LakerJean
New Member
I am currently battling low nutrients and cyano, and not sure if I can solve for both issues together, or if they are somehow related. It all started with an API phosphate kit showing my PO4 off the charts. I started treating for high PO4 with PhosGuard and added a refugium. It turns out my API test kit was faulty, and my PO4 is actually zero according to Hanna, Salifert and my LFS. As are my nitrates, a big fat 0. I have a case of the hairy dark red "stuff", which appears to be cyano, and seems to be getting worse in the last couple of weeks (even my snails are covered in red hair LOL). I have NeoNitro and NeoPhos on order to increase nutrients, and over the past week have increased my feeding to 2xs per day a mix of pellets and frozen brine/mysis. Not sure how long it would take for the nitrate levels to start increasing, but I've been doing this for a bout a week now. But in that week, the red growth seems to be getting greater and more of my coral is looking unhappy (this, I'm relating to the low nutrients, but this is just a bit of an educated/researched guess).
I'm new to reefing, and here's my current situation.
Started the tank October 30, 2021
55g with 60# of life rock
handful of corals: mushroom/leather/zoa/hammer (the leather was the only one thriving until about a week ago and now he's unhappy)
5 fish (2 wrasse/1 clown/1 cardinal fish/1 royal gramma)
red leg hermits/snails/urchin/sand sifting star
Readings as of last weekend:
P04: 0
NO3: 0 (I tested again on Wednesday, and was still at 0)
Kh: 8.9
Calcium: 500
ph: 8.0
Salinity: 1.025
Temp 77-78
I've been stirring up the sand a couple times a week to not allow the red stuff to get matted and blowing the rocks as the cyano is getting in between my zoa. I run a sump with bio balls and a filter pad and a refugium with chaeto. I have a UV sterilizer that will be installed soon.
I'm researching the peroxide dosing to rid the tank of cyano, but wondering if this is the best approach. Am I doing too much by dosing peroxide and adding the NeoNitro/NeoPhos? I know a lot of info here, but I've heard it's not good to do too much at once, and wondering if I am hitting that tank with too many things in my attempt at quickly solving for my issues. My corals are not doing well (tank instability and low nutrients I'm sure), and my cyano is getting worse. I'm looking for a plan for nutrient increase and cyano decrease/removal. Would love advice to help me on this small obstacle.
Thanks all.
I'm new to reefing, and here's my current situation.
Started the tank October 30, 2021
55g with 60# of life rock
handful of corals: mushroom/leather/zoa/hammer (the leather was the only one thriving until about a week ago and now he's unhappy)
5 fish (2 wrasse/1 clown/1 cardinal fish/1 royal gramma)
red leg hermits/snails/urchin/sand sifting star
Readings as of last weekend:
P04: 0
NO3: 0 (I tested again on Wednesday, and was still at 0)
Kh: 8.9
Calcium: 500
ph: 8.0
Salinity: 1.025
Temp 77-78
I've been stirring up the sand a couple times a week to not allow the red stuff to get matted and blowing the rocks as the cyano is getting in between my zoa. I run a sump with bio balls and a filter pad and a refugium with chaeto. I have a UV sterilizer that will be installed soon.
I'm researching the peroxide dosing to rid the tank of cyano, but wondering if this is the best approach. Am I doing too much by dosing peroxide and adding the NeoNitro/NeoPhos? I know a lot of info here, but I've heard it's not good to do too much at once, and wondering if I am hitting that tank with too many things in my attempt at quickly solving for my issues. My corals are not doing well (tank instability and low nutrients I'm sure), and my cyano is getting worse. I'm looking for a plan for nutrient increase and cyano decrease/removal. Would love advice to help me on this small obstacle.
Thanks all.
