Pea soup

[pinnatus]

OK, here's one for you. I have a 10 gallon set up with 2 clowns, a small anemone and a grapefruit sized brain coral. This tank has been set up for like 2 years, and always had a cyano problem. I tried everything unsuccessfully to get rid of the cyano, changed sand, changed water, boiled the rocks, changed the filter, changed the lights, etc, etc. Finally, I treated the tank with chemiclean, and after the second application, the cyano went away. The water was clean and crystal clear. The clowns suddenly have a bunch of energy. The anemone and brain were thriving. So all was well for about 3 weeks. Then the tank turned pea-soup green. You can't see into it at all. And it has stayed that way for a week or two now. It isn't on the glass, but is in the water. I am guessing phytoplankton explosion.

How do I get rid of it?

Here is the "before picture":

[Sugar Magnolia]

What are you running in the filter Ken?

[huseman808]

Id try a UV sterilizer.

[pinnatus]

Originally Posted by Sugar Magnolia

What are you running in the filter Ken?

Just a hang on filter with a sponge, biopellets, and carbon. I could put some GFO in there I guess.

Never saw green like this in my 37 years of keeping salt tanks.

I really don't want to go the UV route, I have used them before with limited success, and really this tank is supposed to be extremely basic and non-sophisticated. Its only 10 gallons!

[Ostara]

A UV sterilizer would be perfect if you have one. If not, leave the lights out for three days. I had this happen in my cycled quarantine after I took the last fish out and neglected to do water changes on it for a while. I did a large water change (about 50%) to dilute it and then shut down the lights. When I turned them back on it was clear. Since your tank is only a ten gallon you could easily do an even larger water change if you wanted. I think your LTA will be fine for three days, but I'd double-check just in case.

Do we get to see a current picture? If yours is anything like mine was, you ought to show us your Gatorade-green tank.

[pinnatus]

Maybe I could get some rotifers?

[pinnatus]

Originally Posted by Ostara

A UV sterilizer would be perfect if you have one. If not, leave the lights out for three days. I had this happen in my cycled quarantine after I took the last fish out and neglected to do water changes on it for a while. I did a large water change (about 50%) to dilute it and then shut down the lights. When I turned them back on it was clear. Since your tank is only a ten gallon you could easily do an even larger water change if you wanted. I think your LTA will be fine for three days, but I'd double-check just in case.

Do we get to see a current picture? If yours is anything like mine was, you ought to show us your Gatorade-green tank.

I'll get a pic tonight. Yeah, a full water change would be very easily done. May have to do that, but I didn't want it to come back right away, so I was hoping to discover some way to make it go away by itself. Large water change and lights out may be the trick. Thanks!

[huseman808]

Im gonna go ahead and ask the obvious... Are you using RO/DI water?

[pinnatus]

Originally Posted by huseman808

Im gonna go ahead and ask the obvious... Are you using RO/DI water?

Yup, and recently changed all the cartridges. I did notice the last water change I did on my 240 (30% change)caused a huge explosion of green algae/cyano. I am thinking I have some bad salt. (Instant Ocean).

[huseman808]

Perhaps check the TDS readings of your water. Ive heard storys where peoples RODI units were still putting out like 30 TDS. Ive never liked Instant Ocean. If your Big tank has the same problem, its either your water or your salt.

PS.

Petco sells a 5 gallon box of premixed saltwater for like 11$. You could try that on your 10gallon and see what it looks like.

[pinnatus]

My big tank had a different algae problem, but maybe the same cause. I ran gfo in the big tank for weeks and weeks after my last water change and finally the algae plague has subsided. My RO/DI is running 0 TDS.

The only other theory I have is when the cyano in the small tank died, it released nutrients back into the water which fed the green stuff in the water.

Water change ought to help that out, unless the salt is the culprit.

Sound like a water change with lights out is next, then if I get a returning bloom, I will replace my remaining salt. And I think I'll run some GFO just for extra measure.

[huseman808]

Sounds like a plan. Let us know!

[KafudaFish]

Any concerns over O2 depletion?

[Sugar Magnolia]

Originally Posted by pinnatus

Maybe I could get some rotifers?

Worth a try. Evidently it works for phyto blooms.

[pinnatus]

Originally Posted by KafudaFish

Any concerns over O2 depletion?

I wasn't concerned before. Now I am.


I have pretty good circuation going on in there, I think O2 should be OK.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Keep an eye on your pH.

Originally Posted by dave willmore

The phyto bloom is probably a response to high nutrients, so as they take up nutrients they will actully be helping your tank. However if your phyto bloom gets too dense and if you have very bright lights, their uptake of CO2 could raise your pH to a dangerously high level. So keep an eye on your pH.

From a search I did.

[pinnatus]

Originally Posted by Sugar Magnolia

Worth a try. Evidently it works for phyto blooms.

Thats what I was thinking! What made me think that was when I see pics of those people who are rearing clowns, the phyto looks just like my tank. So, if I put rotifers in there, then they would consume the phytoplankton, then they would feed my coral and anemone, AND any baby clowns, if there were any. (they haven't spawned, they are still pretty small)

I'll probably go the water change route, though. Removing the water with the phyto should remove the nutrients tied up in them.

I'll check pH when I get home.

Thanks, Adrienne! Also, Mike, Husemann and Ostara!

[KafudaFish]

Originally Posted by pinnatus

I wasn't concerned before. Now I am.


I have pretty good circuation going on in there, I think O2 should be OK.

Yeah that is what we are all here for: to make you freak out about things while at work that you had not thought of in the first place.

[pinnatus]

Originally Posted by Ostara

Do we get to see a current picture? If yours is anything like mine was, you ought to show us your Gatorade-green tank.

[huseman808]

wow you werent kidding

[Sugar Magnolia]

Oh my!!

[KafudaFish]

Ken I blame myself actually. I was watching Iron Chef America and the secret ingredient was frozen peas.

Bobby Flay won by the way.

[ashlerbam]

Originally Posted by pinnatus

Just a hang on filter with a sponge, biopellets, and carbon. I could put some GFO in there I guess.

Never saw green like this in my 37 years of keeping salt tanks.

I really don't want to go the UV route, I have used them before with limited success, and really this tank is supposed to be extremely basic and non-sophisticated. Its only 10 gallons!

I think if you are running bio pellets you are feeding the bacteria in the tank like mad. And it looks like you are not running a skimmer. Which should be used with bio pellets.

For a fix I would do a large water change. Followed up with running fresh carbon and GFO in your HOB filter. See if you can't strip the access nutrients out of the tank.

[pinnatus]

Maybe bio pellets is the wrong term. They are just little inert pellets that came with the hang on the back filter to create some bio filtration.

Snickerol at Mike.

[KafudaFish]

Do you think that you could mechanically remove the bloom instead of doing water changes?