Frag tank cloudy for over a month and a half.......

[swannyson7]

Have you tried dosing MB7 to see if it helps with your bacterial bloom? Did you ever rinse the dry rock off real good?

That would make it worse, wouldn't it? By adding more bacteria to the system?

 

[ronnie]

Have you tried dosing MB7 to see if it helps with your bacterial bloom? Did you ever rinse the dry rock off real good?

I swished the rock in a 5g bucket to rinse it. I did this twice just to knock all the dead junk out of it.

 

[ronnie]

I have two chalices, one blasto, three zoa frags, one monitpora, and two acropora - all still alive.

Both chalices were actually on the brink of death in my 120 from constantly being knocked over or covered up by sand, so I moved them into the 40 to recover. I just found one (yep, that cloudy) and it has put on some nice tissue over the last month. The other chalice was really close to death, and it has recovered well also.

 

[Jcr's Reef]

I would say your dead rock is cycling and still had die off lodged in it. Adding MB7 will out compete the other bacteria and help clear up your water.

 

[ronnie]

Also, skimmer is a modded ASM G2 with a Sedra 5000 pump and the recirc mod. I'm definitely not underskimming!

 

[ronnie]

I would say your dead rock is cycling and still had die off lodged in it. Adding MB7 will out compete the other bacteria and help clear up your water.

Vodka an acceptable replacement? I have plenty of vodka!

 

[swannyson7]

Vodka acts as a food source for the bacteria, while MB7 is the bacteria itself

 

[ronnie]

Ok - I don't have a local source for MB7 that I know of. I'll need to look around and see if anyone has any.

 

[swannyson7]

Any LFS that carries Brightwells products will usually have MB7. Or you could always buy it from MD or TB Aquatics

 

[ronnie]

Ok - test results:
Alkalinity - 9.2
Calcium - 415
Nitrates - undetected
Magnesium - 1300

All salifert tests. I don't have an ammonia or nitrite kit, but I'd assume corals (especially SPS) would be dead/dying if I did.

I'll call the two shops and see if they carry brightwells - seems like one might have had some brightwell stuff, just not sure if they had the MB7.

Thanks guys.

 

[btkrausen]

MB7 is great. I never had as good growth as I did when I dosed MB7 and Magnesium. The MB7 really colored up some of the sticks

 

[swannyson7]

Ok - test results:
Alkalinity - 9.2
Calcium - 415
Nitrates - undetected
Magnesium - 1300

All salifert tests. I don't have an ammonia or nitrite kit, but I'd assume corals (especially SPS) would be dead/dying if I did.

I'll call the two shops and see if they carry brightwells - seems like one might have had some brightwell stuff, just not sure if they had the MB7.

Thanks guys.

How about a phosphate test kit? If it's algae related, PO4 will play a large role in the outbreak.

 

[ronnie]

I'll break out the hanna egg - haven't used it and didn't even think about phosphates. Thanks swanny!

 

[btkrausen]

I'll break out the hanna egg - haven't used it and didn't even think about phosphates. Thanks swanny!

I have the Hanna checker as well, and its an odd test. I would test my water, and get .2, and then test it right afterwards, and get something completely different. This was in taking all the precautions from another huge thread into spec. Keeping the test tube in the same place each reading, wiping it down with a soft cloth, getting out al bubbles from the side, etc.

 

[ronnie]

Yep - I've read it and actually got some of the test tubes with premeasured phosphate in them.

Mine for the most part was pretty accurate as long I followed everything outlined in the thread.

 

[swannyson7]

I've had pretty good luck with my hanna meter. Although I sometimes get slight variance in results when tested back to back, never anything that significant. Do you have one of the older ones where you have to rush throguh the test to keep it from turning off or one of the newer ones?

 

[ronnie]

Old one unfortunately. I'll have to run through a couple practice tests just to get back into the habit again.

 

[btkrausen]

I've had pretty good luck with my hanna meter. Although I sometimes get slight variance in results when tested back to back, never anything that significant. Do you have one of the older ones where you have to rush throguh the test to keep it from turning off or one of the newer ones?

The older one isn't too bad, but you do have to mix it up before two minutes expires before it 'll turn off. Learned that the hard way, but you quickly get it down.

 

[ronnie]

Ran it twice. Same results.

 

[Kbra]

Its those dry rocks. Add a UV and you will be OK. You can even buy one at petco and return it after

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