I need Help Trashed Tank.

usmcgriff · Jun 16, 2015

Ok to start I trashed my Tank. not a good way to start. i have had This 40 Gallon breeder for about 15 months. i was running a large can filter hang on skimmer and using tape water. every thing seemed to be fine. some soft coral and fish. corals were going great and then Boom Brown algae and the coral is very unhappy. So now i started to put out the Fire. bought some test kits found my NO3 was at 40ppm. at that point i took out the can filter and replaced with a sump. i did 7 10gallon water changed to not shock the fish with a sudden drop in nitrates. after that i removed all the rock and got all the build up out of the tank. after a week i did a 50% water change. i installed a GFO and Carbon reactors and now running filter socks that i change out every two days to catch as much crap and remove it. i am running a skimmer for a 150 gallon tank. now i am doing 10% water changes every week all with RODI water and reef crystals salt. I have tested for Ph calcium n03 KH and i right where they should be but my phosphates are still .25 i have been running the GFO for 3 weeks and i just changed it out and i still have brown Algae no other algae. i have used the flow in my tank with Tunze power heads on a wave maker to increase the flow and make it more random. just not sure what else to do other than wait. and i am pretty sure that is the answer but i just want to make sure any ideas.

HiddenUser · Jun 16, 2015

Stay aggressive with GFO, water changes, and wait it out.

Could try going for 3 days without lights to combat the algae. I've had luck with that in addition to a 50% water change.

usmcgriff · Jun 16, 2015

I have Read that Lights out really dose not help with Diatom brown algae. i know the biggest thing with time with the phosphate and silicates and when that is gone they will die out but i just don't know why my coral is still very unhappy. photos of before and now. color change and closed up. but the water is perfect except for phosphates. first ones where before and the last one are now.

booth2010 · Jun 16, 2015

If your problem is diatoms thats normal and theyll go away, gets snails if you want to speed up removal

usmcgriff · Jun 16, 2015

i assume it is Diatoms it is brown and stringy and it is all over every thing and makes that tank water smell. i have a big clean up crew. I am starting week 5 since that tank crashed i guess i am just not being patient enough thanks

Lynn52 · Jun 16, 2015

Diatoms are not stringy, more powdery nor do they make the tank smell. Maybe dinoflagellates.

usmcgriff · Jun 16, 2015

yeah looking that up that is what it looks like. now what do i do

Rob.D · Jun 17, 2015

usmcgriff said:
yeah looking that up that is what it looks like. now what do i do

Time and using RO water for top off and using it to mix saltwater. Good luck!

KJ · Jun 18, 2015

Rob.D said:
Time and using RO water for top off and using it to mix saltwater. Good luck!

A+ Roberto

cee · Jun 18, 2015

Large changes done over short periods of time never gives desirable results. Care to post the other "perfect" parameters ?

Omega0397 · Jun 19, 2015

Dinos are hard to get rid of and made me pull my hair out for awhile. Water changes seem to accelerate their growth unfortunately. I did a complete lights out for 3 days which included wrapping the tank in cardboard to keep light out. After that, I only ran my blues for about a week since they don't seem to do as well with them.

usmcgriff · Jun 22, 2015

Temp 77.8 ph 8.4 alkainity 9 nitrate 0 phoshate 0.2 calcium 440 magnesium 1350. i have done no more water changes. and all water changes have been done with RODI water first thing i did was buy a RODI unit. i did three days of darkness and now i have just had the blue lights on for two days now and still have the stuff. it is not as bad but still coming back. I am thinking it is time for me to upgrade to a larger tank. So been thinking about moving all live stock to QT tank and fresh water diping coral and starting a new Bigger tank. and never ever using tap water again. that is the only place i can think that it came from because it is the only thing that had been added to the tank in months.