need advice

[ohaverd]

So in my other thread call "Hi and (?)" I have some pics of what I think is cyanobacteria. It is getting worse.. and I noticed today that my nitrates have actually spiked to 5.0 ppm... which means when I re-aquascaped and added some dry rock and 50% water change, I must have started a cycle. So what do you guys think? my PH is 8.3, amonia has a very slight reading, maybe 0.5 or .10. and nitrite is 0. so in a 55gal, should I just do water changes to lower the nitrates? Can reaquascaping and just adding in some dry rock and new water start a new cycle? is that what is causing my cyano problem? interested in hearing what you guys think, because before I reaquascaped I had a bad problem with cyano, and my nitrates where allways at 0. weird...

 

 

So I put new bulbs in... I'm making some RO/DI water now for a 20% water change. and I guess I'll just keep turkey basting the cyano off the new rocks... I should probably start testing my phosphates too. Your thoughts?

 

 

 

Also, in my "Hi and (?)" thread, I posted some pics of the cyano on my sandbed and also some pics of some mysterious things in my sump, if anyone can identify the things in my sump I'd appreciate it.

 

 

 

thanks

[tomtom2245]

Having an ammonia reading indicates to me that you either had something die or are going through a cycle. Did you let your tank fully cycle when you first started it? I saw that it was only 3 months old. As for the reaquascaping, that could have stirred up some stuff in your sand bed and hence the spike. As for the cyano, that's most likely a product of the increase in nitrates. Your tests may show a reading a 0 but that may just be because the cyano is eating it all up. If the bulbs were old then the shift in spectrum can trigger algae blooms as well.

[Jan]

The dry rock probably has dead stuff on it and it's causing a cycle. It will most likely be a soft cycle but you need to get a handle on it; keep doing water changes, run carbon and dose cycle or something equivalent or reomove the rock and put it in a bucket with some tank water and let it cycle outside of the tank. You need to check ammonia and nitrites after every water change to see where you are in the cycle. You wont be able to get a handle on anything else until you get rifd of the ammonia and nitrites. ...sounds like you're coming out of the cycle with a nitrite of 5.0 but you need to keep on it.

 

quote name='ohaverd' date='05 November 2011 - 05:49 PM' timestamp='1320529774' post='386885']

So in my other thread call "Hi and (?)" I have some pics of what I think is cyanobacteria. It is getting worse.. and I noticed today that my nitrates have actually spiked to 5.0 ppm... which means when I re-aquascaped and added some dry rock and 50% water change, I must have started a cycle. So what do you guys think? my PH is 8.3, amonia has a very slight reading, maybe 0.5 or .10. and nitrite is 0. so in a 55gal, should I just do water changes to lower the nitrates? Can reaquascaping and just adding in some dry rock and new water start a new cycle? is that what is causing my cyano problem? interested in hearing what you guys think, because before I reaquascaped I had a bad problem with cyano, and my nitrates where allways at 0. weird...

 

 

So I put new bulbs in... I'm making some RO/DI water now for a 20% water change. and I guess I'll just keep turkey basting the cyano off the new rocks... I should probably start testing my phosphates too. Your thoughts?

 

 

 

Also, in my "Hi and (?)" thread, I posted some pics of the cyano on my sandbed and also some pics of some mysterious things in my sump, if anyone can identify the things in my sump I'd appreciate it.

 

 

 

thanks

[ohaverd]

When I first started this tank I put some live rock from a break down and half and added the live sand, and then I used "Real Ocean Water" from Petco. So the tank never cycled for the first two months, it just always had perfect numbers. Then I bought a few fish, one at a time and noticed small spikes in amonia, then nitrite, then nitrates, then nothing every time I added one. then all my level were at 0, but I had a huge GHA problem, which went away after I removed some smooth rocks and added crabs and snails. So then, I got sick of wasting money on "real ocean water" and bought a RO/DI filter. and started using that... I think switching to this water is what started my cyano outbreak, as I didnt keep the PH quite hight enough... and then I added a few chunks of dry rock from Bulk Reef Supply I believe... and the cyano took to the new rocks like crazy, so I did the re-aquacape a couple of weeks ago, and added even more dry rock to complete it and get that over with... And after stirring up the sand I think I started a cycle, I'll keep doing water changes and all that and keep you guys posted. I realize now why people culter thier rock in a separate bucket... it makes it really hard for coraline to grow on something that is GHA and cyano magnet.

 

 

I swear that I have crappy eyes or something, cause I am horrible at seeing exactly what color the tubes fall under on the params chart when water testing. lol

[jason the filter freak]

Don't worry about the color and being exaclty on, you have to be pretty close, but even the best of use would disagree some if put in the same room to look at the same time.