Moai of the Sea!

[ManGups]

nothing obvious stand out besides the cyano removing Nutrients and then my running a small amount of GFO in a reactor seems to have shocked the system. Surprising though - I ran GFO in my Nuvo almost constantly and my corals never reacted like this. That's what's so surprising about my corals that were over 2 years old and transferred from the Nuvo- they all died in this episode. I could see the new and more sensitive Acros being affected but not the caps and stylo's- they've all been through worse than that. Frustrating and really broke my confidence- I thought I had things dialed in and 'wham' RTN and STN took everyone out.

Not knowing exactly is frustrating ... I hope ur tanks bounces back soon ....

[ReefWeeds]

Hey... what are you doing in So Cal? How long are you in town?

 

I flew in for a quick visit to one of our vendors- at John Wayne now heading back- quick one day trip

that voltage testing seems sketchy- yikes

 

Please do not electrocute yourself. Or Lisa. don't electrocute the wife either.

[Sk8n Reefer]

Not knowing exactly is frustrating ... I hope ur tanks bounces back soon ....

Thanks ManGups, I'll keep on it and try to be more careful for sure

Please do not electrocute yourself. Or Lisa. don't electrocute the wife either.

hahahaha- you got me "hey Hun, read this step by step and let me know what you find" She actually has a meter reader like Dawn posted so I think we MAY try that. Not sure- her call. You don't want me doing anything like that- I'd be a goner ?

[ReefWeeds]

Thanks ManGups, I'll keep on it and try to be more careful for sure

 

hahahaha- you got me "hey Hun, read this step by step and let me know what you find" She actually has a meter reader like Dawn posted so I think we MAY try that. Not sure- her call. You don't want me doing anything like that- I'd be a goner

 

yeah, I'm not good with electrical crap. I'd be a goner as well

[jamescstein]

 

yeah, I'm not good with electrical crap. I'd be a goner as well

 

Got quite a shock from my wifes seahorse tank last weekend. Skimmer pump was leaking current bad.

[ReefWeeds]

 

Got quite a shock from my wifes seahorse tank last weekend. Skimmer pump was leaking current bad.

 

yikes! that's terrible!

[Sk8n Reefer]

Got quite a shock from my wifes seahorse tank last weekend. Skimmer pump was leaking current bad.

dang, all this talk about electrical issues makes me a little concerned. I've never felt anything when my hands are in the tank though

[ReefWeeds]

dang, all this talk about electrical issues makes me a little concerned. I've never felt anything when my hands are in the tank though

 

Were there any storms while you were away? Maybe a power surge?

[jamescstein]

dang, all this talk about electrical issues makes me a little concerned. I've never felt anything when my hands are in the tank though

 

I never did either till I touched the water in my tank and hers at the same time. I had my hand on the edge of that tank while I was cleaning mine and apparently stuck my finger in. Blew out my volt meter finding the problem. Fortunately I'm very resistant to electrical shock so it was more a surprise than anything but still try to be very careful.

 

When I was a teenager I found a bad plug on a mixer at Pizza Hut when I touched the table it was on and got shocked. 220v. Made me woosey for a few hours but other than that wasn't a big deal.

 

Got quite a shock from my wifes seahorse tank last weekend. Skimmer pump was leaking current bad.

 

That stray voltage might have been what did in the seahorse. It died overnight after being put in the tank after QT.

[Sk8n Reefer]

Were there any storms while you were away? Maybe a power surge?

no it was normal out........so I am home and the tank looks the same- cyano still covering all the gravel- lights out for 48hrs and chemi clean hasn't touched it- what's going on?

should I run another dose?

I never did either till I touched the water in my tank and hers at the same time. I had my hand on the edge of that tank while I was cleaning mine and apparently stuck my finger in. Blew out my volt meter finding the problem. Fortunately I'm very resistant to electrical shock so it was more a surprise than anything but still try to be very careful.

 

When I was a teenager I found a bad plug on a mixer at Pizza Hut when I touched the table it was on and got shocked. 220v. Made me woosey for a few hours but other than that wasn't a big deal.

 

That stray voltage might have been what did in the seahorse. It died overnight after being put in the tank after QT.

dang, sad story - my cyano hasn't been reduced at all n no lights and chemiclean- I am at a loss now what to do

[ReefWeeds]

no it was normal out........so I am home and the tank looks the same- cyano still covering all the gravel- lights out for 48hrs and chemi clean hasn't touched it- what's going on?

should I run another dose?

 

dang, sad story - my cyano hasn't been reduced at all n no lights and chemiclean- I am at a loss now what to do

Can you post up some photos of the cyano?

Were you running carbon or anything?

[Sk8n Reefer]

Can you post up some photos of the cyano?Were you running carbon or anything?

ok- lights are off - I will in the day light tomorrow- no carbon- nothing- maybe run another dose ?

[Nano sapiens]

It sounds like your bacterial community may have become unbalanced and/or less effective for some reason and the result was nutrient buildup that helped fuel the cyano bloom. Cyano are opportunists and will exploit system imbalances.

 

I have dealt with sand bed cyano mats in my previous 55g that I neglected to clean as often as I should have (I had dark green, maroon and black all at the same time...yay). Daily manual removal from the rocks and sand bed followed up by sand bed vacuuming worked to resolve this for me. Theory goes that removal of the pest organisms along with detritus will help reduce organics that help fuel the cyano bloom. Frequent sand bed vacuuming reduces the existing bacterial communtiy and so forces reproduction/replacement, which then consume/sequester nutrients. As this cleaning cycle continues, there comes a point where there are not enough nutrients to sustain the cyano bloom and it collapses.

 

Aggressive skimming will also help to remove free-floating bacteria/organics that have been stirred up into the water column.

 

Good luck!

[Sk8n Reefer]

It sounds like your bacterial community may have become unbalanced and/or less effective for some reason and the result was nutrient buildup that helped fuel the cyano bloom. Cyano are opportunists and will exploit system imbalances.

 

I have dealt with sand bed cyano mats in my previous 55g that I neglected to clean as often as I should have (I had dark green, maroon and black all at the same time...yay). Daily manual removal from the rocks and sand bed followed up by sand bed vacuuming worked to resolve this for me. Theory goes that removal of the pest organisms along with detritus will help reduce organics that help fuel the cyano bloom. Frequent sand bed vacuuming reduces the existing bacterial communtiy and so forces reproduction/replacement, which then consume/sequester nutrients. As this cleaning cycle continues, there comes a point where there are not enough nutrients to sustain the cyano bloom and it collapses.

 

Aggressive skimming will also help to remove free-floating bacteria/organics that have been stirred up into the water column.

 

Good luck!

Thanks Nano, I do feel nutrients were high which is why I started with the GFO. I was hoping this would reduce the food source for the cyano. I test and Po4 came in around .03-.04 but I figured that was not accurate with the amount of cyano growing in the tank. I need a stronger vacuum hose- it disrupts the sand but doesn't pull anything through. I'll have to pick up a larger vacuum unit from Petco or one of those places today. It is a little better today but not great. I am turning the lights back on but still a shorter cycle and start w/c's and vacuuming the cyano up. My skimmer is a workhorse so that's at least good news and it should help with removal.........once I dial it in again.

 

So do you think the GFO with the cyano out competing corals for nutrients caused the RTN/STN ? Kinda seems like the only logical choice.

[Sunstar]

...

 

...

 

No...

 

...

 

 

If I were closer I would give you frags in a heartbeat. Like that nice purple one.

[Marc.The.Shark]

Scott, just got caught up on your thread, been working a lot. Damn buddy, sorry to hear about the mess! What a bummer! Hate to hear it, but I know you have the voracity to bounce back even stronger. I've always been a little leary of gfo myself, although there is some in the Chem-Blue that I use (very small amount from what I can see). I much prefer a big ol sack of purigen or phosguard once in a while if I over feed. Of course I'm skimmer less too, which creates its own challenges. New tank will have skimmer. If there's anything I can do from afar, let me know. It does seem like excessive damage from the gfo tho, and fast. I'd still explore other avenues like the stray voltage theory as well. I had carpet cleaners before Thanksgiving spray some kinda enzyme crap on the carpet that my wife ok'd and I didn't know about, shit started dying & It took me a couple weeks to figure out what happened. My limited use of carbon & no skimmer didn't help either. All kinda problems after that, just saying explore all avenues.

[xAyanex]

ok- lights are off - I will in the day light tomorrow- no carbon- nothing- maybe run another dose ?

Hello Sk8n Reefer, I am very new to saltwater aquariums and am still cycling. I am soooo sorry for your devastating loss. I hope you win the battle with cyano and in time everything you have left bounces back. This was a very good learning experience for me to read about, so thank you for sharing all this information.

 

I have a noob question: If you have fish in a tank with RTN or STN, are they okay to leave in there? Or did you relocate them?

[Sk8n Reefer]

...

 

...

 

No...

 

...

 

 

If I were closer I would give you frags in a heartbeat. Like that nice purple one.

 

Thanks Sunstar..........I appreciate it. I think I have a long road ahead to get this tank back in shape, kinda crazy how quickly it went down. The fact that I was out of town for 4 days during the disaster didn't help ?

Scott, just got caught up on your thread, been working a lot. Damn buddy, sorry to hear about the mess! What a bummer! Hate to hear it, but I know you have the voracity to bounce back even stronger. I've always been a little leary of gfo myself, although there is some in the Chem-Blue that I use (very small amount from what I can see). I much prefer a big ol sack of purigen or phosguard once in a while if I over feed. Of course I'm skimmer less too, which creates its own challenges. New tank will have skimmer. If there's anything I can do from afar, let me know. It does seem like excessive damage from the gfo tho, and fast. I'd still explore other avenues like the stray voltage theory as well. I had carpet cleaners before Thanksgiving spray some kinda enzyme crap on the carpet that my wife ok'd and I didn't know about, shit started dying & It took me a couple weeks to figure out what happened. My limited use of carbon & no skimmer didn't help either. All kinda problems after that, just saying explore all avenues.

Thanks Marc, it's tough but leaves me no choice to try again- can't stop because of this - just learn from it. I think you right and I'll be running things passively in the sump for now on- no more reactors. I have a nice skimmer now so that's gonna be helpful for sure! I'll get things back, just gonna take some time

[Sk8n Reefer]

Hello Sk8n Reefer, I am very new to saltwater aquariums and am still cycling. I am soooo sorry for your devastating loss. I hope you win the battle with cyano and in time everything you have left bounces back. This was a very good learning experience for me to read about, so thank you for sharing all this information.

I have a noob question: If you have fish in a tank with RTN or STN, are they okay to leave in there? Or did you relocate them?

 

Thanks xAyanex, I am glad you were able to benefit. I think the lesson I learned is not to put anything in place or major change before you leave for awhile. Also, a little goes a long way in regards to media in our tanks. Although it's not a great environment RTN and STN will not affect the fish- in my experience. What you do after can, so again do things in moderation in salt tanks always. A w/c is one of the most beneficial things you can do- but only if the water your changing is of high quality- always try to match temp, salinity and your parameters so it has minimal impact on the fish and corals. This is an incredible hobby and glad your on board- we are blessed to keep these animal- I remind myself of that often, which is why you see so many of us deeply concerned when things go wrong in a fellow hobbyist tank- it's a wonderful community here ? This has been an incredible humbling experience for me but I will push through it

[xAyanex]

Thanks xAyanex, I am glad you were able to benefit. I think the lesson I learned is not to put anything in place or major change before you leave for awhile. Also, a little goes a long way in regards to media in our tanks. Although it's not a great environment RTN and STN will not affect the fish- in my experience. What you do after can, so again do things in moderation in salt tanks always. A w/c is one of the most beneficial things you can do- but only if the water your changing is of high quality- always try to match temp, salinity and your parameters so it has minimal impact on the fish and corals. This is an incredible hobby and glad your on board- we are blessed to keep these animal- I remind myself of that often, which is why you see so many of us deeply concerned when things go wrong in a fellow hobbyist tank- it's a wonderful community here This has been an incredible humbling experience for me but I will push through it

Thank you for the quick response! You are much wiser than me in the hobby, so I will be taking everything turtle-slow. I am so excited to begin this adventure though. You are inspiring in never giving up, and it is amazing to see the support everyone has given!

[Nano sapiens]

So do you think the GFO with the cyano out competing corals for nutrients caused the RTN/STN ? Kinda seems like the only logical choice.

 

I see this issue of GFO and STN/RTN hand-in-hand all over the forums. However, since so many people use it nowadays, it's hard to say if there is a direct relationship between the two, and if so, what set of circumstances triggers the events. What seems to be accepted is that rapid stripping of phosphate from the system can cause issues with coral and it seems likely that it would also disrupt the bacterial populations, too, both in the coral and in the system as a whole. Another consideration is that GFO strips more than just phosphate from the water. so could it be something else that's being eliminated that helps trigger the STN/RTN condition? An impurity in the GFO itself, perhaps? A lot of unanswered questions on this one...

[Sk8n Reefer]

Thank you for the quick response! You are much wiser than me in the hobby, so I will be taking everything turtle-slow. I am so excited to begin this adventure though. You are inspiring in never giving up, and it is amazing to see the support everyone has given!

 

Cool ? If I can help you in anyway please feel free to reach out. What are the plans for your tank, in regards to corals and fish?

[xAyanex]

Cool If I can help you in anyway please feel free to reach out. What are the plans for your tank, in regards to corals and fish?

I have a Biocube29, so it's not super huge.

 

Fish-I plan to have two clownfish, which I will buy together when the cycle ends. (Tank has been up just over 2 weeks, ammonia is 0 but nitrite is 0.25. Nitrate is through the roof at 80, but I'll do water changes once the cycle is done, then wait a week and continue to test to make sure all is well, then buy the fish.)

 

Corals-Well I really don't know much about corals. I'm running stock lighting so I can't really have SPS, just soft corals and LPS. I looked into torch, frogspawn, zoas, and leathers. I wouldn't get a coral until I've had the clownfish at least a couple weeks. Then I'll probably get whatever seems to be the hardiest one since I'm so new to this.

[Gary.F]

I wouldn't rule out GFO as a tool. It has helped me enormously after I let my phosphates get out of hand while trying to keep some weight on my copperband. I started feeding clams and, after a bit, I started to see my corals dying off. It turned out that my PO4 was over 0.3ppm!

 

I ran GFO passively and then in a reactor but it took a long time to make an impact because, I believe, there was a lot of PO4 locked up and waiting to dissolve back into the water column. Now things are much better and the PO4 is around what you had. .03 to .05.

 

I wouldn't beat myself up about this. I still don't think it's categorically proved that you caused this with the GFO. After all, you only added a little and GFO works much more slowly than aluminium oxide-based products like Phosguard. If you depleted the nutrients over a reasonable time period, I'd expect to see fading and other less grave results rather than a sudden die-off of virtually every coral in the tank. It just feels too catastrophic a result, to me, for adding a small amount of GFO to be the whole story.

 

Have you been measuring PO4 during the whole thing?

[Slowtwitch]

Thanks man, ya I really blew it this time and made some bad decisions. Funny, I am supposed to be sending you some corals? I will I just can't find a Tuesday or Wednesday to have the time to ship. I will though- I want ya to get that big Idaho grape and the poci's- you'll grow em huge! What acros are growing well for ya now?

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Work, kids and troubles with an ich outbreak in my big tank have me burning the candle at both ends lately.

No rush on the shipping. Those photos are gut wrenching.

A few things are going well here. Especially a green tabling acro with blue tips, an unnamed pink acro, a green highlighted acro called hulk something or other and a "pink" Mille that has started encrusting in green and blue. Someday I'll get new pics posted.