dirty live rock and clear bubbles on rock and sand

JUSTINSREEF · Dec 6, 2011

just as the title says i dont know if it is from over feeding i have two fish and all my corals are doing really well i even have a birdnest and it is doing really well.. during my water changes i dusted it off and sucked some of it out but the next day the bubbles are back and the rock is just as dirty....... i have a 75 gallon with two 250w metal halides and 4 actinics. two hydor koralia 850gph power heads.. a sump/refugium with 15# of live rock in the refugium.. and about 65# in the main tank.. have a protein skimmer that i clean out every 3 days.. i do a 15 gallon water change every two weeks..and all my water test come out perfect.. i do not have a ro/di unit i need one bad.. temp stays at 78 and 80.. put in some purple tech for a week and stopped doing that cause i really didnt need it nube mistake.. and i only have 12 snails and two sand sifting stars to clean..small clown tang (will be moved to a bigger tank) and a six line wrasse.. so im ready let me have it...this is the best i could get with the photos i have some good ones on the other camera but cant find the cable to upload. them

MBG75 · Dec 6, 2011

pics? what are your phosphate and nitrate levels?

Troylee · Dec 6, 2011

dinos or cyano hard to say without a picture...

JUSTINSREEF · Dec 9, 2011

this is the best i could do with what i had to work with the pics.. how do i get rid of this stuff...

skinz78 · Dec 9, 2011

It looks like Dino's to me. I suggest dosing 1ml of Hydrogen Peroxide per every 10g of water daily. They should be gone within 7 to 10 days.

JUSTINSREEF · Dec 10, 2011

so the peroxide thing wont hurt my corals and fish

skinz78 · Dec 10, 2011

Nope I just dumped a little in my tank as a part of my maintainance.

robert · Dec 11, 2011

The tank is still breaking in...right? Its pretty normal for a young tank and is the result of excess nutrients. Siphon it out - a little H2O2 won't hurt - aggressive skimming - water changes - some chaeto in the sump - you want to export as much of the excess nutrients as you can. Over time you'll build up populations of pods, starfish, worms etc that will help eat up the the left overs from feedings.

Two things you need to watch - phosphates and nitrates. You test and they read 0, but that because the excess is in that nasty bubble stuff on the rocks. Testing is not the way to tell, the stuff like you have tells you everything. If you don't already, start running a little GFO and carbon. If you don't have a reactor - no worries - you can mix it 50/50 in a fine mesh bag and drop it in your filter sock - or use chemi-pure. Watch you alk after you first start running it - it may drop - and your birds nest won't like that. If it does drop - a little baking soda will bring it back up. Just go slow - introduce new stuff slowly until you know how your tank reacts.

Save your money on the supplements - they get you into trouble. Water changes with a quality salt are the way to go. If your going to test regularly, and you should, keep your eye on the alk. It will swing the fastest. A box of baking soda is all you'll need to keep it in line. When I lived in Atlanta - our water was pretty high in organics - you should get an RO/DI unit as soon as you can.

JUSTINSREEF · Dec 11, 2011

i have had the tank since april.. i do run some carbon.. i lost my six line wrasse i feed him thursday he was happy swimming around with the clown tang and then friday when i got home he had vanished. i checked the floor overflow box and under all the rocks and i found a little blue piece but dont know if it was him or not but i cant find him.. so i guess something ate him.. but my tang is still acting normal.. i did a water change today and everything is already starting to look better...thanks for all the info..

JUSTINSREEF · Dec 15, 2011

Ok so now both my fish has died and dont know why i did a water change sunday and tested the water monday night everything was perfect.. Everything that was supposed to be zero was zero and calcium was at 500 and the high range ph was at 8.8..everything was perfect.. And my tang died tuesday.. And i dont know what this clear bubble crap is and its getting on my nerves... I will take a turkey bastor and blow the bubbles and they just float to the top and pop like its just trapped air or something nothing in the bubbles just a clear air bubble and its on every live rock i got.. The corals seem to be doing well its just so weird... Please somebody tell me that this has happend to you and you know the anserw on how to fix it... I have tried everything i could think of ..

Dowtish · Dec 15, 2011

So you are using tap water?

robert · Dec 15, 2011

So you are using tap water? - good question.

A picture of the while tank would help us help you.

JUSTINSREEF · Dec 15, 2011

yes i am using tap water but i have had a 40 gallon and my tank was clear as can be and i have had this one since april and it just now is going crazy... thanks for all the help really appreciate it.. just getting frustrated with my tank..

robert said:
So you are using tap water? - good question.

A picture of the while tank would help us help you.

Justin MD · Dec 15, 2011

First thing in the morning, blow off your rocks and do a heavy water change. Just be sure the water is heated and the pH is close. The pH will be low in the morning. I personally have never seen pH so high. Ideal is 8.3.

Also, either buy your water from a RO outlet or a SW store. Better yet buy an RO unit. Anything but Tap. Unless your tap is low on things like phosphates, nitrates, and silicates.

You need to export your excess nutrients. Until you do you will never get rid of the the Dino/cyano issue.

boehm742 · Dec 15, 2011

Have you gotten switched over to RODI Water yet? This can be huge starting with pure water.

JUSTINSREEF · Dec 15, 2011

yes but i have been using tap water since april and it only has had all the bubbles since i posted this the first time and somebody told me at a saltwater store that your ph should be from 8.3 and 8.8 no higher or lower... i know i need a ro unit but my wife just got out of collage and is trying to find a job but just not happening so im lucky i got a protein skimmer and a metal halide light..anybody know where i can get a good but cheaper ro unit... i have learned on my 40 gallon that going the cheap route is not the way to go cause you always upgrade to the better stuff..and the cheap stuff breaks..

robert · Dec 16, 2011

The pictures really help a lot. Your setup basically looks fine - but one thing the pictures show is that your water levels have recently been too low. From the algae line on the overflow box, it appears that maybe things evaporated down to the point where the overflow, and therefore the skimmer weren't working.

To get your tank from where it is to where you want it, I would start by using a singled edged razor and a siphon to get all that stuff off the glass and out of the tank. DO NOT USE the magnet - you want it out. Scrape and suck out what you get off the glass.

Next, scrub as much of the rock as you can in a bucket of tank water. Rinse the rock in more tank water. Do not return any of this scrub or rinse water to the tank. Throw it out.

Your substrate looks pretty clean - but any algae on the substrate needs to get siphoned out. Siphon out any substrate to which the algae is attached. You can bleach and reuse the substrate - just rinse well - allow to thoroughly dry - and soak in a little prime before you put it back. Do not bury the algae. It will literally be back tomorrow if you do.

Doing all that will take your water down a lot. If it were me I'd want to take out at least half. Go to a water store - buy however much water you need to mix up enough salt water to replenish your tank. Around here good water goes for about 20 cents a gallon. Before I got an RODI unit, that's how I did it.

If you absolutely have to use tap water - at least use RODI to replace evaporation - otherwise your just concentrating the minerals and phosphate in your tank.

The light is great by the way - really nice, but that raises one more set of questions in my mind - is it new? If you've increased the light it may account for an increase in algae growth. And as a last thought, any chance that the change in seasons is bringing direct sunlight into your tank - where it didn't in the spring or summer? Maybe keeping curtains open more?

Sorry about the fish loss - I feel really bad when I lose a fish.

JUSTINSREEF · Dec 16, 2011

the light is new about a mth old and no sunlight has ever gotten to the tank.. to get ro water i have to drive at least 45 min to get it..ill try cleaning the rock and stuff but with the overflow the water only goes down to that point when i do a water change and i just did one last sunday...thanks for the info..

robert said:
The pictures really help a lot. Your setup basically looks fine - but one thing the pictures show is that your water levels have recently been too low. From the algae line on the overflow box, it appears that maybe things evaporated down to the point where the overflow, and therefore the skimmer weren't working.

To get your tank from where it is to where you want it, I would start by using a singled edged razor and a siphon to get all that stuff off the glass and out of the tank. DO NOT USE the magnet - you want it out. Scrape and suck out what you get off the glass.

Next, scrub as much of the rock as you can in a bucket of tank water. Rinse the rock in more tank water. Do not return any of this scrub or rinse water to the tank. Throw it out.

Your substrate looks pretty clean - but any algae on the substrate needs to get siphoned out. Siphon out any substrate to which the algae is attached. You can bleach and reuse the substrate - just rinse well - allow to thoroughly dry - and soak in a little prime before you put it back. Do not bury the algae. It will literally be back tomorrow if you do.

Doing all that will take your water down a lot. If it were me I'd want to take out at least half. Go to a water store - buy however much water you need to mix up enough salt water to replenish your tank. Around here good water goes for about 20 cents a gallon. Before I got an RODI unit, that's how I did it.

If you absolutely have to use tap water - at least use RODI to replace evaporation - otherwise your just concentrating the minerals and phosphate in your tank.

The light is great by the way - really nice, but that raises one more set of questions in my mind - is it new? If you've increased the light it may account for an increase in algae growth. And as a last thought, any chance that the change in seasons is bringing direct sunlight into your tank - where it didn't in the spring or summer? Maybe keeping curtains open more?

Sorry about the fish loss - I feel really bad when I lose a fish.

robert · Dec 16, 2011

The crud aside - I really like your tank. I had the same problems, maybe worse, when I fist set up. I'd spend hours cleaning up and the stuff would be back the next day. If that's more than a weeks worth then stick with it, it will get better.