Fixing the problem.

Gizmoh said:
Thanks Sharkie, crisis averted! day one of the blackout and i don't like looking at a blanket :(
Click to expand...

I had cyano algae in my planted freshwater tank a few weeks ago. I covered it all for 2 weeks almost just uncovering enough to feed the fish and it is gone now. Its worth it trust me. Its better to look at a blanket for a couple weeks than diatoms forever.
 
The lights are coming back on slowly and things are looking a lot better. The problem has not been totally fixed but at least now some rocks are clear and some just have a fine fuzz. May try another black out after I get the rest of the bio balls out and a more diluted RO water supply. I think it is about time for me to buy new test kits as I no longer trust mine. I wanted to make sure I had them all covered. I am trying to locate a kit with all: Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH, Phosphate, KH, Magnesium and Calcium. Is there anything I may be missing can anyone recommend a good kit? I normally use API but havent found one with all those in it. I suppose I may have to supplement with individuals. I am also having a problem with my p skimmer. It was broken in and working beautifully, and then I had to turn it off to clean the cup. When I got it running again it was spitting out more micro bubbles then the prop from the titanic. As well, no matter how low I set it it wouldn't stop over skimming. I use the Coralife 125G as an in-sump skimmer, Anyone have any past experience with this issue? I have been running it for about 6 months! Thanks again for all the help on my transformation into a true hobbyist.
 
I have heard that is one of the issues with the coralife skimmers, hence why we dont recommend anyone buying them. How they address that issue i dont know.

But that is all i test for as well, and with the API you just have to buy them separately. I found its much cheaper to order them from Dr. F&S then to get them individual at my local LFS.
 
Excellent. Ya I would not recommend this skimmer to anyone. it worked great at first but is now more trouble then it is worth. Luckily I did not spend much on it. Thanks again fish. I will contact coralife direct I suppose see if I can't milk them for some free product.
 
So bio balls are almost all out yay! The bottom of that chamber proves to me why not to use them. I did just have a question about sump lighting I currently have my sump light on while the main tank light is off to keep the ph nice and stable. Is this too much? Should I be having a little downtime in there. I am just noticing that through the day it builds up a thin layer of diatom and then while the lights are out it disappears. it does this almost everyday! In this whole process I also noticed a leak at my union fitting in my drain so it looks like I have to re plum too :(. Any advice here? Something I may not have known the first time I plumbed the system. I had someone tell me to make sure I just use PVC and not abs or anything because they seep. Is this true? Thanks again everyone.
 
Nope, your lighting schedule is just fine.

And i would start trying to suck out all they dinos you see. They can be horrible if they start taking over the main tank.

And im not sure about the abs thing. I used PVC piping with a ton of glue and it so far has not leaked.
 
Brilliant!! Thanks ya I have been trying to wipe the sides and toothbrush any dinos I see I get a little scared of water changing out of the sump because I don't want to lose any bugs. I have been but they have been small
 
A sump includes a refuge ;) a sump is basically just the extra tank you have connect to the dt tank, so it could also have your skimmer in there, your fuge, and other stuff.
 
Lol yes this I was aware of :p. I dot mind doing the water changes out of the sump. I just try to stay away from doing it directly out of the refuge for fear of sucking bugs. But the only place that still has Dino occurring is the refugium section of my sump so I may just have to suck it up. No pun intended :p
 
I am going to start by just saying thank you again as this thread has become way more needy then I has initially intended. That being said another question! This one is sump related. So the refugium section of my sump is in need of some attention I think. It come right after the section that was filled with bio balls and I have noticed it has a large amount of what looks like debris covering the bottom. The macro algae is very thick and healthy to the point where I am trimming almost bi weekly bit the crushed coral on the bottom looks like it is in need of some help. What should I do to clean this section up? I think the debris was from the bio ball section so hopefully removing them will fix the issue of it accumulating. Should I just gravel wash the sump? Should I remove the crushed coral? Although it seems the plants are rooting in it? What should I do to clean this up with min impact on the sprawling bug population? Thanks again in advance.
 
That just might work. It is fairly loose so I think I could get the majority of it up. Now I have noticed that the coral is kinda staining as the advice I was running on was to "not touch it except for Trimming" just a light brown running into the crushed coral. Worried it is part of the diatom problem. But that advice is a wonderful place to start. Thanks bifferwine!!
 

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