Help me stop the blooms!

[iwishtofish]

For the past 4 days, or so, I've been having heavy blooms in my tank. They are, I imagine, either algal or bacterial. They are happening in the mornings, after the sun comes up but before my tank lights come on. They clear up by the evening.

Some tank background:

75g tank w/40b sump, running just over 3 months. 50 lbs of Marco Rock, sand removed a couple weeks back. 8 lbs of live rock in the sump. 36" 6-bulb Tek T5 fixture, Reef Octopus XS-200 skimmer.

Cycled with raw shrimp and MB7. Continued MB7 at maintenance dose after 2 weeks of heavy dosing. Last dosed it about a week ago. Just got GFO and carbon reactors online a few days ago. Using filter sock which browns up quickly. Skimmer foaming and drawing wet skimmate slowly. I don't dose anything now.

Last readings:

Alk 8-9
pH 8.2
Ammonia 0
Temp around 78-79

I am at a loss for what to do! Amazingly, my 2 new SPS corals seem to be thriving. I do have some brown algae on the rocks, but it appears to be dying. Any thoughts are appreciated!

[iwishtofish]

Anyone experienced this?

[Reefahholic]

any pictures?

[iwishtofish]

any pictures?

Here's the tank recently in the morning. The water is crystal clear right now, but I dread seeing it 8 hours from now!

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb113/bjdoyle64/cloudy_morning01.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb113/bjdoyle64/cloudy_morning02.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb113/bjdoyle64/cloudy_morning03.jpg

The pictures make it all look a little browner than it is. The first picture is probably most representative. Most of the really dark spots on the rock is coralline starting to grow (it hasn't turned pink yet).

Here's the sump - notice how dirty the sock gets pretty quickly. The skimmer shot is recent, as well.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb113/bjdoyle64/cloudy_morning04.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb113/bjdoyle64/cloudy_morning05.jpg

[Bigcefa]

i dont know if you plan on putting sand back in but be careful with that egg crate it can trap detritus, and im not sure what bloom your trying to point out the brown rocks? Or does the water get cloudy then clear up?

[iwishtofish]

i dont know if you plan on putting sand back in but be careful with that egg crate it can trap detritus, and im not sure what bloom your trying to point out the brown rocks? Or does the water get cloudy then clear up?

Thanks for the tip on the egg crate. I have serious flow through most of the tank, and will work on a couple dead spots...

Yes, I have cloudy water blooms - every morning now for about 4 days. The water clears up at night, as seen (I hope) in these two pictures from late tonight, under just blue lights:

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb113/bjdoyle64/clear_for_now02.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb113/bjdoyle64/clear_for_now01.jpg

[Bigcefa]

well i can tell you i had a similar problem when using the mb7, i overdosed im pretty sure and my water was uber cloudy few water changes help rid it, dont know if thats the cause but sounds like a bacteria bloom but mine didnt fade away in the evening so your issue may be different but My guess is the mb7

ps try a uv sterilizer i had a deep blue professional in tank uv that i forgot i used and i suppose that might of helped as well

[iwishtofish]

well i can tell you i had a similar problem when using the mb7, i overdosed im pretty sure and my water was uber cloudy few water changes help rid it, dont know if thats the cause but sounds like a bacteria bloom but mine didnt fade away in the evening so your issue may be different but My guess is the mb7

Yeah, that's what has me really puzzled - if it's a photosynthetic bacteria/algae, then I'd think it would persist all the way through lights-on. Regardless, I am going to cease dosing MB7.

Snails don't spawn over the course of a week, and only do so at night, do they?

Edit: Yes, I am considering a UV if it doesn't stop soon.

[iwishtofish]

Well, I've been really racking my brain to figure out why this only happens after dark, and I have come up with an idea... :idea:

The snails seem to become most active at night. Is it possible that in the process of their grazing, they are stirring/breaking up more algae than they consume and polluting the water column that way? Maybe my skimmer and filter sock just take a full day to clean it up, and then they do it again?

[Chris27]

Given that you have ceased dosing MB7, give it a few days to adjust and then report back.

[anthony27]

I had that problem with the tank, it could be the bulbs and also I started to use mb7 and biofule. That really helped out my tank.

[iwishtofish]

Given that you have ceased dosing MB7, give it a few days to adjust and then report back.

Yes, will do!

I had that problem with the tank, it could be the bulbs and also I started to use mb7 and biofule. That really helped out my tank.

Interesting...and I've just stopped it to try to clear things up! :)

[anthony27]

well you can not dose mb7 all the time it has to be once a week. I would def check the ppm (phosphates in the tank), also change out the carbon every couple of days.

Check the bulbs, even thought the bulbs are new. I have found this problem with the GE bulb. That buld is intended for plant growth in fresh water tanks.

[iwishtofish]

well you can not dose mb7 all the time it has to be once a week. I would def check the ppm (phosphates in the tank), also change out the carbon every couple of days.

Check the bulbs, even thought the bulbs are new. I have found this problem with the GE bulb. That buld is intended for plant growth in fresh water tanks.

I will definitely check into the GE bulb - I do have one! Yeah, I've been dosing MB7 once a week now for almost 3 mos...

[Chris27]

I wouldn't be too concerned with the bulbs, given the "bloom" goes away when the lights are off. On top of that, I have yet to experience cloudy water as a result of lighting, regardless of the bulbs color or age.

My money is on a bacterial bloom, perhaps you're adding too much given you don't have any livestock, just give the tank some time without it.

[iwishtofish]

I wouldn't be too concerned with the bulbs, given the "bloom" goes away when the lights are off. On top of that, I have yet to experience cloudy water as a result of lighting, regardless of the bulbs color or age.

My money is on a bacterial bloom, perhaps you're adding too much given you don't have any livestock, just give the tank some time without it.

I'm still waiting it out. Cloudy again this morning, but I think it might have started to clear up a little earlier today than yesterday.

[iwishtofish]

I decided to bump this up one more time, in search of new ideas...

Bloom still happening. Didn't kill my corals yet, but there is some color lost (either less light, or phosphates).

[rsaha]

I had a bacterial bloom that lasted 2 weeks. Different than yours because the cloudiness was pretty consistent. Borrowed a uv sterilizer and the water is back to crystal clear. I am not saying I fixed the underlying problem but at least I can work on that without worrying that my tank is O2 depleted.

[obaptista]

Could post a Nitrite, Nitrate and Phosphate reading? That may help folks zero-in on the problem. Also, did this seem to happen right after you removed the sand? Was there any live stock in the tank other than the sps?

[iwishtofish]

I had a bacterial bloom that lasted 2 weeks. Different than yours because the cloudiness was pretty consistent. Borrowed a uv sterilizer and the water is back to crystal clear. I am not saying I fixed the underlying problem but at least I can work on that without worrying that my tank is O2 depleted.

Yes, the coming and going seems to be what has most people stumped on this. Clear as a bell late last night (well, at least comparatively), and foggy as can be this morning.

Could post a Nitrite, Nitrate and Phosphate reading? That may help folks zero-in on the problem. Also, did this seem to happen right after you removed the sand? Was there any live stock in the tank other than the sps?

I can post nitrate and phosphate soon, I hope. The phosphate test will just be an API kit.

The sand had been removed for a while before this began to happen. I started to pull it out on June 6. On June 26, I added 10 snails (8 astrea), and on June 28 I began to run GFO. On the 29th, I began to run carbon. The fogginess started to come around between the 26th and the 28th. Prior to the snails, I just had a few hermits, mushrooms, GSP, and live rock critters.

[iwishtofish]

Well, I did a lot of tests tonight, but no nitrite or nitrate. I don't have a nitrite kit yet, and the nitrate kit (Salifert) is 3-4 years old now, so I'm not sure I should trust it.

But here's what I did do, although these readings might not be as key to the problem as nitrite and nitrate:

pH 8.4 (API)
Alk 8 (API)
Ca 440 (API)
Mg 1350 (Salifert)
PO4 0 (API)
Sg 1.026 (refractometer)
Temp 78.6

I got up early this morning and watched the bloom. I think maybe it was a little less intense today. It occurs very slowly over a couple of hours, and begins when ambient light comes through the windows. The tank is never in direct sunlight.

My SPS corals have lost a little color (they are new, and that could be for many reasons, I know), but the oddest thing is that my GSP in the sump has become withdrawn. The mushrooms aren't looking thrilled either.

:(

[obaptista]

Ok - So in the absence of any well-informed help, I will give it a shot. I experienced something like this > 20 years ago in a FOWLR tank with daylight bulbs. The owner at my LFS said it was an algal bloom in a free floating phase. Sounded good to me. Three days of darkness, no lights, shades drawn and a phosphate pad later, the bloom was gone. I was not testing for phosphates, but I expect they were high. If not, when the algae died, I'm sure it released nitrates and phosphates into the water. I changed a third of the water and the crisis was over.

[iwishtofish]

Ok - So in the absence of any well-informed help, I will give it a shot. I experienced something like this > 20 years ago in a FOWLR tank with daylight bulbs. The owner at my LFS said it was an algal bloom in a free floating phase. Sounded good to me. Three days of darkness, no lights, shades drawn and a phosphate pad later, the bloom was gone. I was not testing for phosphates, but I expect they were high. If not, when the algae died, I'm sure it released nitrates and phosphates into the water. I changed a third of the water and the crisis was over.

Hey, thanks! Did your bloom come and go at the same times of the day, or was it continuous? The curious thing with mine is that it blooms before my lights come on (with start of outside light), and then fades slowly throughout the photoperiod.

[obaptista]

It was a long time ago. But I seem to remember the photo period entering into the diagnosis.

[iwishtofish]

Well, the blooming has stopped. No idea why, how, or what it was, for certain.

[plasmacon]

I would like to ask how much fully mature live rock you have % wise? 50% mature? Out of say 50 lbs of rock, things tend to be much more stable if you ratio is 50/50. Everytime someone I know goes with 90% marco rock or dead rock, with one piece of mature rock, things are unstable for a long time. Hair algae can cover all the exposed surface... I try to keep some extra mature rock for the purpose of starting new tanks, then add dead rock back in to grow it out.

Your system does not look as though it has much diversity, micro and macro fauna. You might consider adding 20 lbs of totally mature and cured live rock, with hundreds of different species, then grow out dry rock. It is only my 2 cents, but it makes things much, much easier. If you do, you will always have a supply of these organisms... Getting a decent microscope will help you pass the time until your blooms fade away as well.

[iwishtofish]

I would like to ask how much fully mature live rock you have % wise? 50% mature? Out of say 50 lbs of rock, things tend to be much more stable if you ratio is 50/50. Everytime someone I know goes with 90% marco rock or dead rock, with one piece of mature rock, things are unstable for a long time. Hair algae can cover all the exposed surface... I try to keep some extra mature rock for the purpose of starting new tanks, then add dead rock back in to grow it out.

Your system does not look as though it has much diversity, micro and macro fauna. You might consider adding 20 lbs of totally mature and cured live rock, with hundreds of different species, then grow out dry rock. It is only my 2 cents, but it makes things much, much easier. If you do, you will always have a supply of these organisms... Getting a decent microscope will help you pass the time until your blooms fade away as well.

Oh, not much live rock at all. Only 8lbs vs nearly 50lbs of dry rock. That 8lbs, however, was absolutely loaded with critters when I put it in, and they are slowly making it up to the DT. Some examples are: pods, bristle worms, asterinas, feather dusters, spaghetti worms, serpent stars, coralline, and stomatella. Not to mention a small population of flatworms (the type of which I still am trying to determine).

The blooms have pretty much stopped. For now!

I could consider adding more live rock, but I really would have to entirely re-do the aquascaping. This would be particularly tough because I have egg create cut to shape underneath the existing rock.