What is wrong with my tank??

[Chris_Noles]

Stainless Steel straw 1/4" inside a 1/2" hose with a rubber band for a seal. Works great.

I just ordered a small siphon kinda like that today hopefully that does the trick

 

[Chris_Noles]

Params are currently

8.8 alk
450 cal
1360 mag

 

[BostonReefer300]

Vacuuming out the cyano is a good idea. Hard to believe as it sounds, you're making progress. Cyano is the least bad of all the nuisance growth

 

[Chris_Noles]

Well here is what it looks like now boys, probably just need to siphon the sand some more and we should be good to go….hopefully.

My sps on the other hand looks HORRIBLE though right now and I have no idea why. My cyphastrea and green lepto have 0 color what could be the cause of this??

 

[Chris_Noles]

Well here is what it looks like now boys, probably just need to siphon the sand some more and we should be good to go….hopefully.

My sps on the other hand looks HORRIBLE though right now and I have no idea why. My cyphastrea and green lepto have 0 color what could be the cause of this??

@BostonReefer300 @vetteguy53081

 

[vetteguy53081]

@BostonReefer300 @vetteguy53081

Cyano is a huge part of the issue. Increase water flow slightly to deter adhesion of cyano. Cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations go haywire. Just like when you eat too much sugar and your waistline starts to bloom, the same happens in your tank when concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development

I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 5-7 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.

After the week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.

 

[Chris_Noles]

Cyano is a huge part of the issue. Increase water flow slightly to deter adhesion of cyano. Cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations go haywire. Just like when you eat too much sugar and your waistline starts to bloom, the same happens in your tank when concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development

I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 5-7 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.

After the week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.

Dinos are gone and I think changing the flow nozzles on my return pump solved the problem. My coral look horrible though right now, could it have been because of the low lights from trying to get rid of dinos?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Dino itself and low lights robbing them of zooxanthelle will do it

 

[Chris_Noles]

Dino itself and low lights robbing them of zooxanthelle will do it

Will that cause the majority of my sps to contract? and what can I do to try and get them back to their former glory?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Will that cause the majority of my sps to contract? and what can I do to try and get them back to their former glory?

It starts with water testing. What test kits are you using?
Type of lighting?

 

[Chris_Noles]

It starts with water testing. What test kits are you using?
Type of lighting?

AI Hydra 52 and i have a hanna tester for alk and calcium

 

[Chris_Noles]

Currently I am blowing off the Dinos of the rocks everyday, got my nitrates up to 25 PPM but my corals looks horrible right now. Hopefully keeping my nitrates high will keep the Dinos in check, they still come back everyday.....

 

[Aqua Man]

Currently I am blowing off the Dinos of the rocks everyday, got my nitrates up to 25 PPM but my corals looks horrible right now. Hopefully keeping my nitrates high will keep the Dinos in check, they still come back everyday.....

Did you get a definite identification of which species of Dinoflagellate you have?

Nitrates are in a good range.

What about Phosphate?

 

[Chris_Noles]

Did you get a definite identification of which species of Dinoflagellate you have?

Nitrates are in a good range.

What about Phosphate?

I have not gotten an identification of the Dinos I have, and I’ll have to check my phosphates later on today.

 

[Chris_Noles]

Did you get a definite identification of which species of Dinoflagellate you have?

Nitrates are in a good range.

What about Phosphate?

Phosphates are reading 0 with the salifert kit I have.....I going going to start dosing Phosphates again

 

[Chris_Noles]

Phosphates are still reading zero (even though I am dosing 3ML a day), the cyano bacteria also came back extremely quick after siphoning it up when I did a water change.....

 

[anthonygf]

Phosphates are reading 0 with the salifert kit I have.....I going going to start dosing Phosphates again

Get a Hanna ULR phosphorus HI736 in ppb, then go to the chart to convert ppm phosphate. I don't think Salifert is sensitive enough for such low numbers, that is why changed to Hanna. I hope you can open this file, if not go to hannainstruments.com, they have the conversion charts. I don't trust any other. ICP test is very close to Hanna test.

 

[Chris_Noles]

I have a ton of cyano building up on my sand bed and my corals. What can I do to combat this problem along with the Dino's I am still fighting. Cyano builds up on my corals everyday....

 

[Aqua Man]

Phosphates are still reading zero (even though I am dosing 3ML a day), the cyano bacteria also came back extremely quick after siphoning it up when I did a water change.....

I’ve been adding up to 10ML a day of Neophos to my 20 gallon. See if you can get a reading on your test 1hr after you dose phosphate.

I have a ton of cyano building up on my sand bed and my corals. What can I do to combat this problem along with the Dino's I am still fighting. Cyano builds up on my corals everyday....

Do you have any other flow in the tank besides the return? Flow does help.

I would do a small water change and suck out the cyano. After the water change add the phosphate dose.
Sometimes adding bacteria helps too. I like Microbacter 7. Turn off your skimmer before adding any bacteria or it will just get skimmed out. Instructions recommend 3 hrs.

Did you order a UV?
I would also recommend the Hanna HI736.

 

[Aqua Man]

I have not gotten an identification of the Dinos I have, and I’ll have to check my phosphates later on today.

Looking back at all the pictures in this thread, I’m only seeing Cyano. Without a microscope it’s hard to know for sure.

When you suck some of that slime out run it through a coffee filter into a glass. Dino will not be filtered and will reform in the glass in about 15 minutes. Cyano will not reform.