PLEASE HELP Random Bacterial Bloom

[Polarcollision]

 

Sorry just checking to make sure you saw the new rocks aren't the ones with the film.

 

Can you elaborate on microbe growing out of check? Haven't come across this theory yet...

 

Thanks

 

No worries.

 

Well, I'm not sure where to start or what you might already know so I apologize if this is too basic. I can elaborate if you'd like. Basically its helpful to think of reef keeping more in terms of growing bacteria and other microscopic organisms rather than growing coral and fish--even though that's the endgame. All the slime (technically biofilm) coating the walls, rock, and sand is made up of a variety of different bacteria or algae or single-celled organisms (all microbes). each microbe lives by synthesizing or decomposing different biomolecules. Eventually (3 to 18 months) all these microbes find a balance with one another and the tank becomes bulletproof. What that ends up meaning for us is that each addition of food or chemical dosing to the tank changes what is available for any particular microbe to grow. In your case it sounds like a particular bacteria or fungus is very happy with conditions and is growing wild. Eventually it will use up it's food source and die back. We can encourage this by limiting nutrients (the two biggest are nitrates and phosphates) and also by stopping any dosing of coral foods or chemicals outside of alk/Ca and water changes. Sometimes it is even helpful to add in a fresh bacteria supplement to jumpstart microbe competition for nutrients.

 

That's why I gave the example in my aquarium with the green cyano. about 1.5 weeks ago I changed out half the rocks in the tank. about 4-5 days ago I noticed a brown slime on everything (diatoms) and now there's green slime (cyanobacteria). In a week or so it will be all burned out and the rocks will turn the deep brownish green and purple of a healthy biofilm and coraline algae. To help it along, I'm not dosing phytoplankton or any KZ products or anything that has added nutrients, outside of fish food.

 

If it's threatening coral, you can suck out the matt at water changes, but it should go away on its own as your phosphates lower.

 

Also, cut the red light back to no more than 15% max power. Ramp it up to 15% later in the day, say an hour or so before lights out. This signals a phytochrome/ circadian clock: a switch for photosynthesis to end and respiration to begin. There's a fascinating course on coursera if you'd like to know more on this.

 

The greens are not as useful either. Mine max about 20% of the whites at any time. You're mostly going to want violets, cool blues and warm blues to carry most of your lighting power. That will also favor coral growth so that they can use up nutrients too.

 

One last thought: the glass algae might be directly related to the phyto dosing. I'd stop that until phosphates are between 0.03-0.08

 

Sorry if too much detail, I can elaborate more if you think it's helpful or interesting

[Reef Queso]

Epic responses here! To my surprise after a water change and replacing the malfunctioning pump, the film has depleted. Thanks so much again everybody and thanks to nano-reef for the ability to be linked with such informative shares of experience!!!!

[Reef Queso]

Lost my tribal blenny yesterday. Did a 50% water change used Prime in my RO/DI and added a protein skimmer.

 

Today when I woke up I notice hair algae growing on the stalk of my trumpet corals and the skeleton of my wall hammer. Also have some hair algae growing on the glass near the sand bed.

 

It's a shame to see a tank thats been running for two years all of a sudden crash.

[seabass]

Sorry to hear that.

 

 

... and [he] swore up and down all I had to do is drop these in the tank no problem.

[Reef Queso]

 

No worries.

 

Well, I'm not sure where to start or what you might already know so I apologize if this is too basic. I can elaborate if you'd like. Basically its helpful to think of reef keeping more in terms of growing bacteria and other microscopic organisms rather than growing coral and fish--even though that's the endgame. All the slime (technically biofilm) coating the walls, rock, and sand is made up of a variety of different bacteria or algae or single-celled organisms (all microbes). each microbe lives by synthesizing or decomposing different biomolecules. Eventually (3 to 18 months) all these microbes find a balance with one another and the tank becomes bulletproof. What that ends up meaning for us is that each addition of food or chemical dosing to the tank changes what is available for any particular microbe to grow. In your case it sounds like a particular bacteria or fungus is very happy with conditions and is growing wild. Eventually it will use up it's food source and die back. We can encourage this by limiting nutrients (the two biggest are nitrates and phosphates) and also by stopping any dosing of coral foods or chemicals outside of alk/Ca and water changes. Sometimes it is even helpful to add in a fresh bacteria supplement to jumpstart microbe competition for nutrients.

 

That's why I gave the example in my aquarium with the green cyano. about 1.5 weeks ago I changed out half the rocks in the tank. about 4-5 days ago I noticed a brown slime on everything (diatoms) and now there's green slime (cyanobacteria). In a week or so it will be all burned out and the rocks will turn the deep brownish green and purple of a healthy biofilm and coraline algae. To help it along, I'm not dosing phytoplankton or any KZ products or anything that has added nutrients, outside of fish food.

 

If it's threatening coral, you can suck out the matt at water changes, but it should go away on its own as your phosphates lower.

 

Also, cut the red light back to no more than 15% max power. Ramp it up to 15% later in the day, say an hour or so before lights out. This signals a phytochrome/ circadian clock: a switch for photosynthesis to end and respiration to begin. There's a fascinating course on coursera if you'd like to know more on this.

 

The greens are not as useful either. Mine max about 20% of the whites at any time. You're mostly going to want violets, cool blues and warm blues to carry most of your lighting power. That will also favor coral growth so that they can use up nutrients too.

 

One last thought: the glass algae might be directly related to the phyto dosing. I'd stop that until phosphates are between 0.03-0.08

 

Sorry if too much detail, I can elaborate more if you think it's helpful or interesting

 

 

Thanks for the in depth info here.

 

I cut the reds and greens out completely and was still getting the algae cover on the glass...

 

I did however adjust it back to my previous setting except instead of a steady red and green ramping up and down with the rest of the lights, I have it ramp up to about 13% an hour before the lights go out.

 

I added some nerite snails and the are tearing into the algae pretty well, also dumped in more tiny blue hermits.

 

On my sand bed I have a rust colored hair algae and on the glass and on the rocks it's a green hair algae. CUC is going "HAM!"

 

The algae on the glass has died down a bit, still have the film on the rock although it's depleted some, and now my protein skimmer has the bacterial film covering it and the cord.

 

All I can do now is wait for things to balance back out. Unless you guys have any steps you would advise that I might be missing....

[seabass]

.20ppm phosphate

What are you doing to address this? I recommend Phosguard. Use like a quarter of the recommended amount, but change it out frequently. Monitor phosphate to know when it is getting depleted.

 

Also, recognize that algae blooms consume inorganic phosphate in the water. So your phosphate problems are likely worse than demonstrated by your test results.

[brandon429]

Why no full tank shot pics here? Pics will help over any nutrient levels posted for sure let's see the offenders and a pic of the tank as a whole

 

All old reef tanks go through this phase mentioned here with the algae even if they don't change lights, something else will affect stasis one way or another, all you have to do is rip clean the tank and no nutrient sinks will remain. No need to crash, that happens through the hands-off mode 99% of aquarists employ.