Hammerstone's Tank

[Hammerstone]

Could you guys tell me more about purigen or purigen elite? I have no experience with using it. How is it administered? Is it in a bag? I understand it's for phosphates.

[seabass]

No, Purigen is more like activated carbon. It doesn't help with phosphate. They do sell it in a bag (or loose, and then you'll need a fine mesh bag for it).

 

You might be thinking about ChemiPure Elite. It is also like a high end activated carbon, but it contain a little granular ferric oxide (GFO) which helps with phosphate. The problem is, there isn't a lot of GFO in the product, and it will be depleted long before they recommend replacing the product.

 

For a system without a media reactor, I still recommend an activated carbon and Phosguard mixture.

[Ibuyen]

You can get chaeto from John too, a portion for about $5.00 enough for small fuge or hob. If you know anyone local you can most likely get it for free from them. I run purigen on my 55, I believe it is a phosphate absorb-er. You can get in bag or loose I believe. loose would have to be ran in a canister or tumbler I believe as well. Not sure if there are different bag sizes. My petco sells purigen and phosband in the white bags. One is rated fof 100g and other is 30g I believe. I forget which is which.

[Clown79]

Oh i agree Seabass. I always say 2" under vacuum from the start but if you haven't been doing it from day 1- don't start disturbing the sand bed because all that crap being released will lead to a whole new problem.

 

There is no reason to be embarassed Hammerstone, we all go through challenges. Shit happens! You are working on it- you could have just thrown in the towel but you didn't

[Hammerstone]

Oh i agree Seabass. I always say 2" under vacuum from the start but if you haven't been doing it from day 1- don't start disturbing the sand bed because all that crap being released will lead to a whole new problem.

 

There is no reason to be embarassed Hammerstone, we all go through challenges. Shit happens! You are working on it- you could have just thrown in the towel but you didn't

thank you Clown!!!???

[Hammerstone]

Ok, got more cyano out, there's just some on back wall gonna get that out tonight. Switched out carbon and filter floss.

 

Ordered the snail and hermit quick pack from ReefCleaners.com!!!

[seabass]

Good job, all good moves. However, you still need to do some nutrient export, or it will return (or you will see the other algae take off). I truly believe that the majority of the problem stems from your sand bed. Any plans to address that? Also, it would be impossible to have all these problems without excess phosphate; any plans to start adding Phosguard to the activated carbon?

[Hammerstone]

I plan on getting Phosgard and trying to deal with the sand at a later date. I'm trying to get the water situation resolved and manually getting out as much algae as I can first. Thank you for taking the time to help me. Step by step is what I want to do. I'm thinking about things as I go. I have bad anxiety issues so I have to mull things around a bit before I do the sand.

[seabass]

You'll thank me after you see just how much silt has accumulated in your substrate.

[Pjanssen]

Hammerstone, Try not to mull over too long. I agree with Seabass as to it being a key to your road to recovery. You will be so happy once you start seeing progress. Yes, the water is just as important, and thats a pretty easy fix. Maybe you can get a friend or your husband to help you and just turn it into a project.

[Clown79]

Hammerstone, I understand what you are saying regarding anxiety.

 

I think the main problem is the sand. I see what comes out of mine every week.

 

I think after the steps you are doing, the sand should be removed. Once you remove the sand, things will become easier to maintain.

 

Keep us posted

[Hammerstone]

I've been keeping freshwater tanks my whole life and have Never had a tank look so horrid. Venting here. Last night it was looking okay for what it's worth, I mean yeah it looked bad but improved. I wake up to all my work undone. Just saying. Tomorrow I should be receiving my shipment from reef cleaners. They will have lots to eat. At least maybe they will help me out a little bit. I know they aren't going to fix it but I'll feel better knowing I at least have a CUC. ?

[seabass]

The cleanup crew will help, but you already know what you need to do to turn this around. Even then, it will take some more time and work to get this taken care of.

[uisge-beatha]

First of all – I feel your pain. This hobby can be incredibly frustrating at times – virtual hug. I have also had severe anxiety issues in the past (currently well controlled, thank God), so I get how paralyzing anxiety can be.

 

You’ve been getting some fantastic advice on fixing your sand bed and peroxide-treating your algae, but the advice entails big, scary steps for someone with anxiety issues. If it’s too difficult to fix the problem quickly, here’s how to accomplish the same thing in small, manageable steps. The key difference is that small steps will take a LONG time to fix the problem – you need to adjust your expectations, and realize that it could take a few months before you’re proud of your tank again, but it will happen. Lots of people on this forum have battled back from similar issues, and you can do it too.

1. CUC – check! Good job – this will make a big difference, long term.
2. Water – just start using distilled from the store for your top-off water for now. You can deal with getting your own RODI unit later.
3. Testing – yes, you could test nitrate and phosphate levels, but I’d say it’s optional right now, because your tank is telling us that there is a lot of these nutrients in your tank. Moreover, the test results would probably be low, because most of the nutrients are currently tied up in the form of cyano and algae. Testing can wait until your tank is looking better, and you want to keep it that way!
4. Feeding – your fish and RFAs need to eat, and I’ll bet you that the modest amount of food they need isn’t the source of your problems.
5. Sand – ah, now we come to the heart of the problem! Yes, you will need to completely clean your sand bed to make this problem go away. However, start small. Pick one small area of the tank, and vacuum the sand bed thoroughly with every water change. On the days you don’t vacuum, use a turkey baster to stir the sand in this area. Take pictures every day, and see if the cyano in this area starts to improve. It could take a few weeks, but I guarantee you’ll notice a difference over time – eventually, it won’t come back so strong, and after that it won’t come back at all. Once you’re feeling more confident that cleaning the sand is possible and beneficial, you can either follow seabass’s awesome instructions for cleaning the whole bed, or just expand the section you’re cleaning if that’s less anxiety-producing.
6. Algae – same approach. Pick one piece of rock, and follow seabass’s instructions. Prove to yourself that the peroxide will work. Take pictures.

I’m currently battling back from a cyano and algae outbreak myself, and followed a similar slow-clean method to what I outlined above. It’s working really well, but slowly. In addition to the steps above, I also added a Tunze 9001 nano skimmer to pull the organics from the water column as they’re released by the dying bacteria & algae, and started dosing Microbacter 7 (5 mL per 20 gal) each day to out-compete the “bad” bacteria. See http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/373707-operation-cyano-hows-this-plan-update/#entry5333983

 

Good luck, and keep your chin up!!

[Hammerstone]

The cleanup crew will help, but you already know what you need to do to turn this around. Even then, it will take some more time and work to get this taken care of.

I understand it's going to take a lot of work and time. I just got all the cyano that I could see out and some algae. I put in some Prime just in case. I'm going to change the filter floss in a few hours. I'm sort of keeping this thread as a log. I know I have to get that sand out and it took 3 years to get here. So it's filled with crap. I hit the bottom with a tool and a puff of crap came out. Don't worry, your work with me is not in vain.

[Hammerstone]

First of all I feel your pain. This hobby can be incredibly frustrating at times virtual hug. I have also had severe anxiety issues in the past (currently well controlled, thank God), so I get how paralyzing anxiety can be.

 

Youve been getting some fantastic advice on fixing your sand bed and peroxide-treating your algae, but the advice entails big, scary steps for someone with anxiety issues. If its too difficult to fix the problem quickly, heres how to accomplish the same thing in small, manageable steps. The key difference is that small steps will take a LONG time to fix the problem you need to adjust your expectations, and realize that it could take a few months before youre proud of your tank again, but it will happen. Lots of people on this forum have battled back from similar issues, and you can do it too.

• CUC check! Good job this will make a big difference, long term.
• Water just start using distilled from the store for your top-off water for now. You can deal with getting your own RODI unit later.
• Testing yes, you could test nitrate and phosphate levels, but Id say its optional right now, because your tank is telling us that there is a lot of these nutrients in your tank. Moreover, the test results would probably be low, because most of the nutrients are currently tied up in the form of cyano and algae. Testing can wait until your tank is looking better, and you want to keep it that way!
• Feeding your fish and RFAs need to eat, and Ill bet you that the modest amount of food they need isnt the source of your problems.
• Sand ah, now we come to the heart of the problem! Yes, you will need to completely clean your sand bed to make this problem go away. However, start small. Pick one small area of the tank, and vacuum the sand bed thoroughly with every water change. On the days you dont vacuum, use a turkey baster to stir the sand in this area. Take pictures every day, and see if the cyano in this area starts to improve. It could take a few weeks, but I guarantee youll notice a difference over time eventually, it wont come back so strong, and after that it wont come back at all. Once youre feeling more confident that cleaning the sand is possible and beneficial, you can either follow seabasss awesome instructions for cleaning the whole bed, or just expand the section youre cleaning if thats less anxiety-producing.
• Algae same approach. Pick one piece of rock, and follow seabasss instructions. Prove to yourself that the peroxide will work. Take pictures.

Im currently battling back from a cyano and algae outbreak myself, and followed a similar slow-clean method to what I outlined above. Its working really well, but slowly. In addition to the steps above, I also added a Tunze 9001 nano skimmer to pull the organics from the water column as theyre released by the dying bacteria & algae, and started dosing Microbacter 7 (5 mL per 20 gal) each day to out-compete the bad bacteria. See http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/373707-operation-cyano-hows-this-plan-update/#entry5333983

 

Good luck, and keep your chin up!!

thank you so much for understanding. I think that this thread will also help those who have "issues" too. I like your approach a lot. And like pjansen said, I know I can't wait too long. Two of my RFAS are very upset. Hopefully with the cleaning that I just did I didn't do more harm than good. But it looks way better visually. That makes me cringe less when I walk by the tank.

[Pjanssen]

You must have been doing something right Hammerstone. Honestly 3 years with no cleanup crew and using tap water, I'm surprised you didn't have issues sooner.

[Hammerstone]

You must have been doing something right Hammerstone. Honestly 3 years with no cleanup crew and using tap water, I'm surprised you didn't have issues sooner.

dumb luck lol. You made me smile ?

[Joe37]

Once you get your substrate cleaned why don't you try and get a pistol shrimp, there fun to watch and keep your sand clean

[Hammerstone]

Once you get your substrate cleaned why don't you try and get a pistol shrimp, there fun to watch and keep your sand clean

I would like that but the tank belongs to the clowns lol. That's why no CUC. My female was grabbing the back or the lip of the CUC shells and shaking them and then dropping them. Anything that moves she would do this until she killed my CUC over time. I should be getting an order from Reef Cleaners today or tomorrow. It has both snails and hermits. I pray she leaves them alone. I need a CUC bad. If she is a good girl I could do something like that but she also killed my shrimp, she didn't even eat them. The poor things would hide in a cave like crevice and stay there. My clown would inspect the area all the time. If they came out she would dart over and it was a race to the safe zone until there were no more skunk shrimp left. Broke my heart. They were so cute and had great

Personality before they became a target.

[Pjanssen]

wow! maybe she needs a mate

[Hammerstone]

wow! maybe she needs a mate

shes had one for a year now lol. I hope she is distracted by him. Lately they hover over my RFAs staring at them. I wonder what they are thinking ?

 

Actually she's had a mate about two years now. She was one year in when he moved in lol. He's very submissive and quiet.

[Hammerstone]

Just got my order from Reef Cleaners!!!?❤️

 

There were too many to count lol. They did

Right by me, beyond. Everyone is already getting to work.

 

I would gladly recommend anyone to them for sure. I'll be a repeat customer!!

 

So far my clowns are just watching lol.

[Hammerstone]

My female clown isn't killing or attempting to. One thing that's weird is that they are really interested in my RFAs. They aren't supposed to be hosted by them right? Two of the RFAs could easily eat my male clown, and they are fast when the shut their doors.

 

Still working on my tank of course. Today there was way less cyano, but that doesn't mean anything I know. Just less for me to tooth brush off. My glass is getting algae on it every morning.

 

Something I would like to share for anyone trying to get cyano off of things and out of your tank. I had no luck with the turkey Baster. What I do is use a tooth brush and gently lift up a side of it and then gently peel the cyano off. It comes off in sheets that way as the tooth brush bristles will impale the edge of the cyano and hold on to it. Just sharing.

[seabass]

One thing that's weird is that they are really interested in my RFAs. They aren't supposed to be hosted by them right?

Right, they aren't host anemones. I've had clownfish and RFAs in the same tank for over a decade and have never seen a clownfish in a RFA. However, I read a thread years ago where someone claimed their clownfish had "hosted" a RFA (no pictures were provided).

 

My guess is that the anemone would try to eat a fish. But I assume that a healthy clownfish would be able to escape.