Out of control algae!!

[Anemone]

Also forgot to mention:the water coming from our RO/DI unit had small amounts of ammonia. We believe this was the culprit. We've replaced the filters and so far so good...

Good thing to keep in mind when things get wonky. How high was the ammonia?

[WheresTheReef]

Might invest in an inline TDS meter. Easy way to spot check each time you make water.

[WheresTheReef]

On second thought, I don't think the TDS meter would actually pick up the ammonia.

Edited April 18, 2016 by WheresTheReef

[Origami]

On second thought, I don't think the TDS meter would actually pick up the ammonia.

A TDS meter will pick up ammonia as it'll ionize in the water to ammonium. You won't be able to tell it apart from any other ion (e.g. phosphate) that comes through, though. For that, you'll need to test the water. 

 

To the OP, if you're detecting ammonia in the water, then first test the water from your RO/DI unit. Be sure to collect water directly from your RO/DI output and don't take it from your reservoir. This way, you'll be assured that anything you're picking up is coming from the RO/DI system and not your container. Then, once you're sure it's coming from your RO/DI unit, call you water treatment company and ask if they're using chloramine right now to treat their water or if they use it seasonally. If so, you may want to consider adding more carbon stages to your RO/DI to increase contact time (or replace it if you've had it in for 6 months to a year or longer) or buying a chloramine buster pack. Finally, you also need to check your DI resin as it should collect any ammonia in the water before it gets past. If ammonia is getting past this stage, then it's likely exhausted.

 

Here's an article on chloramine and reefing from a while back if interested. 

[rebekwl]

woah... when was the last time you changed your filters? And the membrane?

it Had been a while lol

[rebekwl]

Good thing to keep in mind when things get wonky. How high was the ammonia?

.20 maybe a little higher

[rebekwl]

A TDS meter will pick up ammonia as it'll ionize in the water to ammonium. You won't be able to tell it apart from any other ion (e.g. phosphate) that comes through, though. For that, you'll need to test the water. 

 

To the OP, if you're detecting ammonia in the water, then first test the water from your RO/DI unit. Be sure to collect water directly from your RO/DI output and don't take it from your reservoir. This way, you'll be assured that anything you're picking up is coming from the RO/DI system and not your container. Then, once you're sure it's coming from your RO/DI unit, call you water treatment company and ask if they're using chloramine right now to treat their water or if they use it seasonally. If so, you may want to consider adding more carbon stages to your RO/DI to increase contact time (or replace it if you've had it in for 6 months to a year or longer) or buying a chloramine buster pack. Finally, you also need to check your DI resin as it should collect any ammonia in the water before it gets past. If ammonia is getting past this stage, then it's likely exhausted.

 

Here's an article on chloramine and reefing from a while back if interested. 

Yea, we tested everything after the new filters and resin.. and now we are at 0. This mistake will not be made again :-)

Edited April 23, 2016 by rebekwl

[rebekwl]

On second thought, I don't think the TDS meter would actually pick up the ammonia.

Yea, inline meter is on the way for standard testing tho. My other one took a shat, And we never replaced it

Edited April 23, 2016 by rebekwl

[rebekwl]

So it's been 2 weeks since we revamped the tank.  

 

Here's what we did:

-Removed all livestock

-Scrubbed all rock and tank free of algae 

-Removed 1/2 of the sand

-100% water change

-Changed filters in RO/DI unit

 

Today, the nitrates are still off the charts.  We're doing a 20% water change, but we're not too confident that's going to put a dent in the nitrates.  With no livestock and clean water being used to top off - what could be causing the nitrates to stay so high?  We checked for ammonia and nitrites a week after the revamp and neither was present, so if it did go through the 1st 2 stages of a cycle after the 100% water change, it happened very quickly.  

 

Could the nitrates possibly be leaching out of the rock?  If that's the case, I wonder how long it will take for things to go back to normal... 

[Origami]

Nitrates, in all likelihood, are simply byproducts of your tank's biological filter that is still not fully developed at the anaerobic end. Ammonia and nitrites are processed in higher-oxygen areas (aerobic) areas by bacteria that multiply more quickly and typically have a lot of surface area to colonize in our tanks. The processing of nitrates, though, is done in low-oxygen (anaerobic) areas by bacteria that multiply more slowly. As a consequence, nitrates can sometimes begin to accumulate in situations where these bacteria have not been well developed and the tank continues to get fed at the front end by ammonia-producing sources. Time may help to bring these into check. You can also try planting some macroalgae in a refugium to compete for the nitrates currently fueling your algae growth. 

 

Nitrates should not "leach" out of the rock. However, if the rock has been used for a very long time and there are organics clogging the pores, it's possible that it's further slowing the development of anaerobic bacteria by limiting access to areas where they can colonize.

[sen5241b]

I had a similar problem a few months ago, and once I got serious about fixing it, it didn't take much.

 

Here's what I did:

 

Beefed up my cleaning crew

Replaced my or membrane

Added a brs gfo reactor

Then I did 50% water change and picked as much algae off the rocks and glass as possible.

The algae that was left turned brown so I did another water change and it came off really easily. After that The algae hasn't come back.

 

I've done 3 day blackouts (ensuring NO light at all) and then followed with a 50% water change. If you do this, test 'trates before the blackout, after the blackout and then again after the 50% water change. Yes, the 50% took out half the 'trates.

Edited April 27, 2016 by sen5241b