Nopox cloudiness with green hair algae

[Joefox]

Red Sea Max 130D
Hang-on refugium w/miracle sand and chaeto
Bare bottom display tank
Tunze 9002 skimmer
RSM surface skimmer
Radion XR15wPro
Jebao RW-4
Jebao DP-4 Ionic2part & Nopox
JBJ Auto Top Off

So, tank was setup in the beginning of august. Tank was fine and then the green hair algae. I was using alhambra TDS 5 water for changes and top off. For the past two weeks I've been using Ro/Di TDS-0 water for both. I was slightly overdosing nopox by 1-2 mL to get rid of GHA. Dummy I know. My GHA started to fade (i think) but water got super cloudy. Nitrates and phosphates undetectable. I cut back on nopox by 3/4 dosage per day and boosted my Red Sea reef energy dosage a little bit. The cloudiness went away so I resumed regular nopox dosage, with undetectable nitrates and phosphates still, and cut back on reef energy to regular doses. Low stocked coral and fish. After cloudiness my coral went in hiding for a about a week but now starting to open up a bit.

I've been skimming wet thinking I dosed too much nopox but I now see another wave of new GHA. Water is looking a little more cloudier too. Nitrates and phosphates are undetectable. During first outbreak of GHA i lowered my 10 hour light cycle to 6 hours. I'm at a loss. Should I add a phosban 150 to hang on my rsm130d? Kinda wanted to avoid hanging anymore onto tank.

Attachment 329483 First outbreak of GHA- Coral is open

Attachment 329484 After cloudiness dissipates but corals still closed

Attachment 329485

Attachment 329486

Attachment 329487

What should I add or subtract? Nopox dosing as recommended but still lots of GHA.

Parameters:
Ca 450
Mg 1380
kH 12.4
77-79 degrees
Salifert and Rea Sea test kits

[Joefox]

IMG_2817.jpg Second outbreak after cloudiness
unnamed (3).jpg Skimming wet with light brownish color

[LuciDog]

Run some GFO

[Joefox]

I was thinking about getting a phosban 150.

Should I cut back the feeding and reef energy? Should I still be skimming wet? Should I do more water changes? Thanks.

[CStrickland]

What phos test are you using?
If it's already undetectable with carbon dosing, gfo + carbon isn't going to make it undetectabler.
I wouldn't dose carbon in a 1 month old reef, def not reef energy. It's just all the stuff in your rocks soaking out. It takes a few months for a tank to find its balance, screwing around with the chemistry during that time often makes things worse not better.

[Joefox]

Originally Posted by CStrickland

What phos test are you using?
If it's already undetectable with carbon dosing, gfo + carbon isn't going to make it undetectabler.
I wouldn't dose carbon in a 1 month old reef, def not reef energy. It's just all the stuff in your rocks soaking out. It takes a few months for a tank to find its balance, screwing around with the chemistry during that time often makes things worse not better.

I thought nitrates and phosphates being undetectable were due to the green haired algae?

I know I have too many nutrients in my tank. I just picked up a phosban 150 with rowaphas and a sea hare to clean some of the GHA.

[CStrickland]

Right. Neither gfo nor carbon dosing can get them out of the algae. They are redundant because both take up the inorganic form of phosphate from the water column, the same form that your test reads. That is why it is undetectable, the nutrients are bound to carbon inside rocks, animals and plants. The phos in the rocks, sand, and algae is hiding in this organic form, undetectable to tests, unavailable to rowa and nopox. In the long run, if you have things set up well either the gfo or the carbon can help polish out the last bits of nutrients, but it's not supposed to be your main nutrient export. That is the job of the rocks and skimmer and you through water changes. The sea hare will eat the algae, taking up its nutrients and then poop out organic phos (until it starves). The nitrogen it poops will be processed by your biofilter.

The links in the first post aren't working for me, but the other ones don't look like an outbreak at all, just regular new tank algae. As those nutrients are released from your new rocks and sand the rowa will get them out of the water and water changes will lower nitrates until the biofilter establishes. The nopox is redundant as well as causing bacterial blooms that cloud the water and then spike nutrients, and there isn't enough for the hare to eat. You also shouldn't be needing to dose 2 part. You can save some $ by being patient and letting your tank get through this phase on its own.

[Joefox]

Thanks for the help man. Much appreciated pointing me in the right direction. I hope these links below are viewable.

So I unplugged my new doser with nopox and 2 part. I've returned my lights to 10 hour cycle. I'm still running my new gfo reactor. I'm gonna have my sea hare eat up all of the green hair algae then take him back to my LFS.

I just put in some 50 micron fine floss pad thing thinking to help clear up my tank since its still cloudy. I'm assuming this isnt necessary anymore now that Im not dosing nopox anymore?

I have a live sand arriving via amazon tomorrow. I have no sand right now except miracle mud in my hang-on refugium. Should I still add this into my system? I really wanted a bare bottom but if sand substantially helps my tank, ill put it in. AND if i end up putting it in, how do i go about putting sand into a tank already running?

A friend was going to give me some coral too: candy canes, montiporas, Hollywood stunner (chalice) and maybe some acros. Which ones wont die in my tank right now?


http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/at...1&d=1443240446

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/at...1&d=1443240467

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/at...1&d=1443240523

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/at...1&d=1443240536

[CStrickland]

The floss will help cloudiness. Just remember that any kind of filtration that catches stuff and holds it in the water current, like socks and floss pads etc. needs to get cleaned like every other day or it will raise your nitrates b/c stuffs decaying with too much oxygen.

I wouldn't do the sand if you don't like how it looks and don't have any critters that need it. It's not doing any filtration that the rocks aren't IMO. Opinions differ on that

Idk enough about coral to say, but liveaquaria.com is a good site to learn from, they list stuff by difficulty and also say how much light it needs etc.