Dinos growing ON Hair Algae...and Chaeto dying

[Siberwulf]

I'll start this off with "I really feel like I just suck at this hobby". It's become an endless flow of fighting things that I've fought before. First it was dinos, then it was cyano, then it was Aiptasia... then it was bubble algae, then it was corals just shrinking off. It's killing me inside because this tank has been up and running for 3.5 years now and it's never been "good"

Here's the latest

1. In March, it was the great bubbling. Bubble Algae spread faster than I could keep up with it. Physical removal seemed to make it worse. I got emerald crabs...they didn't put a dent it it. It was everywhere. The only option I had was to just nuke it from orbit, so I hit it hard with Algaefix. Yeah, I know that stuff isn't perfect, but I didn't have any coral left at the time, so it was that, or rip the tank down and start over. And that was too much.
2. In May, I wrapped up the latest does of Algaefix, did a massive water change and cranked the skimmer up on hit.
3. Come June, I was under a full Cyano assault (the nutrients feeding the algae had to go somewhere). It was a chemiclean treatment followed by another 20% water change. Once the cyano was gone...in comes the hair algae. I went away for a weekly long vacation and it was completely full. I spent days upon days of manual removal, and finally got it out of the display tank.
4. In early July, I added some Chaeto to my sump. This would be the thing to suck up those nutrients, and eventually balance things out. I was dosing MB7 too, to hopefully get some good bacteria back that Chemiclean nuked away. Things were relatively clean
5. This month has been even worse. I started off by adding pods, since I was looking to boost that biodiversity. Things got more diverse.... my chaeto is dying/shrinking, and now I'm getting hair algae ON my chaeto...and it's growing in my DT as well... Also, my hair algae in the DT is getting covered in dinos again.

I've done some weekly water tests and things...are weird. Today it was 32.8 NO3, 0 P04, 12.2 Alk. Last week it was 17.9 NO3, 0 PO4.

I'm doing something obviously wrong here. I don't think I'm over feeding as the fish (3PJ cardinals and a filefish) are eating everything before it hits the ground. I'm only feeding one cube of PE mysis a day, and I'm even dumping off the filler water so just the shrimp make it in.

For the dinos..I've been running UV for 3 years. I can confirm with a microscope that they're ostreopsis. They disappear in the AM, come back as the day goes on.

I've got an oversized skimmer, which should be pulling some of those nitrates out...but it isn't.

What am I doing wrong here?

 

[Formulator]

It sounds like a saga of instability. You just need to somehow string together 6 months of stability, even if not pretty, and hopefully you will establish some good biodiversity and coralline to outcompete the relentless onslaught of pests you have been affected by. Every time you go to war with a new one, especially when you use chemicals like algaefix and chemiclean in battle, the whole tank biome is sent into chaos. Its like restarting the ugly phase over and over again.

I would start by getting your PO4 up from zero. That is not helping your microbial friends, but often gives dino a window of opportunity. 0.1 ppm is a good target. It also sounds like you have a low flow issue. All the pests you describe thrive in lower flow. Crank up the powerheads or add more.

 

[Lavey29]

I agree with the above. All those harsh chemicals you put in your tank make your 3 year old tank a 3 month old tank with no biome. MB7 will kill off your chaeto so not sure why you add it. Try PNS probio weekly it is a natural heterotrophic bacteria that eliminates organic waste that feeds algae.

 

[Siberwulf]

It sounds like a saga of instability. You just need to somehow string together 6 months of stability, even if not pretty, and hopefully you will establish some good biodiversity and coralline to outcompete the relentless onslaught of pests you have been affected by. Every time you go to war with a new one, especially when you use chemicals like algaefix and chemiclean in battle, the whole tank biome is sent into chaos. Its like restarting the ugly phase over and over again.

I would start by getting your PO4 up from zero. That is not helping you microbial friends, but often gives dino a window of opportunity. 0.1 ppm is a good target. It also sounds like you have a low flow issue. All the pests you describe thrive in lower flow. Crank up the powerheads or add more.

Yeah, I'd agree with this. I have some Trisodium Phosphate here I'm going to dose. I'm wondering though, will that cause the hair algae to bloom even more? What's going to let the chaeto out-compete it? They eat the same thing, don't they?

 

[Formulator]

Yeah, I'd agree with this. I have some Trisodium Phosphate here I'm going to dose. I'm wondering though, will that cause the hair algae to bloom even more? What's going to let the chaeto out-compete it? They eat the same thing, don't they?

Ideally the chaeto is well lit and can consume it faster. It sounds counterintuitive to raise nutrients in a battle with algae, but in my experience I’ve found it to be an important factor. I had a fairly big problem with GHA earlier this year that was resolved by getting my nutrients stabilized and above zero, along with the addition of a pincushion urchin, who turned out to be a GHA eating machine. Best and most effective CUC member I’ve added in 9 years of reefing.

Before and after photos, 8 week spread:

 

[Siberwulf]

Ideally the chaeto is well lit and can consume it faster. It sounds counterintuitive to raise nutrients in a battle with algae, but in my experience I’ve found it to be an important factor. I had a fairly big problem with GHA earlier this year that was resolved by getting my nutrients stabilized and above zero, along with the addition of a pincushion urchin, who turned out to be a GHA eating machine. Best and most effective CUC member I’ve added in 9 years of reefing.

Before and after photos, 8 week spread:

The Chaeto is very well let with an AI Fuge 16. I guess the secret is to just clean as much hair algae off it and let it do what it can?

 

[Formulator]

The Chaeto is very well let with an AI Fuge 16. I guess the secret is to just clean as much hair algae off it and let it do what it can?

I just let my fuge grow whatever it wants and it tends to stay out of the display. I’ve got all kinds of nasty stuff in there.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

Ideally the chaeto is well lit and can consume it faster. It sounds counterintuitive to raise nutrients in a battle with algae, but in my experience I’ve found it to be an important factor. I had a fairly big problem with GHA earlier this year that was resolved by getting my nutrients stabilized and above zero, along with the addition of a pincushion urchin, who turned out to be a GHA eating machine. Best and most effective CUC member I’ve added in 9 years of reefing.

Before and after photos, 8 week spread:

that’s great! Did you find that the urchin knocked corals over? I’d like to add one but my tank isn’t too bad with algae. -They’re just cool inverts.
Also wondering if that urchin will eat the coraline that i’m finally starting to grow at the 4 month mark.

 

[Formulator]

that’s great! Did you find that the urchin knocked corals over? I’d like to add one but my tank isn’t too bad with algae. -They’re just cool inverts.
Also wondering if that urchin will eat the coraline that i’m finally starting to grow at the 4 month mark.

He has pulled up a few frags and carried them around, but none of my larger colonies have been affected. I just have to use superglue and epoxy in kind of a sandwich to secure frags now. Previously I just used epoxy and the urchin could dislodge them. I love mine and you are right, they are pretty cool. He is my wife and daughter’s favorite inhabitant now. He wears a 3D printed pirate hat and we call him black beard

 

[brandon429]

its hard to clean large tanks of invasions like that, good job. that's hard to do, to balance all that to earn the pic changes above.

 

[Formulator]

its hard to clean large tanks of invasions like that, good job. that's hard to do, to balance all that to earn the pic changes above.

Thanks! Black beard the urchin gets most of the credit. A lot of it is psychological because changes happen SLOWLY and too many folks go throwing a wrench into things with chemicals or other drastic measures to get a quick fix. Sometimes it just takes time with stability.

 

[Rigoberto]

I'll start this off with "I really feel like I just suck at this hobby". It's become an endless flow of fighting things that I've fought before. First it was dinos, then it was cyano, then it was Aiptasia... then it was bubble algae, then it was corals just shrinking off. It's killing me inside because this tank has been up and running for 3.5 years now and it's never been "good"

Here's the latest

1. In March, it was the great bubbling. Bubble Algae spread faster than I could keep up with it. Physical removal seemed to make it worse. I got emerald crabs...they didn't put a dent it it. It was everywhere. The only option I had was to just nuke it from orbit, so I hit it hard with Algaefix. Yeah, I know that stuff isn't perfect, but I didn't have any coral left at the time, so it was that, or rip the tank down and start over. And that was too much.
2. In May, I wrapped up the latest does of Algaefix, did a massive water change and cranked the skimmer up on hit.
3. Come June, I was under a full Cyano assault (the nutrients feeding the algae had to go somewhere). It was a chemiclean treatment followed by another 20% water change. Once the cyano was gone...in comes the hair algae. I went away for a weekly long vacation and it was completely full. I spent days upon days of manual removal, and finally got it out of the display tank.
4. In early July, I added some Chaeto to my sump. This would be the thing to suck up those nutrients, and eventually balance things out. I was dosing MB7 too, to hopefully get some good bacteria back that Chemiclean nuked away. Things were relatively clean
5. This month has been even worse. I started off by adding pods, since I was looking to boost that biodiversity. Things got more diverse.... my chaeto is dying/shrinking, and now I'm getting hair algae ON my chaeto...and it's growing in my DT as well... Also, my hair algae in the DT is getting covered in dinos again.

I've done some weekly water tests and things...are weird. Today it was 32.8 NO3, 0 P04, 12.2 Alk. Last week it was 17.9 NO3, 0 PO4.

I'm doing something obviously wrong here. I don't think I'm over feeding as the fish (3PJ cardinals and a filefish) are eating everything before it hits the ground. I'm only feeding one cube of PE mysis a day, and I'm even dumping off the filler water so just the shrimp make it in.

For the dinos..I've been running UV for 3 years. I can confirm with a microscope that they're ostreopsis. They disappear in the AM, come back as the day goes on.

I've got an oversized skimmer, which should be pulling some of those nitrates out...but it isn't.

What am I doing wrong here?

Did you start with live rock from the ocean?