NEED AN URGANT ADVICE!!!!

[gaiarmin]

Hello all,
I'm relatively new to the forum and hope can get a good advice to tackle an issue I'm having with my tank. These kinda slimy/hairy brown algea has been go on for weeks now. Tried everything I could from doing 20-30% water change every few days, dosed chemiclean, vacuum the sand bed, turned light down and also fed way less. No matter what i tried, it still ther3 and it's very very annoying. Some corals are not open because of this even I have 3 powerhead running at 100%. I felt like if I don't do anything, I will eventually losing something.
Here are the water parameters:
Alk: 12 dKh
Ca: 440ppm
Po4: .25ppm
No3: 5ppm
Ph: 6.8 (surprised it was low and I'm adding buffer)
FYI: This all happened after an lengthy power outage and frankly right around the same time I started removing the sandbed to go barebottom.

 

[KrisReef]

Quit messing with pH buffers and let the tank run with circulation to settle down your critters.

 

[Fish Fan]

I'm sorry you're experiencing this! I'm not an expert, but:

FYI: This all happened after an lengthy power outage and frankly right around the same time I started removing the sandbed to go barebottom.

You've got a "double whammy" going on there. The power outage would be enough of a concern. Did you remove the sandbed all at once, or slowly over time?

 

[Cubeguy]

You may be overthinking things. You will have bacterial blooms sometimes and especially after things like ; power outage, dosing chemiclean, and removing a sand bed. I would sit back and let it do its thing. I also agree with the buffer comment made by Kris, figure out why your ph is so low in the first place and fix it that way.

 

[Fish Fan]

Quit messing with pH buffers and let the tank run with circulation to settle down your critters.

Good catch!

Ph: 6.8 (surprised it was low and I'm adding buffer)

I'm not so sure your pH is 6.8, that's very low. I'm thinking that may be an errant test.

EDIT: and I wouldn't recommend pH boosters either.

 

[stE26wy14]

Chemiclean with a new tank, that’s a way to kill the ecosystem U have been building up too, I dosed it in the first month, ooooh, bad idea, bad idea, since everything wasn’t cycled yet, the tank had to re cycle(not the first week cycle, the 6 month)

 

[gaiarmin]

I'm sorry you're experiencing this! I'm not an expert, but:

You've got a "double whammy" going on there. The power outage would be enough of a concern. Did you remove the sandbed all at once, or slowly over time?

I only removed about 5-10% of total sand volume at a time!!

 

[Sleeping Giant]

looks like the ugly stage

 

[gaiarmin]

Chemiclean with a new tank, that’s a way to kill the ecosystem U have been building up too, I dosed it in the first month, ooooh, bad idea, bad idea, since everything wasn’t cycled yet, the tank had to re cycle(not the first week cycle, the 6 month)

My has been running over year, 15 months to be exact. I has been gone thru some ugly phases but this time is something out of control (I meant by the duration of the outbreak)

 

[gaiarmin]

Quit messing with pH buffers and let the tank run with circulation to settle down your critters.

I never had this low Ph before so it really worrying.

 

[KrisReef]

I never had this low Ph before so it really worrying.

I have, but when I retest it was from a testing error.

I recently got some new algae growing in my tank presumably from a spore that came with it live rock. I can probably just pluck it but other things that appear are not that easy to remove. Increasing cleaning effort and water management generally helps get the tank back on track.

 

[gaiarmin]

I have, but when I retest it was from a testing error.

I recently got some new algae growing in my tank presumably from a spore that came with it live rock. I can probably just pluck it but other things that appear are not that easy to remove. Increasing cleaning effort and water management generally helps get the tank back on track.

Thank you!

 

[rhitee93]

Best thing I can tell you from my limited experience is to resist the urge to try too many fixes in short order, or to do anything drastic. Pick one approach and give it some time before jumping ship.

As for what I would do, (not that I think you should pick me over anyone else) - Looks a little like dynos, but I can't see the pics very well. I've had a couple of bouts with dynos, as well as a couple with cyano. Each time I turned the white lights down and put in Microbacter 7 daily for a few weeks while manually removing as much as I could at each weekly water change. Basically give the tank some time to restabilize with a more desirable balance of biome.

 

[Tahoe61]

What test kits are you using?
What are you adding to maintain that alk value?
Buffers are a very temporary band aid, I wouldn't use them.
Honestly the tank doesn't look that bad, algae wise. Corals might be reacting to changing water chemistry.
Did the tank experience a prolonged period of no flow and oxygenation during the power outage?

 

[sixty_reefer]

You best to try and look at it under the microscope, this is most likely dinoflagellates.

 

[gaiarmin]

Best thing I can tell you from my limited experience is to resist the urge to try too many fixes in short order, or to do anything drastic. Pick one approach and give it some time before jumping ship.

As for what I would do, (not that I think you should pick me over anyone else) - Looks a little like dynos, but I can't see the pics very well. I've had a couple of bouts with dynos, as well as a couple with cyano. Each time I turned the white lights down and put in Microbacter 7 daily for a few weeks while manually removing as much as I could at each weekly water change. Basically give the tank some time to restabilize with a more desirable balance of biome.

I am now only on blue light and even down it to 80% during peak time. So far I have stopped messing with Ph per recommended and will also try your advice on microbater 7.

 

[gaiarmin]

What test kits are you using?
What are you adding to maintain that alk value?
Buffers are a very temporary band aid, I wouldn't use them.
Honestly the tank doesn't look that bad, algae wise. Corals might be reacting to changing water chemistry.
Did the tank experience a prolonged period of no flow and oxygenation during the power outage?

I used salifert for all testing. Have an extra hanna test for Ca for reaffirming and calibrate.
It's very annoying that no matter how strong the flow are, it just stick on the surface of rocks and some polys, making them retracted.