Angler Away! - Wartskin Macro Tank

[BadCrab]

While we are trading macros, my mantis tank is fully cycled now, and I'd love to add some macros before she gets shipped. If either of you have trimmings you can send me (flametip dragons breath & blue ochtodes primarily) I'd greatly appreciate it; None of the LFS here specialize in Macros, so it's pretty much "share what you have" around here.

[ZachS]

to feed the angler u should look at florida pets, they have 12 a month shipped to your door for $13.99, thats what i have to do living in Texas :/

[ccapasso]

I should have some trimmings available soon to trade and ship out. Will let you guys know.

 

 

@ZachS, that is exactly what I'm currently doing .

[ZachS]

@ZachS, that is exactly what I'm currently doing .

Awesome! I actually just got my first set in today and was curious how yours look? Out of ''25'' I actually had 4

[ccapasso]

I've only had one delivery so far but all arrived alive.

[ccapasso]

So things are starting to look a little not so good .

 

 

The dragon's breath is loosing its orange tip color and my nem has shrunk up.

 

Everything is very brown, including the substrate and the rocks .

 

I'm not sure if it is the light or what.

 

I can honestly say that I have neglected water changes (been crazy busy lately). I'm hoping that is all it is. I just purchased new RO/DI filters (mine were nasty looking) and made a new batch of water.

 

I'm hoping that all of this is caused by poor water quality and that I can fix it quite quickly by doing a water change.

[jedimasterben]

To be frank, water changes aren't a cure-all of sorts that everyone here touts them to be, especially not in the amounts typically changed (10-25%), and are a very poor method of nutrient export. Macroalgaes do best in water that is nutrient-rich, since they need much more nitrogen and phosphorus than zooxanthellae and corals. Halymenia needs very high lighting to keep its orange tips. If your water ends up being too clean or devoid of certain nutrients, you can dose some ferts to help out, like iron, etc, and see if it helps.

[ccapasso]

Thanks Ben.

 

I do remember reading that macros do better in that type of water. However, my concern is that there is something else wrong. There is this red slime that looks a lot like cyano. That and the brown that is covering everything.

 

I would hope the lighting is good (considering it is T5HO with brand new bulbs). I did however read that one of the bulbs (the GE bulb) does have a tendency to cause algae outbreaks ?

[ccapasso]

Here are some pics of the nastyness that is going on:

 

 

 

[Islandoftiki]

Is it cyano?

[ccapasso]

It sure looks like it. But there is brown too, which isn't normal for what Cyano looks like.

 

Part of me really thinks it came from my ATO water. I have the same thing (similar minus the brown) going on at home in the 55g. It didn't start happening here until the most recent batch of ATO water was hooked up. I purchased and changed the filters in my RO/DI and made all new water. My plan right now is to pitch the ATO water tomorrow and do a water change as well.

 

Then, I'll let it sit and see what happens.

[jedimasterben]

Check out blue green cyano: http://www.reefcleaners.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=60

 

 

What is your phosphate level? Usually cyano occurs when you have excess phosphate due to nitrate depletion.

[Islandoftiki]

Speaking of cyano, I get red cyano in my 25 gallon mantis/mushroom/macro tank. Mainly because the tank doesn't have a ton of flow to accommodate the mushrooms. Every couple months, the tank get a chemiclean treatment. It temporarily pisses off the mushrooms, but the macro algae is unaffected and it gets rid of the cyano, plus a lot of miscellaneous detritus.

 

I also had some photosynthetic green (not blue-green) cyano in my 10 gallon that I tried for months to starve to death, but since it's photosynthetic, I couldn't get rid of it. I lowered the nutrients in the tank so much that the corals weren't happy. That was my first experience using chemiclean, which got rid of the stuff for good.

 

Anyhow, I'm not suggesting chemiclean as your first line of defense, but as good way to get rid of the cyano if all else fails.

[ccapasso]

Came in early this morning and did the water change before work started. Also replaced all of the ATO water as well. Now, it is time to wait and see.

[ccapasso]

So I decided to make one more change. I replaced the air-stone on my skimmer. I suppose it was time considering it has been in for over a year and never replaced!

 

Needless to say, bubbles in that thing are going insane right now! Had to adjust the height back up some. In fact, I'm very confused as to how the height of the skimmer got as low as it did. Either it slid down on its own, or I adjusted it and forgot.

[metrokat]

What are your phosphates and nitrate levels? And your PH?

[ccapasso]

Test kit is at home. Will bring it in tomorrow and test. That, and just doing a water change I wanted to wait to check right away.

[ccapasso]

I found one of my test kits here at the office! It is just the basic one though (Nitrate/Nitrate/PH/Ammonia).

 

Anyways, I tested and results:

 

pH - 8.4

Nitrate - 0 ppm

Ammonia - 0 ppm

Nitrite - 0 ppm

 

I'll have to check phosphates tomorrow.

 

Would it be helpful for me to "feed" the tank with something to bring up nitrates for the macros?

[ccapasso]

Since this is my first time working with Macros, my biggest concern was that something went sexual. However, based on the fact that my nitrates are normal, I assume that is not the case. Is that correct?

 

Also, the more I look at what is happening, it looks like diatoms. Almost like a mini cycle. Everything is covered in brown and has tiny bubbles all over. Even though I changed the water this morning and cleaned the acrylic, I can already see a thin coating of brown algae on the walls and everything else.

 

Could I have caused a mini-cycle to start by adding too many new different macros too quick?

 

I see a few pieces of macro that look dead and am thinking it is probably best to remove them?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice .

[ccapasso]

Brought in the test kit from home and tested phosphates. They were at 0.

 

Things look a little less brown this morning. Will keep an eye on things after all of the lights are on in a few hours here.

 

Thinking I may order a small clean up crew to help get/keep things clean.

[jedimasterben]

If you had a reproductive event, then the macros responsible would basically look dead, so if there are any like that, you can remove them if you want to, but if the do not come back, then they'll break down and then feed the other macros.

 

 

Are the bubbles just stuck to the algae or are they being produced by it? If being produced by it, you may have bad dinoflagellates, and if so, I wish you luck.

[ccapasso]

The bubbles are just stuck to it, not being produced by it. As of this morning, no bubbles.

 

There are a few macros that do look dead (or in this case, browned out). Mainly some of the newer green ones.

[jedimasterben]

Which ones? Only certain macros will have reproductive events, and even then, some are extremely unlikely to do so unless they're desperate.

[ccapasso]

Sorry, I should have said that a different way. I don't think this type went sexual, I just think it died somehow. Anyways, the newly purchased Cymopolia Barbata looks to be pretty dead. It is covered in brown and when i shake it, all of the skin falls off and shows white.

 

The fact that the substrate is covered in brown as well is really making me think it is diatoms more and more. I can brush it all off easily with a turkey baster.

 

I wonder if I went with no lights for 48 hours if that would help. Or, would that be too long for the macros since they obviously need the light to survive?

[ccapasso]

Thinking of going dark for a few days on the tank to clear things up. Thinking 2 days total. Would this be ok or would it be very bad for the macros?