I know it seems you'll never get there---but a tank with clean rocks---does happen.

[Sk8r]

With time and good chemistry.
Can take as much as a year, depending on how you started, but ultimately the green film plague goes away.
It's commonly followed by bubble algae---dunno why---but it does go. And then that goes. Dunno why, either.

Main thing is water changes to keep the nitrate down and use of GFO (to get rid of excess phosphate and green film and hair). But at a certain time you have to feed green food to keep your blennies happy and healthy. This is why I say, earnestly, don't get something to eat the algae. Sooner or later, most often within a year, there is no more. And then you've got a critter to feed.

 

[bmrigs]

That's reassuring because I am fighting GHA in my 7 month old tank right now. I have cut down on feedings and light schedule and do water changes religiously.

 

[leviburns89]

Lanthanum chloride dosing into a filter sock can help maintain phosphates to a manageable level, and from everything I've read, has no negative effects on corals when used properly.

 

[Sk8r]

Usually what my tanks do, once I've gotten the hair algae under control (gfo) is develop bubble, which usually persists a month or slightly more, maybe some cyano, (most frequent cause is sunlight hitting the tank, or old tank light bulbs) which is fairly easy to fix---stop the sunlight hitting the tank, change the light bulbs, clean up the extra nutrient (get the nitates hammered way down: water changes) and if persistent, 3 days of lights-out once a month until the skimmer can uptake whatever-it-was: usually works. Eventually you come down to the occasional outbreak of something or another, but if you set your chemistry well and keep the nitrate and phosphate input down (ro/di) and set a good program that will keep it there, the algae plagues are infrequent and entirely manageable. Chemistry is the big item: if it's riding steadily pretty well where good seawater does, and your light is adequate and you're not overfeeding, it should no longer be a roller coaster ride of one-darned-algae after another. WHat many people realize, re rock and sand, is some of the unwanted chemicals do come in with the rock, and it soaks out of the rock and into your water over a matter of months. So that innocent-looking rock---may be your primary source of problems; but have courage---eventually all the whatever-it-is soaks out of it, and your good attention and water changes get rid of the excess. I had some lovely holey limestone produce the worst load of phosphate I've ever had to deal with---but in the long haul, it's all good now.

 

[drillsar]

I can't get rid of brown diatoms.. The main cause of that is phosphates?

 

[Jone]

Diatoms love Silicates..(spelling)

I can't get rid of brown diatoms.. The main cause of that is phosphates?

 

[drillsar]

silicates from?

 

[Sk8r]

Actual sandy type sand, for one. Local water. Quartz sand. Now, this isn't saying silica is ALL bad: it does help out some marine organisms. But among those it helps out are some we don't want. Don't use quartz sand (or rock) or tapwater---ie, if you ever do feel you should have it (check your salt mix: it might supply a very tiny bit) there are ways to get it, but along with other plagues, just cleaning up the tank---decent skimmer, ro/di at zer0 TDS, and nitrate reduction below 20...will mean a lot fewer 'blooms' of strange little species that pop up to take advantage of a tiny niche just left vacant by demise of the last plague.

 

[drillsar]

I got my sand from marcorocks. Maybe its best to go BB first than add sand later? Use eggcrate with pvc for rocks?

 

[Tarawa]

Another thing to check if you're fighting GHA for a long while, like I am currently (I'm at about the 7-8 month mark) after you know you've cleaned up things and such, pull out a rock, throw it in some DI water (RO will probably be fine too) adda heater and a power head and see if it gives off PO4. I did that, and apparently all the dry rock I got is loaded with the stuff. Coincidentally, that is where all the GHA hangs out, wish I did this sooner. I got some Marco Key Largo rocks ordered and on the way. And now that I know better, going to cure/cook these things properly. =D

 

[drillsar]

that is interesting.. How to cure/cook dry rock?

 

[Tarawa]

From what I've read, throw it in a container with a heater, and a powerhead, add RODI and some vinegar. Let it sit like that for a week, then shake it off so what ever is on it comes off, change the water with fresh RODI (no vinegar) and let it sit for a week, then test the water, if no PO4, you are good to go. If there is PO4, change the water and try again. If my water didnt have such crazy TDS, I'd throw them in the toilet tank.

 

[jayball]

Another thing to check if you're fighting GHA for a long while, like I am currently (I'm at about the 7-8 month mark) after you know you've cleaned up things and such, pull out a rock, throw it in some DI water (RO will probably be fine too) adda heater and a power head and see if it gives off PO4. I did that, and apparently all the dry rock I got is loaded with the stuff. Coincidentally, that is where all the GHA hangs out, wish I did this sooner. I got some Marco Key Largo rocks ordered and on the way. And now that I know better, going to cure/cook these things properly. =D

If you take a piece of live rock that is full of micro fauna/flora and bacteria then drop in in fresh water you are going to have near 100% die off. It does not matter how much phos you have bound to the aragonite, you are going to read it anyway from all the newly dead stuff.

This is valid with a piece of dead rock that has been well cleaned though.

 

[Sk8r]

Yep, if you have natural (from the ocean) live rock (or from another tank), you have to choose to 'cure' it, in which case you will lose some life, or just put it in as-is and use GFO to solve the phosphate problems that may or may not result. Some people are very fearful that they'll get mantids or eunicids or an aiptasia. (I swear to you, you'll find ways to get aiptasia no matter what you do: comes in water weed, etc.)---but my own experience is that I got 53 species of hitchhiker, 51 of which I loved. Two were pests (the aiptasia and the caulerpa weed.) I solved the aiptasia by adding pep shrimp, and I finally found a way to deal with rooted caulerpa if you can move the rock it's attached to. So I will always opt for the 'crawling with life' type rocks and not cure them if I have a choice. I had a nasty ride in the last set-up ---not from hitchhikers, but from the amount of phosphate in the 'safe' non-live rock I bought when I upgraded size and had to economize. Hitchhikers can be coped with, usually pretty quickly: phosphate in rocks just continues to soak out of the rock as you remove what's already soaked out---and the cure for that is time, time, time---well, and a lot of GFO if you think it's cured and it's not-quite.
You pays your money and takes your chances, but which chances you take are your choice.