Jump to content

GHA it's annoying.....


Joramilea

Recommended Posts

Ok early this year I broke down a 44 corner which had GHA in it. I moved everything into a 75g and added a new CUC and a yellow tang then a few weeks later a lawnmore blenny. Well, i also along the way added velvet to the tank and everyone ended up in a hospital tank. I had to go out an buy new fish. During the down time on the tank GHA started growing back. I bought another yellow tang, a lawnmower blenny. Added two new fish Blonde Naso Tang and a bi-color blenny.

my Phosphates and Nitrates are pretty close to 0. I do water changes every two weeks. But I for the LIFE of me can not get rid of this crap.

what really bugs me is i did not see any of it till my tank got sick. No one seems to be eating it. I go in and pull out the rocks that have it on it and clean off as much as I can to get rid off it. Cause that worked the first time I had the over growth. Now I am at a loss. I feed my fish twice a day just enough for them to eat what they can for 3 mins.

 

Now back in 2016 when my other tank got out of hand I found a post that they guy recommended a product to help kill this stuff but I can't find that post again. and I threw away all my chemicals that I had cause I didn't know if they were still good or not. Figure start out fresh with a fresh tank.

I also have that brown algae growing and I am battling too. Constantly! At this rate I am thinking of moving my tank to a closet! :P

I have been adding bio stuff to the tank like someone suggested at the last meeting. My fish are happy. My corals are happy.... except my birds nest. it's pissed off at me and I might loose it. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You'll need a way to remove phosphates or nitrates. Do you run GFO or a skimmer?

 

I'm battling it myself and it is extremely annoying, the dry rock I used had a good amount of Po4 in it. Bi weekly GFO changes has helped, but it isn't over yet. Two of the rocks are just covered.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My phosphates and nitrates are 0. I did a 15 gallon water change today. CLEANED my skimmer and everything else in my tank but the rocks.
Tomorrow I will be changing the material in my filter. I need to do it anyway.

I had it GONE before my tank got sick and I had to take all the fish out. I use RO saltwater or RO fresh to top off.

What is a GFO? That's a new acronym for me. I can take a guess at what it means.... :P just need to add the between G the F O algae. :wacko::P:D:e141::140_animated_fish_swimming:

:spam1: omg <--hahahaha

Link to comment
Share on other sites

GFO = Granular Ferric Oxide. Its one of the best phosphate absorbers in the hobby.

 

A few questions and I think we can get you pointed into the right direction. First thing i'll say is I doubt you are nitrate and phos free as the GHA and other algae's are feeding off something, they are absorbing it before your test's can detect.

 

What test kits are you using?

Where are you getting your RO water and what are the TDS figures?

What kind of live rock are you using?

What skimmer are you using?

How long has the tank been set up?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TDS... grrrr I may have to go back to the glossary.

I am using the API tests.
I get my water from PetCo up off of 116th and Keystone. I have seen the set up and talk to the "main guy" who takes care of the water system there. He too has a reef tank.
My live rock is from 2014, I bought it from Uncle Bill's in Fishers WAY back then. I added a picture of the rocks.
My skimmer... Instant Ocean Protein Skimmer 100g on my 75g. I clean it when it gets dirty.
This set up has been up and running since Jan of this year. It was moved from a 44 tank I had up and running from 2014. I had been using distilled water cause *hangs head in shame* I didn't know better and I had the same type of algae growth in that tanks after it had been up and running for over a year. But I CLEANED all the rock cause the only things in my tanks were my clowns and Kenya Tree.
This stuff didn't start showing up in this tank till I took out all my fish to get rid of the ICK and marine velvet.

My lights : I use Orbit LED lights on one of their preset settings cause I can't figure out how to do a custom. Every time I try my moon lighting don't seem to work right. Though I am looking into getting new lights later this year.
Living in the tank:
1 Yellow Tank
1 Blonde Naso

1 Lawnmower Blenny

1 Bi-color Blenny

1 Chromis

1 Six-Line Wrasse

1 Purple Firefish

1 Tigertail Cucumber

a few hermit crabs

2 Skunk Shrimp

1 Peppermint Shrimp

and my corals

My last two fish come in this Thursday which are my clowns.

 

Now I will say for the first month I had the tank set up I was doing HUGE water changes almost everyday to get my LARGE nitrates down. Learned my lesson... DUMP the old sand and buy new.

Today I did see my Naso pecking at the rocks so he is finding stuff to eat on the rocks. :)

here are some pictures of what I have growing. There is more then this in the tank. yesterday when I did a water change I pulled out the rocks I could and put them in my dump bucket and pulled off what I could. Yes, I did a water change yesterday. My salinity is usually around 1.024/25.

I did a water check yesterday
Ammonia 1.0 ppm (it's time to clean my filter anyway)
Nitrite : (I don't have this test yet)
Nitrate : 0.0 ppm

Phosphates : my notes say just over 0.0 ppm which means they were probably 0.05 ppm. I can retest again today.
PH : 7.9
Calcium : 400 ppm (I had just started dosing the tank the day before and this is the first reading so I can see who much my tank is using. My last calcium test was 360 ppm, -60.00 ppm)

Carbonate Hardness : 214.8 ppm (it says it's high according to my app by +71.60. My last reading was 143.2 ppm which was +89.50)

 

18010271 10213215111719268 2638415693093865869 N

18033333 10213215111759269 6626943228647016748 N

Day 1 of tank up.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TDS = Total dissolved solids. TDS should be 0 on your top off water. Faucet water in my town is at 300 tds which means it could have who knows what in it, but for a reef tank its metals, chlorine, arsenic....etc to name a few problems. When you say your getting your top off from petco what exactly does that mean? You mean they are using an RO and you get buckets of water for topoff? If thats the case I would be extremely cautious of their water as they are not known to use quality water.

 

I am a bit skeptical with your test results as ammonia of 1.0 would more than likely kill all your fish and coral in your tank.

 

Your alk has also bounced from 7.6 - 11.3dkh which is a huge swing, which could be dramatic to your corals. Fish wouldn't really care to much. When it comes to phosphates, the only real way to test is using a hanna checker. Maybe you could borrow one from someone close or bring a bit of water to someone to test. There are quite a few indmas members in Westfield.

 

But honestly I would bet your source water is not great from petco if thats the case.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

is this the Hanna checker you are talking about? are these better then API tests?

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/phosphate-low-range-colorimeter-hi713-hanna-checker-hc-fresh-marine-water.html

And just wondering how long can RO water sit around in 5 gallon or larger buckets. Cause I would love to get an RO system but westfields sewer sucks! But we get a break during the summer. So if I can stock up on RO water over the summer to get me through fall and winter almost then I would be happy and go look into an RO system.

I can check my levels again today. the only coral that seems really pissed off is my birds nest. The others are open and happy.

Would the reactor I bought last year help with the phosphates like the fish guy at Uncle Bill's said it would? Or was that just a waste of my money. The thing never seemed to work right and now it leaks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, that is the hanna phos meter. The hanna phos and alk meter are two of the best tools I own for testing, they are wonderful. The calc hanna meter is garbage. Your API phos test is not a good testing kit.

 

For TDS you can get something like this from amazon for a few bucks. If your adding petco ro water that has high tds your wasting money for one but more importantly, your adding impurities which will cause algae issue's.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Jellas-Handheld-Household-Resolution-Accuracy/dp/B014QO4CI6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492445794&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=tds+meter&psc=1

 

As far as adding a rodi system you can do that very easily and non invasive. I keep mine under my sink in the basement. When I use it I just put the drain line into the sink and the good water line in my reservoir. I used a menards fitting to hook it up. You don't need a plumber to install it as its just screws into your water line.

 

As far as your birds nest goes, its going to be more sensitive to dirty water vs lps or zoa's. Not sure what reactor you purchased but more than likely it can be used for carbon, gfo, probably most media's. You do not want to go buy a bunch of GFO and hook it up though as depleting your phos quickly(if you have an issue) can cause coral issue's.

 

I would really see if anyone lives by you and take a sample over, let them check your RO water tds value's and then let them test your phos on a hanna meter.

 

Generally you can store RO water for an extended period of time, but i would use a container with a lid.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The API test kits are not good kits. For phoshpates use the Hannan HI736 not the 713. See link:

 

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/phosphorus-ultra-low-range-colorimeter-hi736-hanna-checker-hc-marine-water.html

 

For other test kits I use Salifert:

 

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/aquarium-monitors-controllers/testing/salifert.html

 

I would buy a rodi unit before any other equipment. You can get an AquaticLife 50GPD RO Buddie + DI for around $70 to $90, this one is a very basic unit with no pressure gauge or inline tds meter.

 

Or for $100 more get this one with the pressure gauge and inline tds meter:

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-4-stage-value-plus-ro-di-system-75gpd-1.html#tab-full-details

You can always add the other accessories later.

 

If you have a lot of algae you can get a zero reading cause the algae is taking it all up showing a false 0 phosphate reading.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with Luke that your test results could be off. I'm a HUGE advocate for having your own RODI setup at home in order to make water that you can control how often the filters are changed, and you know that you're getting quality water for your tank.

 

Now the bad news. That doesn't look like hair algae to me. I'd have to get a sample under the microscope to be sure, but it looks a lot like bryopsis sp. If it is, there aren't many fish or CUC members that will eat it because of a fungus like coating in the exterior cells. It's one of the algae's that will run people out of the hobby because of how difficult it becomes to beat once it's taken hold. If you want, I can get a sample from you and inspect it closer to be sure, then we can go from there as far as treatment.

 

Some things I'd move towards in your situation:

 

1. Get yourself an RODI system for your house. In my opinion it's one of the most important things to have in order to be successful in the hobby. Get one with an inline TDS meter, too.

2. Get quality test kits. API are known to be a bit touchy and not super accurate. Salifert is my choice of kit for alk, ca, mg, and no3. Then Hanna ultra low for po4.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

how much waste is generated by a RODI system. for a $26 dollar water bill I paid just over $56 for sewer. WOOHOO for Westfield Water Co.! Which is why I asked if I could store up water during the summer months for the winter months. :P
We figured buying the water at petco was cheaper then paying the water bill.

 

Now the bad news. That doesn't look like hair algae to me. I'd have to get a sample under the microscope to be sure, but it looks a lot like bryopsis sp. If it is, there aren't many fish or CUC members that will eat it because of a fungus like coating in the exterior cells. It's one of the algae's that will run people out of the hobby because of how difficult it becomes to beat once it's taken hold. If you want, I can get a sample from you and inspect it closer to be sure, then we can go from there as far as treatment.

 

I don't mind the bad news. I would rather hear it and get rid of it now before it takes over. I bet this is what happened in 2015. It got to the point it really took over the tank and killed everything but that damn Kenya Tree. :P
I could mail you a sample or my days are pretty open and I could meet you somewhere to give you some. Or unless I can drop it in the mail and get you a sample that way. I have a seal-a-meal so I could button it up in a bag and drop off at the post office.
Unless you have a reason to come up to Hamilton Co. Just let me know.

I will look into an RO system. I am sure my husband will be happy to put off his fish to get one cause his tank will need the water as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FWIW, I have around 300g worth of tank's and my water bill is generally $25 a month, sewer around $60. I don't think it will make much of a difference having an RODI. In fact I think you will save quite a bit vs buying the water from petco, not to mention time : )

 

Waste water is different for every system, some are 1:4 and some are 1:1, depends on system, temperature of raw water and PSI.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here in Fishers, when I added my tank, my water bill went up $6-8, the sewer is always $40.

Lucky! My sewer is always double my water bill. :(

 

I guess I will start looking into ROI system. It would be great to find a 1:1 one. :) I know I can water my plants with the waste water so I'm not really wasting it. Just need to find a good location to put one. No room in the Kitchen and no room in the laundry area. I might have room in the garage if I can get it cleaned out fast enough.

Unless they are portable and they don't need a permanent home.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh my... So many to choose from!

What does one really need?

 

How do you know what to pick? there's one for Drinking water/reef water...

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/bulk-reverse-osmosis-filters-systems/reverse-osmosis-systems.html

 

Off the wall question.. would salt make any difference? Is there a good salt or are they pretty much all the same?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And should I look into one of these. I could till I get my sump built just put it under the tank next to the filter. what's 2 more tubes right now running to my tank. :D

 

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-gfo-carbon-reactor-single.html

 

**Edit**

I'm wondering should I use the last 5 gallons I bought put some in one of my 5 gallon tubs and the rest in the other 5 gallon tub and scrub the rocks that have this crap on it in on tub then move it to the other to "rinse" and then put it back in my tank. None of it as coral attached to it.

I have been window shopping over at BRS and trying to figure out what all I should buy and what I can afford or if I can get it else where cheaper? Like the RODI system.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would recommend one with two DI canisters to extend DI life with a PSI gauge and dual TDS meters. I have the one Ryan recommended and moved the connections around to give an extra DI cartridge.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

what's the big deal about GPD? The one you linked says a 100 GPD and there were some at the Frag swap that were I think 25 GPD and the other was 75 GPD. ANd I take it I can hook it up to my sink and then put the unit away when I don't need to use it. Water the plants with the waste.

Odd question but... can you drink this RO water? I'm going to assume ... yes...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I definitely agree with Jaco on the pressure gauge and TDS meter. Depending on what your water pressure is you may want to invest in a booster pump since you want the water pressure to be higher for better performance. I suggest 80-90psi, but it's debatable and some people run higher than that.

 

You can get different attachments for what your usage will be so you can get one for the faucet that you can put the unit away when not in use.

 

Waste water for the plants is a great idea for using the water instead of just running it down the drain.

 

Do NOT drink the RODI water! Drinking RO water is fine, because it takes out disolved metals and large particle organice. But deionized("DI") water is not healthy for you or any pets (dogs, cats, reptiles, etc.). It's actually safe to drink in small amounts but drinking it all the time causes an imbalance in the ions (ca, mg, na) that can lower your immune system and cause issues. Testing is still inconclusive on how often you'd have to drink RODI water to have an ill affect, but for me it's also a price concern. If you're drinking from the RODI unit, that means you're using the unit more which adds to the cost of replacing filter and DI resin, so why pay more and take the chance of getting sick?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...