Algae/cyano problem

[goody]

Not sure what I am dealing with here I had a bad cyano problem about a month ago. I wasn't sure why I had the bloom, because I was getting good flow and wasn't overfeeding. I added a refugium and seemed to solve my problem, but then too much cyano was in my fuge, so I added a very lowl flowing powerhead. This could be where my new problem stems from as I have unplugged the powerhead because I wasn't seeing growth in my cheato.

I now have several small bubbles sticking to my rocks and some of my coral (pic 1). I also am starting see a "slimy" covering on the rocks and some zoas (pic 2) and lastly, I'm getting a dark brown algae on my DSB (pic 3).

Can anybody tell me if this is another cyano problem or new algae and if it is related to the bubbles or my refugium. I also recently upgraded my lights from PC to 4x54w T5. Appreciate any advice.

Important info:
Tank is 6-7 months new
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 5ppm (dropped from ~20ppm through WC)
Alk 8 dKh, Calcium 420
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...quarium143.jpg
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...quarium146.jpg
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...quarium144.jpg

[sebastian]

looks like you have same cr*p that i'm fighting right now... mine grows only in very high flow areas.... 1 rock and spot on sand.... i'm trying to fight but ......hope you will have some answers that i can use.....good luck

[Dentoid]

What are you doing to eliminate phosphate?

[sebastian]

i have phos reactor with phosban...just orderd rowaphos...we will see

[prow]

well looks like you some cyano but no worries about that, what else you have my friend is dinoflagellates, they will take out the cyano. but sorry to say they are way worse then cyano. here are a couple links for ya. it release toxic things and can even kill fish if eaten. once established its a real battle to get rid of them.
Dinoflagellates - Predators, Pathogens, and Partners by Eric Borneman - Reefkeeping.com
Problem Dinoflagellates and pH by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

[goody]

Thanks Prow. Are the dinoflagellates the brown stuff on the sand and the slimy stuff on the rocks? Does it make it worse if I hit it with a powerhead? What about running carbon, should I do that? I will cut down my lighting period, keep skimming, and raise my pH. Anything else?

[prow]

yup, thats the stuff. bubble trapping slimmy brown/yellow icky stringy stuff.

if you use a filter sock and then use a PH to blow it off then clean the filter sock a few hours later would be best i think. yeah run the carbon, double the amount normally used for the toxins from them.

this is from the second link

Here's a series of actions besides raising pH that may help aquarists to deal with problem dinoflagellates.

1. Reduce available nutrients in the water. These include nitrate and especially phosphate. In a severe case, the concerns with driving phosphate too low may be minor compared to the dinoflagellates (and their toxins). In addition to the usual ways of reducing nutrients (skimming, growing macroalgae, deep sand beds, etc.), aquarists should consider very aggressive use of granular ferric oxide (GFO). Putting a larger than normally recommended amount into a canister filter or reactor, and changing it every few days, may help. Don't bother to measure the phosphate level, because the goal is to have it well below normally detectable levels (say, 0.02 ppm).

2. Reduce the photoperiod to four hours per day. This may help to keep the dinoflagellates under control, but by itself will not usually eradicate them.

3. Use more than normal amounts of activated carbon, and possibly ozone, to deal with toxins that the dinoflagellates may be releasing. This may allow snails and other organisms to survive while the dinoflagellates are still at nuisance levels.

4. Manually siphon out as much of the mass of dinoflagellates as possible. Daily removal would be preferable to keep populations at a reduced level.

so add lots phosban (ferric oxide) and lots of carbon too.

[prow]

i am trying to find a link about treating them but can not find it. however, daily blowing off of your rock and use of filter sock and siphoning go a along way. hope its not to bad yet, the hardest part is keeping up with the needed routines, "changing out lots of carbon every couple days, lots of siphoning, ect" it becomes a real pain cause it takes awhile. if its not too bad you may take care of it before it become a full invasion/infestation.

[goody]

yup, thats the stuff. bubble trapping slimmy brown/yellow icky stringy stuff.

if you use a filter sock and then use a PH to blow it off then clean the filter sock a few hours later would be best i think. yeah run the carbon, double the amount normally used for the toxins from them.

this is from the second link


so add lots phosban (ferric oxide) and lots of carbon too.

Went to my LFS, guy tried to sell me chemiclean. Told him I didn't want to try and solve my problem using chemicals. then he tried to sell me chem-pure. I didn't buy it because I didn't know if this was what I needed or if I just need to run some activated carbon. I did buy a smaller filter sock. This may be a dumb question, but I am learning. People talk about the sock filling up in a few days. Is this because the water doesn't seep through sock fast enough? Since I am blowing a lot of "crap" off of my rocks with PH, I will clean out a few hours later. Do I just turn it inside out and rinse with hose or does it need to be cleaned with RO/DI water?

Thanks

[Octoman]

I rinse my sock with the hose inside out and then throw it in the washing machine (also inside out). If it has a drawstring, tie it in a knot before you put it in the wash so it doesn't get yanked out (they are a PITA to put back in...). Some people say do and some say don't use detergent, so it's up to you. It gets cleaner with detergent, but it could put detergent in to your tank. I use a tiny bit of All Free and Clear (no fragrances, dyes) and always give it an extra rinse cycle.

You're right about the sock filling up. As it clogs up with stuff from the tank, the water seeps through slower and slower. If it slows too much, it will back up into the overflow pipe and then, Uh-oh, mess...

[sasquatch]

i will ask the silly question (again) what is your water source for the tank?

[Dentoid]

Interesting aside. I read that the zooxanthellae that are found within photosynthetic organisms are dinoflagellates that have shed their flagella when incorporated by the host. It was also theorized, in the article, that because we heavily skim our tanks bleached corals, clams, anemones etc may not be able to find the dinoflagellates, in our tanks, necessary to reincorporate them into their tissues.

[goody]

i will ask the silly question (again) what is your water source for the tank?

I use RO/DI water. I have tested with two different TDS meters. Reads good. Also tested with my salt mix in. Reads good. After doing 3 water changes in the last 10 days, my water in MT is reading <5ppm nitrates.

[BigAl07]

Interesting aside. I read that the zooxanthellae that are found within photosynthetic organisms are dinoflagellates that have shed their flagella when incorporated by the host. It was also theorized, in the article, that because we heavily skim our tanks bleached corals, clams, anemones etc may not be able to find the dinoflagellates, in our tanks, necessary to reincorporate them into their tissues.

That actually makes a LOT of sense!! I wonder if we should run a "skimmer schedule" rather than 24/7. Can you say another timer?

[George771177]

iam also fightin this problem right now. Iam going to do a water change and gravel vacume my crushed coral to remove as much as i can. Before i vaccume iam going to break it up with my hands so it comes off the crushed coral easier. If you have it on a rock use a non-used tooth brush and brush it off the rocks. The thing that has really worked for me the best after doing those steps is to black out the entire tank. i have a 55 gal so its managable for me. i usually get blankets and sheets towels and sweatshirts and just drape my whole tank. By doing this your eliminating the light soure that this cyno needs to live. leave it blacked out for 2-3 days. Your corals will be fine it happens in the wild when i big storm or numerous overcast days occurr (at least thats what i was told) i have done this technique myself numerous time and my corals are fine. When you take off your sheets you may need to slowly acclimate your corals back into a light cycle depending on the power of your lights. i usually give the tank a quick look over make sure it is all gone and if thier is still some left i usually manually remove it. Try not to leave any alive because it colonizes and spread like wild fire like iam sure you already know. "Good Luck"
Iam not an expert but i works for me.