Help I’ve crashed my tank

  • Thread starter Thread starter ElvisReef
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Welcome to the Dino wars. Stop dosing the AB+ and search this forum for the many threads ln how to battle dinos. If you plan to be in the hobby for the long run one of the best purchases you can make is an RODI setup.
 
You're getting some mixed advice. That being said, my advice will probably match some of the other reefers. Your dkh is low, 123 puts it at about 6.8, shoot for 8-9, Calcium is spot on. Your phosphates are high at .3 Most reefers will agree .03 to .1 is probably the best place to shoot for. Plenty of people keep their phosphates higher, but that seems like a sweet spot for most mixed reefs. Nitrates are fine at 14. And yes, that looks like Dino's to me. Research best practices here on the app

My reef FWIW
IMG_20250222_223824.jpg


https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/tank-parameters-of-some-masters.263/
 
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Nitrate is excessive, phosphate way too low. Nitrite reading anything over 0 indicates it spiked, possibly as a result of ammonia (typically overfeeding, or something died), and there wasn't sufficient nitrifying bacteria to handle it.

Not convinced that's dinos tho. Not enough on the sand bed for typical dino behavior. Plus, dino isn't hairy -
more snot-like, bubbly, or stringy in appearance. Some species can form longer strands, but they don’t have the dense, fuzzy, or filamentous look of hair algae.

Best bet to ID would be a microscope. If it is dinos, knowing which type will help with treatment. If it’s hair algae, that’s a different battle entirely.
Im not trying to run you down or be unkind, but 14 N03 is in no way excessive, and .3 P04 is in not way too low. Those are closer to target numbers for this reef, and most others as well.
 
Good afternoon reefers

Really want to thank everyone for help , it seems like the answers are very far from one another. I’ve added that dr g’s phosphate and silica remover waited 3 days to test so I’m testing today will post results. I don’t think there is anything dead in tank as everyone is swimming around , crabs are crabbing , shrimp is shrimping but the but sludge is going slowly killing my bird nest coral , when I use a baster to blow it off , but it comes back. I’m using paper towels to catch some of the free floating black sludge but it’s mostly in the rocks
 
Good afternoon reefers

Really want to thank everyone for help , it seems like the answers are very far from one another. I’ve added that dr g’s phosphate and silica remover waited 3 days to test so I’m testing today will post results. I don’t think there is anything dead in tank as everyone is swimming around , crabs are crabbing , shrimp is shrimping but the but sludge is going slowly killing my bird nest coral , when I use a baster to blow it off , but it comes back. I’m using paper towels to catch some of the free floating black sludge but it’s mostly in the rocks
That works. Also if you have filter pads, that's how it's done. It works like a magnet to the sludge.
 
Welcome to the Dino wars. Stop dosing the AB+ and search this forum for the many threads ln how to battle dinos. If you plan to be in the hobby for the long run one of the best purchases you can make is an RODI setup.
As mentioned in my original post I used the redsea AB+ twice. 1 week apart to the exact dosage it recommends. I honestly believe since I don’t have a skimmer most of the organics from the product are all over the rocks and since I can remove it from the rocks the sludge comes back
 
Good afternoon reefers

Really want to thank everyone for help , it seems like the answers are very far from one another. I’ve added that dr g’s phosphate and silica remover waited 3 days to test so I’m testing today will post results. I don’t think there is anything dead in tank as everyone is swimming around , crabs are crabbing , shrimp is shrimping but the but sludge is going slowly killing my bird nest coral , when I use a baster to blow it off , but it comes back. I’m using paper towels to catch some of the free floating black sludge but it’s mostly in the rocks
I have an fx4 fluval canister filter on this 20 gal long.
 
In my defense in my 9 months never had experienced this till I used the Reese’s ab + as directed and used it 2 times a week apart

There is something I don't understand (or maybe I missed). What did you observe that made you start dosing AB?
 

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