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HELP!!!!!

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by j.stacey, Apr 14, 2012.

  1. j.stacey

    j.stacey Inactive User

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    Ok, so I am really in need of some good advise on what is wrong with my tank. We have a 135g DT with a 30g sump and a 55g refugium. We do 30% water changes weekly, all our tests come back with perfect parameters. So here's the problem, we have had a few algae issues on and off over the last few months we figured out our problem was phosphates (we used tap water for our tank) phosguard was only a temporary solution. We got an RO/DI a few weeks back and have been gradually changing the water over to the RO/DI 30% a week and we put in a new batch of phosguard to lock up any remaining phosphates. We currently read no phosphates in the water, but we still seem to have red hair algae that hasn't completely died off, but all our corals are very retracted and we have even had a couple completely lose their flesh and die. We thought maybe our test kits had gone bad so I took a water sample into PETCO today and the guy said our water is pristine. He said maybe we just needed to target feed since we hadn't in a few weeks while we were fighting the algae. We target fed what we could (some corals are too retracted to grab food) but it made absolutely no difference in the corals that we could target feed. If anybody has any advise or suggestions they would be greatly appreciated. Also if you have any more questions that i didn't just post them and I'll be happy to answer them.
    Thanks,
    Shannon & Jacob
     
  2. Reeferforlyfe

    Reeferforlyfe Inactive User

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    Your nitrates are zero I'm assuming as well, and your phosphates read zero because your CYANO is sucking all the nutrients out of the water. What is your feeding schedule/how much do you feed when you do feed?
    What kind of food do you feed? Some foods give off phosphates 
     
  3. j.stacey

    j.stacey Inactive User

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    We use frozen mysis not 100% sure the brand I'm pretty sure its Instant Ocean brand though. But we are still reading no phosphates.
     
  4. iadubber

    iadubber Well-Known ReefKeeper

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    How often are you feeding? My gha didn't start to recede until I cut feelings down to 3 times a week and did many partial water changes. Now I run a brs Gfo reactor with aquamaxx Gfo. Slowly all of my algae is going away.
     
  5. j.stacey

    j.stacey Inactive User

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    We normally feed phytoplan for the sps once or twice a week and target feed once a week with mysis and trace minerals but we have cut back on feeding since we were fighting the algae and we usually feed in the afternoon. And our nitrates are zero. Normally when we target feed the corals expand alot after we feed them but when we target fed them today they made no change at all. They are pulled in so much you can see the skeleton.
     
  6. j.stacey

    j.stacey Inactive User

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    I'll post some pictures after i get the kiddo in bed.
     
  7. Reeferforlyfe

    Reeferforlyfe Inactive User

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    Your po4 and no3 are reading zero because your CYANO is sucking all the nutrients out of the water. Suck all the CYANO out of the tank, or as much as possible. I would rinse your mysis shrimp before you feed.

    Also it sounds like you started having problems with your corals when you put that new batch of phosguard in your tank. If that's the case, I'd get rid of that immediately. Watch your feeding, and rinse your food. I'm battling CYANO right now too, how old is your tank?

    Mines only a year old, so this is all part of the cycle. You could invest in an algae scrubber, from what I've seen and read, those things do miracles for tanks with algae problems.
     
  8. j.stacey

    j.stacey Inactive User

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    [​IMG]



    This is the algae its the same algae that was on our snails shells when we got them. This popped up about a week ago after the other algae died off. Our snails and crabs just ignore it.
    [​IMG]
    This is our torch all of our LPS look like this, retracted into its skeleton.
     
  9. Tholton33

    Tholton33 Well-Known ReefKeeper

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    manually rid the tank of as much nuisance algae as possible. cut back your feeding a bit if target feeding isnt working out. and rinse your frozen foods before adding it to the tank.

    the tap water may have let the rocks trap phosphates over time, now that you are adding RODI it is leaching it back into the system. and the algae is immediately consuming it. soon the algae will consume the last of it and it will pass
     
  10. j.stacey

    j.stacey Inactive User

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    We suck all the algae out that we can but this algae won't suck up in the siphon this is the algae from hell. The 135 is about 8 months old but it was an expansion from a year and a half old 55g.
     
  11. iadubber

    iadubber Well-Known ReefKeeper

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    Removing phosphates too fast can put corals into shock. Cut feedings and do a couple 25% rodi pwc per week and it will eventually die out. Along with as much manual removal as possible. Do you have a Tds meter to test the rodi?
     
  12. Reeferforlyfe

    Reeferforlyfe Inactive User

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    If you can get a bucket of saltwater, and take rocks out one by one, and scrub them with a tooth brush(if you can), if you got corals attached to the rocks, that's outta the question unless your very careful. I would ditch the phosban for the moment, especially if your corals are doing bad right after you added a new batch.. Still a fairly new tank, but I'd cut back feelings of your corals to 1-2 times a week and feed your fish 3-4 times a week, or every other day.
    You never did say how much you fed your tank every time you feed. How many cubes is the food you feed to your tank equivalent too?
     
  13. Reeferforlyfe

    Reeferforlyfe Inactive User

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    Algae scrubber!!!!!
     
  14. j.stacey

    j.stacey Inactive User

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    We only use feed about a half a cube for the fish and a whole cube if we are feeding the fish and target feeding the corals. We only have 4 fish.
     
  15. j.stacey

    j.stacey Inactive User

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    And yes we have a TDS meter on the RO/DI
     
  16. Reeferforlyfe

    Reeferforlyfe Inactive User

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    Ok that's not too bad. Take your TDS meter and measure your RO/DI water, and measure your tap water as well. Then post your findings
     
  17. Reeferforlyfe

    Reeferforlyfe Inactive User

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    I have a TDS meter on my rodi too, but I don't trust it. I use handheld..

    So ignore that other post..

    You said you were using tap water before your rodi so chances are your tap water is pretty high on TDS, my tap water is around 200.. Pretty bad. So your rock is leaching phosphates and will continue to leach them for some time to come.. I'd recommend doing weekly water changes, 30%, take the rocks out one by one and scrub the algae off of them. Back off on the phosguard before your corals get any worse. I agree with dubber, you probably added too much too fast, and that is a big no no. Ease into it next time over a month before hitting full dosage.. I know all this is gonna be a PITA to do, but its nevessary to combat your nusance algae. Happy Reefing..
     
  18. Reeferforlyfe

    Reeferforlyfe Inactive User

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    Ever think about just dumping the food into the tank and letting it blow around from the power heads? Afterall, this is how they eat in the wild, and it's how I feed my tank as well... Works good.. Just a thought
     
  19. mthomp

    mthomp Inactive User

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    Ok first off what kind of lights how old are bulbs. Often times that can be an issue if the bulbs are old. Your sps dont really feed on puggle its mostpy for things like your pod population I would stop using it. Are you finding the mysis be use you need to as it contaons a bunch of po4. Try rods food its pp4 free. My guess is you have a lot of waste from this most coral do not need this. Jam on my phone so sorry if this is hard to read
     
  20. mthomp

    mthomp Inactive User

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    Read my post and I will have to repost when iam not on my phone
     

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