Nightmare has ended!

[Tyler Miceli]

Due to months of neglect my biocube turned into a GHA nightmare. I tried battling it with water changes for a few weeks and manual removal with little success. I turned to vibrant with hope that it would eradicate my issue, and it did. But like many others I ended up getting a killer cyano outbreak, and it was an absolute nightmare. The dosing period of vibrant lasted about 7 weeks. I dosed twice a week 3ml per dose (biocube 32). I stopped dosing vibrant and tried to manually remove the cyano but it beat my butt down completely. I hated looking at my tank. It started to turn my love for the hobby sour. I finally had enough and I decided I'm going to go all out and take care of things one by one. I had a plan to re-aquascape my tank. This tested my patience more than I could ever have thought. What a nightmare it was putting myself through that. Beginner mistake when I started 2 years ago and never aquascape to begin with, just stacked 5 big rocks how I liked and called it a day. Luckily the never fell and hit glass, they were stable but when I would use a toothbrush to remove detritus and build up they would move and I was tired of it. I finished my aquascape two separate times and it broke as I was putting it back in the tank, I was going to give up, but I out the rock back in cooled off, got more glue and was back at it again the next day. Finally got it how I wanted and decided im.going with two separate stacks instead of connecting everything and I actually enjoyed what it turned out to be ( pics will be posted at end). On to the sand. The sand was a cyano sheet and I decided to suck it all out rinse and repeat til it was completely clear when dropping and put back in tank. I also added 10 lbs of new crushed coral on top with same process. Before I put my rocks back in I did spray them down with 12% h2o2 to kill any remaining algea on rock. I now dose 2 ml every other day. I'm going to keep it simple and do two water changes 3 gallons weekly. I will never put myself through this process again. Never neglect your tank! Maintenance is key. This whole process took 3 and a half months and I'm finally glad to look at my tank again and show it to others. Happy reefing everyone! Wish I had more before pics to show the difference

 

[Ravsta]

Looks spot on now. Well done. Bit of elbow grease goes a long way. And yes I agree, consistent maintenance is key to a thriving aquarium. Keep up the good work. Tank looks solid.

 

[Tyler Miceli]

Looks spot on now. Well done. Bit of elbow grease goes a long way. And yes I agree, consistent maintenance is key to a thriving aquarium. Keep up the good work. Tank looks solid.

I have a 2 year old and 1 year old so things got a little challenging, but literally I cant stress enough the impact maintenance has on your reef. Appreciate it!

 

[Tyler Miceli]

Btw I highly recommend 12% h2o2, stuff disintegrates algea before your eyes!

 

[mallorie.gaughran]

Wow! It looks great now! Strong work!

 

[Tyler Miceli]

Wow! It looks great now! Strong work!

Much appreciated!

 

[DeniseAndy]

The tank looks great after all the work.
I get having young kids and trying to make it all work. You will find a good flow and if it gets out of control for a bit, you now know how to help it.

I use the 37% H2O2. It is nasty, but very effective. I never use it directly in the tank. Made that mistake once and killed 2 fish. But, I will use it to clean plugs, kill specific areas on rocks (outside tank and put back). I use a syringe and applicator tip so as to not use too much.

 

[Tyler Miceli]

The tank looks great after all the work.
I get having young kids and trying to make it all work. You will find a good flow and if it gets out of control for a bit, you now know how to help it.

I use the 37% H2O2. It is nasty, but very effective. I never use it directly in the tank. Made that mistake once and killed 2 fish. But, I will use it to clean plugs, kill specific areas on rocks (outside tank and put back). I use a syringe and applicator tip so as to not use too much.

Where can I find that if you dont mind me asking?

 

[DeniseAndy]

I found it on amazon. It is a food grade peroxide. Came in two, one gallon jugs. Actually says it was 35% (I was thinking of formeldehyde is 37%) that is cut back to 12%. So, not sure if it is 12% or 35% actually. Either way, it is very quick and effective.
I tried to send a link, but it cannot find the page of the stuff anymore. Trinity Nutralab was the seller.

 

[Tyler Miceli]

I found it on amazon. It is a food grade peroxide. Came in two, one gallon jugs. Actually says it was 35% (I was thinking of formeldehyde is 37%) that is cut back to 12%. So, not sure if it is 12% or 35% actually. Either way, it is very quick and effective.
I tried to send a link, but it cannot find the page of the stuff anymore. Trinity Nutralab was the seller.

Got you, yeah the stuff works wonders, even using it in take with a syringe, it stays where you apply it and bubbles instantly! Have never had an issue with h2o2. Even when I was using the 3% I would dose 30ml at a time. I've used up to 16ml with the 12% and havent has any issue either

 

[vetteguy53081]

peroxide does wonders. I add it to two of my tanks daily at night at .25 ml per 10 gallons

 

[Tyler Miceli]

peroxide does wonders. I add it to two of my tanks daily at night at .25 ml per 10 gallons

I had a big post on it a while ago, many people have had positive results with it. I stand by it 100%. When it comes to dosage to each it's own. With as little as .25ml in your case an as high as 1ml per gallon I've seen positive replies! Input always appreciated vette!

 

[DeniseAndy]

Got you, yeah the stuff works wonders, even using it in take with a syringe, it stays where you apply it and bubbles instantly! Have never had an issue with h2o2. Even when I was using the 3% I would dose 30ml at a time. I've used up to 16ml with the 12% and havent has any issue either

Ya, well, I got a bit over zealous and dumped a 3% solution bottle into the tank over an area. Not the whole bottle, but a good quirt. Fish not so happy as they died by next day. One within an hour. I felt horrible. Never again will I be so stupid.

 

[Tyler Miceli]

Ya, well, I got a bit over zealous and dumped a 3% solution bottle into the tank over an area. Not the whole bottle, but a good quirt. Fish not so happy as they died by next day. One within an hour. I felt horrible. Never again will I be so stupid.

We all make mistakes!

 

[DeniseAndy]

Frustration can make you stupid. I mean, I have been doing this over 16 years when I did this. Have more patience than me.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Frustration can make you stupid. I mean, I have been doing this over 16 years when I did this. Have more patience than me.

Stupid mistakes make us smarter. Ive made my share and never repeated which is an assurance ./ . . . Lesson learned

 

[Tyler Miceli]

Frustration can make you stupid. I mean, I have been doing this over 16 years when I did this. Have more patience than me.

Lol I've only been reefing for 2 years, this is my first tank. I did so much research before buying and starting it def helped the process, but it's always better to learn by doing for me. Luckily the mistakes I've made have been minute. Always took a slow and steady approach and if something was wrong just did a water change. I try to keep things simple, less parts to the equation the better for me