Learning/rebuilding from my epic fail

[Myka]

Matt, I have a gen one Gyre 150 with a cracked cord too. The US distributor said it would be replaced no problem, but been trying to get a hold of the Canadian distributor for a couple weeks and no answer.

Those Acro pics are awesome! Lookin good. That SSC is ballin!

 

[.Chris.]

Matt, I have a gen one Gyre 150 with a cracked cord too. The US distributor said it would be replaced no problem, but been trying to get a hold of the Canadian distributor for a couple weeks and no answer.

Those Acro pics are awesome! Lookin good. That SSC is ballin!

Contact your original retailer. The distributor doesn't deal with individuals for the most part.

 

[reefmutt]

Hey Matt..... How is all ? You have been absent some days. Pumps, tank and family all OK ?

Some snow there or nothing yet ?

Cheers
Daniel

Hey Daniel, thanks for checking in!
The snow is coming... I can smell it in the air... My tank is on day three of a blackout and red slime remover treatment. I'll turn some light back on today..
I was able to keep my skimmer running throughout the whole treatment (at a dramatically reduced rate) and I kept my fuge light on full time to keep o2 levels up.
I had to dose twice! First dose reduced cyano by about 60% and the second dose had it removed 24 hours after treatment. I'm wet skimming now and adding salt to sump to compensate (a high flow sump. I add enough salt to raise salinity from 1.024 to 1.025-6) I can do this because it's the weekend and can watch the tank like a hawk. Tomorrow, I will slow down the skimmer a bit and begin ramping up lights over the next week or so..

Matt, I have a gen one Gyre 150 with a cracked cord too. The US distributor said it would be replaced no problem, but been trying to get a hold of the Canadian distributor for a couple weeks and no answer.

Those Acro pics are awesome! Lookin good. That SSC is ballin!

Thanks, Mindy.. Hopefully this week I will visit the store I bought my gyres and talk to them about motor block replacements..

Contact your original retailer. The distributor doesn't deal with individuals for the most part.

Yep.. That's the plan.. Thanks for the info, Chris!

 

[DiscusHeckel]

My tank is on day three of a blackout and red slime remover treatment. I'll turn some light back on today..
I was able to keep my skimmer running throughout the whole treatment (at a dramatically reduced rate) and I kept my fuge light on full time to keep o2 levels up.
I had to dose twice! First dose reduced cyano by about 60% and the second dose had it removed 24 hours after treatment. I'm wet skimming now and adding salt to sump to compensate (a high flow sump. I add enough salt to raise salinity from 1.024 to 1.025-6) I can do this because it's the weekend and can watch the tank like a hawk. Tomorrow, I will slow down the skimmer a bit and begin ramping up lights over the next week or so..

This is a great news. Well done.

I will be interested to know if the treatment will have any impact on the beneficial bacteria. It will be nice if you can monitor nitrate and phosphate levels in the coming days.

 

[.Chris.]

Hey Daniel, thanks for checking in!
The snow is coming... I can smell it in the air... My tank is on day three of a blackout and red slime remover treatment. I'll turn some light back on today..
I was able to keep my skimmer running throughout the whole treatment (at a dramatically reduced rate) and I kept my fuge light on full time to keep o2 levels up.
I had to dose twice! First dose reduced cyano by about 60% and the second dose had it removed 24 hours after treatment. I'm wet skimming now and adding salt to sump to compensate (a high flow sump. I add enough salt to raise salinity from 1.024 to 1.025-6) I can do this because it's the weekend and can watch the tank like a hawk. Tomorrow, I will slow down the skimmer a bit and begin ramping up lights over the next week or so..



Thanks, Mindy.. Hopefully this week I will visit the store I bought my gyres and talk to them about motor block replacements..



Yep.. That's the plan.. Thanks for the info, Chris!

I don't know what weather reports you're looking at but the 14 day forecast shows above 0 and no snow the whole next two weeks. Crappy rainy November so far.

Great to hear the RSR is working. I'll be interested to know how the corals react to it. Should be fine in theory... It's just an antibiotic.

 

[reefmutt]

Thanks, Bulent.
I turned on a set of t5s and noticed that there are still some spots of cyano! Can't believe it..
I'll see how it goes this week..
Absolutely, Bulent, I tested just before starting and I will test later today..
Just before dosing, n was at under 1 ppm and p was at .05 but the cyano was a thick mat covering almost all surfaces so I'm sure it was sucking out a lot of nutrients..
Unfortunately, I lost my skinny and ich covered powder blue tang.. I noticed the body when I turned on the lights this morning.. That makes two fish down from ich in the last week.. The powder brown went last week.. They couldn't fight off the ich..
The rest of the fish are fine.
Tonight, at lights out, I will do a corals snow/zeobac/zeofood addition..
I am also considering catching my very big pyramid butterfly.. I'm finding him too large for my tank..
I'll post results later today..

 

[reefmutt]

I don't know what weather reports you're looking at but the 14 day forecast shows above 0 and no snow the whole next two weeks. Crappy rainy November so far.

Great to hear the RSR is working. I'll be interested to know how the corals react to it. Should be fine in theory... It's just an antibiotic.

Huh?? It's going to -6 tonight! Snow is a commin'! not real snow, maybe not very soon but it's creeping up on us like old age and death..............

Ultralife seems pretty adamant that it doesn't contain antibiotics... At least not erythromycin....
Maybe others.. Anyways it works fairly well and the corals look pretty good.

 

[.Chris.]

Huh?? It's going to -6 tonight! Snow is a commin'! not real snow, maybe not very soon but it's creeping up on us like old age and death..............

Ultralife seems pretty adamant that it doesn't contain antibiotics... At least not erythromycin....
Maybe others.. Anyways it works fairly well and the corals look pretty good.

Yeah but the high every day is above 0. Barely counts until your nostrils freeze shut...

I know that's what they say but I don't believe it.

 

[mhucasey]

Huh?? It's going to -6 tonight! Snow is a commin'! not real snow, maybe not very soon but it's creeping up on us like old age and death..............

Ultralife seems pretty adamant that it doesn't contain antibiotics... At least not erythromycin....
Maybe others.. Anyways it works fairly well and the corals look pretty good.

They say something to the effect of "Contains no phosphates, algaecides or erythromycin succinate" but notice how they don't say "no antibiotics". There are other forms of Erythromycin besides the one they list.

 

[.Chris.]

They say something to the effect of "Contains no phosphates, algaecides or erythromycin succinate" but notice how they don't say "no antibiotics". There are other forms of Erythromycin besides the one they list.

Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck...

 

[nemodan]

Matt, nice to hear from you !!! You will beat Ciano for sure, we all have, so you too.

Cheers
Daniel

 

[reefmutt]

Well, I have minimal light on today and I can already see the cyano reappearing on the sand.. I must have a super cyano!
Clearly, I have to cut back on nutrient inputs and see what happens. I'll reduce things a bit and give it some time..
Haven't been home most of the day..
I'm still curious to test for n and p..

 

[DiscusHeckel]

I'm still curious to test for n and p..

Your test result are likely to show low readings as cyanobacteria are still present. By the way, I am sorry about your fish losses.

 

[reefmutt]

Bulent, your theory would make sense but you don't realize the extent of the cyano I had in the tank. It wasn't just cyano here and there, it was a thick solid mat covering 85% of the available space in the tank.
The RSR killed 90% of the cyano.
So, when I began the black out on Thursday, I turned down my calcium reactor in anticipation of non growth.
I also did not feed any food for 3-4 days or add anything at all. No color elements, no iron or nitrate, no Roids/pearls/vitality
Nothing..
And the numbers are in..
Alk still went from 7 ish to 8.2 - this could be due to the wet skimming and the additions of io salt...
N went from .25 to 6
P went from .05 to .16!
Yes.. .16
Now, I am curious to know what others would do going forward from here..
Like I said, I will reduce feedings and reduce additives but I'm not sure this will really control things..
I'm going to give it a week or so and see what happens..
I am hoping (wishing) to see my cheato go into overdrive...
I have to say (Matt) that I am seriously considering adding some AIO pellets again... But not sure yet..

 

[mhucasey]

Bulent, your theory would make sense but you don't realize the extent of the cyano I had in the tank. It wasn't just cyano here and there, it was a thick solid mat covering 85% of the available space in the tank.
The RSR killed 90% of the cyano.
So, when I began the black out on Thursday, I turned down my calcium reactor in anticipation of non growth.
I also did not feed any food for 3-4 days or add anything at all. No color elements, no iron or nitrate, no Roids/pearls/vitality
Nothing..
And the numbers are in..
Alk still went from 7 ish to 8.2 - this could be due to the wet skimming and the additions of io salt...
N went from .25 to 6
P went from .05 to .16!
Yes.. .16
Now, I am curious to know what others would do going forward from here..
Like I said, I will reduce feedings and reduce additives but I'm not sure this will really control things..
I'm going to give it a week or so and see what happens..
I am hoping (wishing) to see my cheato go into overdrive...
I have to say (Matt) that I am seriously considering adding some AIO pellets again... But not sure yet..

Do nothing! Your chaeto will kick in and pull the numbers down. Don't test Phosphate or Nitrate for a minimum of a week, keep an eye on the alkalinity but don't change your calcium reactor flow just yet. Steady on!

 

[reefmutt]

Matt, I'm glad you said that. It is what I wanted to hear even though I was ready to do the opposite.
I will do nothing for now. Thanks, Matt!
Here's a shot of the filter sock I ran during the blackout sitting next to a couple usual ones..

 

[Myka]

N went from .25 to 6
P went from .05 to .16!
Yes.. .16
Now, I am curious to know what others would do going forward from here..
Like I said, I will reduce feedings and reduce additives but I'm not sure this will really control things..
I'm going to give it a week or so and see what happens..
I am hoping (wishing) to see my cheato go into overdrive...
I have to say (Matt) that I am seriously considering adding some AIO pellets again... But not sure yet..

Do you have the ability with the way your tank is setup to drip Lanthanum chloride directly into your skimmer? Or some sort of LC reactor? I don't condone dripping LC into your sump without a surefire removal system. Since the PO4 went up fast, you can bring it down fast too. That's what I'd do. NO3 at 6 I wouldn't bat an eye at.

 

[mhucasey]

Matt, I'm glad you said that. It is what I wanted to hear even though I was ready to do the opposite.
I will do nothing for now. Thanks, Matt!
Here's a shot of the filter sock I ran during the blackout sitting next to a couple usual ones..

Good good, a bunch of changes now won't be good at all!

May I ask why you use filter socks? I truly think those things are a hindrance to your reef. They strain out planktonic bacteria, amphipods and copepods that are beneficial to your reef, and they don't really make your water any clearer. In my opinion, let the particles sort themselves out and the tank will be healthier.

 

[DiscusHeckel]

Bulent, your theory would make sense but you don't realize the extent of the cyano I had in the tank. It wasn't just cyano here and there, it was a thick solid mat covering 85% of the available space in the tank.
The RSR killed 90% of the cyano.
So, when I began the black out on Thursday, I turned down my calcium reactor in anticipation of non growth.
I also did not feed any food for 3-4 days or add anything at all. No color elements, no iron or nitrate, no Roids/pearls/vitality
Nothing..
And the numbers are in..
Alk still went from 7 ish to 8.2 - this could be due to the wet skimming and the additions of io salt...
N went from .25 to 6
P went from .05 to .16!
Yes.. .16
Now, I am curious to know what others would do going forward from here..
Like I said, I will reduce feedings and reduce additives but I'm not sure this will really control things..
I'm going to give it a week or so and see what happens..
I am hoping (wishing) to see my cheato go into overdrive...
I have to say (Matt) that I am seriously considering adding some AIO pellets again... But not sure yet..

Hi Matt,

I predicted an upward spike in nutrients in a previous post, but obviously did not know the extend of cyanobacteria in your tank without seeing FTS.

I would personally not change anything as Matt (@mhucasey) advised. Perhaps the only action I would take is to use good quality activated carbon passively (1/2 (US) cup per 50 (US) gallon; rinse after one week and use for one month as per @Boomer's advice).

 

[nemodan]

Agree with discusheckel and Mhucasey . Let the biology kick off and numbers return slowly.

I do not feed anything to my corals. Only the fish. Now you can probably feed the fish every other day. I did it for some months until the P. Was low.

Neither I use any mechanical filter in my tank as Mhucasey. Just biology.