Please Help me

[hndakd]

I have been having issues with my aquarium, mostly algea and a brown water thing. About a month ago the tank crashed so I took it all apart and put it back together. It has been up and running for awhile and today the brown water is back. here is what the tests look like.

Specific Gravity 1.023 ---> needs to go up, im doing it with top off
DKH 8 ppm KH 143.2
Nitrate 0
calcium 350 and 250 --> i took some water to LFS and they got 250
MG 1280
PH 7.8
Ammonia 0 and 25 --> LFS got 25-30

I dont know if the tank is still in cycle mode. I had everything in a different tank for a couple of weeks while the sand and everything settled. ( I put new sand in) I dont know what to do. A water change to help up the calcium and lower ammonia? wait? Im at a loss here.

Tank Specs just incase
90 gallon All glass display with 2" Sand bed
30 gallon fuge and equipment tank with 7" DSB
~140 lbs of live rock
cheato
aqua euro recirculating 250 skimmer
2 korallia 3
2 maxi jet 900 with sure flow mod
mag 7 return
filter sock cleaned daily

[TheFishGuy,LLC]

Is the skimmer pulling out anything?

[Percula9]

Start running some high grade carbon, that should remove the brown color. I don't understand that NH3 Reading. If you have ammonia in the tank you are still cycling.

[hndakd]

the skimmer is pulling stuff out just not like it was awhile ago. I set it a little wetter today. What kinda carbon is recommended? I have some black diamond ill try that out right now. Here are some pics of the tank and water in a white bucket suggested by someone else.

[Percula9]

Hard to say what the brown is , but looks like an algal bloom. If the carbon doesn't remove it (black diamond is fine) probably is algae. I would try a 50% water change. Is there any livestock in the tank? A sample of water put under a microscope could verify if it's algae. It could also be a combination of organic waste and algae. Are there any supplements being added? If yes then what? I suggest shutting the lights off for a few days.

[hndakd]

yeah there is live stock in there. purple tang, maroon clown, dragon goby. misc corals, mushrooms, zoas, pearl, and brain thats it. This is what the tank looked like right before it crashed and i put it back together.


If this is a cycle should i remove everyone to quarantine?

edit ** no supplements at all

[Percula9]

I would leave everybody in for the moment, unless you can transfer them to a cycled tank. What are the present parameters?

[Percula9]

Do you have a present picture of the tank?

[hndakd]

the one i just posted is present.

[Percula9]

You said this is what the tank looked like before it crashed and was put back together. So I thought that was not the present picture.

[hndakd]

sorry, it did look like this before but on a much worse scale. Ive started to make water so hopefully tomorrow i can get a large change done.

[Icefire]

Look like an algae bloom, if so, unless you have a UV, it gonna stay for a while (see avatar).

how did it crash? you said, taken down and but back together, what did you do? Not rinse the rock in Tap/Ro I hope..

[hndakd]

I dont know why it crashed to begin with I had been having numerous algea problems and then woke up one morning and the tank looked like milk and smelled really really bad.

To put back together, I drained the entire tank. Moving all live stock or whatever was left to a tank that i had been curing rock in. That tank was completely drained and rinsed before hand. Then I removed all sand and cleaned all equipment and tank fixtures with light vineager to get rid of all the nasties. I did replace all sand and added a DSB to my refugium. Filled it back up with RODI and let it sit for awhile before placing all livestock back in. more little details here pic intense( i guess)
also a little discussion about what is going on now
other thread

[Percula9]

Tanks crash because the biofilter crashes and causes a domino effect. Biofilters require alkalinity to function properly. Remember the biofilter has to be fed just like your fish. What was your alkalinity being maintained at?

[Icefire]

I searched some old thread from my algae bloom, read them and see for yourself.. Do you have any macro algae that could go sexual like caulerp?

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1072794
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1088313

here's some pics

[hndakd]

I read through those links, was the only solution time and water changes? the second one doesnt really have a conclusion.

Percula I dont remember exactly what it was but I do remember that all the tests that I had were well within range.

[Icefire]

The only solution was a UV and using filter floss and Seachem Clarity

[bertoni]

Borrowing a UV filter for a few days might be very helpful. Some people have done well enough with water changes, though. I'd probably try that for a while (a few weeks, at least) before investing more money in the solution.

[hndakd]

update did large water change and began running carbon along with a dark out of the tank. In this pic it has been dark for two days. looks a little better

water from tank

after change


what it started out like just so there all here

[Harlikwin2000]

I definately recommend the UV sterilizer, I've heard of people having some luck with carbon and chemipure.

[Percula9]

It's definitely better, but i would check the phosphate levels out of curiosity's. A U.V sterilizer wouldn't be a bad idea.

[hndakd]

phosphate is testing at .02 at last check i dont have a reliable test so ill have to getted it tested at the LFS. I also pulled out some cheato i have some pics but im at work right now.

**as a side note when i noticed in my log book today that the rocks were shedding a bit a week ago. That could be what some of this "stuff" is. When i flipped the lights on the rocks were all very clean and the coralline was definitely purple.

[Percula9]

I would run some phosphate adsorption media, it certainly won't hurt to lower the phosphate.

[hndakd]

sorry it took me a little while but here are some new updates.
Test results.
ammonia 0
nitrate 20
nitrite 0
alkalinity 240 ppm
ph 7.8
calcium 350

I am very pleased with how this is starting to shape up. The tank has completely cleared. I have done 3 large water changes, of about 35 gallons. Im a little concerned about the nitrates but with the next water change slotted for tomorrow I think it will drop drastically. Hopefully this is the last time i have to deal with this. I appreciate all the help. I will provide pics later.

[Percula9]

The nitrate is not really that high. The pH can come up a little and the calcium should be raised to at least 400ppm. Are you running a protein skimmer? I'm glad this issue is resolving itself. Don't let the alk go any higher.