Need advice of a planted marine macroalgae aquarium

[Ron Primas]

Hi all. Appreciate all of the feedback I always receive on this forum!!!! My dilema is that I have a 3 year old established 8 gallon AOI saltwater macroalgae/turtlegrass/refugium/dwarf seahorse tank with a 4 inch sandbed, AI Prime lighing with mostly red and green spectrum, sg 1.023/24, nitrates 2-5 ppm. phosphates .08, iron .09, a refugium in the back with RDP growing chaeto. I've been trying to raise pods with some success but now been having a dino outbreak for the last few month that only a temporary fix of a blackout helps with. The tank tends to run with a high pH (as high as 8.6/7 on occasion (like now). I have been experimenting with CO2 injection by Fluval but go through a cartridge in like 2 hours without any significant rise in CO2 or decrease in pH. I am at my wits end. Does the sg of the tank interfere with the CO2 diffusion? I get not much bubbles from any diffuser even whit a bubble rate cranking on the bubble counter. I really want to keep my macros thriving as well as my pods and seahorses (none in tank now). I recently purchased 1000 mysid and palced them in the tank but all died within 2 hours. That's when I decided to check the pH and alkalinity (11.4). I could really use your advice.
Thanks in advance!!! Stay safe!!!
Ron

 

[sixty_reefer]

Hi all. Appreciate all of the feedback I always receive on this forum!!!! My dilema is that I have a 3 year old established 8 gallon AOI saltwater macroalgae/turtlegrass/refugium/dwarf seahorse tank with a 4 inch sandbed, AI Prime lighing with mostly red and green spectrum, sg 1.023/24, nitrates 2-5 ppm. phosphates .08, iron .09, a refugium in the back with RDP growing chaeto. I've been trying to raise pods with some success but now been having a dino outbreak for the last few month that only a temporary fix of a blackout helps with. The tank tends to run with a high pH (as high as 8.6/7 on occasion (like now). I have been experimenting with CO2 injection by Fluval but go through a cartridge in like 2 hours without any significant rise in CO2 or decrease in pH. I am at my wits end. Does the sg of the tank interfere with the CO2 diffusion? I get not much bubbles from any diffuser even whit a bubble rate cranking on the bubble counter. I really want to keep my macros thriving as well as my pods and seahorses (none in tank now). I recently purchased 1000 mysid and palced them in the tank but all died within 2 hours. That's when I decided to check the pH and alkalinity (11.4). I could really use your advice.
Thanks in advance!!! Stay safe!!!
Ron

Can we have a pic of the tank, how much seegrass in there?

 

[Brandon3152134]

Salt water tanks are already low oxygen environment that's why they need so much flow. I've never added co2 to a macro tank. I have no idea what it would do.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Salt water tanks are already low oxygen environment that's why they need so much flow. I've never added co2 to a macro tank. I have no idea what it would do.

This chaps situation could be fairly unique as sea grass releases more o2 in to the water column than macro algae

 

[Ron Primas]

Can we have a pic of the tank, how much seegrass in there?

I'll post later. Thanks

 

[Ron Primas]

Can we have a pic of the tank, how much seegrass in there?

 

[Ron Primas]

Can we have a pic of the tank, how much seegrass in there?

 

[Subsea]

Salt water tanks are already low oxygen environment that's why they need so much flow. I've never added co2 to a macro tank. I have no idea what it would do.

Just like in a fresh water planted tank, co2 would grow macro and lower pH. The best of both worlds for a marine tank, would be to combine co2 infusion with calcium carbonate in a vessel, often called calcium reactor.

 

[Subsea]

Please list the sea plants and the seaweeds (macro algae) in your tank. Of particular interest are the different Red Macros. Is one of them Gracilaria Hayi?

 

[Ron Primas]

Just like in a fresh water planted tank, co2 would grow macro and lower pH. The best of both worlds for a marine tank, would be to combine co2 infusion with calcium carbonate in a vessel, often called calcium reactor.

Thank you! I agree but its only 8 gallons. Can't find a micro reactor. Any thoughts about the diffuser not working because of the sg being higher.

 

[Subsea]

Salt water tanks are already low oxygen environment that's why they need so much flow. I've never added co2 to a macro tank. I have no idea what it would do.

@Ron Primas,
when lights are out and photosynthetic organisms consume oxygen and give off carbon dioxide, it is hard times for oxygen breathing fish & shrimp.

With that small of a tank, I would rely on the dynamic equilibrium between partial pressure of carbon dioxide as a gas in the atmosphere and dissolved carbon dioxide in the water. This happens at the water surface. I suggest you promote natural gas exchange with agressive circulation at the surface. Most homes have elevated CO2 levels compared to the athmosphere,

 

[Ron Primas]

Please list the sea plants and the seaweeds (macro algae) in your tank. Of particular interest are the different Red Macros. Is one of them Gracilaria Hayi?

I have turtle grass, gracilaria hayi, blue hypnea, red "tree" Gracilaria,, dragons tongue and Chaetomorpha in the refugium part of the AOI tank.

 

[Subsea]

I have turtle grass, gracilaria hayi, blue hypnea, red "tree" Gracilaria,, dragons tongue and Chaetomorpha in the refugium part of the AOI tank.

Please show individual photo of red tree Gracilaria. Also where did it come from. Checkout these Red Macros from the Gulf of Mexico.

Marine Plants in the Aquarium

macroalgae, marine plants, caulerpa, refugium substrate, marine macroalgae for sale

www.marineplantbook.com

 

[Ron Primas]

Just like in a fresh water planted tank, co2 would grow macro and lower pH. The best of both worlds for a marine tank, would be to combine co2 infusion with calcium carbonate in a vessel, often called calcium reactor.

Thank you. Do you know of any micro reactors?

 

[Subsea]

Thank you. Do you know of any micro reactors?

I have made my own, but I have large systems > 500G.

I see much potential for a serious upset using a calcium reactor in your 8G AIO.

Here are two tips:
Use only when lights are on
During lights out, provide sufficient water movement at air water interface to remove carbon dioxide generated by plants and replace oxygen consumed by plants during lights out.

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I suggest you post in diy forum for ideas.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Hi, a calcium reactor may not work for you, in reality I would do nothing at all for the moment. You suspect you may have dinos, from your parameters that seems unlikely. Have you got pictures of the brown algae with bubbles? Probably worth looking at it in a microscope to double check.

your ph is high but nothing crazy, maybe try and reduce photo period if you wish to bring it down a bit.

in relation to the mysis is normal for them to die of in the reef? The condition they are grown is different from our tanks and normally die in a few hours/days after been added. I personally done well with mysis wend I found some as hitchhikers in my local LFS they were slightly darker than the ones we get as live food.

in addition some macros could be starting to release acids to fight for space as it looks overgrown in there.

 

[Ron Primas]

Please show individual photo of red tree Gracilaria. Also where did it come from. Checkout these Red Macros from the Gulf of Mexico.

Marine Plants in the Aquarium

macroalgae, marine plants, caulerpa, refugium substrate, marine macroalgae for sale

www.marineplantbook.com

 

[saltcats]

Just to check the obvious question but are you sure the CO2 is getting into the aquarium? Going through it that fast sounds like a leaky connection somewhere to me, especially if you aren't seeing many bubbles in the diffuser. You can rub some soapy water around all the connection points - bubbles will form if there's a leak.