clumping sand, hair algae, 2 part problems and more! (1 Viewer)

[jqsquared]

Okay, the quick story is I got married and went on my honeymoon, tank was neglected for a month or maybe 2, I lost track of time.

Issues: green hair algae (never had it in the past 2 years!) on the sand bed, side of clam, dead spots of coral exposed skeleton surfaces ect. (already started massive water changes btw) where I began siphoning the hair off the sandbed. Thats when I noticed that the sand bed was mostly concrete. Not all places of course. But large sections?

Upon exploring the sump, I noticed my ALK line coming in clogged with a stalactite formation. Got that cleared and back and running.

Current levels:
Mg 1280
CAL 380
ALK 7dkh

I suppose my levels could be worse, but my dosing has been kept the same for way too long without upping the dosing requirements another fault of mine.

Is the sand clumping and hair algae related correlated? I suppose this happened due to the chemical imbalance of the 2 part? Wondering if the correction will help it break up or if I need to do something drastic like replace/remove it.

This is the situation as I know it right now, hopefully someone has experienced something remotely similar?

Rob

 

[Jimsreef]

You need to get the "concrete" out of the tank, bacteria will grow under it and create hydrogen sulfide which will poison your tank. May be part of your current problem.

 

[DaAznGuy]

Sandbed needs critters stirring it or else it will clump up over time. Or manually clean small sections of sandbed during water changes to remove buildup that settles over time. Sandbed can be a nutrient storage zone without proper maintenance. Coral skeleton exposure and hair algae growth is probably a huge indicator of excessive nutrients. Need something to export nutrients, refuge or such.

 

[jqsquared]

Have since corrected the alk/cal levels. removed the "concrete" pieces. Also learned its not GHA, but Dinoflagellates which has been a long road to get away from...I don't know if I can win this battle.

 

[Jimsreef]

Do bi-weekly water changes 15% and you will win the battle.

 

[howelone]

I've read about many battles with dinoflagellates because I thought I had them, many reduced their photo periods, but the most convincing victories were from total blackouts. Here's one guy's story: How I beat dinoflagellates, and the lessons I learned — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog