nutrients.

So don't let your rocks or sand become impacted with detritus. This is the most ideal thing, but takes some effort/dscipline. If it does tend to get compacted, then KEEP IT CLEANED. @Paul B has one of the oldest, most successful tanks around and he routinely blasts his rocks and sand with something like a power head to keep them clear. (And he's not a clean tank freak...that is NOT the point at all.)

Well, there is some back story here (isn't there always!?) This tank is actually 2.5 years old. I had a crash about 4 months ago that wiped out 90% of my corals. The clam and acan in the picture are the only two corals that made it. I struggled with keeping any nutrients present in the tank. I'd dose with potassium nitrate and I'd get weird algae that would grow over my zoas (I was having issues with the zoas at the time too). I'd back off of the dosing and it would go away. I tried feeding my one fish more, but there's only so much that does in a 50g tank with one fish. Ultimately, I think my perennial low nutrients did me in.

After the crash, I pretty much didn't want to do anything with the tank and it became overrun with bubble algae. I was ready to tear it down when I decided to just give vibrant a try. I figured if I'm tearing it down anyway, might as well have a story to share with my local club. The vibrant does seem to finally be making a difference.

I've been taking an MJ1200 to my rockwork and blasting the be-hoo-hoo out of it. I was stirring my sand, but my clown got some mystery fungal infection shortly after I started, so I stopped. I think I'll just let this run its course, as you suggest

jsker said:
What kind light are you running and how long are you running the white spectrum?

Yes the phosphate could come down a tad bit

First time this tank has had any measurable nutrients

It's the vibrant killing off the algae. I also think my skimmer is just not up to the task. It barely pulls anything out and I know there's junk in there. I recently cleaned the whole thing and it is seemingly running fine. It is an SCA-301. Maybe I'll win the Deltec and this will be a non issue

jsker · Jan 20, 2018

My conclusion of vibrant, it not worth using. Try backing off your white spectrum to 5 hours. After having a two year battle on and off, all it took was to turn down my white spectrum for 8 hours to 5.5 hour and my tank has been clean ever since and the coral is still grown like crazy. I still run the rest of the spectrums as I did before with times and intesidies.

TheEngineer · Jan 20, 2018

jsker said:
My conclusion of vibrant, it not worth using. Try backing off your white spectrum to 5 hours. After having a two year battle on and off, all it took was to turn down my white spectrum for 8 hours to 5.5 hour and my tank has been clean ever since and the coral is still grown like crazy. I still run the rest of the spectrums as I did before with times and intesidies.

Sorry, you asked about lighting....

I run the coral lab lps setting at 40% on an XR15 G4 Pro. Really blue.

jsker · Jan 20, 2018

TheEngineer said:
Sorry, you asked about lighting....

I run the coral lab lps setting at 40% on an XR15 G4 Pro. Really blue.

I started a thread about my battle, link I was on a WWC live sale and one of the guy said the light spectrum they use for grow there corals. They use leds. As I stated before I switch my white to 5.5 at now higher then 30% and like magic in three days the tank was clear and I now clean the glass 1 or two time a week. I keep my Po4 around .03 and they will clime and I dose lanthanum chloride to bring them down. I hardly test for No3's maybe once a month maybe

Just try it, or I will refund my advice

TheEngineer · Jan 20, 2018

jsker said:
I started a thread about my battle, link I was on a WWC live sale and one of the guy said the light spectrum they use for grow there corals. They use leds. As I stated before I switch my white to 5.5 at now higher then 30% and like magic in three days the tank was clear and I now clean the glass 1 or two time a week. I keep my Po4 around .03 and they will clime and I dose lanthanum chloride to bring them down. I hardly test for No3's maybe once a month maybe

Just try it, or I will refund my advice

I’ll check my settings. This is the WWC setting. I think whites top out at 25% at 40% intensity if memory serves.

TheEngineer · Jan 20, 2018

Here is my lighting schedule. The white channels are at 15% with 50% intensity, so 7.5% I think. I don't really understand these charts. They're on from 8:45A to 5:15P (6.5 hours). Are you saying they need to be less than that?

I've seen some discussions, although no schedules, for people using a sawtooth pattern with their lights. Are you familiar?