hello friends of R2R

[TraydersAnonymous]

I'm having some difficulty with what I think is dinos in my reef tank it went from a couple spots on the rocks to a full blown outbreak one afternoon ( like looked over one minute and it was normal then a couple hours later it was like an insane amount of brown algae covering the side glass and the sand and rocks). I ended up loosing both snails and a cleaner shrimp after im assuming from the low phos and maybe the dinos ( month or so into fight the shrimp died and maybe over the next few months or so the snails died after it was almost cleared after a dark out). Iv been keeping the tank with only blues for a week or so now. I change my floss almost every morning in hopes of slowly removing what dies in the water column.

I think this stems from bottomed out phosphates, I was trying to add beneficial bacteria just in hopes of strengthening the bio diversity in there. Im bad with reading all of the instructions and didnt read the full bottle mainly where it says rapid reduction of statement. I assumed the front of the bottle would help in the bio diversity as it states " complete bio culture for establishing solid long term biological filtration in new systems ++". I only added a couple doses and less than the recommended but it left my phos undetectable and same with nitrates, I am now reading nitrate and starting to see phosphate on my salifert test kit. ( i know a hanna ulr phosphate would be better ) This is my first reef tank and its hard getting past the anxiety of it all, my dream is to add coral but I keep stopping myself, I feel like I'm so close to getting over this learning curve though. Any advice would be great. heres a video of how it looks rn. I'm curious what the white algae is in the video. The crab pieces are the hermits mold from the past day or so. They usually eat it all up. Im wondering if starting to add some copepods and maybe phyto could help. I try not to disturb the sand as I have a nessarius don there doing his thing. ive also been looking at uv sterilizers but not sure what would fit well in the back as these wb have tiny compartments.

lmk peeps

Stats, I use rodi water
15 gal water box peninsula
Mighty jet pump
nero 3
Tunze ato
2 clowns
1 emy crab
1 hermy crab
1 Nessarius

 

[KrisReef]

Well, I think you and me probably have our own anxiety issues so let me take a crack at this one.

(NO video visible? I usually post pictures from my camera or email to this site.)

First, I can't see what you are seeing but it sounds like the stage commonly called (new tank) "Ugly Stage" because when folks set up new tanks, or when the meddle alot with an older (say 2+yrs) tank and for who knows what reason the ugly stuff starts growing and ruins our dream of a crystal clear tank. Sometimes people can't get it to go away and the give up and stop, but that's not going to be you, is it? Doesn't seem like it since you have been working the thing for awhile and probably making a little progress even though it doesn't seem like it, since it's still happening?

New tanks take time, and I'm looking at a fish tank in my house that has been giving me a challenge but I just keep reminding myself that each tank needs to ride for awhile until the inhabitants of the microbe world finish fighting for turf and eventually most tanks (.9999999999999/1 actually statistic approximately equal to) will hit a balance and with normal routine maintance and minimal glass wiping they remain clear on their own. You are not there yet, but it will come.

I don't think low phosphate and nitrate is going to kill shrimp or snails, but something managed to kill them and congratulations because at that point you had not over loaded your tank in that first month like so many new reefers do and then what ever killed the shrimp and snails could have killed coral, more inverts, whatever you didn't add being careful to do this right. You and your cautious approach punted Arizona, (aka Kicked AZ!)

Now you have added some fish and inverts, don't make any more additions until the clear water and glass is prevailing. A UV sterilizer can help with some uglies. A lot of tanks run without one so I don't recommend adding one as it may not fix anything but it will cost money to purchase and operate.

Pods and phyto are very worthwhile. YOur fish will love you for the food and biodiversity.

Get some longsleeve gloves to wear when you put your hands in the tank.

Post some pictures if you can so we can see what we are talking about.
GL
KrisReef

 

[TraydersAnonymous]

Well, I think you and me probably have our own anxiety issues so let me take a crack at this one.

(NO video visible? I usually post pictures from my camera or email to this site.)

First, I can't see what you are seeing but it sounds like the stage commonly called (new tank) "Ugly Stage" because when folks set up new tanks, or when the meddle alot with an older (say 2+yrs) tank and for who knows what reason the ugly stuff starts growing and ruins our dream of a crystal clear tank. Sometimes people can't get it to go away and the give up and stop, but that's not going to be you, is it? Doesn't seem like it since you have been working the thing for awhile and probably making a little progress even though it doesn't seem like it, since it's still happening?

New tanks take time, and I'm looking at a fish tank in my house that has been giving me a challenge but I just keep reminding myself that each tank needs to ride for awhile until the inhabitants of the microbe world finish fighting for turf and eventually most tanks (.9999999999999/1 actually statistic approximately equal to) will hit a balance and with normal routine maintance and minimal glass wiping they remain clear on their own. You are not there yet, but it will come.

I don't think low phosphate and nitrate is going to kill shrimp or snails, but something managed to kill them and congratulations because at that point you had not over loaded your tank in that first month like so many new reefers do and then what ever killed the shrimp and snails could have killed coral, more inverts, whatever you didn't add being careful to do this right. You and your cautious approach punted Arizona, (aka Kicked AZ!)

Now you have added some fish and inverts, don't make any more additions until the clear water and glass is prevailing. A UV sterilizer can help with some uglies. A lot of tanks run without one so I don't recommend adding one as it may not fix anything but it will cost money to purchase and operate.

Pods and phyto are very worthwhile. YOur fish will love you for the food and biodiversity.

Get some longsleeve gloves to wear when you put your hands in the tank.

Post some pictures if you can so we can see what we are talking about.
GL
KrisReef

 

[TraydersAnonymous]

Well, I think you and me probably have our own anxiety issues so let me take a crack at this one.

(NO video visible? I usually post pictures from my camera or email to this site.)

First, I can't see what you are seeing but it sounds like the stage commonly called (new tank) "Ugly Stage" because when folks set up new tanks, or when the meddle alot with an older (say 2+yrs) tank and for who knows what reason the ugly stuff starts growing and ruins our dream of a crystal clear tank. Sometimes people can't get it to go away and the give up and stop, but that's not going to be you, is it? Doesn't seem like it since you have been working the thing for awhile and probably making a little progress even though it doesn't seem like it, since it's still happening?

New tanks take time, and I'm looking at a fish tank in my house that has been giving me a challenge but I just keep reminding myself that each tank needs to ride for awhile until the inhabitants of the microbe world finish fighting for turf and eventually most tanks (.9999999999999/1 actually statistic approximately equal to) will hit a balance and with normal routine maintance and minimal glass wiping they remain clear on their own. You are not there yet, but it will come.

I don't think low phosphate and nitrate is going to kill shrimp or snails, but something managed to kill them and congratulations because at that point you had not over loaded your tank in that first month like so many new reefers do and then what ever killed the shrimp and snails could have killed coral, more inverts, whatever you didn't add being careful to do this right. You and your cautious approach punted Arizona, (aka Kicked AZ!)

Now you have added some fish and inverts, don't make any more additions until the clear water and glass is prevailing. A UV sterilizer can help with some uglies. A lot of tanks run without one so I don't recommend adding one as it may not fix anything but it will cost money to purchase and operate.

Pods and phyto are very worthwhile. YOur fish will love you for the food and biodiversity.

Get some longsleeve gloves to wear when you put your hands in the tank.

Post some pictures if you can so we can see what we are talking about.
GL
KrisReef

Thank-you for the reply, i will not give up on these guys, I plan to have this tank and possibly another bigger tank down the road. It's looking alot better than it has lately. That's running only blues, no white accept for the video and photos. I keep lights down in my office and windows closed. I have other pictures from earlier in the tanks life I'll post as well. I forgot to mention I had a trochus snail that disappeared a day or two after getting him. Might be in the back somewhere. You can see what happened to the shrimp. He wasn't being harrased by the alpha or anything just slowly but the dust all his feelers turned black and broke off. The snails just started falling off the glass and I kept flipping them over. The crabs ate them after both times. Accept for a small Orange disk that floated around for a bit. ( Happened both times the snails died) avoiding white light as I know it will come right back.

Do coral require white and blue spectrums ?

Much different than my freshwater Aquarium, Ive had cichlids for years. I've been raising this elongatus since it swam from its father's mouth 5 years ago. Only algae I ever get is from sunlight Wich is an easy fix.


Thank-you for the reply my man. Very much appreciated.

 

[TraydersAnonymous]

Here another after the first black out. I was filming the clowns dance together but it's another gem of the algae

 

[Troylee]

Tank looks really new… how long has it been up? I’d lean towards diatoms than Dino’s myself.. diatoms won’t harm anything thou..

 

[TraydersAnonymous]

Tank looks really new… how long has it been up? I’d lean towards diatoms than Dino’s myself.. diatoms won’t harm anything thou..

8 months old

 

[TraydersAnonymous]

Tank looks really new… how long has it been up? I’d lean towards diatoms than Dino’s myself.. diatoms won’t harm anything thou..

do diatoms usually have the bubbles amongst it ?

 

[Troylee]

do diatoms usually have the bubbles amongst it ?

They can if there’s micro bubbles in the display… you won’t see bubbles floating up from the sand thou like gas exchange in Dino’s… a microscope would tell ya right away..

 

[TraydersAnonymous]

They can if there’s micro bubbles in the display… you won’t see bubbles floating up from the sand thou like gas exchange in Dino’s… a microscope would tell ya right away..

They just build up under the matt of slime when the whites come on, no telescope unfortunately asside from a trichome viewer lol

 

[TraydersAnonymous]

Im noticing some HAir algae growing on the sand in places now actually just noticed it today.

 

[KrisReef]

I’m on my phone and the video doesn’t play for me but the still pictures show a newer (8 month) tank with typical succession of microbe challenges but nothing horribly wrong.

That shrimp looks like it got too close to the grill at the last cookout? I’m not familiar with what got ‘em but I would guess that it was ill or plagued with bad genes or something else to make it get the dark patches. I wonder if the doctor has some information about the condition in your 4th post to this thread?

@ReefSquad - see shrimp photos in post #4 above, please and thank you.

Otherwise time will come when this tank will be clear of the “ugly stages” that happen on the way. Sometimes people use UV to attack algae’s and slime that you have. The long term of just being diligent to clean up the detritus and keep the water parameters in check and I think you will get rid of the problem.

 

[TraydersAnonymous]

I’m on my phone and the video doesn’t play for me but the still pictures show a newer (8 month) tank with typical succession of microbe challenges but nothing horribly wrong.

That shrimp looks like it got too close to the grill at the last cookout? I’m not familiar with what got ‘em but I would guess that it was ill or plagued with bad genes or something else to make it get the dark patches. I wonder if the doctor has some information about the condition in your 4th post to this thread?

@ReefSquad - see shrimp photos in post #4 above, please and thank you.

Otherwise time will come when this tank will be clear of the “ugly stages” that happen on the way. Sometimes people use UV to attack algae’s and slime that you have. The long term of just being diligent to clean up the detritus and keep the water parameters in check and I think you will get rid of the problem.

I think a healthy population of apex pods might help as well. Thanks mate.