Chrysophytes Battle - I need help

[XLReefer525]

Hello all. I have chrysophytes in a newly set up system that has been running for about 6 months. I have never encountered this before, in many years and setups. I did confirm it by microscope. My nitrates have been steady at 5-10, and Phosphate steady at .07 - .1. I started with some live rock from one of my other established tanks, and some dry rock. Very little dry sand as well, plus a cup of live sand from a vendor in the Keys, plus I seeded coralline from about 4 different sources after I kicked the lights on. I have nothing in the tank except a goby and some snails and hermits, which I feed lightly just to keep some nutrients in the system. I have been taking it extremely slow for the system to mature. Lights off for the first 2 months, then on 20% - 40% intensity on an 8 hour schedule thereafter. These chrysophytes just showed up about 2 months ago, and have exploded. The entire tank is a think blanket of it on the rocks and sand. Manual removal is easy, which I have done multiple times, but it's back within a few days, worse than ever.
At this point, I am desperate for a remedy. Waiting it out is obviously not going to work. If at all possible, I do not want to treat with any algeacide or other chemical and just create some other problem. If I have no other choice, I'll do it. But I really, really don't want to. I did add some beneficial bacteria at start up, as well as a few bottles of Microbe-lift about a month ago, over a one month period. Now I just look at the mess and wonder what I can do. It just keeps getting worse.
In the past, I have found black-outs to only be a temporary fix, with no long term success of solving anything. But, being desperate, I have tried this for 3-5 days with this current problem, 2 different times, with no change. Since I have no corals yet, I am considering blacking out the tank for a lengthy period. Like a month or more. Whatever it takes. Does anyone know if this would permanently kill it and solve the issue? It is clear this stuff is photosynthetic. I am really struggling for answers here if anyone can help. I have searched and read all I can find, but I have no comfort on a path forward.

 

[RoanokeReef]

A few weeks of Algaefix took care of them in my tank which you dont want to use but I did the blackout thing I they came right back.

 

[brandon429]

how many gallons is this system

 

[XLReefer525]

how many gallons is this system

200 gallons total, including the sump - it is comprised of two 80 gallon frag tanks sharing one large sump.

 

[brandon429]

reason was asking:

chrysos are not ubiquitous across reef tanks like algae, many dinos are

these are obligate hitchhikers that are rare and brought in by skip qt hardscape additions, and they can also ride in as tiny cells adhered to wet animals we added. even defined qt efforts might not catch them if they don't express in time, but generally these spread by no qt at all along with species like bryopsis and invasive macros


reason this matters: you can't win by altering params it needs to be a physical battle. rip clean, UV is my recommend. some people remove the sandbed then fight, when it sustains clean, they put it back

cells hide in the sand for reseed even if you clean the top areas really well

there indeed might be nutrient pathways you can alter but it will be luck if they work. nobody has a chrysos win thread in pattern using nutrient adjustments.

 

[XLReefer525]

Thank you, I appreciate the input. What about just going dark until they completely die off? I have rock in my sump and bio-media, and there is not a spec of this stuff in the sump, as it gets no light. I had just started to get my coralline growth I was after, and this would surely die off as well, but the fact is everything is so smothered with chrysophytes anyways, nothing else can grow.

 

[Tigershark22]

Howdy!
I’ll begin this by mentioning that I’m a total noob to this myself and this input may not offer you anything you haven’t heard before. If that’s the case, I do apologize. But I can speak on my own circumstances.

They don’t entirely line up with your situation, but hopefully still helpful in some way.
My tank has just completed its cycle at 2 weeks and 3 days, so not near the longevity of yours yet. But I had chrysophytes begin to take over around week 1.
I used 50/50 dry rock and live.
I couldn’t find an abundance of info in my own research but what I did note is that they are more common to establish in tanks with dry rock added, and are most common when nutrients are low. The solution I chose to employ was bacterial diversity and manual removal. I supplemented the live rock with Microbacter and it really seemed to speed up the cycle. The chrysophytes died off almost entirely with the nitrogen increases across the nitrate and nitrite, as well as bringing phosphates up from zero. Other uglies crept in but have been kept at bay. It seems a balance has been achieved for now.

 

[brandon429]

the reason going dark is not a good idea is because it cannot be found in a work thread actually working, for anything including dinos.


dark phasing is just luck events that work sometimes. Oversized UV and detailed physical removal is the only thing we've found that works reliably, when we get nano reef jobs a rip clean is easy. this is hard.


side note: a thread where large tankers removed their sandbed and the turnaround that afforded->

Removing sand to get rid of amphidinium dinos

I used the Seachem sillica test, it's pretty good for just getting an idea, I started at about 2 ppm, and I have been dosing waterglass, now it's up to 6 ppm, which aligns with what I have been dosing. Still no diatoms, but I have been upping the dose, I hope to get them soon. I think most...

www.reef2reef.com

another problem with dark phasing, or dosing, or any other action that what I listed is that dying target cells (if you're lucky they die) will compound in the system and then turn everything into 80 months of dinos and or cyano, a next invader sequence will capitalize on the dead mass left in the system.

removal is the only known current Chryso fight option. no doser exists that anyone can harness effectively. they're rather new to reef battling, nobody had Chryso issues from 2002-2012 ish in my opinion as a 25 yr thread forum addict.

 

[XLReefer525]

Thanks I appreciate your input. Sounds like you won your battle. I'm envious!

Howdy!
I’ll begin this by mentioning that I’m a total noob to this myself and this input may not offer you anything you haven’t heard before. If that’s the case, I do apologize. But I can speak on my own circumstances.

They don’t entirely line up with your situation, but hopefully still helpful in some way.
My tank has just completed its cycle at 2 weeks and 3 days, so not near the longevity of yours yet. But I had chrysophytes begin to take over around week 1.
I used 50/50 dry rock and live.
I couldn’t find an abundance of info in my own research but what I did note is that they are more common to establish in tanks with dry rock added, and are most common when nutrients are low. The solution I chose to employ was bacterial diversity and manual removal. I supplemented the live rock with Microbacter and it really seemed to speed up the cycle. The chrysophytes died off almost entirely with the nitrogen increases across the nitrate and nitrite, as well as bringing phosphates up from zero. Other uglies crept in but have been kept at bay. It seems a balance has been achieved for now.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello all. I have chrysophytes in a newly set up system that has been running for about 6 months. I have never encountered this before, in many years and setups. I did confirm it by microscope. My nitrates have been steady at 5-10, and Phosphate steady at .07 - .1. I started with some live rock from one of my other established tanks, and some dry rock. Very little dry sand as well, plus a cup of live sand from a vendor in the Keys, plus I seeded coralline from about 4 different sources after I kicked the lights on. I have nothing in the tank except a goby and some snails and hermits, which I feed lightly just to keep some nutrients in the system. I have been taking it extremely slow for the system to mature. Lights off for the first 2 months, then on 20% - 40% intensity on an 8 hour schedule thereafter. These chrysophytes just showed up about 2 months ago, and have exploded. The entire tank is a think blanket of it on the rocks and sand. Manual removal is easy, which I have done multiple times, but it's back within a few days, worse than ever.
At this point, I am desperate for a remedy. Waiting it out is obviously not going to work. If at all possible, I do not want to treat with any algeacide or other chemical and just create some other problem. If I have no other choice, I'll do it. But I really, really don't want to. I did add some beneficial bacteria at start up, as well as a few bottles of Microbe-lift about a month ago, over a one month period. Now I just look at the mess and wonder what I can do. It just keeps getting worse.
In the past, I have found black-outs to only be a temporary fix, with no long term success of solving anything. But, being desperate, I have tried this for 3-5 days with this current problem, 2 different times, with no change. Since I have no corals yet, I am considering blacking out the tank for a lengthy period. Like a month or more. Whatever it takes. Does anyone know if this would permanently kill it and solve the issue? It is clear this stuff is photosynthetic. I am really struggling for answers here if anyone can help. I have searched and read all I can find, but I have no comfort on a path forward.

With this substance , you have to remove rock and place in container of tank water and scrub with firm toothbrush or automotive detail brush and hydrogen peroxide , and return to tank. Reduce white intensity and add cleaners such as astrea-nerite-cerith- margarita and ninja star snails and also a couple of pitho crabs to help with control

 

[XLReefer525]

the reason going dark is not a good idea is because it cannot be found in a work thread actually working, for anything including dinos.


dark phasing is just luck events that work sometimes. Oversized UV and detailed physical removal is the only thing we've found that works reliably, when we get nano reef jobs a rip clean is easy. this is hard.


side note: a thread where large tankers removed their sandbed and the turnaround that afforded:

Removing sand to get rid of amphidinium dinos

I used the Seachem sillica test, it's pretty good for just getting an idea, I started at about 2 ppm, and I have been dosing waterglass, now it's up to 6 ppm, which aligns with what I have been dosing. Still no diatoms, but I have been upping the dose, I hope to get them soon. I think most...

www.reef2reef.com

I agree with this. I have never found short black-outs to ever do anything to permanently solve a problem. But, in every thread I have read, people have only tried short black-outs. I'm talking about going dark for a month. Two months. However long it takes to die for good. Possible??

 

[XLReefer525]

With this substance , you have to remove rock and place in container of tank water and scrub with firm toothbrush or automotive detail brush and hydrogen peroxide , and return to tank. Reduce white intensity and add cleaners such as astrea-nerite-cerith- margarita and ninja star snails and also a couple of pitho crabs to help with control

Thank you. I've done this 3 times, and it comes right back with a vengeance.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you. I've done this 3 times, and it comes right back with a vengeance.

What are you using for filters?
Additionally, A UV unit may help. What is your phosphate level and how are you testing?
Are you using any tap water for mixing or top-off? If not, are RODI cartridges expired/ spent?

 

[XLReefer525]

What are you using for filters?
Additionally, A UV unit may help. What is your phosphate level and how are you testing?
Are you using any tap water for mixing or top-off? If not, are RODI cartridges expired/ spent?

I am running a large filter pad / floss in the sump in place of socks, which is changed out regularly. I don't have a UV but I assumed, perhaps wrongly, that it would not solve this issue since it is a coating on every surface. The water itself is clear as can be. I didn't get the sense this ever releases into the water column for UV to make a difference? Like GHA in that regard? My phosphate is always between .07- .1, using Hanna checker. Definitely no tap water. I have a 7-stage RODI with all current filters and cartridges. I use the same RODI water in my other tanks which have never had this problem.

 

[brandon429]

you need to run mini modeling to help this issue. taking risks/chances/guess at 200 gallons is not $ effective and takes huge chances with your remaining animals.


build test bucket reefs

take Chryso rocks from the display, do things to them in the test bucket, don't do that in the display until a test bucket action complies and shows pure win.

be manually removing them from the display, start with a ten hour siphon run today where you change about 75 gallons of water via physical suction of the targets/water out of the display. force compliance until your test bucket smaller reef shows you what works.


don't jack with the main tank until you know what works

if it's a doser you want to try, or a nutrient, or light reduction, or black outs, do it in a test bucket with rocks from the display.

take some rocks and do a proper rip clean on them, plus peroxide spray/rinse off after 5 mins sitting. see if you can burn the buggers off it, then set the rocks back in the test tank and see if they sustain clean.

you will need to light and feed the test tank approx equal in some way to the main tank, put a fish or something in it etc. mimic the presentation the large tank sees in the small bucket to learn your invader's weakness. if this was a nano we'd just rip clean the whole system and be clean by 4 pm.

 

[RoanokeReef]

I am running a large filter pad / floss in the sump in place of socks, which is changed out regularly. I don't have a UV but I assumed, perhaps wrongly, that it would not solve this issue since it is a coating on every surface. The water itself is clear as can be. I didn't get the sense this ever releases into the water column for UV to make a difference? Like GHA in that regard? My phosphate is always between .07- .1, using Hanna checker. Definitely no tap water. I have a 7-stage RODI with all current filters and cartridges. I use the same RODI water in my other tanks which have never had this problem.

I ran a UV the whole battle and it didn't help. For reference I have a 69G and running a 25w Pentair inline the return and display. The only dent I made it in before the AlgaeFix was basically removing most the sand, scrubbing the rock and once most of the sand was gone it helped it not go crazy on the rock work after. I think I would had been successful without the AlgeaFix by scrubbing the rock and removing the sand completely but felt it would have been months to a year. My water was also clear as could be. I didn't have this issue until I tried the DYI reef snow listed on this forum, could have been coincidence though.