Sps growth reducing

[Gravesj1s]

Pascal,I was going to pm you but I dont trust myself giving advice, I dont have much experience with sps so I'd get another opinion or at the very least you'll get some counterpoint here from others . Just some thoughts here though after seeing your tank.

I dont think your tank is nutrient limited more likely the opposite.Dinoflagellates of the slime type you are having trouble with shouldn't be able to survive in a low nutrient enviroment.(GB reef .002 mg/l nitrate - .016mg/l phosphate.
Dinoflagellates the algae found in corals called zooxanthellae thrive in low nutrient waters by symbiosis with its host(your corals) through a process called translocation,if I remember correctly.Nusiance types of algaes are not as efficient so in theory should not be able to survive if your tank truly was nutrient limited.

Zooxanthellae produce amino acids and other energy compounds and transfer them directly to the coral through the same process refered to as translocation.I dont think you need to supplement it.It might fuel more of that algae your trying to get a handle on.

Bacteria is another way to deal with algae and they compete with algae for nutrients lowering both phosphate and nitrate.They use both Nitrogen an Phosphours in equal parts to build new cells as long as carbon isn't limiting used at 16 times the amout of the other two.These are easily skimmed out by the skimmer taking the algaes nutrients with 'em.

All I can think of and like I said ,no expert at any of this stuff.Thanks for the frag and having jen and I over to see your tank,well thought out and impressive all around.Good luck with everything man,-Steve

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

without seeing the aquarium in person I can't say for sure what's going on but turning the lights out will affect zooxanthallae.
If he's seen it, I would trust graves assessment that your aquarium isn't low nutrient.
It's never my opinion that problematic algae or dinos be reduced by turning the lights off.
Stringy slimey dino problems are often best dealt a lethal blow by raising pH with kalkwasser.

Keep in mind that I'm assuming that you've identified them (dinos) correctly.

 

[pascal32]

Pascal,I was going to pm you but I dont trust myself giving advice, I dont have much experience with sps so I'd get another opinion or at the very least you'll get some counterpoint here from others . Just some thoughts here though after seeing your tank.

I dont think your tank is nutrient limited more likely the opposite.Dinoflagellates of the slime type you are having trouble with shouldn't be able to survive in a low nutrient enviroment.(GB reef .002 mg/l nitrate - .016mg/l phosphate.
Dinoflagellates the algae found in corals called zooxanthellae thrive in low nutrient waters by symbiosis with its host(your corals) through a process called translocation,if I remember correctly.Nusiance types of algaes are not as efficient so in theory should not be able to survive if your tank truly was nutrient limited.

Zooxanthellae produce amino acids and other energy compounds and transfer them directly to the coral through the same process refered to as translocation.I dont think you need to supplement it.It might fuel more of that algae your trying to get a handle on.

Bacteria is another way to deal with algae and they compete with algae for nutrients lowering both phosphate and nitrate.They use both Nitrogen an Phosphours in equal parts to build new cells as long as carbon isn't limiting used at 16 times the amout of the other two.These are easily skimmed out by the skimmer taking the algaes nutrients with 'em.

All I can think of and like I said ,no expert at any of this stuff.Thanks for the frag and having jen and I over to see your tank,well thought out and impressive all around.Good luck with everything man,-Steve

Your explanation seems sound. I would like to understand where the nutrients are coming from. no water change for over a month. cut the lights back which sets them back, however [to Gary's point] my SPS took a beating on the second round. no more lights out! My hanna checker isn't picking up phosphate, however I would need to use the ultra low range to get an accurate reading beyond a tenth.

I'm starting to wonder if the white egg crate in the frag tanks is causing problems. Seems that Dino growth there is worse than in the display.

As far as color I'm starting to give in on the T5s and thinking that I should look to halide for the SPS. I was riding the T5 train, just having second thoughts about my fixtures doing the job. A set of PM ATI's might be the ticket, though for the expense i would rather revisit Halide.

With the comment on bacteria, are you suggesting supplimenting bacteria, or letting nature takes its course?

without seeing the aquarium in person I can't say for sure what's going on but turning the lights out will affect zooxanthallae.
If he's seen it, I would trust graves assessment that your aquarium isn't low nutrient.
It's never my opinion that problematic algae or dinos be reduced by turning the lights off.
Stringy slimey dino problems are often best dealt a lethal blow by raising pH with kalkwasser.

[Gary] on the PH topic I just put in a soda lime reactor to raise my PH which is now a solid 8.2 average compared to the 8 or so average before. This should make raising PH with Kalk easier. I am curious though - to raise my PH with Kalk, how do you recomend i do this? just regular dosing with saturated kalk, or Kalk slurry's (over mix and pour in)? the Kalk Slurry's scare me!

Keep in mind that I'm assuming that you've identified them (dinos) correctly.

unfortunately I do believe this is what I'm dealing with.

another observation - I've noticed the sand is changing colors to brown now and bubbles are released from the sand when I bump the glass magnet into the sand.

so much to learn!

 

[neoalchemist74]

How long has it been since you examined your flow patterns? If your corals have grown in thoroughly it t could be cutting your flow down significantlly.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

[Gary] on the PH topic I just put in a soda lime reactor to raise my PH which is now a solid 8.2 average compared to the 8 or so average before. This should make raising PH with Kalk easier. I am curious though - to raise my PH with Kalk, how do you recomend i do this? just regular dosing with saturated kalk, or Kalk slurry's (over mix and pour in)? the Kalk Slurry's scare me

I wouldn't do a kalk slurry.

Topoff for evap using kalk exclusively. Only use the clear limewater- no precip or cloudy kalk. A lot of people make kalk dosing more difficult than it is.
I use a plastic gallon milk jug to dribble it into an area of high flow in my sump.

 

[pascal32]

I wouldn't do a kalk slurry.

Topoff for evap using kalk exclusively. Only use the clear limewater- no precip or cloudy kalk. A lot of people make kalk dosing more difficult than it is.
I use a plastic gallon milk jug to dribble it into an area of high flow in my sump.

Thanks. I started using kalk last month via my dosing pumps. I might switch to the drip so that the PH boosting effect is always happening.

I'm going on vacation for a week, so for the next week the dosing pump will have to be the ticket as I trust it more without supervision!

thanks!

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I'm confident you'll beat this dino problem

 

[Gravesj1s]

. I would like to understand where the nutrients are coming from. no water change for over a month. cut the lights back which sets them back, however [to Gary's point] my SPS took a beating on the second round. no more lights out! My hanna checker isn't picking up phosphate, however I would need to use the ultra low range to get an accurate reading beyond a tenth.

I'm pretty skeptical waterchanges would contribute much if any phosphate,atleast not compared to feeding,one feeding probably adds more than the waterchange.I think what happens with the water change is right after theres a fresh supply of something eles that gets limiting.Maybe iron but I dont know.I cant help think this would just slow the growth down but not help to eliminate them.Waterchanges export all sorts of stuff I would think its more beneficial than not.

As I said not much experience with the sps, I have some and recently got a few more from Capt cully.When it comes to the sps and seeing the pics from Gary,Cully,and some of the others who have had colonys grow half the size of a footballs,well pretty much says it all for me,LOL.

With the comment on bacteria, are you suggesting supplimenting bacteria, or letting nature takes its course?

I think the lights out is not a good idea either.If all the conditions stay the same when the lights come back on the dino's would have everything needed to startup again.I know you mentioned a 13 hr photo period at one point and not sure what your at now.I think if you lower the photoperiod to around 8 hrs would give bacteria more of an edge to compete for nutrients.They dont need the light like the algae does.

The other stuff I think Gary covered.

 

[pascal32]

I really appreciate all the help. I'm reducing my lights on duration and increasing the amount of time the daylight. Thinking of 8 atinic, 7 main lights with ramp up and down in-between. I'm a little worried about enough light getting to the corals with my T5s will have to monitor their coloring. Same in the frag tanks.

Before was 12-13 atinic with 6 main

 

[Gravesj1s]

That was just an idea and I dont know if it was a good one on the light reduction, hoping the sps folks chime in again.On the otherhand Ive seen some good color from people with PC lights,something most sps keepers would frown on.That aside this indicates to me atleats that color and has more to do with nutrients than par.Hit the search funtion with this title (sps under pc) skip all the reads and look at the pics.

My gut feeling though about the eggcrate ,I dont think its leaching anything.But I dont know that for sure either.LOL.
I've always noticed when parmeters are good the first place coralline takes to is plastics,on powerheads,overflows ,eggcrate ,also,an attraction to acylic more so than glass,but I dont know why. Seeing the dinos on the eggcrate and an absence of coralline makes me think its probably related to phosphate.