Definitely don't get discouraged, it's an ongoing process and learning as you go is part of the experience! Yes on the UV 24/7/365, refugium maybe later as needed (if nutrient load gets higher over time could be useful). Keep going, be proud! Your tank is amazing.
My best guess. The reef roids to increase nutrients, coupled with dead plant matter from the refugium contributed to your bloom. The heterotrophic bacteria then bloomed causing an ammonia spike while the autotrophic bacteria was most likely not available in enough supply to combat the issue due to your LNS. Heterotrophic reproduction can occur within minutes and water changes typically can't combat the issue due to the reproduction rates. You would basically need to change 50% of your water every 15 mins to keep up with reproduction. In summary the autotrophic starved bacteria due to LNS within your system is not in supply to combat these issues. You need to build up the autotrophic bacteria within the system to create the stability needed (as in don't clean so much :) Otherwise if you experience a fish loss or other nutrient dump you most likely will experience this again. The UV sterilizer is helping by limiting the amount of heterotrophic bacteria in the water column, but is not really solving the initial problem (what happens if that bulb goes out or power is off? That type of bacteria is going to multiply again at a rate you can't control with the other bacteria not in supply to convert the ammonia to nitrates if the heterotrophic have a good food source). PS. You're doing great and although frustrated with these lessons and this lesson was a tough one to foresee. Chances are it won't be the last lesson and part of the hobby is the challenges and knowledge of how to create a thriving system.
I can really relate to you. I just had this problem in my 55 gallon freshwater plant tank. It would not clear up. I tried everything. Water changes everything they said blackouts and this is really helpful because I felt the same way as really sad looking at it and then I got a UV light, and everything is perfect.
I know you're frustrated and I'm sorry, but as a newbie I would love to have your tank, problems and all! Don't forget to just step back and enjoy the beauty, despite the problems. You really are a great reef keeper.
Tank depression... you're a real reefer now lol. It looks like it's recovering nicely and well done for sharing, as im sure there is someone else out there suffering the same plight.
@@QueenofReef i think it comes from us feeling responsible for literally anything that happens to our creatures. we can really feel powerless when mother nature has our tank by the throat. but you are diagnosing and treating every issue as it rolls in, which is literally the most you can do. i would never have sussed out a bacterial bloom. don't beat yourself up!! any chance you're dosing vibrant? vibrant dissolves/consumes chaeto and has trace amounts of vinegar in it (== carbon). i'd also make sure you're rinsing any activated carbon you use on the tank as the tiny carbon atoms ('fines') could be a carbon source. i guess it could also be an impurity in your rocks? but that's not super likely. i would keep the UV sterilizer running until you find whatever the bacteria are feeding on - it's a band-aid, for sure, but it's a very effective one. keeping a reef is a constant battle against mother nature. i'd say you're winning wholeheartedly even though you're fighting an invisible enemy. everything looks great from my perspective. love to hear that you're taking breaks from social media; it's totally toxic to our mental health lol. take your time and dont feel pressured to post or scroll.
@@billysprout2374 I’m not dosing vibrant (the stuff scares me), but have heard that alk products contain traces of Carbon 🤔 I swear i’m so close to doing ICP tests on everything I use haha. I plan to add some live rock into my sump to increase the stability more so that the beneficial bacteria can “overpower” any blooms. First time cycling a tank with bottled bacteria, and I honestly won’t do it again. Thank you, needed to hear that! 🙏
@@QueenofReef Don't hesitate to post your trials and tribulations! It teaches newbies like myself what things actually look like, and if you overcome something it's super helpful too! Innapropriate Reefer has frustrating things going on all the time in his tank updates, and I thoroughly enjoy his channel too! Try not to be so hard on yourself! You're better than you feel like you are 🙂 This probably sounds horrible, but the drama gets me more invested when things aren't perfect all of the time 😅 added suspense! I'm wondering if throwing more varieties of beneficial bacteria/copepods/etc. at it could fix it? 🤔 Happy to have my fix from Queen of Reef withdrawals! 🤣 Sorry you're struggling-- your tank does look beautiful from an outsider's perspective💔 Good news or bad, I always enjoy your videos! I hope you don't get tired of making them 💜
I remember I had an algae bloom on my first tank. Stuck a sterilizer on it and cleared it up in like a week. Now I just run one all the time and keeps the tank clear. Also enjoyed the video. As always, kept me entertained for a few while I was at work.
@@hughjanus1135 I had a canister filter and on the output just stuck it to the small sterilizer that was made by AQUA UV, i dont remember the model, but it was the smallest one, and connected perfectly to my filter output line.
I left my tank for two months without my intervention. I got home early Feb, during my time away my wife has been topping up the ATO for me. The only issues I had was low NO3 and PO4. I was amazed how much better the tank was when I did not have the opportunity to tweak the pumps or the lights etc. The occupants of my tank do not like low nutrients. You have a lovely tank, enjoy it and stop tweaking :-).
Honestly I have a 100 gallon tank and run a uv sterilizer 24HOURS a day 360 days and have chateo on my refugium and never had a problem with my corals. Your tank looks great. I do feed heavy do.
First of all, your tank looks amazing. I've been in this hobby a long time and you kinda have a "I'm going to master everything" approach to keeping corals. From my experience, sometimes you can do everything right on paper but still have one situation that refuses to work out. You can destroy your mind trying to figure out why or just accept it. I know, it sucks
I am currently learning this lesson in my freshwater tanks. As someone who is hoping to get into saltwater tanks soon, I hope my tanks can look as good as yours!
@@QueenofReef in about 2 or 3 months I'm trying acro again. I had black bugs hoping they starved out. I'm prolly gonna go with a frag no more than 50 to test the waters. Give it a few months try more acro?
@@albeast0onyt been there too. I've had situations that were supposed to work but failed and situations that weren't supposed to work succeed. Just goes without saying every tank is different. Every fish is different.
If you have low nutrients turn off your skimmer and man I can’t remember the last time I did weekly water changes. Doesn’t seem necessary but you know your tank better than anyone else. Love your videos.
I hate water changes also but it makes a big difference. I perform 40% water changes biweekly in my 9 year old 125. I feed heavily with large fish. Once your tank is a few years old, it settles down. I do like lower maintenance lps, though
" Is the hobby really supposed to make you crazy?" Haha, it depends on how you react to the situations taking place in your tank. I have experienced quite some setbacks too, but I won't be bothered that much any more to the point it drives me crazy so much as to questioning the hobby. I'd say the hobby is capable of revealing your own emotions but is just a means to help you grow personally!:)
By the way, if you have low nutrients in your tank, don't go for an algae reactor or refugium with algae. It'll wither away because of too little nutrients. Do go for it if you have a large tank that's well established with (SPS) corals. And if you go for it, don't forget to dose iron in order for the algae to being able to grow (green).
Reef is looking good your highness, glad you're feeling good enough to post up a video, been in the reefing side of the hobby for 20+ years now and things still take downward turns and often without any apparent reason making it more frustrating, good size water changes are a great reset mechanism when in doubt, certainly looks like your getting control of it with the steps you have taken, it gets us all down especially if we're already not feeling the best...brighter days ahead 😎
The tank looks awesome 👍 good idea keeping the fuge offline for now and keep the UV online. If it was me I would also try adding an out competing bacteria species like vibrant or even some starter bacteria but that may be over kill. Best of luck, I'm sure the tank will be back on track soon
Dang. I subbed to you recently and forgot alll about it because you weren't in my feed until now. Glad to hear from you and hope all is well on your end.
The tank looks great! I've had similar issues with a couple of my previous tanks, and some people just have it dialed in from the start. So many factors play into it. I just sent in my ICP test, so it'll be interesting to compare mine to yours when you get it back.
I'm feeling your pain, beautiful Queen of Reef😭🥺😤🤯, but am glad your not giving up....don't stay away too long! Definitely sending good vibes your way!🌼
I just literally checked your page 2 days ago to see if I missed any new updates and was like no hope she is a doing ok 👍? Glad to see your posted now keep your head up we have all been through this similar stuff you will get through it !! Tank looks awesome
Have u tried starting the whole Algae process over like restart it by just turning off everything only lights for like a week but cover ur whole tank with something it be blacked out then do another water change similar things happen to mine and that what i did and it reset everything it's good now
Kinda jelly. I couldn't keep euphyllia. Had a galaxea and hammer get bjd. Looks great. I struggle with zoas. Yet have birds nest and my clumsy blenny broke a piece of my Monti digi and it's walking around the tank. Every tank is different. Keep pumping content. Don't get discouraged
My tank has very low nitrate and phosphate and it looks pretty good a lot of people do not even check these two elements and their tanks look fantastic I focus a lot on alkalinity calcium pH and I do my water changes and that's it very nice tank you have
Tank looks awesome now!!! I kno how u feel “questioning the hobby” lol I been feeling the same way but I think I’m also seeing light at the end of the tunnel so let’s keep going. How are your Goni’s and sps from sbb doing? I got some dope frags from him thanks to you.👍🏾
Thanks!! Feeling better after all of these positive comments ❤️ I messaged sbb about this giving him props actually because the goni ‘s and sticks I got from him were the only ones that never showed ANY signs of anger. Ffs even the frogspawn were more upset 🤣 Couldn’t believe it.
I'm thinking the fish load is an appropriate amount. But then again with limited rock in the display. I would definitely keep a large amount of media in the sump. And probably stop adding 🐟.
know how you feel with the frustration you've got. I've been having phosphate issues (among other things) and still, months later finding I have to constantly work on this.. I spent money on a media reactor to run rowaphos, I spent money on a roller filter, I spent money on a dosing pump...finally my swings seem less... but phosphate still up there and it's a royal pain in my ass. Good luck with getting yours back on track
Some "outside the box" ideas: 1) Carbon source is just dust, and with the open top... 2) Sterilize all the things before you use them? Like, if you put the bacteria-infested water in a bucket, and reuse that bucket without cleaning ... 3) Just keep cracking away at it. I enjoy your "never give up" attitude. I wish I had that.
I was going to ask if you have a UV sterilizer and saw that you got one during your first bacterial bloom. However, it sounded like as soon as things cleared up you took it off line. Not sure what caused the bacterial bloom, but if you did not have the UV running daily that may be what allowed them to thrive. My UV runs 24/7. I had high nitrates and low (0) phosphates. I took the carbon/GFO reactors off-line and added cheato. If you are running carbon/GFO there may not be enough nutrients to feed the cheato.
My tank went through the exact same thing and I figure that I used marco rock and not live rock to do an negative aquascape. Those don't have pods for one and also create tiny gas bubble that get stuck in it. A burst of ammonia could trigger a bloom. Adding various type of pods can only help
first rule of acro reef keeping, is stability. No matter how high or low a parameter is, change things slowly. At same time, less is more. And by that the less you add/tune the better it is. Also changing method/dosing/salt continuously is damaging as well as its just makes things go up and down and up and down, which stresses out acro's. If you do an ICP test and see a value too high or low, just tune it over a couple of weeks/months. Unless there is a big warning on the ICP test. Every tank is unique and every tank requires a specific balance/nutrient level for its inhabitants. For example, my tank is great for microlados acro's, but milli's have a tough time as they need higher nutrients and dirtier water.... your corals look great, wouldn't worry about it. you can't keep every species of acro in every tank. losses are part of reef keeping, especially in beggining of the lifecycle of a frag in your tank, sometimes it looks ok for 2-3 months, and then bang, its unhappy. Just enjoy the other things which are going great!
I had the same issue as yours, I'm only using filter sock, protein skimmer, bio media (seachem matrix and brightwell bio xport), carbon, and refugium (chaeto). My nitrate was bottomed out. So I decided to dose nitrate (I use sodium nitrate solution) it's so much easier and cheaper than buying liquid nitrate solution (example : brightwell neonitro; no offense brightwell lol). I maintain my phosphate with reef roids, and reduce my skimmer time into 12 hours / day. Refugium time from 12 hour to 8 per day. Everything is happy now. Nitrate is stable around 1-2, and phosphate around 0.05 - 0.1 Just becareful, ultra low nutrient tank in a long term can lead to dinoflagellates outbreak.
Do you think you might need more live rock? For the beneficial bacteria to colonize? What if all of this is a big process of things dying off and not having enough of one type of bacteria to even out the other? And the process keeps trying to start over and over again with your good stuff growing and then dying? Idk. The tank is beautiful, but I wonder if there isn't much room for the two types of good bacteria to colonize and you could be having issues with blooms and low nitrate readings bc of it. Idk. I tried to do some research for you, but I'm just not sure. They say it's impossible to have too much good bacteria bc it'll just become dormant if there's no food for it. Something just makes me wonder if you need more surface area for beneficial bacteria to colonize. And given that there are two types of good bacteria it could be that you have an excess of one that's feeding on your organic matter, but not much of the other kind that feeds more chemically. And that bacteria resides in live rock. That's my best guess man.
Good morning I just finished seeing your video live em by the way,I'm going to explain something I went through my system which my water column had got cloudy but situation was a bit different I had suffered smell in turn i took all my rocks out cured them all over again ,and havnt experience that white cloudy smelly water bloom for over 2 years now,so hope it helps before that my system is a 150 gallon reef and was established for 10 years plus when I encountered the cloudy water situation, and I lost many corals.good luck hope it helps, love yur videos.
Hope u get this all sorted out. I stand behind adding more rock. U can also try dosing microbacter 7 weekly. It cant hurt but will help for sure. Adding beneficial bacteria weekly may help if there is not enough surface area for it to populate. The tank look great though.
I used Microbacter 7 and it caused to MASSIVE bacterial blooms! It also did the same to another Reefer I know. I’d use Dr Tim’s eco balance now over anything.
@@thegrumpyreefer5546 if u use it appropriately it should not. There are far more success stories then there are negatives with this product. I do, however, agree with you on the dr tims. It is great stuff
Great content 👌, check your TDS for R-O water run some carbon in rector would help clear up. I also run 24/7 uv helps. Be careful of adding to much reef roids it started a massive algae outbreak to my display. Great stuff but I find Redsea Ab plus better use half the amount on instructions. Good luck tank and aquascape is amazing 👏
Do you burn any candles or anything like that? I have found that my wife’s scentsy plugs in caused so funky clear slime in my tank. It was either that or the Lysol she used when COVID was crazy 😜
I just started cranking my lights up in my 20g cube for some LPS, and so far, the diatoms are enjoying their stay :\ ETA: I've always had UVs on my tanks, except said 20g, but even now I think I should put one on.
If I were to guess the issue it would be you don't have nearly enough live rock. I noticed that right away then when you said you have been feeding heavy lately it makes complete sense. I would add some marine pure bricks or spheres. A quart a spheres would be perfect.
I would suggest you to inspect your hammer coral skeletons. Vertimid snail feeding tanticles were out and about. It could become a problem for you later on.
Could be a number of things… but these tanks with the NSA, and hardly any live rock, are always seeming to have problems. That being said, you could rid yourself of the SPS, you seem to be having success otherwise. Before you quit do that. SPS are tough, and die when you look at them the wrong way. It wouldn’t be a challenge if it was easy ;)
The tank is looking wonderful despite some of your frustrations, and I feel that pain. My 227 gal is about 6 months behind yours but no where near as beautiful thanks to an early introduction of bryopsis and subsequent treatments which have jacked my tank out of the gate. Still trying to get mystery nutrients under control. I too am awaiting my ATI to see if my test kits are janky or if I have some other issue that I cannot pinpoint. I feel so horrible when I think “I’m done! F this!” Because of the time MONEY and effort I’ve given to it. But as my yoga instructor frequently says “this too shall pass” so I try to contain my wild thoughts of giving in and power through. I have considered a UV for the perpetual cyano I have. What brand and size is that uv you have and which Sicce pump? Would love to see your video on a permanent install of that if you go that route.
20 years ago dogma was zero nitrates. And the tanks did well. I personally do not run dead systems such as no refugium. I'm also fortunate enought to have real live rock albeit it's old rock.
4 days ago had a b/bloom, I woke to see my tank milky white....I added a air stone to sump, increased the flow, added new carbon, and added phytolankton daily and zooplankton....This seems to work for me !
Woah that’s intense! Mine didn’t get super cloudy like that, but the uv took care of it all. Need to keep it running permanently now 🥺 Hope your tank is doing better now!
@@QueenofReef I was shocked and kinda freaked for a min, water looking clear after two days... reddish brown on rocks but getting cleaner everyday with help from a toothbrush
@@QueenofReef imo run the tank with no skimmer for a while and practice feeding very little you’ll have nitrates and phosphates in no time! Bacteria blooms and brown jelly are typically from too much food if that’s makes sense
@@QueenofReef or you can run the skimmer on a much lower setting and that way you won’t have to worry about potentially to much to fast bacteria wise and getting your fish sick hope your tank does better and thrives soon
With the open scape and I can't see any bio media in the sump I'd say the water bacteria is filling a void the surface bacteria can't. If a refugium isn't in the plans fill that chamber with media blocks. Won't be an overnight solution but once it's established it will bring stability.
@@QueenofReef first time seeing the tank and was just my 2 cents. Do you siphon the the sand a lot during the weekly water change? If so that may be something also. Get a dozen tiger conch so the sand stays turned over and siphon the sand less, only hit visible detritus? Again just brain storming.
You need more beneficial bacteria in a bottle. Dose daily and every water change. Vinegar do not harm the tank unless you it tanks all your nitrates away. Vinegar do reduce nitrates but is good for your corals to make them more vibrant.
What kind of Salt are you using? Tropic Marin has had issues with their salt from the Turkey Factory. The problem killed alot of people SPS corals. If you are using that salt stop and only use the TM salt from Germany. I just switched to Red Sea Blue bucket instead.
Doesn’t a bacteria bloom takes place at the initial stage of the nitrogen cycle when everything is new? You need to figute out what is causing your tank to go through mini nitrogen cycle.
Just increase the flow by Pointing your wave makers to the surface, 2 days and your water will be clear back again. Adding more oxygen is all you need.
I know this vid was released a while back. And you've changed it now. Because you have a negative scape and I'm not sure what you had in the sump in terms of filter media (eg bio balls or equivalent) the ratio between how much water you have x fish x rock of media for bacteria to grow on. It's out of whack and well keep going through cycles because it's unstable. If your going with the negative scape you need to load up the sump with media to create that bio home.
not enough rock in the display is what im thinking, i believe you have bio bricks in the sump , but i have heard from gurus its better to have MORE rock in DT
Take a deep breath and relax. You don’t have enough rocks in your display. Just buy a bottle of microbacter 7 and dose one cap full every morning. You’ll be alright once your tank balances out with enough bacteria.😁👍
Pride always comes before a fall when I look at my tank and get too happy & proud I get nervous smh it’s really weird but this is the best and worst hobby EVER !
Crank up that skimmer to full blast....permanently setup the uv in the sump....stop doing weekly water changes, switch to monthly 30%....start dosing kalkawasser asap. 90% of your issues are ph....and check your heaters controller----are they holding the tank steady +/- .5 degree
You have very little surface area for bacteria to grow on. Sand alone and those thin rocks won't cut it. Get yourself a bucket of Matrix and toss all of it in seachem's big bag and place it in your sump since you aren't using your refugium. Now that you have anthias they will need to be fed constantly which means your nutrients will go up, if there is any good reason to have a refugium up and running this would be that time.....with anthias!
If I needed to take a guess it’s probably an issue with water flow. You should watch the brstv episode of water flow. And running an refugium counter clock wise of your lightning schedule is good for a stable ph and to help removing extensive nutrients. And with this hobby you always are battling issues (with time). If you can’t handle set backs this is not the hobby for you. Just man up do your best and enjoy the process. As an utuber it would have been content how you are battling the same issues as the rest have.
yes, today i have bacteria bloom, about 2 hour after dosing sugar 1 teaspoon when i comeback suddenly the tank cloudy, usually i dose same sugar and nothing happened, but today i have bacteria bloom for the first time.
I think you need more rock, if you don't want to change up the scape add most to the sump... Your bacteria needs a place to grow I think that will solve your problem.
Over feeding is adding carbon to your tank. That’s what’s causing your bacteria bloom. Just don’t dose reef roids and definitely don’t add the fuel. Amino acids can fuel dino growth, especially in a tank cycled with dry rock. Just be patient and don’t make so many unnecessary changes.
I think what you're forgetting is... to not cry over split milk! Death is sad but inevitable. Your tank is a living organism in itself and you'll never be able to get it to do exactly what you want. You still have a bunch of corals that are doing great, so I would just focus on growing the corals that like your tank as it is.
From looking at your tank. You don’t have much bacteria surface. Sand is good but not much rock work. I.would shut skimmer off 4 hours during the day. Be patient a tank with no live rock can take 2 years to mature. Adding a live rock would help bacteria. But since you have coral in the tank thats another way bringing bacteria. I like CaribSea Ocean Direct Caribbean Live sand. Has ocean bacteria in it and will help with bacteria. .i see a little coralline algae. Let it grow a little it's a good indicator your tank is maturing. I wouldn't add amino until your tank settles with bacteria. It will grow cyano. Feed SPS when they are bigger. Good luck be patient. Good your doing ATI tests. But you can do a Aquabiome bacteria test from them. Check them out. Good luck.
Definitely don't get discouraged, it's an ongoing process and learning as you go is part of the experience! Yes on the UV 24/7/365, refugium maybe later as needed (if nutrient load gets higher over time could be useful). Keep going, be proud! Your tank is amazing.
The tank looks nice. I also like when you do these type of videos. Good job.
Look at Zenzo showing up with the big support 💪🏼💪🏼 good to see you around and the co-op isn’t keeping you to backed up with work 😂
😃
My best guess. The reef roids to increase nutrients, coupled with dead plant matter from the refugium contributed to your bloom. The heterotrophic bacteria then bloomed causing an ammonia spike while the autotrophic bacteria was most likely not available in enough supply to combat the issue due to your LNS. Heterotrophic reproduction can occur within minutes and water changes typically can't combat the issue due to the reproduction rates. You would basically need to change 50% of your water every 15 mins to keep up with reproduction. In summary the autotrophic starved bacteria due to LNS within your system is not in supply to combat these issues. You need to build up the autotrophic bacteria within the system to create the stability needed (as in don't clean so much :) Otherwise if you experience a fish loss or other nutrient dump you most likely will experience this again. The UV sterilizer is helping by limiting the amount of heterotrophic bacteria in the water column, but is not really solving the initial problem (what happens if that bulb goes out or power is off? That type of bacteria is going to multiply again at a rate you can't control with the other bacteria not in supply to convert the ammonia to nitrates if the heterotrophic have a good food source).
PS. You're doing great and although frustrated with these lessons and this lesson was a tough one to foresee. Chances are it won't be the last lesson and part of the hobby is the challenges and knowledge of how to create a thriving system.
I can really relate to you. I just had this problem in my 55 gallon freshwater plant tank. It would not clear up. I tried everything. Water changes everything they said blackouts and this is really helpful because I felt the same way as really sad looking at it and then I got a UV light, and everything is perfect.
I know you're frustrated and I'm sorry, but as a newbie I would love to have your tank, problems and all! Don't forget to just step back and enjoy the beauty, despite the problems. You really are a great reef keeper.
Thank you so much ❤️ Needed to hear this
Going through this at the moment and can understand fully how you felt my first bacteria bloom in almost 40 years of reefing 🇬🇧
oh nooo!!
Tank depression... you're a real reefer now lol. It looks like it's recovering nicely and well done for sharing, as im sure there is someone else out there suffering the same plight.
Tell me why it creeps into your overall mood though 😭 I’m not happy unless my tank is. Gotta share the struggle !!
@@QueenofReef i think it comes from us feeling responsible for literally anything that happens to our creatures. we can really feel powerless when mother nature has our tank by the throat. but you are diagnosing and treating every issue as it rolls in, which is literally the most you can do. i would never have sussed out a bacterial bloom. don't beat yourself up!!
any chance you're dosing vibrant? vibrant dissolves/consumes chaeto and has trace amounts of vinegar in it (== carbon). i'd also make sure you're rinsing any activated carbon you use on the tank as the tiny carbon atoms ('fines') could be a carbon source. i guess it could also be an impurity in your rocks? but that's not super likely. i would keep the UV sterilizer running until you find whatever the bacteria are feeding on - it's a band-aid, for sure, but it's a very effective one.
keeping a reef is a constant battle against mother nature. i'd say you're winning wholeheartedly even though you're fighting an invisible enemy. everything looks great from my perspective. love to hear that you're taking breaks from social media; it's totally toxic to our mental health lol. take your time and dont feel pressured to post or scroll.
@@billysprout2374 I’m not dosing vibrant (the stuff scares me), but have heard that alk products contain traces of Carbon 🤔 I swear i’m so close to doing ICP tests on everything I use haha. I plan to add some live rock into my sump to increase the stability more so that the beneficial bacteria can “overpower” any blooms. First time cycling a tank with bottled bacteria, and I honestly won’t do it again. Thank you, needed to hear that! 🙏
@@QueenofReef Don't hesitate to post your trials and tribulations! It teaches newbies like myself what things actually look like, and if you overcome something it's super helpful too! Innapropriate Reefer has frustrating things going on all the time in his tank updates, and I thoroughly enjoy his channel too! Try not to be so hard on yourself! You're better than you feel like you are 🙂 This probably sounds horrible, but the drama gets me more invested when things aren't perfect all of the time 😅 added suspense!
I'm wondering if throwing more varieties of beneficial bacteria/copepods/etc. at it could fix it? 🤔
Happy to have my fix from Queen of Reef withdrawals! 🤣 Sorry you're struggling-- your tank does look beautiful from an outsider's perspective💔 Good news or bad, I always enjoy your videos! I hope you don't get tired of making them 💜
I remember I had an algae bloom on my first tank. Stuck a sterilizer on it and cleared it up in like a week. Now I just run one all the time and keeps the tank clear. Also enjoyed the video. As always, kept me entertained for a few while I was at work.
I’m definitely keeping it on permanently…gotta figure out how but I will!
Last time I got a bloom was because my UV bulb was defective.
What sterilizer did you use?
@@hughjanus1135 I had a canister filter and on the output just stuck it to the small sterilizer that was made by AQUA UV, i dont remember the model, but it was the smallest one, and connected perfectly to my filter output line.
@@hughjanus1135 COOSPIDER Sun JUP-01 Aquariums in Tank Submersible Machine 211gph 9 Watt fit for 80Gallon
I left my tank for two months without my intervention. I got home early Feb, during my time away my wife has been topping up the ATO for me. The only issues I had was low NO3 and PO4. I was amazed how much better the tank was when I did not have the opportunity to tweak the pumps or the lights etc. The occupants of my tank do not like low nutrients. You have a lovely tank, enjoy it and stop tweaking :-).
Honestly I have a 100 gallon tank and run a uv sterilizer 24HOURS a day 360 days and have chateo on my refugium and never had a problem with my corals. Your tank looks great. I do feed heavy do.
First of all, your tank looks amazing. I've been in this hobby a long time and you kinda have a "I'm going to master everything" approach to keeping corals. From my experience, sometimes you can do everything right on paper but still have one situation that refuses to work out. You can destroy your mind trying to figure out why or just accept it. I know, it sucks
I needed to hear this, I’ve been feeling super guilty about the acro losses 🥴
I am currently learning this lesson in my freshwater tanks. As someone who is hoping to get into saltwater tanks soon, I hope my tanks can look as good as yours!
@@QueenofReef in about 2 or 3 months I'm trying acro again. I had black bugs hoping they starved out. I'm prolly gonna go with a frag no more than 50 to test the waters. Give it a few months try more acro?
@@albeast0onyt been there too. I've had situations that were supposed to work but failed and situations that weren't supposed to work succeed. Just goes without saying every tank is different. Every fish is different.
@@jasonluther3567 Definitely going to try again a few months down the road! I dream of sticks, one day
If you have low nutrients turn off your skimmer and man I can’t remember the last time I did weekly water changes. Doesn’t seem necessary but you know your tank better than anyone else. Love your videos.
My nutrients are back up which is good! And yeah I hate them…want to find a different system. Thanks so much ❤️❤️
I hate water changes also but it makes a big difference. I perform 40% water changes biweekly in my 9 year old 125. I feed heavily with large fish. Once your tank is a few years old, it settles down. I do like lower maintenance lps, though
" Is the hobby really supposed to make you crazy?" Haha, it depends on how you react to the situations taking place in your tank. I have experienced quite some setbacks too, but I won't be bothered that much any more to the point it drives me crazy so much as to questioning the hobby. I'd say the hobby is capable of revealing your own emotions but is just a means to help you grow personally!:)
By the way, if you have low nutrients in your tank, don't go for an algae reactor or refugium with algae. It'll wither away because of too little nutrients. Do go for it if you have a large tank that's well established with (SPS) corals. And if you go for it, don't forget to dose iron in order for the algae to being able to grow (green).
Reef is looking good your highness, glad you're feeling good enough to post up a video, been in the reefing side of the hobby for 20+ years now and things still take downward turns and often without any apparent reason making it more frustrating, good size water changes are a great reset mechanism when in doubt, certainly looks like your getting control of it with the steps you have taken, it gets us all down especially if we're already not feeling the best...brighter days ahead 😎
❤️❤️❤️
The tank looks awesome 👍 good idea keeping the fuge offline for now and keep the UV online. If it was me I would also try adding an out competing bacteria species like vibrant or even some starter bacteria but that may be over kill. Best of luck, I'm sure the tank will be back on track soon
Dang. I subbed to you recently and forgot alll about it because you weren't in my feed until now. Glad to hear from you and hope all is well on your end.
The tank looks great! I've had similar issues with a couple of my previous tanks, and some people just have it dialed in from the start. So many factors play into it. I just sent in my ICP test, so it'll be interesting to compare mine to yours when you get it back.
Its always ups and downs with new tanks, just the way it goes 😅 I’m excited for my icp test too, should be interesting !
I'm feeling your pain, beautiful Queen of Reef😭🥺😤🤯, but am glad your not giving up....don't stay away too long! Definitely sending good vibes your way!🌼
Don't stress, I am new I have a 700g tank, I'm learning, You tank is amazing !
700g damn you really started big
I just literally checked your page 2 days ago to see if I missed any new updates and was like no hope she is a doing ok 👍? Glad to see your posted now keep your head up we have all been through this similar stuff you will get through it !! Tank looks awesome
Have u tried starting the whole Algae process over like restart it by just turning off everything only lights for like a week but cover ur whole tank with something it be blacked out then do another water change similar things happen to mine and that what i did and it reset everything it's good now
Kinda jelly. I couldn't keep euphyllia. Had a galaxea and hammer get bjd. Looks great. I struggle with zoas. Yet have birds nest and my clumsy blenny broke a piece of my Monti digi and it's walking around the tank. Every tank is different. Keep pumping content. Don't get discouraged
Where did you get the quarantine fish?
My tank has very low nitrate and phosphate and it looks pretty good a lot of people do not even check these two elements and their tanks look fantastic I focus a lot on alkalinity calcium pH and I do my water changes and that's it very nice tank you have
Tank looks awesome now!!! I kno how u feel “questioning the hobby” lol I been feeling the same way but I think I’m also seeing light at the end of the tunnel so let’s keep going. How are your Goni’s and sps from sbb doing? I got some dope frags from him thanks to you.👍🏾
Thanks!! Feeling better after all of these positive comments ❤️ I messaged sbb about this giving him props actually because the goni ‘s and sticks I got from him were the only ones that never showed ANY signs of anger. Ffs even the frogspawn were more upset 🤣 Couldn’t believe it.
Where did you get your fish from? The anthias have some very nice colors to them. Thanks
I got them from TSM aquatics - but save some for me! 😂
I'm thinking you may need to add some bio media in the sump. Like a lot more....
I'm thinking the fish load is an appropriate amount. But then again with limited rock in the display. I would definitely keep a large amount of media in the sump. And probably stop adding 🐟.
Up your calcium levels & alkalinity , uv sterilizer ?
glad u found out what was wrong. i was on the insta live with u and luke 👍
good job 👌🏽 what uv sterilizer we’re you using? Looking to do a similar set up as you did!
How's it going ? Any updates
Had wondered where you were! Glad you’re back and things seem to be moving in the right direction! Keep that UV on for a while maybe?
And maybe if you added more rock it’d give more space for beneficial bacteria that could outcompete the bad?
know how you feel with the frustration you've got. I've been having phosphate issues (among other things) and still, months later finding I have to constantly work on this.. I spent money on a media reactor to run rowaphos, I spent money on a roller filter, I spent money on a dosing pump...finally my swings seem less... but phosphate still up there and it's a royal pain in my ass. Good luck with getting yours back on track
That orange torch looks absolutely beautiful 😍😍😍
Right? ❤️
Do you use microbacter 7? Or add in phytoplankton? Maybe the good bacteria will beat out the bad? I think your tank looks great!
Some "outside the box" ideas:
1) Carbon source is just dust, and with the open top...
2) Sterilize all the things before you use them? Like, if you put the bacteria-infested water in a bucket, and reuse that bucket without cleaning ...
3) Just keep cracking away at it. I enjoy your "never give up" attitude. I wish I had that.
Are you using Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt?
No, I use red sea blue bucket!
Who do you order pre quarantined fish from ?
I ordered from TSM aquatics!
Tanks looking great. Where did you order your qt fish from?
TSM aquatics ! Highly recommend (but no anthias, those are all mine 😈)
I was going to ask if you have a UV sterilizer and saw that you got one during your first bacterial bloom. However, it sounded like as soon as things cleared up you took it off line. Not sure what caused the bacterial bloom, but if you did not have the UV running daily that may be what allowed them to thrive. My UV runs 24/7. I had high nitrates and low (0) phosphates. I took the carbon/GFO reactors off-line and added cheato. If you are running carbon/GFO there may not be enough nutrients to feed the cheato.
You need to throw a six line wrasse in. Im really happy things are bouncing back!!
I hate them now hahah little bullies!
My tank went through the exact same thing and I figure that I used marco rock and not live rock to do an negative aquascape. Those don't have pods for one and also create tiny gas bubble that get stuck in it. A burst of ammonia could trigger a bloom. Adding various type of pods can only help
first rule of acro reef keeping, is stability. No matter how high or low a parameter is, change things slowly. At same time, less is more. And by that the less you add/tune the better it is. Also changing method/dosing/salt continuously is damaging as well as its just makes things go up and down and up and down, which stresses out acro's. If you do an ICP test and see a value too high or low, just tune it over a couple of weeks/months. Unless there is a big warning on the ICP test.
Every tank is unique and every tank requires a specific balance/nutrient level for its inhabitants. For example, my tank is great for microlados acro's, but milli's have a tough time as they need higher nutrients and dirtier water.... your corals look great, wouldn't worry about it. you can't keep every species of acro in every tank.
losses are part of reef keeping, especially in beggining of the lifecycle of a frag in your tank, sometimes it looks ok for 2-3 months, and then bang, its unhappy. Just enjoy the other things which are going great!
I had the same issue as yours, I'm only using filter sock, protein skimmer, bio media (seachem matrix and brightwell bio xport), carbon, and refugium (chaeto). My nitrate was bottomed out. So I decided to dose nitrate (I use sodium nitrate solution) it's so much easier and cheaper than buying liquid nitrate solution (example : brightwell neonitro; no offense brightwell lol). I maintain my phosphate with reef roids, and reduce my skimmer time into 12 hours / day. Refugium time from 12 hour to 8 per day. Everything is happy now. Nitrate is stable around 1-2, and phosphate around 0.05 - 0.1
Just becareful, ultra low nutrient tank in a long term can lead to dinoflagellates outbreak.
Do you think you might need more live rock? For the beneficial bacteria to colonize? What if all of this is a big process of things dying off and not having enough of one type of bacteria to even out the other? And the process keeps trying to start over and over again with your good stuff growing and then dying? Idk. The tank is beautiful, but I wonder if there isn't much room for the two types of good bacteria to colonize and you could be having issues with blooms and low nitrate readings bc of it. Idk. I tried to do some research for you, but I'm just not sure. They say it's impossible to have too much good bacteria bc it'll just become dormant if there's no food for it. Something just makes me wonder if you need more surface area for beneficial bacteria to colonize. And given that there are two types of good bacteria it could be that you have an excess of one that's feeding on your organic matter, but not much of the other kind that feeds more chemically. And that bacteria resides in live rock. That's my best guess man.
Agree, more rock.
Good morning I just finished seeing your video live em by the way,I'm going to explain something I went through my system which my water column had got cloudy but situation was a bit different I had suffered smell in turn i took all my rocks out cured them all over again ,and havnt experience that white cloudy smelly water bloom for over 2 years now,so hope it helps before that my system is a 150 gallon reef and was established for 10 years plus when I encountered the cloudy water situation, and I lost many corals.good luck hope it helps, love yur videos.
I just love your rock work, it’s totally badass
Thank you !! It was a nightmare 😅 You have to see the video where IT BROKE IN HALF right as I was finished
I have a 50 watt emperor UV sterilization on my 125 keeps my tank water look like air.
Hi Queen of reef! loved the video, I thought having a refugium was a good thing! 😀👍
What kind of salt do you use?
Red sea blue bucket 🪣
Hope u get this all sorted out. I stand behind adding more rock. U can also try dosing microbacter 7 weekly. It cant hurt but will help for sure. Adding beneficial bacteria weekly may help if there is not enough surface area for it to populate. The tank look great though.
I used Microbacter 7 and it caused to MASSIVE bacterial blooms! It also did the same to another Reefer I know. I’d use Dr Tim’s eco balance now over anything.
@@thegrumpyreefer5546 if u use it appropriately it should not. There are far more success stories then there are negatives with this product. I do, however, agree with you on the dr tims. It is great stuff
@fishpony I dosed half the recommended dose.
@@thegrumpyreefer5546 😔 damn that sucks. Sorry to hear that brotha.
Great reef...!
thank you ❤️❤️
What is your lighting schedule?
AB+ but set low 😅
@@QueenofReef How low is low? Like 30%? And your SPS has no issues? Woah! lol
Great content 👌, check your TDS for R-O water run some carbon in rector would help clear up. I also run 24/7 uv helps. Be careful of adding to much reef roids it started a massive algae outbreak to my display. Great stuff but I find Redsea Ab plus better use half the amount on instructions. Good luck tank and aquascape is amazing 👏
I don’t think the ro unit would be the cause of low nutrients. In fact it would most likely be the exact opposite.
Do you burn any candles or anything like that? I have found that my wife’s scentsy plugs in caused so funky clear slime in my tank. It was either that or the Lysol she used when COVID was crazy 😜
Honestly….it’s something to look into for sure. LOVE my candles 🥴
gorgeous tank wow
I just started cranking my lights up in my 20g cube for some LPS, and so far, the diatoms are enjoying their stay :\
ETA: I've always had UVs on my tanks, except said 20g, but even now I think I should put one on.
We need parameters to assist you with the issue.
Isn’t this tank too new for sps corals? There are probably not enough nutrients.
Your tank still looks good stay at it
Good vibes sent your way , hope you figure it out dont give up ✌🏽
Those Torches are mesmerizing.....
Right 😍
Also damn I know less dead rock is used but your tank is extremely devoid of substrate. Do you have bio blocks in your sump?
Yes I have 4 of them! But plan to add some live rock soon
If I were to guess the issue it would be you don't have nearly enough live rock. I noticed that right away then when you said you have been feeding heavy lately it makes complete sense. I would add some marine pure bricks or spheres. A quart a spheres would be perfect.
I would suggest you to inspect your hammer coral skeletons. Vertimid snail feeding tanticles were out and about.
It could become a problem for you later on.
I saw those when editing 🤭 Carried over from the 40g oof
So why wouldn't you start a refugium?
Could be a number of things… but these tanks with the NSA, and hardly any live rock, are always seeming to have problems.
That being said, you could rid yourself of the SPS, you seem to be having success otherwise. Before you quit do that. SPS are tough, and die when you look at them the wrong way. It wouldn’t be a challenge if it was easy ;)
Good vibe.
Hey quee what is your reeflight 😍
Radion gen 5 xr30 blues!
The tank is looking wonderful despite some of your frustrations, and I feel that pain. My 227 gal is about 6 months behind yours but no where near as beautiful thanks to an early introduction of bryopsis and subsequent treatments which have jacked my tank out of the gate. Still trying to get mystery nutrients under control. I too am awaiting my ATI to see if my test kits are janky or if I have some other issue that I cannot pinpoint. I feel so horrible when I think “I’m done! F this!” Because of the time MONEY and effort I’ve given to it. But as my yoga instructor frequently says “this too shall pass” so I try to contain my wild thoughts of giving in and power through.
I have considered a UV for the perpetual cyano I have. What brand and size is that uv you have and which Sicce pump? Would love to see your video on a permanent install of that if you go that route.
20 years ago dogma was zero nitrates. And the tanks did well. I personally do not run dead systems such as no refugium. I'm also fortunate enought to have real live rock albeit it's old rock.
4 days ago had a b/bloom, I woke to see my tank milky white....I added a air stone to sump, increased the flow, added new carbon, and added phytolankton daily and zooplankton....This seems to work for me !
Woah that’s intense! Mine didn’t get super cloudy like that, but the uv took care of it all. Need to keep it running permanently now 🥺 Hope your tank is doing better now!
@@QueenofReef I was shocked and kinda freaked for a min, water looking clear after two days... reddish brown on rocks but getting cleaner everyday with help from a toothbrush
@@QueenofReef Hope your tank is doing better now!- Thank you and the same for you !
Are you still looking for help with your tank?
It’s cleared up! But just worried for the future
@@QueenofReef imo run the tank with no skimmer for a while and practice feeding very little you’ll have nitrates and phosphates in no time!
Bacteria blooms and brown jelly are typically from too much food if that’s makes sense
@@QueenofReef or you can run the skimmer on a much lower setting and that way you won’t have to worry about potentially to much to fast bacteria wise and getting your fish sick hope your tank does better and thrives soon
Eeech, my days of toweling my aquarium glass are over, got me a squeegee, changed my life. 😄
I need one 😂😅
@@QueenofReef Ya u do, no streaks!
With the open scape and I can't see any bio media in the sump I'd say the water bacteria is filling a void the surface bacteria can't. If a refugium isn't in the plans fill that chamber with media blocks. Won't be an overnight solution but once it's established it will bring stability.
I have 4 bricks back there by the skimmer actually! Adding some live rock tbh i’m sick of it, never doing bottled bacteria cycle again
@@QueenofReef first time seeing the tank and was just my 2 cents. Do you siphon the the sand a lot during the weekly water change? If so that may be something also. Get a dozen tiger conch so the sand stays turned over and siphon the sand less, only hit visible detritus? Again just brain storming.
You need more beneficial bacteria in a bottle. Dose daily and every water change. Vinegar do not harm the tank unless you it tanks all your nitrates away. Vinegar do reduce nitrates but is good for your corals to make them more vibrant.
What kind of Salt are you using? Tropic Marin has had issues with their salt from the Turkey Factory. The problem killed alot of people SPS corals. If you are using that salt stop and only use the TM salt from Germany. I just switched to Red Sea Blue bucket instead.
Yeah I heard about that 😞 I use red sea blue bucket luckily
Doesn’t a bacteria bloom takes place at the initial stage of the nitrogen cycle when everything is new? You need to figute out what is causing your tank to go through mini nitrogen cycle.
Just increase the flow by Pointing your wave makers to the surface, 2 days and your water will be clear back again. Adding more oxygen is all you need.
I know this vid was released a while back. And you've changed it now. Because you have a negative scape and I'm not sure what you had in the sump in terms of filter media (eg bio balls or equivalent) the ratio between how much water you have x fish x rock of media for bacteria to grow on. It's out of whack and well keep going through cycles because it's unstable. If your going with the negative scape you need to load up the sump with media to create that bio home.
not enough rock in the display is what im thinking, i believe you have bio bricks in the sump , but i have heard from gurus its better to have MORE rock in DT
Take a deep breath and relax. You don’t have enough rocks in your display. Just buy a bottle of microbacter 7 and dose one cap full every morning. You’ll be alright once your tank balances out with enough bacteria.😁👍
have 4 bricks in the sump but plan to add some live rock in there! sick of this lol
from vietnam with love
Pride always comes before a fall when I look at my tank and get too happy & proud I get nervous smh it’s really weird but this is the best and worst hobby EVER !
Right?!! 😭
Crank up that skimmer to full blast....permanently setup the uv in the sump....stop doing weekly water changes, switch to monthly 30%....start dosing kalkawasser asap. 90% of your issues are ph....and check your heaters controller----are they holding the tank steady +/- .5 degree
You have very little surface area for bacteria to grow on. Sand alone and those thin rocks won't cut it. Get yourself a bucket of Matrix and toss all of it in seachem's big bag and place it in your sump since you aren't using your refugium. Now that you have anthias they will need to be fed constantly which means your nutrients will go up, if there is any good reason to have a refugium up and running this would be that time.....with anthias!
subscribed to queen of reef - Love this vid
If I needed to take a guess it’s probably an issue with water flow. You should watch the brstv episode of water flow. And running an refugium counter clock wise of your lightning schedule is good for a stable ph and to help removing extensive nutrients. And with this hobby you always are battling issues (with time). If you can’t handle set backs this is not the hobby for you. Just man up do your best and enjoy the process. As an utuber it would have been content how you are battling the same issues as the rest have.
yes, today i have bacteria bloom, about 2 hour after dosing sugar 1 teaspoon when i comeback suddenly the tank cloudy, usually i dose same sugar and nothing happened, but today i have bacteria bloom for the first time.
sugar? 😅
@@QueenofReef yes i dose sugar daily.
Fritz salt ??
No , red sea blue bucket!
Yeah!
😄
I think you need more rock, if you don't want to change up the scape add most to the sump... Your bacteria needs a place to grow I think that will solve your problem.
Yeah my next step. I have bricks in there already but going to add some live rock from my established 40g! 😊
Over feeding is adding carbon to your tank. That’s what’s causing your bacteria bloom. Just don’t dose reef roids and definitely don’t add the fuel. Amino acids can fuel dino growth, especially in a tank cycled with dry rock.
Just be patient and don’t make so many unnecessary changes.
I think, you might be added too many fishes too quickly. It happened to me.
needed them for nutrients 😅
Yeah, I know lol
I DOSE MY TANK WITH WHITE DISTILLED VINEGAR THOUGH TO HELP WITH THE NITRATES DECREASE.
I think what you're forgetting is... to not cry over split milk! Death is sad but inevitable. Your tank is a living organism in itself and you'll never be able to get it to do exactly what you want. You still have a bunch of corals that are doing great, so I would just focus on growing the corals that like your tank as it is.
Your tank might be dependent on UV now
Maybe slowly reduce the ammout of time you have it on over a couple of months.
From looking at your tank. You don’t have much bacteria surface. Sand is good but not much rock work. I.would shut skimmer off 4 hours during the day. Be patient a tank with no live rock can take 2 years to mature. Adding a live rock would help bacteria. But since you have coral in the tank thats another way bringing bacteria. I like CaribSea Ocean Direct Caribbean Live sand. Has ocean bacteria in it and will help with bacteria. .i see a little coralline algae. Let it grow a little it's a good indicator your tank is maturing. I wouldn't add amino until your tank settles with bacteria. It will grow cyano. Feed SPS when they are bigger. Good luck be patient. Good your doing ATI tests. But you can do a Aquabiome bacteria test from them. Check them out. Good luck.
To be totally honest if I learned something from death in a tank is that no matter what water changing always helps
So true 😂