DanteGpico Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 A little more than a week ago, I did a water change with a new bag of Reef Crystals. I have used nothing but Reef Crystals for my salt. The next day a portion of my new xenia looked very sick and my flourishing toadstool was very deflated. Both corals looked amazing the day before, the xenia super happy and the toadstool taller and brighter than ever. The next couple days I noticed the bryopsis that had taken over my tank began to die off. I couldn't be sad about that! Though, the cyanobacteria seemed to be spreading faster (I have a been of an algae problem if you hadn't noticed). What is odd is every other coral I have is growing pretty rapidly (new and old zoas, and one ric and a discosoma). I am now getting worried because the cyano seems to have started growing on the toadstool! Thank you, sorry for the long read. P.S the water has been barely visibly cloudy too... My blue damsel is very happy too. (knock on wood) Link to comment
seabass Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Check your water parameters to see if anything is off. The water change might have just stirred up some organics and released some more nutrients. Sometimes it's hard to test for nutrients when you have one or more blooms (algae and Cyano), but they are available. It's possible that the coral health issues may be due to the Cyano. Link to comment
DanteGpico Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 Okay thank you. Though I find the build up of nutrients strange, because wouldn't the bryopsis have thrived on that? Believe it or not, the bryopsis kept my nitrates down to practically zero. Unless the decomposing byopsis is causing the large nutrient influx? Do you think I should do a water change? Link to comment
seabass Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 First I'd check the parameters to see if anything is obvious off. However, you can siphon out the Cyano. While you are at it, remove any detritus. A turkey baster can help blow detritus off the rocks. Do you vacuum the sand bed during water changes? Link to comment
aquqcrab Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I would think that a water change would help more than it would hurt (if that's possible). How's your flow in the tank? I've had previous tanks with low flow & developed cyno. Are you over feeding? Stir things up too much? I've heard that if you turn the lights out for 2 -3 days & cover your tank so no light gets in it will kill of the cyno without harming your corals. Sorry I can't help you find the root of your problem. Link to comment
DanteGpico Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 First I'd check the parameters to see if anything is obvious off. However, you can siphon out the Cyano. While you are at it, remove any detritus. A turkey baster can help blow detritus off the rocks. Do you vacuum the sand bed during water changes? Everything seems good (only have an Aqueon standard marine test kit though): Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 Nitrate: 0-5... I try to siphon it out but I suck up more of the sand than the algae lol. I just bought it too. Also I only started doing this about a month and a half ago when I got the siphon. The cyano hadn't gotten bad until about two weeks ago probably earlier. I would think that a water change would help more than it would hurt (if that's possible). How's your flow in the tank? I've had previous tanks with low flow & developed cyno. Are you over feeding? Stir things up too much? I've heard that if you turn the lights out for 2 -3 days & cover your tank so no light gets in it will kill of the cyno without harming your corals. Sorry I can't help you find the root of your problem. I have a five gallon Ecopico. I have a Hydor pump that does as high as 160 gph which I keep the flow at. I will do about 20 - 25 percent wc tommorow like I do weekly. Maybe I do stir things up too much.. you have me wondering about that.. I will definitely look up the lighting strategy! Link to comment
DanteGpico Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 Any more help would be much appreciated! Link to comment
Mojado Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Any more help would be much appreciated! I've had GREAT success with Boyd's Chemi-Clean. One dose and follow directions, all cyano gone in a few days. Link to comment
duganderson Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I've had GREAT success with Boyd's Chemi-Clean. One dose and follow directions, all cyano gone in a few days. I battled cyano for a LONG time with no success prior to Chemi Clean. I used one treatment of a half dose and it was gone for 1.5 years. No ill effects noticed on fish, coral, etc. --Doug Link to comment
evilc66 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 If bryopsis is on the decline, check your magnesium levels. Elevated magnesium levels is a common treatment for that stuff, but it can also irritate certain corals. If elevated magnesium levels are present, then you could have a bad batch of salt, or you just happened upon a hot spot of magnesium in the salt mix (meaning the salt wasn't mixed up properly). Mix up a gallon of salt the way you normally would and measure as many parameters as you can (get a mag test kit if you don't have one already) and see if the salt is way off. Make sure your hydrometer/refractometer is also reading correctly. Link to comment
DanteGpico Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 Thank you. Now that I think about it, I did not think I mixed the salt in the bag before using it. I am going to do the water change now and clean up as much dead bryopsis and cyano as I can. Link to comment
evilc66 Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 It's probably too late now considering that your post was 14 hours ago, but you really should check the salt mix before doing another water change. If the salt mix is off, then doing a water change with the same salt may only make matters worse. Link to comment
DanteGpico Posted July 24, 2014 Author Share Posted July 24, 2014 Luckily, it wasn't. Everything is doing much better now. I think I am going to buy the Chemi-Clean to kill the cyano. Link to comment
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