Start me up: 30 gal

Hi Chicago I think the hair algae issue will be related to either PO4 or Nitrate - you test kits may indicate 0 but the algae may be using it up as quickly as its generated

your 1st post was 22nd Feb and in that post you mentioned tank had been set up 1 week
so tank is only 6 weeks old , and IMO the .3 Nitrite indicates the tank has not completely cycled
this may account for the coral bleaching issue also?

if it where my tank, I would add nothing else to it until I had 0 nitrite reading and had dealt with the algae issues ( Id run some Rhowphos as that has stripped my tank of hair algae in the past)

hope this helps

Steve

 

Thanks for the input steve, the tank is actually exactly 2 weeks old. I think you're right, I think it is PO4 related. I ran these tests today:

NO3: 0
PO4: .5
NO2: 0
KH: 6.5

I'm guessing the phosphate is all part of the joy that is cycling an aquarium? I did drop in that scallop earlier. . .

Also, my girlfriend got a camera for her birthday so I need to uh, test it out.(?) pictures to come. . .

 

Here's a view of the tank. Note the green spots all over. My question is where did the PO come from? I'm using RO/DI water, is it perhaps a result of the starter scallop?

 

hey Chicago Reef One

PO4 gets into our systems from food stuffs, some salt mixes, (hence some are marked up as Phosphate free) and probably many other ways that I dont even know about

0.5 is high as you realise and of you dont get it down to 0 then you may find your algae problem could get a lot worse

Steve

 

I am using SeaChem Reef Salt, and I can't believe that they would overlook PO in that, but maybe I am wrong. I should look up the analysis of it again. . .

I feel sure the rise in PO is related to the raw scallop I dropped in the tank to kick off the cycle. But I am not sure what I can do about it now, other than biological controls, like get a CUC to eat the stuff, or adding Phosoban in an immense filter I have. I don't like the green stuff obviously, but part of me thinks it will just run its course.

Further observations: It also is heavier where the flow is greater. I have a PC/Mh combo light and I am reducing the time that the light stays on, though I don't want it totally off like is occasionally recommended, due to the Pavona and the caulerpa. I am reducing the total time of light to 10 hours, 6 MH 10 PC.

Steve: have you ever visited Dafen? It's a village (maybe district) near Shenzhen, that produces oil paintings as an industry. I've read a few things about it, seems like an interesting place.

 

1st things first - Dafen - yes purchased some reproduction Dali works from there recenty - a modern twist on the distorted clocks painting using Ipod MP3S - Its awesome

algae needs 2 things in order to get out of control, excess nutrients and light - restrict both and you beat it so cutting down your lighting period will help

Phosban or rhowphos - very effective IME and I have used the later to beat a major hair algae issue in the past

salt mix, Im sure your right, but worth checking as is your RO water just to make sure your not adding it without being aware

dry foods are also a source of phospates - so if your feeding any flakes or pellets for fish, then PO4 levels can increase

the green stuff on your glass is normal although there is a lot of it

Steve

 

Thanks for the info on Dafen! I'd really like to visit China sometime, sounds like such an interesting country. I think I've seen that iteration of Dali, glad you like it.

I haven't added anything since I put in the scallop to get things started, and I don't have any fish in there so there's nothing to feed. There also appears to be a lot of brown dust starting up on the sand today, which would mean that the diatom growth is starting and will drive down the PO.

Another thing is, that it quite possible that there is PO bonded to the tank glass itself since I wiped it down with tap water to clean it before I started. I dried it off with towels but no doubt a lot was left behind.

My main question is: can PO4 be removed only mechanically by export, or can biological controls start to remove it? I assume the caulerpa and chaeto (I should have mentioned that earlier) that I added will compete with the GHA and eventually beat it. I'd rather wait it out and get my alga scraper going than have to start up the other filter with phosban.

I'm going to retest PO4 today, as the results are still a little murky to me, color matching is not an exact science.

I'm also doing a scheduled 8% water change today, which should hopefully help. My KH and pH aren't totally optimal in my opinion.

 

Hey Chicago reef one

yes macro algaes will compete with nuisance algaes for nutrients but many people have macro like Cheato or calaurpa in their systems, but still end up using chemical means to remove PO4 - nuisance algaes are quite efficient at obtaining nutrients

saying that, with no fish and only 1 coral in you tank at present, it may be worth monitoring now the macro is in tank and seeing if it does zero the P04 for you

brown dust as you say is Diatoms and they use silicates - once all the silicates are exhuasted, the diatoms die off - no action required for diatoms

water change? tank is 6 week old, not yet fully cycled (Nitrite 0.3) with a very low bio load - 1 piece of coral and some macro? Its your tank, money etc - but many people would not do a water change at present and wait until the tank was fully cycled

what are your KH and PH levels -

Steve

 

I wanted to post some updates on the tank in case people are interested. And photos!

First: Thanks Steve for your interest and help, it's good to have suggestions.

Updates:

Here's a funny newbie story for you. Recently I added a CUC to fight the normal algae that was started growing. So over the past few days I found little hermit crab bodies and thought they were dying off, so I was testing like crazy and reading up on them to see if I got something wrong. Then a day ago my girlfriend found five of them in the tank (I thought there were only three left) and then later I found all six. Apparently I had found the molts, I knew about molting but I don't know if I ever read that the molts are full size and full color. I have seen them in FW tanks and they're clear-ish. One astrea from the CUC did die though, all the rest seem just fine though. I'm not really too worried. Yet.

I've really been watching the Pavona because it seems to be more and less healthy, I think the MH may be too close to it. So I turned it off and the Pavona seems to be perking up. That and I've been feeding it scallop twice over the last ten days!;D I attached a photo of the Pavona gorging itself on it.

The pod population is really taking off. There is a lot of intermediate stage life and I just saw the first mature ugly pod couple (doing it in LR).

Chemistry: This tank has been up nearly a week and a half and I have never found any ammount of Ammonia or Nitrite. I found previous tests with Nitrite were done with a WAY outdated kit. Other tests indicated absolutely no levels. I can only attribute this to my use of LR that is fully cycled and established and from a six year established tank. No nitrate though, I am waiting for it. Calcium is at 460 ppm Can't say I am thoroughly pleased with other params:
pH: 7.7-8.0
dkh: 6-8

 

Your welcome

hermits and shrimps etc - funny, many people have this experience getting nice surprises when they believe they have lost these
tank sounds like its coming on well Chicago reef one

Steve