Please, Please, help ID what I'm fighting!

[hoffmeyerz]

I just follow the directions, but take the cup off the skimmer and let it overflow. They say to use an air pump and stone because oxygen depletes some while in use. I do a 50% water change afterwards too, but I know that isn’t feasible for some tanks. It usually takes about 2-3 days. Some Reefers have experienced a dino outbreak afterwards, but I haven’t.

Ok, that's pretty much how I understand it. The dino outbreak afterward is what I'm concerned about especially with my Nitrate so low right now. If I do such a large water change it could bottom out.

 

[Lavey29]

Virtually no white light, running Radion lps/softie profile. It's a 75gal tank with two xr15 pros with diffusers at 70% and on a ten hour Schedule, I can go down to eight though. Tank gets decent flow now but it covers EVERYWHERE regardless of flow. I've experimented with repositioning pumps and higher power but all that happened was the fish stayed in the corners and wouldn't swim out in the open space.

Put something down there to stir your sand up, large nacarius snails, conch, sand sifting goby. I run my XR 15 lights at 100% intensity. They are very weak par lights. Siphon that sand weekly with water changes too.

 

[Lavey29]

Ok, that's pretty much how I understand it. The dino outbreak afterward is what I'm concerned about especially with my Nitrate so low right now. If I do such a large water change it could bottom out.

Don't use chemiclean. You will kill off your biome and open the door for bigger problems.

 

[George03]

good read.

 

[Tamberav]

I would not feed powdered foods as a way to increase po4 as we are generally doing so in excess. While they contain lots of po4, they also provide great food for annoying pests I would also dose bottled po4 if trying to raise it.

I personally have never had to do chemiclean, usually regular water changes and cleaning do debris eventually wins but slowly. My only worry with chemi clean is Dino following because that happens more than I like seeing.

While cyano is annoying it’s possible to keep corals looking nice with it. Some form of Dino’s will kill the corals and snails.

 

[hoffmeyerz]

Put something down there to stir your sand up, large nacarius snails, conch, sand sifting goby. I run my XR 15 lights at 100% intensity. They are very weak par lights. Siphon that sand weekly with water changes too.

I have a conch in there now and was considering some nasarious snails also. My coral were doing well with that light intensity so I was leaving it there in the hope of not inviting the cyano....too late!
I paused my water changes when phos bottomed out and nitrates lowering, couldn't risk them dropping totally out.

 

[hoffmeyerz]

I would not feed powdered foods as a way to increase po4 as we are generally doing so in excess. While they contain lots of po4, they also provide great food for annoying pests I would also dose bottled po4 if trying to raise it.

I personally have never had to do chemiclean, usually regular water changes and cleaning do debris eventually wins but slowly. My only worry with chemi clean is Dino following because that happens more than I like seeing.

While cyano is annoying it’s possible to keep corals looking nice with it. Some form of Dino’s will kill the corals and snails.

I now have some diy phos I mixed up to dose instead of Reefeoids, it was all I had at the time. I will say the coral liked it though!
I would be ok if there was just a little cyano but this keeps growing and in a couple days begins to cover everything, I even blow it off some zoas.
I worry about dinos after treatment too but I've been blowing and stirring this stuff off and cleaning it out for weeks. I tried a water change a couple weeks ago and it came back worse!