Trying to revive my tank, need advice

[kkgaskin90]

In October I noticed my tank started having some issues. There was STN on my chalice and red planet. I checked levels and both my calcium and alk had shot up. Phosphates were also quite high. I turned my dosing pump off. I started getting massive amounts of hair algae and bubble algae. Then my pumps were "gunked up" with a whitish film... like tartar on teeth. My macro died off and my fuge got a healthy dose of cyano. There was also a whitish slime developing in places... mostly my overflow, return chamber in my sump, and in my birdsnest.
I turned my alk doser back on as my level dropped fairly quickly, but once again it shot back up. Every weekend (sometimes every other) I would take out my return pump, gyre, and skimmer pump and clean them out, otherwise they would not run properly and things would get worse. I completely emptied my sump to clean several times. I lost my chalice completely and most other corals had at least some tissue loss. I mentioned while at the LFS that I'd love to get some of the corals he had, but wanted to get my tank straightened out first. He asked what was going on so I told him. He asked what supplements I was using and I said the ReefGrow I always purchase from him. He said, "oh, you can't use those with a dosing pump." This was news to me. But he basically said they don't stay mixed, so precipitate settles to the bottom and you get spikes. Makes sense with my issues.
So I started dosing the alk and cal manually about a month ago. I also added a GFO reactor to take care of the phosphate issue. I had a small spill with the alk so my level is currently slightly higher than I try to maintain, but nothing like it was. I spent well over an hour this morning still removing slime. I threw away a pitcher full of birdsnest because it was a losing battle at this point, and I have more that is unaffected.
So my question is, where do I go from here? There is still "slime" at the base of my valida. I try to manually remove but haven't been able to eradicate. It is also in my overflow and sump. The "tartar" type buildup has definitely slowed. The hair algae, bubble algae, and a coarse green algae persists. I also still have cyano in my fuge and no macro. I dose vodka and wondered if maybe I should put only rock in the back section of my 2 part fuge so that the vodka can dose directly into there and provide the bacteria a place to grow (maybe the source of the tartar like buildup?). I've also considered beefing up my CUC... it's been a while since I added any. I have stopped using ReefGrow as of this morning when I finally used my last and have BRS buffer, calc, and mag on hand to mix up and use from this point forward. Below are my levels (using Salifert tests & refractometer), pictures of current situation, and setup details.

pH-7.9
Temp-75
SG-1.025
NO3-<0.2
PO4-<0.03
Cal-430
Alk-9.4
Mag-1280

75 gallon mixed reef set up in Nov 2013 (first year was FOWLR), corner overflow, 20 gallon DIY sump, GFO reactor, fuge (useless at the moment), Gyre, Coral Box D700 skimmer, ATO, 3 dosing pumps, ReefBreeder Photon 48... I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

Forgive my terrible photography....

 

[jenreefer]

Well, high alk, (you said you had some of this) will cause calcium precipitation. That could be part of what you are seeing. The first thing you need to do is determine what the daily need for alk and ca are and make sure you are dosing appropriately. Up and down swings are not healthy for the tank.
Vodka dosing can drive bacterial growth including cyanobacteria. Discontinue or lower your dose until you get this under control. Clean out your sump and manually remove as much of the cyano and detritus as possible. I would recommend a complete sump clean.

Once you get these two things "right", which means no cyano and stable Alkalinity within a few tenths, then you can see how the tank is looking. Then be patient.

What type of skimmer are you using? what other methods of nutrient export are you using? How heavy do you feed? how many fish in the tank?

BTW, nice tank overall

 

[kkgaskin90]

Well, high alk, (you said you had some of this) will cause calcium precipitation. That could be part of what you are seeing. The first thing you need to do is determine what the daily need for alk and ca are and make sure you are dosing appropriately. Up and down swings are not healthy for the tank.
Vodka dosing can drive bacterial growth including cyanobacteria. Discontinue or lower your dose until you get this under control. Clean out your sump and manually remove as much of the cyano and detritus as possible. I would recommend a complete sump clean.

Once you get these two things "right", which means no cyano and stable Alkalinity within a few tenths, then you can see how the tank is looking. Then be patient.

What type of skimmer are you using? what other methods of nutrient export are you using? How heavy do you feed? how many fish in the tank?

BTW, nice tank overall

Thank you. I had calculated proper dosing amounts, but the additives I was using were not staying mixed, this the spike. I went to manual dosing so I could mix prior to adding each dose once my levels dropped. I used my last of the previous additives this morning and will switch to BRS and calculate the proper dosage with their additives.
I have been doing multiple sump clean outs so I will continue with that until it's completely eradicated.
Since my levels have just returned to stable in the last week I'm wondering if I just need to sit patiently for a bit.
My skimmer is a Coral Box D700. Comparable to a Bubble Magus Curve 7. It does a fantastic job. I feed a combination of LRS and mysis shrimp, small amounts twice daily. I'd say it is completely consumed well under 2 minutes.
Fish:
Tomini Tang
Golden Head Sleeper Goby
Flame Hawkfish
2 Clownfish
3 Blue Star Leopard Wrasses

 

[jenreefer]

A dosing pump and Randy Holmes Farley two part is a good choice. It is hard to mess that stuff up, IMO. Turn the lights out in the sump for three days and see if the cyano goes away.

Your fish stocking is fine, as is your feeding. I suspect you will see great improvement when the alk is stable. :)

 

[Nathan0369]

Have you considered switching from vodka to vinegar? It should help with the cyano. You may want to add a carbon reactor to help.

 

[kkgaskin90]

Have you considered switching from vodka to vinegar? It should help with the cyano. You may want to add a carbon reactor to help.

I have not. Is it relatively easy to switch?

 

[Nathan0369]

Yes, you just need to calculate your dose since you'll need roughly 8 times more vinegar than vodka. Randy has a great article on it. Since vinegar effects your pH, you should dose throughout the day in small increments with a doser instead of one big dose. One of the negatives of vodka is the cyano.

 

[kkgaskin90]

Yes, you just need to calculate your dose since you'll need roughly 8 times more vinegar than vodka. Randy has a great article on it. Since vinegar effects your pH, you should dose throughout the day in small increments with a doser instead of one big dose. One of the negatives of vodka is the cyano.

Thank you! I'll look for the article. I already dose vodka via a dosing pump so it should be very simple to switch

 

[Nathan0369]

Just click on the search feature and type in "vinegar dosing" by Randy Holmes-Farley.

 

[reefless]

You should use a better light for your fuge. Get an led plant grow light with more red and blue spectrum yours looks too white

 

[jenreefer]

IMO, all types of carbon dosing can lead to cyano blooms. There is a fine balance that must be maintained. Adjustments are frequent and keeping a close eye on conditions and adjusting your dosage to meet the continually changing needs of your tank is critical to long term success. This is just a changing need of the tank. It is not necessarily an indication that you are doing anything wrong. Make adjustments slowly and watch for a positive reaction. Do not try to fix anything overnight or with a quick fix.