Tank recovery- algae/ bacteria ID and help

[Squibege]

Hello and thanks for reading!

Maintenance was rough for about two years with water changes every few months because life. Got some help and they have been diligently done weekly for 6months. Moved to bi-weekly for the last two months but we may move back to weekly now. Battled through a bunch of hair algae and rounds of cyano and diatoms as we tried to reach a new equilibrium. Thought we were there, but now the brown uglies are back after only two clear weeks. General maintenance is not cutting it now so I’m ready to step it up and use something stronger. Please help me identify what the heck I’m dealing with here and what to do about it. I’m assuming a type of cyano or cyano mixed with diatoms? Pics are after lights have been on all day then first thing in the morning.

Details below:

Tank is 90G display and 20ish in the sump. Filter sock, skimmer, and refugium in the sump. GFO in media bags between baffles and activated carbon in a hang on back filter. Chaeto is decreasing rather than growing though. Tank has been going for 4.5 years. Occupants are 2 clownfish (6 yrs old and very territorial), 1 Coral Beauty Angelfish, 3 chromis. Corals are purple mushrooms, one Duncan colony, and one open brain coral.

RO/DI water used from fish store. Red Sea black bucket salt.
Salinity 1.025 (reftactometer)
Alk= 7.7 (Hannah, new reagents)
Ca/Mg= expired reagents, not tested
NO3= 12 (Red Sea, new reagents)
PO4= 0.17 (Red Sea, expired reagents)

Water changes are 10 or 20 gallons every other week. 10 to just do the sand. 20 also sucks crud off the rocks while we toothbrush/ turkey blast the algae.

 

[Reefahholic]

Hello and thanks for reading!

Maintenance was rough for about two years with water changes every few months because life. Got some help and they have been diligently done weekly for 6months. Moved to bi-weekly for the last two months but we may move back to weekly now. Battled through a bunch of hair algae and rounds of cyano and diatoms as we tried to reach a new equilibrium. Thought we were there, but now the brown uglies are back after only two clear weeks. General maintenance is not cutting it now so I’m ready to step it up and use something stronger. Please help me identify what the heck I’m dealing with here and what to do about it. I’m assuming a type of cyano or cyano mixed with diatoms? Pics are after lights have been on all day then first thing in the morning.

Details below:

Tank is 90G display and 20ish in the sump. Filter sock, skimmer, and refugium in the sump. GFO in media bags between baffles and activated carbon in a hang on back filter. Chaeto is decreasing rather than growing though. Tank has been going for 4.5 years. Occupants are 2 clownfish (6 yrs old and very territorial), 1 Coral Beauty Angelfish, 3 chromis. Corals are purple mushrooms, one Duncan colony, and one open brain coral.

RO/DI water used from fish store. Red Sea black bucket salt.
Salinity 1.025 (reftactometer)
Alk= 7.7 (Hannah, new reagents)
Ca/Mg= expired reagents, not tested
NO3= 12 (Red Sea, new reagents)
PO4= 0.17 (Red Sea, expired reagents)

Water changes are 10 or 20 gallons every other week. 10 to just do the sand. 20 also sucks crud off the rocks while we toothbrush/ turkey blast the algae.

Looks like it’s gonna be Dino’s which is why you see them more populated during the peak photo period. There will usually be some Cyano around with Dino’s. He’s my advice. Never trust anybody to make your water, but you. Purchase a RODI unit.

Grab a cheap microscope off Amazon (nothing crazy $70-$80) to ID exactly what it is. Depending on the Dino species they have different treatment methods. Or join one of the big Dino groups on Facebook. You could mail a sample to somebody for ID if you can afford a microscope.

Just my thoughts considering all your information listed above. You have a lot of filtration on the tank. I’d pull some of that off. You shouldn’t need carbon, GFO, filter socks, skimmer, and that many water changes to keep nutrients stable. I don’t have anything but a skimmer, and I avoid over feeding the tank. If you are able to do that, your cheato will begin to grow (considering there’s enough iron and manganese), and the Dino’s will eventually loose their grip. You really need to have quality testing equipment to know your parameters. Best of luck!

 

[Squibege]

Looks like it’s gonna be Dino’s which is why you see them more populated during the peak photo period. There will usually be some Cyano around with Dino’s. He’s my advice. Never trust anybody to make your water, but you. Purchase a RODI unit.

Grab a cheap microscope off Amazon (nothing crazy $70-$80) to ID exactly what it is. Depending on the Dino species they have different treatment methods. Or join one of the big Dino groups on Facebook. You could mail a sample to somebody for ID if you can afford a microscope.

Just my thoughts considering all your information listed above. You have a lot of filtration on the tank. I’d pull some of that off. You shouldn’t need carbon, GFO, filter socks, skimmer, and that many water changes to keep nutrients stable. I don’t have anything but a skimmer, and I avoid over feeding the tank. If you are able to do that, your cheato will begin to grow (considering there’s enough iron and manganese), and the Dino’s will eventually loose their grip. You really need to have quality testing equipment to know your parameters. Best of luck!

Thank you for the help. I just sent out an ICP test so hopefully I can get a full picture of what is going on. Since nitrate and phosphate aren’t low and there aren’t really bubbles in it I was thinking (hoping) it wasn’t dinos.

 

[Squibege]

PO4 on not expired reagents is 0.08

 

[Reefahholic]

PO4 on not expired reagents is 0.08

That’s a good sign. Dino’s seem to pop up pretty quick once they bottom out. Still good to get an ID just in case.

All you need is a microscope like this. Cheap and good to keep around. This one has been recommended on the Dino forums several times.

 

[Reefahholic]

Hello and thanks for reading!

Maintenance was rough for about two years with water changes every few months because life. Got some help and they have been diligently done weekly for 6months. Moved to bi-weekly for the last two months but we may move back to weekly now. Battled through a bunch of hair algae and rounds of cyano and diatoms as we tried to reach a new equilibrium. Thought we were there, but now the brown uglies are back after only two clear weeks. General maintenance is not cutting it now so I’m ready to step it up and use something stronger. Please help me identify what the heck I’m dealing with here and what to do about it. I’m assuming a type of cyano or cyano mixed with diatoms? Pics are after lights have been on all day then first thing in the morning.

Details below:

Tank is 90G display and 20ish in the sump. Filter sock, skimmer, and refugium in the sump. GFO in media bags between baffles and activated carbon in a hang on back filter. Chaeto is decreasing rather than growing though. Tank has been going for 4.5 years. Occupants are 2 clownfish (6 yrs old and very territorial), 1 Coral Beauty Angelfish, 3 chromis. Corals are purple mushrooms, one Duncan colony, and one open brain coral.

RO/DI water used from fish store. Red Sea black bucket salt.
Salinity 1.025 (reftactometer)
Alk= 7.7 (Hannah, new reagents)
Ca/Mg= expired reagents, not tested
NO3= 12 (Red Sea, new reagents)
PO4= 0.17 (Red Sea, expired reagents)

Water changes are 10 or 20 gallons every other week. 10 to just do the sand. 20 also sucks crud off the rocks while we toothbrush/ turkey blast the algae.

@saltyhog

 

[saltyhog]

Agree with @Reefahholic . Sure looks like dinos grossly. Best plan is to get it under the microscope. Unfortunately dinos can happen at any nutrient level.

The absence (or presence)of bubbles also really doesn't mean anything either.