*Need Help (Pics)*

[chatyak]

My tank has been up since the end of July-mid August. I never had a gfo/carbon reactor until a week ago.

Since putting the reactor in... all of my hair algae has turned to brown/white and is disappearing from the tips heading towards the algae roots base.

I have a couple questions. The algae on the sand was green (hair algae) but now looks like it has transformed into diatoms? Or is this just hair algae dying?


My second question involves my refugium. Can I remove the sand I have in there and install a spray bar to help tumble my chaeto or will the spray bar not affect the sand?

I have a spare Mag Drive 250 I can use.

 

[chatyak]

 

[chatyak]

I should also add that I use RO/DI and all params are "normal".

 

[Whys]

What are those two blue-green corals you have? One looks like a hammerhead, but I've never seen one with those colors. The other looks more like a blue-green bubble coral, but not. I really like both of them.

 

[chatyak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14409496#post14409496 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Whys
What are those two blue-green corals you have? One looks like a hammerhead, but I've never seen one with those colors. The other looks more like a blue-green bubble coral, but not. I really like both of them.

Excited thinking my problems were solved by wise whys.. I get a question LOL

Those would be a green/purple hammer and a green with pink tip frogspawn.

 

[mwwhite]

My humble opinion on your tank is that with it being six months old - it is going through "normal" stages of algae. You have both green hair and diatoms and probably other kinds. The tank is still young.

 

[chatyak]

I was under the impression that diatoms was a sign of tank cycling. I'm not sure if this point is important or not, but a lot of the rock I purchased was dried out rock, so perhaps it took some time for it to become live and "kick in" and now I"m seeing the results of that rock growing some lively things?

 

[mutateddogbone]

it definately looks like diatoms to me. i had that same problem when i had a hair algae outbreak. tank was covered in diatoms sticking to the hair algae and sand. most likely the diatom bloom is from a flood of nutrients into your tank from the hair algae dying. you want to turn off all your pumps and powerheads and siphon out all of the diatoms, even the ones on the sand, being careful not to siphon off much of your sand. also manually remove as much hair algae as possible.

as far as the refugium goes you want to be careful if you are going to remove the sand. there is a lot of nutrients locked up in it and it may send your tank through another cycle, which would make your current algae/diatom problem even worse.


all in all a series of 15% weekly water changes should take care of it if your bulbs are still in date

 

[chatyak]

Thank you dog bone.

I have (5) 54 watt T5 bulbs and they started running since early August, so still in date.

I would like to upgrade to a retrofit kit of 6x80watt or 8x80watt.

I should also add that I do water changes each week, filling up 5 buckets of salt... so about 20ish gallons a week.

That is a good explanation. I did not know that diatoms reacts to hair algae dying.

What causes the hair algae to release nutrients that diatoms feed on?

 

[Whys]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14409540#post14409540 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chatyak
Excited thinking my problems were solved by wise whys.. I get a question LOL

Those would be a green/purple hammer and a green with pink tip frogspawn.

Rumors of my omniscience don't exist, to my knowledge.

I do actually try to keep my mouth shut when I have nothing to offer. Occasionally silence is the better teacher.

That is an ugly mess you have in there, but I have little doubt you will find an answer. Once that happens, I will add this knowledge to my toolkit. Or at least, until new knowledge brings it into question. That is the wisdom of whys. :]

Good luck with it! She'll be a beauty when you're done.

 

[Whys]

Mind if I ask what kind of T5 bulbs you're using? Sorry, again more for me, as I'm really impressed by the colors you're getting from those corals.

 

[drparker]

I would say your green hair turning brown is a sign of it dying off. Pull as much of it out as possible, as it's dying will be adding nutrients to the system. Think mini cycle so keep up the water changes and in a few weeks you'll be good. If the brown is only the hair algae and you don't have the fine brown coating on other areas of sand or the glass then it's not diatoms.

 

[chatyak]

Whys:

It's true there is some beauty in an ugly mess too! haha

I run two actinics and 3 daytime t5 bulbs.

As for the "exact" bulb, I'll have to look at the bulb itself to get back to you on that. Been 6-8 months since I got them.

I believe there were a couple Aquablue Special, Actinic+, and Geismann Middays. Could also be the camera setting as well... it's hard to get the exact color through a lens.


DrParker:

When I did research, it told me that the more algae you clean/pull out, the more it grows back, since there is more room for new algae to eat up nutrients, as opposed to leaving it there with no more nutrients for any new growth.

Would ripping it out have a negative effect?

I do notice some diatoms in a stringy form on the back panel of glass now.

 

[mwwhite]

Make sure you are also using good RO/DI water.

 

[chatyak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14409885#post14409885 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mwwhite
Make sure you are also using good RO/DI water.

I tested it just last week. Was reading 001-003 ppm. Although a VERY odd thing... when I transfer it to my storage bin.. the water in the storage bin reads 40ppm. It used to read 120+ppm.

I bought a good storage tub from rubbermaid with a lid (garbage can type vertical one), cleaned it out.

Use the exact same bin for both RO/DI and autotopoff, one bin reads fine the other reads 40+.

I wonder if it is the vinyl tubing I bought at home depot which is dirty. Although it's been in use for a while...

or could it be some salt particles in the water from using a bin here and there in both fresh and salt? It's hard to track.

 

[mutateddogbone]

as you can see i had the same problem as you do now. i forgot to ask, but what exactly are your params? if your MG is too low then it could be fueling the growth as well.

 

[chatyak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14409895#post14409895 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mutateddogbone

as you can see i had the same problem as you do now. i forgot to ask, but what exactly are your params? if your MG is too low then it could be fueling the growth as well.

Last test read around:

Mg: 1350
Ca: 640 (overdose mistake)
dKH: 8.2ish
1.025

 

[Whys]

Healthy algae will eat nutrients from the water column, then removing that algae will remove the nutrients. In a nutrient rich tank more algae will quickly replace it. But if it is already dying, then not removing the algae will only put those nutrients back in the water column. I can't think of any advantage to allowing it to rot there.

Short answer... I would get it out now.

 

[chatyak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14410130#post14410130 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Whys
Healthy algae will eat nutrients from the water column, then removing that algae will remove the nutrients. In a nutrient rich tank more algae will quickly replace it. But if it is already dying, then not removing the algae will only put those nutrients back in the water column. I can't think of any advantage to allowing it to rot there.

Short answer... I would get it out now.

Sounds good.

 

[mwwhite]

Is that Rubbermaid storage container "food quality?. To tell if it is it will have "NSF" marked on it.