Smothering brown algae help

[Hazy]

Recently my thriving corals have been smothered by this brown algae. It doesn’t go on the rocks or glass, just my gorgonians and star polyps. 
any idea what it is and how to be rid of it? 
I need to do water changes but my pet store has been out of salt for a month and I need to order some. 
I will post my tank parameters here once I test for them hopefully later today. 
Any help is appreciated! 

[seabass]

It's hard to say for sure what it is.  I might guess cyano or diatoms, but it could be something else.  How would you describe the flow in your tank (low, medium, or high)?

 

38 minutes ago, Hazy said:

I will post my tank parameters here once I test for them hopefully later today. 

I'm mostly curious about phosphate and nitrate.  Sometimes it's because these nutrient levels are too low (in which case, water changes might not help much).

 

One thing you can't really test for is organic wastes.  Can you describe you filtration (like activated carbon, protein skimmer, filter floss).

[mcarroll]

Looks like you have some die off in your second photo...that'll lead to cyano if you leave it in place.  Natural follow up question is what conditions led to the die off?

 

In addition to the water test results subsea asked for above, could you also post a full tank pic including flow pumps and lights?

[Hazy]

I have no protein skimmer. (Mostly because I don’t have the space or the money) 

I don’t run carbon either. I have a water pump that has a place for a floss sponge and gravel for bacteria growth. 
also tons of live rock and sand. 
 

I would describe flow as medium. And there are hardly any “dead spots.” 
 

also the gorgonian in the photo you mentioned had die off because my citron goby decided to snack on it 🤦🏼‍♀️

it was a goner anyway to I took it out.

it seems like my tank is improving slightly but nothing is thriving like it has been. 
 

nitrate is 0ppm 
nitrite is 0ppm 

ph is 7.5 

SG is 1.025 

dkh is 11.5 

I don’t have a test for phosphate. 
 

my lights are just a LED strip. Nothing fancy

sorry it took so long to get back to you. I’ve been so busy I totally forgot to reply.

Also sorry the pictures are so bad. I have terrible lighting in the room and not a great camera. 
If you want different angles just let me know. 

[seabass]

I was concerned that nutrient levels might be too low, which your test results confirm.  You also need a low range phosphate test kit which can determine levels between 0.03 and 0.10 ppm of phosphate.

 

Most corals get a lot of their energy from lighting and inorganic nutrients in the water.  If one, or both, are lacking, coral can starve.

 

The bloom that is happening also requires nutrients and light.   This has been a dilemma since the origins of reef keeping.  However, some of these pest blooms can out compete coral in these deprived conditions.

 

Therefore, I usually suggest trying to support your corals’ needs while dealing with photosynthetic pests.  This often includes tank maintenance, more herbivores, and dosing nutrients.

 

So I’m guessing that the bloom is cyanobacteria, which could also be using up the nutrients in the water.  Another pest (which is more sinister and can thrive in nutrient deprived water that has little competition) is dinos.  While I’m not saying I believe you’re seeing a dino bloom, I recommend supporting the desirable photosynthetic life by maintaining healthy inorganic nutrient levels.

 

Also, your maintenance should concentrate on the reduction of dead organic matter.  This includes uneaten food, fish waste (detritus), and even dissolved organics.

[Hazy]

How do I increase inorganic nutrient levels? 
I never feed my corals… would it help if I did? If I feed them larger foods like frzn brine, my cleaner shrimp always steals it and pinches the corals in the process. 

[mcarroll]

10 hours ago, Hazy said:

I have no protein skimmer. (Mostly because I don’t have the space or the money) 

If you take out the power filter a small protein skimmer could live in about the same space.  IMO take some time and save up the money for one.

 

10 hours ago, Hazy said:

I don’t run carbon either. I have a water pump that has a place for a floss sponge and gravel for bacteria growth. 
also tons of live rock and sand. 

The live rock is good (excess isn't necessarily helpful, but IMO you have a nice amount), but the others don't really promote the things you want in a reef.  I would decommission the power filter.

 

10 hours ago, Hazy said:

I would describe flow as medium. And there are hardly any “dead spots.” 

It's practically impossible for one pump to provide good flow to the whole tank....every physical obstruction creates a "flow shadow" behind it where detritus will settle, etc.

 

In the ocean, the tides (flow one way for a few hours, then the other way for a few hours) naturally solve this problem.  

 

In a tank, we can simulate this closely enough by using two pumps.  Even in slightly different locations they cast different "flow shadows"....each one "wiping out" the other's shadow when flow switches from one to the other.   (Should happen around as often as the real tides switch.)

 

So "no dead spots" is a realistic goal if you have the right approach. 👍  (The power filter is an OK flow source but maybe not big enough to matter in this tank.  I'd run it empty, no media, until you can get a second powerhead.)

 

10 hours ago, Hazy said:

nitrate is 0ppm 
nitrite is 0ppm 

ph is 7.5 

SG is 1.025 

dkh is 11.5 

I don’t have a test for phosphate. 
 

pH seems a tad low, but those test are usually hard to read to the decimal.  Does it make any sense to you that it would be so low?  Does the room the tank is in get regular air flow from the HVAC system?

 

dKH seems on the high side – especially considering how low pH seems to be riding.  If you're doing anything to raise alk, stop.   If not, what salt are you using?   Can you test a batch of newly made saltwater? (at least 20-30 minutes old....an hour would be OK.....enough so that it's an CO2-equiplibrium with the room the tank is in.).

 

High alk makes the potential for bad things happening to corals a bit higher under low nutrient conditions, so we're concerned.

 

Given the low nitrates and lack of PO4 test, I agree with seabass that getting a PO4 test should be top priority.  (You need phosphates the most.)

 

10 hours ago, Hazy said:

my lights are just a LED strip. Nothing fancy

sorry it took so long to get back to you. I’ve been so busy I totally forgot to reply.

Is it a reef light?  Or something more general purpose?   In the photos the light looks fairly white.  (Not very reefy.)

 

2 hours ago, Hazy said:

How do I increase inorganic nutrient levels? 
I never feed my corals… would it help if I did? If I feed them larger foods like frzn brine, my cleaner shrimp always steals it and pinches the corals in the process. 

I would say feed your larger animals....fish, shrimp, whatever else you have.  

 

Corals are unreliable feeders, so targeting them will generate a high amount of waste food in the system – overfeeding, kinda by definition.   We'd really prefer not to over feed.  So IMO don't feed your corals.

 

If you're doing extra water changes (ie ones that aren't for a specific reason) now's the time to stop.  

 

Again, I would consider switching from the sponge/bio-media to a protein skimmer.  Watch out for a used one to come up for sale if you're REALLY on a budget.   My whole first system was either used or clearance gear.  (some of it was top-flight gear that I still have many moons later)    I had no real budget for a tank back then.

[seabass]

I agree with mcarroll on everything except maybe disconnecting the power filter.  However, it shouldn’t contain bio-media (the rock in your tank is your bio-filter).

 

The flow from a power filter is often downward instead of side to side.  So another powerhead isn’t a bad idea.

 

If keeping the power filter (which I feel would be fine), you can either run it without media as suggested, or with filter floss that is regularly cleaned or replaced.  Also, activated carbon is fine to use (some people only use it occasionally) to help remove some of the dissolved organics in the water; plus it helps with the discoloration of the water.

 

Also as suggested, don’t over feed to raise nutrient levels.  There are products which you can dose that can increase nutrient levels.  Don’t overdo dosing; keeping nutrients at a minimum level is fine when dosing because they are low.  The minimum level for phosphate is 0.03 ppm, and the minimum level for nitrate is 3 ppm.

[Hazy]

The room the tank is in, is a bedroom and it sleeps 3 kids and two dogs at night. So the CO2 is very high even with the window cracked. I think that may be why I have low phosphates, pH and high dKH…. Right? 
I am not dosing anything to the tank, and I haven’t done a water change in over a month. (Other than topping off from evaporation) 

I have dosed small amounts of calcium (by itself) into the tank but I haven’t done it in a while, mostly because I’ve heard something about dosing it with magnesium and dKH. 
 

if I need a three part dosing kit with magnesium, calcium and pH, what brand/kind do you recommend? 
 

also my tank lights are meant for a fish tank, but they are just LEDs. what kind of lights would make it more “reefy?” 
(and how expensive are they?) 
 

[seabass]

High CO2 will lower pH (not other parameters).  With alkalinity that high, I doubt that you need to be dosing alkalinity, calcium, or magnesium.  Low nutrient levels are likely due to the cyano bloom.  The cyano bloom is likely due to excess organics.  Excess organics might be from lack of maintenance and insufficient flow.

 

The spectrum of the light might also favor cyanobacteria.  We'd need to know your tank's dimensions in order to recommend a proper reef light.

 

When I was talking about dosing, I was talking about dosing phosphate and nitrate.  Brightwell has products for both.

[mcarroll]

12 hours ago, Hazy said:

So the CO2 is very high even with the window cracked.

 

In general, photosynthesis uses a lot of CO2.  

 

So when the lights go out, CO2 tends to accumulate in the water to a degree....which decreases pH.  

 

So pH getting lower at night is normal – right before lights-on in the morning is often the lowest pH of the day.  (Right before lights-out and right before lights-on are the more interesting times of day to test.)

 

If some humans and canines come into the room at lights-out to sleep too, then that would have some effect on ambient CO2 levels.  

 

Airflow within the room and air-exchange with the tank are important linkages between ambient CO2 levels and tank pH levels – it's not necessarily complete link.  Your open window makes an offsetting difference, for example.  So does the door to the room being open.  What season it is/how often HVAC runs...exchaning air between the rooms.  Et cetera.

 

If your pH isn't going below 7.5 all night (especially right before lights-on) then it's probably not worth worrying about.  If corals look good then pH probably isn't worth worrying about almost regardless of the number.

 

IMO the only CO2 worth worrying about is ambient – CO2 in the air; not what's in the tank.  You and your housemates are breathing it.  CO2 is more or less good for the tank....even at relatively elevated levels.  Elevated CO2 levels are NOT good for us though....it can be quite dangerous if levels get into the 1,000+ ppm range.  🤪

 

So if you have real suspicion that you CO2 levels are high, get the air tested and confirm it.  If CO2 really is high, get it fixed – your HVAC can be set up to introduce more fresh air to the house.

 

(BTW, if you're in there with the windows open, it's unlikely IMO that CO2 is accumulating.  To my knowledge it's only even been a problem is super-sealed newer houses where the residents are more or less TOTALLY cut off from fresh air.  Older houses typically have LOTS of small air intrusions all over the place....so an open window isn't necessary.)

 

12 hours ago, Hazy said:

also my tank lights are meant for a fish tank, but they are just LEDs

Reading you literally, "fish tank lights" are mostly white...or totally white.   This color will be very prone to making corals look bad, or even unhappy, as well as being conducive to algae growth.  We want no more than 50% white light, generally speaking.  (There are lots of good mostly-blue sub-combinations.)

 

Not sure what tank you have, but I see you have a thread that mentions a 30 Gallon.  If it's a standard 36" 30 Gallon, then a Current USA Orbit IC or Orbit IC Pro setup would work, for one example.  

 

There are TONS of good options though.  If you can confirm your tank's dimensions AND your budget for lighting, you'll get plenty of solid recommendations.

[Hazy]

My tank is a 40gal but it’s only holding about 37gal atm. 
I haven’t measured it but 🤷🏼‍♀️ 

 

[seabass]

So I assume that it's 36" x 18" x 17".

 

Two AI Prime 16HD Reef fixtures would be good.  Of course there are a few more budget friendly options available too.

[Hazy]

Those are very tempting lights. What are some of the cheeper options? 
 

also do you know if the AI prime needs to be hung? Or can it be mounted to the tank? 

[seabass]

1 hour ago, Hazy said:

do you know if the AI prime needs to be hung? Or can it be mounted to the tank? 

Either:

  or 

 

1 hour ago, Hazy said:

What are some of the cheeper options?

There are a number of cheap fixtures.  You could get a couple of these:

https://www.amazon.com/SMATFARM-LED-Aquarium-Light-Dimmable/dp/B08VWRJXS9/

[Variant]

Dropping in my unsolicited 2 cents 😅
 

1. Just based on a few of your photos, the corals look like they're dying and the brown "stuff" is simply growing on where the recent die off occurred as it is likely to be most organic rich.
2. If #1 is true, the cause can be a combination of your low nutrients and lighting. Be careful thought because if you don't have robust filtration (e.g. skimmer) then getting lights that are powerful enough for corals will likely fuel faster growth of all things photosynthetic, including algae.
3. Assuming your pH reading is accurate, that's pretty low. While this can be due to atmospheric CO2 being high in the area the tank is in, this can also occur when there are too many organics in your water, causing a bacterial bloom. Note that such blooms don't always visually represnt themselves through cloudly and/or green water. Your water can look visibly clear and a bacteria can grow rapidly, depleting your oxygen in the tank. Low pH slows down coral growth but increases algae growth wheras high ph increases coral growth but decreases algae growth.
4. If you can't have proper filtration or do larger frequent water changes, getting expensive more intense lights might just make your frustrated as more algae grows. Might be able to combat this by packing your tank full of corals to outcompete the algae. There are parallels to planted freshwater tanks here; if you add intense lighting to grow you demanding plants like some carpeting plants and you don't have CO2 supplementation, you're just going to grow tons of algae. Think of lighting and filtration to go hand in hand, if you improve one, you really should improve the other.

[seabass]

Also, if you are getting a new light, set the intensity low to start, then slowly increase the intensity a little once a week (until it's at the desired level).