Diatom and red cyano??

[jonreefs]

I’m dealing with red cyano, some algae, and diatoms all at once and honestly still trying to figure it out.

From what I’ve been testing, tds is 0, my phosphate is kinda high (around 0.30) and my nitrates are pretty low. I didn’t realize before, but I think that imbalance might be why the cyano is taking over.

Right now I’m just trying a few basic things:

• Slowly lowering phosphate using something like Brightwell Phosphate-E (trying not to drop it too fast)
• Feeding a little more to bring nitrates up
• Siphoning out the cyano during water changes
• Adjusting flow and cutting back lighting a bit

Also checking my RO/DI water since I read diatoms can come from that.

Still learning as I go, so if anyone has tips or sees something I’m missing, I’m all ears.

 

[Jacob Fawley]

What is your setup like? How old and what is the stocking?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

how is the flow in the tank? Can we see pictures? Me personally am totally against dosing or feeding more to increase nitrates when you have an algae problem, this only benefits the algae IMO.

 

[Subsea]

I’m dealing with red cyano, some algae, and diatoms all at once and honestly still trying to figure it out.

From what I’ve been testing, tds is 0, my phosphate is kinda high (around 0.30) and my nitrates are pretty low. I didn’t realize before, but I think that imbalance might be why the cyano is taking over.

Right now I’m just trying a few basic things:

• Slowly lowering phosphate using something like Brightwell Phosphate-E (trying not to drop it too fast)
• Feeding a little more to bring nitrates up
• Siphoning out the cyano during water changes
• Adjusting flow and cutting back lighting a bit

Also checking my RO/DI water since I read diatoms can come from that.

Still learning as I go, so if anyone has tips or sees something I’m missing, I’m all ears.

“From what I’ve been testing, tds is 0“
Please explain this.

What is your salinity?

What is your nitrate?

Full tank picture in white light would help.

 

[jonreefs]

Tank is a innnovated marine 200 INT it’s been set up for 2 years. For circulation I have 4 mp 40s running reefmatt 1200, Red Sea skimmer 900, for lighting x4 AI 52s,

80w UV sterilizer plumb into the return.

1 media reactor running carbon

stock: blue hippo, sailfin, pair of clown, purple and yellow tang, tomini Tang, x2 anthias.

I have a Stage 6 RODI with 2 meters and they have been reading at 0

Salinity is 1.25
Phos .30
Nitrate 1.6

I dose phosphate E over the past week and my last phos reading came back at .18

 

[Subsea]

Tank is a innnovated marine 200 INT it’s been set up for 2 years. For circulation I have 4 mp 40s running reefmatt 1200, Red Sea skimmer 900, for lighting x4 AI 52s,

80w UV sterilizer plumb into the return.

1 media reactor running carbon

stock: blue hippo, sailfin, pair of clown, purple and yellow tang, tomini Tang, x2 anthias.

I have a Stage 6 RODI with 2 meters and they have been reading at 0

Salinity is 1.25
Phos .30
Nitrate 1.6

I dose phosphate E over the past week and my last phos reading came back at .18

A full tank shot with white light would help.

I equate 1.6ppm of nitrate as ZERO. That’s not good.
Opportunistic algae’s like Dinoflagellets & Cyanobacteria thrive when nutrients are limited and competition is decreased.

With my 25 year mature system I dose ammonia because my nitrates read zero.

 

[jonreefs]

 

[Subsea]

Looks like red Cyanobacteria on the rocks with some on the sand.

Looks mostly like diatoms on the sand:

“Also checking my RO/DI water since I read diatoms can come from that.“

Not exactly. Most RO/DI does not remove silicates which can fuel diatoms. However, I dose silicates for the sponges and do not have diatoms.
Also, you indicated that the output of your RO/DI was zero, so that means no input of silicates.

Because you are carbon dosing, you are exporting nitrates in your skimmate, which also exports phosphate, approximate a 30:1
N:P ratio. I suspect your carbon dosing is contributed to some of the bacterial slime like Cyanobacteria.

Consider using chemiclean for the Cyanobacteria and consider discontinuing your carbon dosing which encourages bacteria.

Continue using phosphate e to decrease phosphate.

If discontinuing carbon dosing does not raise nitrate than consider dosing ammonia.