mekesterson93 Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 So, my tank is about 2 months old. Ammonia and nitrite have been 0 for the past month or so. Nitrates have been between 0- 5ppm. Phosphate has read at 0 with salifert test kit. I've been dealing with this stuff for the past week or 2. Not really sure what it is. Had some reddish/purplish spots about the size of a nickel, I blasted/scrubbed some of it off. Astrea snails did most of the work of cleaning the rocks off and keeping them somewhat clean. My main problem as of now is the sand bed and the bubbles that form on the LR as well as sand bed. Sort of "hairy" in some spots but mostly more of a "film" with bubbles on top that dislodge easily. Would like some help with identifying what this is so I can appropriately deal with it as need be. Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment
mekesterson93 Posted January 4, 2019 Author Share Posted January 4, 2019 This is what it looked like before the snails got to it, as well as the Turkey baster and tooth brush... Quote Link to comment
Joevember Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 Looks like dinos. Seems to disappear as your tank matures. More frequent gravel filtering sandbed when doing water changes, blasting the detritus off the aquascape, and more flow usually helps clear it up faster. 1 Quote Link to comment
mekesterson93 Posted January 4, 2019 Author Share Posted January 4, 2019 19 minutes ago, Joevember said: Looks like dinos. Seems to disappear as your tank matures. More frequent gravel filtering sandbed when doing water changes, blasting the detritus off the aquascape, and more flow usually helps clear it up faster. Thanks for the quick reply! I sure hope it's not dinos. I've actually been blasting the rocks with Turkey baster almost every day to get it filtered out. Also, gravel vac'd the sand bed pretty good the past few water changes. Just comes back on the sand the next day. It also does not disappear over night. It doesnt grow in strands or webs. If anything, it's more of a rusty looking film with bubbles gently sitting on top. Quote Link to comment
FISHnChix Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 Looks like diatoms to me.. give it a few weeks once it eats up the silcates it will go away. Part of a new tank .. no biggie..happy reefing 1 Quote Link to comment
mekesterson93 Posted January 4, 2019 Author Share Posted January 4, 2019 2 minutes ago, Weikel said: Looks like diatoms to me.. give it a few weeks once it eats up the silcates it will go away. Part of a new tank .. no biggie..happy reefing Thank you! I'm really hoping it is in fact diatoms but don't want to rule the others out until I know forsure. Quote Link to comment
Joevember Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 My bad, I meant diatoms, not dinos. Dinos are more stringy and have trapped gas bubbles. Sorry for the confusion, you have nothing to worry about. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
FISHnChix Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 2 minutes ago, Joevember said: My bad, I meant diatoms, not dinos. Dinos are more stringy and have trapped gas bubbles. Sorry for the confusion, you have nothing to worry about. Ya know you probably gave the guy a heart attack, that's why posted lmaooooo 😂😂 4 Quote Link to comment
mekesterson93 Posted January 4, 2019 Author Share Posted January 4, 2019 Lol it's funny that you said that @Weikel because I think I did have a mini heart attack when I read that reply 🤣 hopefully I get some more input on the topic just to get some more opinions. 1 Quote Link to comment
jcrisman2009 Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 Your reef tank is beautiful! Count your blessings its only diatoms! My tank (15 gallon) is also two months old (yes i'm also a newbie) and I got hit by both cyano and diatoms. I only have one coral in there right now.....I think the guy called it a devils finger or was it hand leather. Those stinkers are tough as nails! I had a huge ammonia spike and it battened down the hatches and rode through it unscathed and now its riding through the nitrites but it seems to like them which is super weird because I thought nitrites were bad and it got it polyps extended and is growing super fast. I am due for a big water change. Any thought on why though? I mean why my leather coral is growing faster with nitrites? Last I checked my nitrates it was around 40 ppm. Quote Link to comment
mekesterson93 Posted January 13, 2019 Author Share Posted January 13, 2019 On 1/9/2019 at 2:44 PM, jcrisman2009 said: Your reef tank is beautiful! Count your blessings its only diatoms! My tank (15 gallon) is also two months old (yes i'm also a newbie) and I got hit by both cyano and diatoms. I only have one coral in there right now.....I think the guy called it a devils finger or was it hand leather. Those stinkers are tough as nails! I had a huge ammonia spike and it battened down the hatches and rode through it unscathed and now its riding through the nitrites but it seems to like them which is super weird because I thought nitrites were bad and it got it polyps extended and is growing super fast. I am due for a big water change. Any thought on why though? I mean why my leather coral is growing faster with nitrites? Last I checked my nitrates it was around 40 ppm. Thank you. I'm still battling this issue. I am starting to think cyano has set in. The rocks are pretty much clear of algae now other than some green algae that does not come off and the start of some corraline. The sand bed just keeps getting covered in brownish-reddish film. I used the gravel vac on all of the substrate about 5 days ago, looked good for almost 2 days but it just comes back. Quote Link to comment
Joevember Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 If your tank is only 13 gallons, I would have waited longer than two months to add 3 fish. It takes a while to increase the tank's bioload capacity. I would suggest being more stingy with your feeding to stop fueling the algae in the tank. Quote Link to comment
mekesterson93 Posted January 13, 2019 Author Share Posted January 13, 2019 13 minutes ago, Joevember said: If your tank is only 13 gallons, I would have waited longer than two months to add 3 fish. It takes a while to increase the tank's bioload capacity. I would suggest being more stingy with your feeding to stop fueling the algae in the tank. Well, I'd say you're probably right but I didn't. So I now I'm trying to get it straightened out. I feed the fish some pellets every other day as well as feed the lps some mysis. All food is either eaten or removed. Quote Link to comment
jcrisman2009 Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 On 1/13/2019 at 2:08 PM, mekesterson93 said: Thank you. I'm still battling this issue. I am starting to think cyano has set in. The rocks are pretty much clear of algae now other than some green algae that does not come off and the start of some corraline. The sand bed just keeps getting covered in brownish-reddish film. I used the gravel vac on all of the substrate about 5 days ago, looked good for almost 2 days but it just comes back. Yes, that is cyano. It is annoying but it is a part of the cycle and should eventually go on its own. Just keep it from covering your coral and all will be swell. Just find out what may be feeding it and fix it if possible. 1 Quote Link to comment
mekesterson93 Posted January 29, 2019 Author Share Posted January 29, 2019 Everything seems to be settling down and doing good as of now. The alage has really subsided. Just a little bit forming on the glass. 1 Quote Link to comment
jcrisman2009 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 1 hour ago, mekesterson93 said: Everything seems to be settling down and doing good as of now. The alage has really subsided. Just a little bit forming on the glass. Awesome tank shot! Is that hot pink mama on the top right a stylophora? The turquoise coral by the hot pink mama looks unique! What is it? What is that grayish stuff by the hammer corals? Right above the lights reflection looks like a slipper coral. Sorry for all the questions lol I just like to know about the different types of corals and where they naturally come from. BTW have you considered giving your corals and fish their own unique name? Quote Link to comment
paulsz Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Be glad it's not dinos. I've been battling them for the last 6 months. They suck 😭 Beautiful tank btw. I love the pink sps on the right. 1 Quote Link to comment
jcrisman2009 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 On 1/13/2019 at 2:42 PM, mekesterson93 said: Well, I'd say you're probably right but I didn't. So I now I'm trying to get it straightened out. I feed the fish some pellets every other day as well as feed the lps some mysis. All food is either eaten or removed. Be cautious using pellet food. In my experience pellet foods tend to make the water very cloudy if the excess is not vacuumed out. Of course the tank in question is freshwater but it may also be the case in saltwater. Quote Link to comment
mekesterson93 Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 On 1/29/2019 at 10:40 AM, paulsz said: Be glad it's not dinos. I've been battling them for the last 6 months. They suck 😭 Beautiful tank btw. I love the pink sps on the right. yes, I am definitely glad they are not dinos! And thank you! Good luck with getting your issue straightened up, I know it gets frustrating. On 1/29/2019 at 10:34 AM, jcrisman2009 said: Awesome tank shot! Is that hot pink mama on the top right a stylophora? The turquoise coral by the hot pink mama looks unique! What is it? What is that grayish stuff by the hammer corals? Right above the lights reflection looks like a slipper coral. Sorry for all the questions lol I just like to know about the different types of corals and where they naturally come from. BTW have you considered giving your corals and fish their own unique name? Thank you! And I dont mind the questions lol. Yes, that is a pink stylo. The "turquoise" is supposedly a birdsnest of some kind(I think seriatopora?). I got it from my LFS for 10 bucks, it wasnt doing too good but definitely came around. The grayish stuff by the hammer is the epoxy I used to mount it to the rock, it is pretty top heavy so it took a good bit lol. The green above the light reflection is supposedly an aussie green brain, that's what it was sold as anyways. And no, I actually havent really thought about giving them names. 1 Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 On 1/29/2019 at 10:40 AM, paulsz said: Be glad it's not dinos. I've been battling them for the last 6 months. They suck 😭 Beautiful tank btw. I love the pink sps on the right. Do you have a thread I can look at? Might be able to offer suggestions. (Have you read this?) Quote Link to comment
xthunt Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 On 1/29/2019 at 8:45 AM, mekesterson93 said: Everything seems to be settling down and doing good as of now. The alage has really subsided. Just a little bit forming on the glass. Thats quite the turnaround after half month. What did you change or do, if anything? Quote Link to comment
mekesterson93 Posted February 7, 2019 Author Share Posted February 7, 2019 1 hour ago, xthunt said: Thats quite the turnaround after half month. What did you change or do, if anything? I was very pleased with the results. All i did was add a hang on fuge with chaeto and was persistent with removal of the algae via water changes and Turkey baster. There is still a little tiny patch of cyano on the back side of the rocks but it is not spreading and the sand bed is looking great. Corraline is also growing nicely on the rock. 3 Quote Link to comment
paulsz Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 16 hours ago, mcarroll said: Do you have a thread I can look at? Might be able to offer suggestions Hi Mcarroll. Yes I have looked at that thread on r2r. Thanks for taking the time and putting together a thread with such in depth material! It was much appreciated as i was completely lost trying to understand dinos. I have used that approach for the last 6 months or so. Trying to dirty up the tank but having very little success. Algae isn't growing as much as i'd expect. I don't want to hijack this thread, so I may start another thread here to show my progress. I'll try to get something up this weekend 2 Quote Link to comment
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