Fallow tank

[jdpeters]

I have a young 40 breeder set up (4 months) that has no fish in it. I brought home 2 gobies that died same day suddenly with no visual signs of any disease, then several days later my clowns both kicked the bucket.

I left one of the clowns in for the hermits to eat for several days and has caused all sorts of hell. My tank started to smell bad and caused an ammonia spike.


I have a hair algae outbreak on the rocks now. I’ve done several 5 gallon water changes and it seemed to correct total disaster but some of my easy sps are ticked.

My phosphate is .03 but nitrates are totally bottomed out. My question is should I try dosing nitrates while I let my tank be fallow for 2~ months? I don’t want to kill any more fish if whatever took mine out is still in the system. I’m concerned if my nitrates are near or absolute zero that I will have more problems. Any help for feedback is appreciated.

 

[Pod_01]

I would dose ammonia, here is a link

Thread 'DIY Ammonia dosing for low nitrate systems'
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-ammonia-dosing-for-low-nitrate-systems.987087/

You may want to also increase your PO4, SPS corals do consume P and you are borderline at 0.03ppm and no fish to provide additional source of PO4.

 

[jdpeters]

I would dose ammonia, here is a link

Thread 'DIY Ammonia dosing for low nitrate systems'
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-ammonia-dosing-for-low-nitrate-systems.987087/

You may want to also increase your PO4, SPS corals do consume P and you are borderline at 0.03ppm and no fish to provide additional source of PO4.

I’m a little hesitant because when I had the thought that maybe I had ammonia spike after letting that fish rot and my tank smelled bad by the time I had tested the ammonia was only .5. Birdnest, digi and my blueberry stylo that we’re doing particularly well haven’t extended their polyps since. Even after doing 3 10 percent water changes.

Before I had hair algae with 4 fish, snails and hermits my nitrates were still less than 5ppm.

My brain is having a hard time considering dosing because I think logically it will just fuel the hair algae but I’m aware that bottomed out nutrients can also cause its own set of problems. I suspect my easy sps aren’t going to recover

 

[Pod_01]

Algae will thrive in low nutrient environment, especially hair algae because it is able to get what it needs from rock etc….

Corals are only able to get what is available in the water column and if there are no building blocks N and P they will die. Also corals prefer ammonia vs. NO3.

From my experience I was never able to starve out algae, corals will perish long before algae. Best way I found to deal with algae is manual removal. Take a rock out scrape in a sink/ bucket put it back…

Good luck,

 

[Shirak]

@Pod_01 nailed it! I run a fishless system. You MUST feed the corals and or dose nutrients including N and P. Yes this will make algae grow and hair algae is incredibly good at sucking the nutrients corals need from the water and growing really fast. You need to battle the hair algae while maintaining nutrients for the corals.

I chose to go with an army of CUC including hermits and a variety of snails and scrubbing and scraping rocks, frag racks and tank walls, pump screens etc several times a week. As well as dipping things in peroxide bath for a couple minutes at 1:1 tank water/3% peroxide. I have about 30 snails and 6 hermits running around in a 30 gallon tank. Hair algae still pops up on some of the frag plugs and racks and a little on the pumps and walls but it is isolated now. It's taken about 8 months? to get the algae under control and I no longer need to test daily to monitor N and P.

Coralline for better or worse is also encrusting over things...so I have to keep an eye on Mg and alk too.

Some people have had good results with fluconazole treatment for algae. It will take out all algae. But might be an option for you.

 

[jdpeters]

Algae will thrive in low nutrient environment, especially hair algae because it is able to get what it needs from rock etc….

Corals are only able to get what is available in the water column and if there are no building blocks N and P they will die. Also corals prefer ammonia vs. NO3.

From my experience I was never able to starve out algae, corals will perish long before algae. Best way I found to deal with algae is manual removal. Take a rock out scrape in a sink/ bucket put it back…

Good luck,

I hear what you are saying. I knew I would hit some hurdles with this tank the first year, but losing all my fish was not on that list. I have a 27 tank fish room that I think I will convert one of into a QT moving forward. Losing my fish is such a major set back and I’m very frustrated by it.

My rocks are two huge structures that would be a massive pain in the butt to remove. I’d have to take my lighting out. Is there any harm in scrubbing down my rocks in tank and turning my power heads on 100% and siphoning the algae out a possible solution? The hair algae is 99% only on the rocks.

@Pod_01 nailed it! I run a fishless system. You MUST feed the corals and or dose nutrients including N and P. Yes this will make algae grow and hair algae is incredibly good at sucking the nutrients corals need from the water and growing really fast. You need to battle the hair algae while maintaining nutrients for the corals.

I chose to go with an army of CUC including hermits and a variety of snails and scrubbing and scraping rocks, frag racks and tank walls, pump screens etc several times a week. As well as dipping things in peroxide bath for a couple minutes at 1:1 tank water/3% peroxide. I have about 30 snails and 6 hermits running around in a 30 gallon tank. Hair algae still pops up on some of the frag plugs and racks and a little on the pumps and walls but it is isolated now. It's taken about 8 months? to get the algae under control and I no longer need to test daily to monitor N and P.

Coralline for better or worse is also encrusting over things...so I have to keep an eye on Mg and alk too.

Some people have had good results with fluconazole treatment for algae. It will take out all algae. But might be an option for you.

im afraid I will be fishless for at least 90 days. I’m really bummed I lost all 4 fish. The clowns were thriving but unfortunately it appears the goby’s were masking something bad.


I have a combo of hair algae and a brown dusty like algae that I assume is just diatoms. I have Brightwell P and N bottles coming. I have some ticked off sps after multiple waters even, I’m thinking the ammonia spike combined with my already low nitrates dropping off did it. I’m afraid the won’t recover. Meanwhile my finicky hammer has never looked better, lepto is still nice and fluffy and a Duncan is about to kick the bucket

 

[Pod_01]

Is there any harm in scrubbing down my rocks in tank and turning my power heads on 100% and siphoning the algae out a possible solution? The hair algae is 99% only on the rocks.

I done it in the tank, it works just try to remove as much of the algae that floats around…

 

[Shirak]

I hear what you are saying. I knew I would hit some hurdles with this tank the first year, but losing all my fish was not on that list. I have a 27 tank fish room that I think I will convert one of into a QT moving forward. Losing my fish is such a major set back and I’m very frustrated by it.

My rocks are two huge structures that would be a massive pain in the butt to remove. I’d have to take my lighting out. Is there any harm in scrubbing down my rocks in tank and turning my power heads on 100% and siphoning the algae out a possible solution? The hair algae is 99% only on the rocks.

im afraid I will be fishless for at least 90 days. I’m really bummed I lost all 4 fish. The clowns were thriving but unfortunately it appears the goby’s were masking something bad.


I have a combo of hair algae and a brown dusty like algae that I assume is just diatoms. I have Brightwell P and N bottles coming. I have some ticked off sps after multiple waters even, I’m thinking the ammonia spike combined with my already low nitrates dropping off did it. I’m afraid the won’t recover. Meanwhile my finicky hammer has never looked better, lepto is still nice and fluffy and a Duncan is about to kick the bucket

In tank is fine. I was yanking off clumps with long tweezers, scrubbing things, siphoning directly will pull it out too. Sometimes I just let the overflow catch it on the weir and remove it there..

Yes is a major bummer to lose fish :(
If you are going to put the effort into 90 days fallow and QT (with treatment?) all new fish then you need to be cautious that fish pests might potentially come in on other non fish additions. I used to do a series of dips for corals. For snails, inverts etc you could do a tank transfer type qt over the span of a few days with new water for each transfer.

 

[jdpeters]

In tank is fine. I was yanking off clumps with long tweezers, scrubbing things, siphoning directly will pull it out too. Sometimes I just let the overflow catch it on the weir and remove it there..

Yes is a major bummer to lose fish :(
If you are going to put the effort into 90 days fallow and QT (with treatment?) all new fish then you need to be cautious that fish pests might potentially come in on other non fish additions. I used to do a series of dips for corals. For snails, inverts etc you could do a tank transfer type qt over the span of a few days with new water for each transfer.

I’m so frustrated. I honestly thought I would bypass most struggles. The tank looks like hell and honestly it smells not great either. I’ve been doing extra water changes but I’m starting to wonder if I do maybe a 30-50 percent water change and scrub/siphon the heck out of it if I could tip the scale. Perimeter wise a large WC would be fine and if I made sure it was close to temp.
It sucks coming home to smell a not so fresh living room. My 7x7 fish room with 27 tanks has virtually no odor

 

[jdpeters]

I done it in the tank, it works just try to remove as much of the algae that floats around…

Is it normal for a algae outbreak, be it in hair algae and some weird brown dusty one that’s coating a lot of surface area to smell bad?

 

[Pod_01]

Is it normal for an algae outbreak, be it in hair algae and some weird brown dusty one that’s coating a lot of surface area to smell bad?

Brown algae that smells bad sounds like Dino’s (Dinoflagellates)…

I had pleasure of dealing with it more than once, it is the most perplexing thing in a reef tank.

If it looks similar to this:

It is likely Dino’s.

They are not algae but seem to exploit any deficiency in a reef tank and take over. Search for the term and numerous causes and potential solutions.

FWIW I was able to deal with my last outbreak by dosing Tropic Marin A and K trace elements. My N and P at the time of outbreak was actually high so that was not the cause.

 

[jdpeters]

Brown algae that smells bad sounds like Dino’s (Dinoflagellates)…

I had pleasure of dealing with it more than once, it is the most perplexing thing in a reef tank.

If it looks similar to this:

It is likely Dino’s.

They are not algae but seem to exploit any deficiency in a reef tank and take over. Search for the term and numerous causes and potential solutions.

FWIW I was able to deal with my last outbreak by dosing Tropic Marin A and K trace elements. My N and P at the time of outbreak was actually high so that was not the cause.

It doesn’t really look slimy necessarily but I do have air bubbles everywhere. Not bad but i just thought it was GHA pearling