So...this is Cyano, right?

[Siberwulf]

I feel like everyone asks this...but I'm gonna do it anyway...

Nitrates are high: 25
Phosphates are high: .12

Tank is new (couple months), running some lights during the day, but mostly to create a small amount of algae for turbos which were put in way too early, it feels like. I have a skimmer running, but I've not started up my GFO yet. I was crossing fingers that Chaeto would suck the PO4 out fast enough. Maybe it's not enough yet?

I have Chaeto growing in the sump (pictured last), and honestly..it's growing like crazy. I was hoping it would suck out some of the NO3 and PO4, but it seems to be losing. And while I don't want to do anything sudden, it feels like I should do something. Is it as simple a few strategic WCs? Should I start up the GFO? Dose a round or two of Phosphat-E? Looking for any advice here that can help. I'm not in a rush to make this "pretty" but I don't want to have to break it all down because it went so far off course.

Thanks in advance, party peeps

 

[Idoc]

I prefer natural over chemical as much as possible...so as for the No3/Po4, I'd do water changes to bring those in line and then look at what you were doing to get those levels in the first place...if in fact you were trying to keep them lower. There's nothing wrong with nitrates around 10-20ppm and Po4 around .12ppm, though....especially if you are planning to start with an LPS/softies coral tank.

I'd guess the junk to be either cyano or even some diatoms for the age of the tank. If your no3/po4 levels are fluctuating, this will bring on cyano.

I think your tank is too young to be messing with GFO...I'd put that on the back shelf for awhile. Phosphate-E will drop your p04 quickly, but again another big swing to support cyano formation. Maybe some water changes to bring down your levels slightly and then focus on keeping them stable so your system can mature into them.

 

[Jekyl]

Algae is normal. Keep parameters in order, clean what you can by hand. It will run its course.

 

[Siberwulf]

I prefer natural over chemical as much as possible...so as for the No3/Po4, I'd do water changes to bring those in line and then look at what you were doing to get those levels in the first place...if in fact you were trying to keep them lower. There's nothing wrong with nitrates around 10-20ppm and Po4 around .12ppm, though....especially if you are planning to start with an LPS/softies coral tank.

I'd guess the junk to be either cyano or even some diatoms for the age of the tank. If your no3/po4 levels are fluctuating, this will bring on cyano.

I think your tank is too young to be messing with GFO...I'd put that on the back shelf for awhile. Phosphate-E will drop your p04 quickly, but again another big swing to support cyano formation. Maybe some water changes to bring down your levels slightly and then focus on keeping them stable so your system can mature into them.

This all makes sense. I'm not going to be doing much of anything with it for a couple more months. Maybe I'll roll back the hours on the DT lighting, and see if that helps. Wash off the Chaeto, and just rely on a couple WCs to keep it fresh. I have a feeling adding in fish in August will change things again...

 

[Idoc]

This all makes sense. I'm not going to be doing much of anything with it for a couple more months. Maybe I'll roll back the hours on the DT lighting, and see if that helps. Wash off the Chaeto, and just rely on a couple WCs to keep it fresh. I have a feeling adding in fish in August will change things again...

When I cycled my tank, it went through a terrible cyano outbreak that I couldn't get to go away with regular mechanical stuff. So, I did use chemiclean to get a fresh start....I've had to do that one other time I had a terrible cyano outbreak after battling dinos for a year...again, ended up using chemiclean to clean it up and get a fresh start...no cyano since.

 

[Siberwulf]

So maybe it isn't? Maybe it's just algae? This is this morning. It looks like either A) the CUC worked overnight, or B) lack of light really affected things. I haven't touched it at all....

 

[BostonReefer300]

Initially I thought diatoms given the first post. Now I wonder if you have dinos. Do you see any air bubbles amongst the strands? Does it seem to get worse the longer your peak lighting period is on?

 

[Siberwulf]

Initially I thought diatoms given the first post. Now I wonder if you have dinos. Do you see any air bubbles amongst the strands? Does it seem to get worse the longer your peak lighting period is on?

There do seem to be bubbles on some of them, but not nearly all of them. And yeah, they seem much worse at the end of the day than at the beginning.

That said, the snails def leave a "bleach path" through them and it seems like they are eating it?

 

[BostonReefer300]

Eating or disturbing them. Do you have a microscope handy by any chance?

 

[Siberwulf]

Eating or disturbing them. Do you have a microscope handy by any chance?

I do, but the slide plates should be here sometime today. I'll snap a few pics then!

 

[Siberwulf]

Sooooo looks like Dinos.

 

[Idoc]

Sooooo looks like Dinos.

I'm so surprised to see dinos in a tank so young...but I do see a few that look definitely like dinos in the pic, but there is a lot of "noise" in this pic! Attempt the pictures again, but less "junk" in the pics. Usually if you take the pics from the edge of debri, we can see the cells more clearly.

 

[Siberwulf]

I'm so surprised to see dinos in a tank so young...but I do see a few that look definitely like dinos in the pic, but there is a lot of "noise" in this pic! Attempt the pictures again, but less "junk" in the pics. Usually if you take the pics from the edge of debri, we can see the cells more clearly.

Hows's this:

 

[Siberwulf]

So looking at all the causes of these, I'm a little unsure why I'm running into Dinos:

• Nitrates are not zero (25). In fact, they're a bit high.
• Phosphates are not zero (.12) so that's ok.
• New Tank - Maybe this came in the Live Rock?
• No Carbon or GFO dosing

I've read a bunch of articles about the removal, and it looks like it's light, chems, and keeping P04 and NO3 elevated.

I stumbled upon this thing: Dr. Tim's and it seems too good to be true. I did use Dr. Tim's to start my cycle up, and I feel the guy knows his stuff. Is this solution valid?

Edit: It looks like I'm gonna have to QT my CUC, due to the fact the chems can kill em...

 

[BostonReefer300]

Here's a document from @taricha about dino identification. For my money, it looks like ostreopsis. I'd suggest you post a new thread in the dino thread (https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/d...-tired-of-battling-altogether.293318/page-531) and ask for help. I'm very far from a dino expert and have, in fact, been unsuccessfully battling prorocentrum for the past couple months. However, the people in that thread are as close to dino experts as exist in this hobby and they can help you a lot more than me. My guess is that they'll suggest vacuuming out everything you can see, put a powerful and low flow UV on your tank, and keep your nutrients elevated (although, IMO, your PO4 is way too high). I wouldn't do anything except vacuum them out at this point until you get more advice. Good luck and I'll follow on the other thread.

 

[Siberwulf]

Here's a document from @taricha about dino identification. For my money, it looks like ostreopsis. I'd suggest you post a new thread in the dino thread (https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dinoflagellates-–-are-you-tired-of-battling-altogether.293318/page-531) and ask for help. I'm very far from a dino expert and have, in fact, been unsuccessfully battling prorocentrum for the past couple months. However, the people in that thread are as close to dino experts as exist in this hobby and they can help you a lot more than me. My guess is that they'll suggest vacuuming out everything you can see, put a powerful and low flow UV on your tank, and keep your nutrients elevated (although, IMO, your PO4 is way too high). I wouldn't do anything except vacuum them out at this point until you get more advice. Good luck and I'll follow on the other thread.

I'm gonna be patient and wait for the experts like you said. Thanks much, I appreciate it!

 

[PeterC99]

Three things got rid of my cyano:

1) Strong UV light
2) Started an Oxydator (look for threads on this site)
3) Phytoplankton every other day

Before and after pics (also have since increased the light intensity by 5% on my Radions)

 

[Idoc]

Hows's this:

Ostreopsis dinos...

If you have coral frags, good chance they came in on those... that's how my infestation started.

UV will work well on this type of dino.