High Nutrient Macro Algae/Sea Grass Reef

[vlangel]

Is that favia rainbowed or is it the lights playing tricks?

It's supposed to be red and green but when my son gave it to me it was much paler than I had seen it years ago. It's more like a washed out red and some of the areas are white with glowing green eyes. I am hoping that it will color back up in my tank. The paler colors probably are picking up colors from the LEDs.

 

[vlangel]

My husband and I are back from a week vacation and the tank did fine. My sister checked on it twice and fed the fish some frozen but all is well. Just dirty glass and that is expected. It's always a relief to walk in the house and see the tank operating as it should.

 

[griss]

Glad the tank is good. Hope you guys had a great vacation.

 

[vlangel]

Glad the tank is good. Hope you guys had a great vacation.

Thanks George, it was a great vacation. Beautiful weather and lots of sun! We went on a cruise in the Caribbean.
It was sad to see what has happened to the reefs however. I snorkled 20 years ago and what they look like now is nothing compared to then. :-(

 

[griss]

Thanks George, it was a great vacation. Beautiful weather and lots of sun! We went on a cruise in the Caribbean.
It was sad to see what has happened to the reefs however. I snorkled 20 years ago and what they look like now is nothing compared to then. :-(

Yeah, I got certified in scuba in Marathon, FL in 85/86. The reefs were stunning back then, all three species of Caribbean Acropora everywhere.

We went to Key Largo a couple years ago and the reefs looked like a graveyard

 

[vlangel]

Everything is doing just fine in the high nutrient garden, except I am having trouble keeping the nutrients high. I may have to really prune the macroalgae back drastically. The coral also seem to be growing very well too. The torch went from 2 heads to 4 and the goni has doubled in size. The palys are all reproducing like crazy so the tank seems to be in a good place but I am getting a little cyano, yuc!

 

[griss]

Glad to hear things are still doing well. It seems we all get cyano from time to time

 

[vlangel]

Glad to hear things are still doing well. It seems we all get cyano from time to time

Yes, I guess that is true! There are certainly worse things to deal with and mine isn't terrible. It's mostly only in one spot.
I need to test PO4 and NO3 to see if my nutrients are low. That is what I think is the issue.

 

[griss]

Yep, low or out of balance.

 

[Subsea]

Glad to hear things are still doing well. It seems we all get cyano from time to time

I think cyno outbreaks can be seasonal and not necessarily low nutrients allowing opportunistic algae to proliferate.

 

[vlangel]

Yep, low or out of balance.

I am having amazing coral growth, more growth than I have ever experienced. That seems like a good thing but it has to mean that something/s has changed and that makes me nervous. Plus in a tank as small as mine, I was happy with slow growth. Like you said, perhaps something is out of balance. I need to make the time to investigate.

 

[vlangel]

I think cyno outbreaks can be seasonal and not necessarily low nutrients allowing opportunistic algae to proliferate.

Hhmm Patrick, I never heard that before. I will keep that in mind. Fortunately after reef keeping for so many years, I am not one to panick over a little cyano.
After reading your other thread on sponges and coral growth, since I am experiencing amazing coral growth, I may lower my temperature a few degrees and slightly shorten my light cycle.

 

[griss]

Hhmm Patrick, I never heard that before. I will keep that in mind. Fortunately after reef keeping for so many years, I am not one to panick over a little cyano.
After reading your other thread on sponges and coral growth, since I am experiencing amazing coral growth, I may lower my temperature a few degrees and slightly shorten my light cycle.

I had the worst Cyano outbreak I’ve ever had in 40+ years in the hobby a while back. I tried everything, and finally…boom, it was gone so maybe what Patrick is saying has merit. I wouldn’t discount anything in this hobby.

 

[vlangel]

I had the worst Cyano outbreak I’ve ever had in 40+ years in the hobby a while back. I tried everything, and finally…boom, it was gone so maybe what Patrick is saying has merit. I wouldn’t discount anything in this hobby.

Thanks for weighing in George. Patrick and Paul B are 2 folks that I know that have a lot of experience so I do place a lot of value in what they share. You being in the hobby for 40+ years also trumps my 25-30 years so I appreciate you sharing that. It's also encouraging to know that another experienced hobbyist can have a tank with cyano.

 

[griss]

Thanks for weighing in George. Patrick and Paul B are 2 folks that I know that have a lot of experience so I do place a lot of value in what they share. You being in the hobby for 40+ years also trumps my 25-30 years so I appreciate you sharing that. It's also encouraging to know that another experienced hobbyist can have a tank with cyano.

You bet my friend. Patrick and Paul are brilliant. I remember reading Paul’s articles in FAMA back in the 90’s????

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

I think that's when I first met him@ a local fish store.

 

[vlangel]

I think that's when I first met him@ a local fish store.

I never met Paul but my husband and I met Patrick and his brother during a snow storm at a lfs in Pittsburgh, PA. Then we stopped at Chipotle for burritoes.

 

[Subsea]

I never met Paul but my husband and I met Patrick and his brother during a snow storm at a lfs in Pittsburgh, PA. Then we stopped at Chipotle for burritoes.

Dawn,
I remember that evening. It was the first snow storm I had seen in 20 years and the first one that year in Pittsburg. The next morning, when I flew back to Austin, the storm had passed and everything was white. For someone that had not seen snow in 20 years, it was quite beautiful.

 

[vlangel]

Dawn,
I remember that evening. It was the first snow storm I had seen in 20 years and the first one that year in Pittsburg. The next morning, when I flew back to Austin, the storm had passed and everything was white. For someone that had not seen snow in 20 years, it was quite beautiful.

I was skeptical that we were even going to have snow because our weather predictors hype up and hyperbolize the weather conditions so much that I don't believe them most of the time. Maybe it's good that I didn't believe them because we would have missed the chance to meet you and your brother if we had called off.

 

[vlangel]

I gave some frags to 2 local reef keepers yesterday and one of the fellows gave me a green toadstool and another frag. The other guy offered me a soft coral that I don't have the next time I am in his area. Personally I think that kind of sharing is really good for the hobby, where we all help each other. I find it educational to learn from other hobbyists too since we each have unique experiences.