I know about the “ugly” stage of cycling but this is ridiculous.

[glb]

The algae looks even better this evening. It’s really starting to thin out. I can’t believe I’m seeing an improvement so soon.

 

[BillyReefer]

If you have to dose both, Po4 and nitrate, can you dose them at the same time? Or does some of the products bind to each other then?
I have the same problems as the topic poster, and i tested both and both are on 0.

 

[glb]

If you have to dose both, Po4 and nitrate, can you dose them at the same time? Or does some of the products bind to each other then?
I have the same problems as the topic poster, and i tested both and both are on 0.

I don’t know, but that’s a good question. How bad is your algae?

 

[BillyReefer]

I don’t know, but that’s a good question. How bad is your algae?

It is not as bad as yours, but i weekly brush my liverock with a toothbrush while i have a canister filter connected on the tank too catch up all the algae that comes lose.
After my cleaning, i let the filter do it's work for an hour or two and the tank looks great again. But it always comes back, i could never identify the sort of algae untill i came across your topic.

The brushing is not ideal, it feels like i'm continuing to bring the system out of balance. So i hope the nutrients solution works!

 

[glb]

Update. The Reef Flux and NO3/PO4 dosing is working! The algae is dying off. I haven’t tested my numbers today but will when I get home and I’ll also post pics. According to the Reef Flux directions, next is a 30% water change. I’ll do that then put the carbon back in. I can’t believe the difference. The tank’s still ugly, but it’s not ridiculous anymore.

 

[brandon429]

Can we see update pics so we can chart the die off times compared to the before pics

Flux is a direct kill option and it's handy to chart kill times so people about to use it have an idea of compliance dates. I'll go back and check to make sure, if that rf is fluconazole then that also helps ID the invader as well. No mass change is expected this quick...if it's thinning out then that's on track can you post a new close and far shot

clean up crew members tend to attack degrading targets more than they do healthy ones, if there are snails or crabs in tow they may start to help

 

[glb]

Here are some after pics. I dosed a week ago:

The long algae is gone. There’s still some dark brown stuff in the first pic.

 

[glb]

Here’s a before pic of the first pic in the previous post:

 

[reeferfoxx]

Looking better. I would take a toothbrush to the remain stuff and filter it out. Then watch for regrowth.

 

[glb]

Here are the numbers 8 days after starting treatment (Reef Flux, Neonitro, and Neophos dosing).
Alk: 10.5
Ca: 498
NO3: 10-15ppm
Ph: 7.96
PO4: 0ppm
Temp: 76.9
SG: 1.025

I’ll stop dosing the nitrate and continue with Neophos. Next is a 15g water change per Reef Flux directions. I brushed off the rocks and some debris came off but some is really stuck on there. What does everyone think about the 0 Phosphates after dosing for a week. The tank looks a ton better, but I can’t figure out why there’s no PO4.

 

[reeferfoxx]

Here are the numbers 8 days after starting treatment (Reef Flux, Neonitro, and Neophos dosing).
Alk: 10.5
Ca: 498
NO3: 10-15ppm
Ph: 7.96
PO4: 0ppm
Temp: 76.9
SG: 1.025

I’ll stop dosing the nitrate and continue with Neophos. Next is a 15g water change per Reef Flux directions. I brushed off the rocks and some debris came off but some is really stuck on there. What does everyone think about the 0 Phosphates after dosing for a week. The tank looks a ton better, but I can’t figure out why there’s no PO4.

My opinion is the phosphates are shifting to different organisms now rather than the growth. I'm not familiar with filamentous chrysophytes(if that is what this is) but i'm familiar with eradicating other more identified chryso species and typically what happens is the chrysos puts a pause on maturation. Once gone, the maturation of the tank begins. So, not uncommon for other organisms to jump in and sometimes a short lived dino bloom. More than none, hair algae or cyano. All in all, the shift is happening. I would keep maintaining P like you are and monitor N.

 

[glb]

So the tank is doing much better. The NO3 is at 10ppm but the phosphates are still 0ppm. I’m dosing 10ml/day Brightwell phosphorus until I get a reading. There’s green slime algae on the glass I have to clean off daily and some cyano on the sand, but that seems to be regular ugly phase cycling. My corals didn’t make it and I’m going to wait until things settle down to try again. I’ll post pics once the lights come on!

 

[glb]

Here’s the algae I still have left:

This looks like cyano. It encrusts on the sand. I removed a bunch of it already and it doesn’t seem to be growing back yet.

It’s hard to see, but this looks like garden variety green algae. I think some Cuc’s will take care of it. After a 5g water change yesterday, the NO3 was 5ppm and the PO4 was still 0ppm despite dosing 10ml daily of the Brightwell phosphorus. I wasn’t dosing for a while but now have it programmed with a dosing pump. When in the world am I going to get a PO4 reading? My skimmer has been working very well, with dry bubbles and dark skimmate. And it still smells like a flower garden.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Pretty cool! I’m glad that worked out. I clearly missed some updates.


It may be a fools errand , but if you figure out the PPM of po4 and no3 you should see a ratio, both of dosing and uptake. You may not be the Po4 up to rate and ratio of uptake.

“My skin mate smells like a flower garden”. Lol

 

[glb]

Pretty cool! I’m glad that worked out. I clearly missed some updates.


It may be a fools errand , but if you figure out the PPM of po4 and no3 you should see a ratio, both of dosing and uptake. You may not be the Po4 up to rate and ratio of uptake.

“My skin mate smells like a flower garden”. Lol

I still have zero Phosphates. I have no clue when I’ll have measurable amounts or where the phosphates I’m dosing are going.

 

[nashlake]

I would test for nitrates and use a low range phosphate tester before you dose anything, or over feed to raise the nitrate level. You do need low levels of both for the biological filter to work well.
Time and stable water chemistry are often the best treatment.
The fact your skimmer is producing dark skimmate is a good thing,
If you are/were using both nopox and gfo it is possible one of the levels is too low.
If you are not testing, it really is just trying to guess what is right.
I track alk, pH, CA, Mg, nitrate and Phosphate ( with a low range tester).
If you really are at or near zero for both nitrates and phosphates, I would stop the Nopox and don't restart the GFO. They will keep you at very low levels.
You will add both nitrate and phosphate with feeding. Keep testing and if you don't see the numbers drifting up, consider dosing.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I still have zero Phosphates. I have no clue when I’ll have measurable amounts or where the phosphates I’m dosing are going.

Bacteria eat no3 and Po4. So....
IMO and IME, it’s quite possible for an “empty tank” to consume it.

What Po4 test are you using?

A fwiw , what I was suggesting was estimating the Po4 being dosed in ppm to gauge how much per day or week it is using. Like we do with alk.
If you are under dosing you’ll always register zero as it’ll always be used up quickly.

 

[EW_Fish]

Mine looks worse then that LOl

 

[glb]

Bacteria eat no3 and Po4. So....
IMO and IME, it’s quite possible for an “empty tank” to consume it.

What Po4 test are you using?

A fwiw , what I was suggesting was estimating the Po4 being dosed in ppm to gauge how much per day or week it is using. Like we do with alk.
If you are under dosing you’ll always register zero as it’ll always be used up quickly.

Empty as in no coral? I have 5 fish.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Empty as in no coral? I have 5 fish.

Yup. As In coral.