Is this cyano or diatoms from No3PoX4?

[mcarroll]

Flow can definetly be an issue, as I have only one jebao pp-8 on a 90g tank. Think that’s a major issue causing the stn?

Yes - like I said those factors are all inter-related.

So as it turns out in your case, they were already stressed from low-flow and now they're having low-P too.

If you're going to do something about that flow situation, now would seem to be the time. Holler if you're looking for suggestions.

I would run that dino test in the thread I linked to see if yours "re-coagulate" or not.

If you have diatoms (which do not re-coagulate) then you're going to be looking for a different set of causes....they have one very specific need (Si) that is usually exhausted by the action of the diatom bloom itself. Because of this a diatom bloom is a little unlikely. (Not impossible though.)

BTW, in terms of the effects of nutrients on coral, check these out if you get the chance:

• Nitrogen cycling in corals: the key to understanding holobiont functioning?
• The response of the scleractinian coral Turbinaria reniformis to thermal stress depends on the nitrogen status of the coral holobiont
• A Nitrate Dosing Calculator For Better Tank Health (And Better Coral Color!)

And by all means browse around the Coral and Nutrients sections if you're interested.

 

[sternicus]

Yes - like I said those factors are all inter-related.

So as it turns out in your case, they were already stressed from low-flow and now they're having low-P too.

If you're going to do something about that flow situation, now would seem to be the time. Holler if you're looking for suggestions.

I would run that dino test in the thread I linked to see if yours "re-coagulate" or not.

If you have diatoms (which do not re-coagulate) then you're going to be looking for a different set of causes....they have one very specific need (Si) that is usually exhausted by the action of the diatom bloom itself. Because of this a diatom bloom is a little unlikely. (Not impossible though.)

BTW, in terms of the effects of nutrients on coral, check these out if you get the chance:

• Nitrogen cycling in corals: the key to understanding holobiont functioning?
• The response of the scleractinian coral Turbinaria reniformis to thermal stress depends on the nitrogen status of the coral holobiont
• A Nitrate Dosing Calculator For Better Tank Health (And Better Coral Color!)

And by all means browse around the Coral and Nutrients sections if you're interested.

Thanks for your very helpful reply, sorry if I seemed alittle hostile was just frustrated. Would you recommend I add a mp40? And do you think that low flow was the reason for stn before I had the lowering of Phosphate? Looks like I was mistaken, phosphates are around .10-.12 can’t tell correctly from my test kit. For now I have stopped dosing No3Pox. I will have to say, I’ve had diatoms on older tanks and when I blew them away they came back quickly. They only went away went nutrients were under control

 

[mcarroll]

It's all good – and I don't doubt your experience!

But I have no idea how circumstances compare from then to now – we just have to narrow it down in this case.

If you test the same sample for PO4 three times, do you end up with the same result all three times?

If test results aren't repeatable then it's much harder to use that info to determine anything. But if they're at least repeatable, we should be able to work with them.

Doing some kind of ID test, whether it's with a $10 toy microscope or the simple "shake test", will go a long way.

Here's the segment of the dino post I'm talking about:

• Confirming the ID of your dinoflagellate is important if possible.
  • To begin with, make sure you have Dinos
  • Use @taricha's dino confirmation guide on posts #986-987.
• Once you know it's dino's you should ideally figure out what type(s) your tank is hosting.
  • A basic 1200x microscope will be useful and doesn't have to be more than $15 toy scope.
    See: Selecting a microscope

BTW, in reef tank terms 5 months is still equivalent to a newborn in intensive care. Especially if only a fraction of the rock was live to begin with – that's equivalent to having a premie. Livestocking and nutrient manipulation should be handled with kid gloves until the tank is >>1 year old.

 

[sternicus]

It's all good – and I don't doubt your experience!

But I have no idea how circumstances compare from then to now – we just have to narrow it down in this case.

If you test the same sample for PO4 three times, do you end up with the same result all three times?

If test results aren't repeatable then it's much harder to use that info to determine anything. But if they're at least repeatable, we should be able to work with them.

Doing some kind of ID test, whether it's with a $10 toy microscope or the simple "shake test", will go a long way.

Here's the segment of the dino post I'm talking about:


BTW, in reef tank terms 5 months is still equivalent to a newborn in intensive care. Especially if only a fraction of the rock was live to begin with – that's equivalent to having a premie. Livestocking and nutrient manipulation should be handled with kid gloves until the tank is >>1 year old.

Must have read me wrong. All the rock is live rock and the test results came back at the same time at the same rate

 

[mcarroll]

Must have read me wrong. All the rock is live rock and the test results came back at the same time at the same rate

That's good about the live rock – definitely in your favor!

But I think you came back with some dramatically different test results for PO4 after you re-tested, right?

phosphates around 0.06

Looks like I was mistaken, phosphates are around .10-.12 can’t tell correctly from my test kit.

.12/.06 = 200%

So the reason for asking if you can do tests back to back on the same sample is to see if the test kit can deliver consistent (repeatable) results.

You would then know with confidence that it was due to a difference in the level of PO4 in the water, not the kit and not testing error, etc.