Cyanobacteria or Dinoflagelettes?

[theyeg2]

Good luck with your changes. I will be following the string.

 

[ostrow]

IMO/IME the iron-based phosphate removers cause more problems than they solve. Other ways and better ways to kick phosphates (continuous kalk drip for one)...

 

[traumaninja]

I have fought this same problem for 6 months and have tried everything!! I just read this post and I am going to try and turn my lights out for 24hrs. I have corals and am really nervous but I am at the end of my rope with this problem. My tank looks exactly like the pics posted. I have taken tons of advice from several fish shops and tried several remedies so I hope this works. Thanks for all who have posted your sucess stories it gives me a little more piece of mind. I dont have anywhere to put my corals so I am going to have to John Wayne it!!

 

[ostrow]

Your corals can go 4 days easily with no light. Think of it as hurricane season, a big storm coming through.

 

[traumaninja]

My lights have been off for over 36 hours and the brown stuff is still sitting on the rock and covering the gravel!! I have a few questions.
1. Keep the lights off??
2. I have a tunze should I use it to blow the brown stuff into the "air" and let the skimmer get it?
3. Leave it be?
4. I need to do a water change its been two weeks now, I have heard doing a water change could pollute my tank worse. I just bought a new RO/DI unit and my water has no trace of Phosphate in my tank. My tds reads 0 from my machine(RoDI)
5.WAit to do water change in a few days? I am on pins and needles!! Also my water looks kinda yellow! What the heck?

Someone help

 

[ostrow]

It should scrape off easily. Might try a filter sock to catch it off the overflow.

Why do you "need" to do a water change every 2 weeks? Just asking, don't want to open a can of worms here. I'd just top off as needed or better, get a kalk drip going for topoff.

 

[traumaninja]

I water change once a week!! My calcium is around 320 I ordered a calcium suppliment because I didnt want to mess with kalwasser. Other than that I have always done once a week water changes. Sometimes twice a week. Thats why I dont understand how I have this alge and bacteria.