Really starting to get mad, what is it?

[melosu58]

Very informative thread. Thanks for asking the question and Macdracor thanks for providing the answers. Good job.

 

[00youknowit00]

So after looking around for information on how to rid my tank of it (which isn't easy to find) I found this:

1) some people THINK the culprit is water
2) some people THINK the culprit is salt mix
3) some people THINK it has something to do with too high/too low phosphate and nitrate levels

My thoughts:
1) if you use ro/di water and your TDS is zero, then that Shouldn't be the problem
2) I have 3 tanks, all use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals, I have a friend who has a 75, 125, 150, 30, 10, 90 and uses that same salt. Only my 20g has this problem, and its going on 2 years of being set up, and the same salt has been used the entire time.
3) phosphate and nitrate Should be irrelevant since its silicate based?

I also read that more water changes can make it worse, so I haven't done one in about 5 days or so, since I was doing them every other day to try and kill it (normally the remedy to most anything is more water changes). After the previous picture of my tank I posted and not doing a water change, I do think it's getting better, maybe. But if it is working that poses another problem.. I still gotta do water changes eventually! So I'm almost more confused now as to what I need to do lol

Any more ideas?

 

[MacDracor]

Sometimes I wish a multimillionaire would just fund studies to answer these questions for us. Lol
If less frequent water changes are helping, then maybe try cutting back to the bare minimum for everything else in the tank and see what happens?
One thing I did while my tank was doing less than spectacularly was affix a razor blade to my siphon tube so I could scrape stuff and suck it out simultaneously during a water change. We know toothbrushes won't remove them, but maybe you could rig something similar?

 

[00youknowit00]

Sometimes I wish a multimillionaire would just fund studies to answer these questions for us. Lol
If less frequent water changes are helping, then maybe try cutting back to the bare minimum for everything else in the tank and see what happens?
One thing I did while my tank was doing less than spectacularly was affix a razor blade to my siphon tube so I could scrape stuff and suck it out simultaneously during a water change. We know toothbrushes won't remove them, but maybe you could rig something similar?

Having a multimillionaire would just make it too easy lol

And my glass is clean, like I magnet at least half as much than normal due to how many changes I've done recently haha

I also have some cyano and hair algae coming back, even with all the water changes, which is also frustrating.. I'm going to test nitrate and phosphate in a little bit.

 

[MacDracor]

I meant to use a razor to remove the chysophytes and siphon them out.

 

[00youknowit00]

I meant to use a razor to remove the chysophytes and siphon them out.

Oh! I've done that some on my equipment it gets on, but on the equipment a toothbrush gets it done. They stick to rock MUCH harder haha and really using a razorblade really isn't effective on rocks, it just takes too long haha

I guess my best bet its to try and change as little water as possible and see if that helps?

 

[00youknowit00]

My silicate test should be here tomorrow.

I think I'm going to throw some phosgaurd in my reactor. should kick my cyano, AND I just read, from seachems page, that once PO4 is lowered it will actually start absorbing silicates, so that sounds like a winner to me! Going to see if my lfs has some after class

 

[00youknowit00]

So the kit ended up coming today, tank tests 0, which makes since as the algae will be absorbing what's there.

In one of my 5 gallon ro/di jugs it tests .5-.75 I'd say..

I'm going to test my buckets later to see if its coming from those jugs (which are newish)

 

[00youknowit00]

Forgot to put picture. It looks between .5-1.0

 

[Stlrockguy]

That's makes since. Coming out of the plastic.

 

[00youknowit00]

That's makes since. Coming out of the plastic.

That's what i'm thinking/hoping. Cause that's an easy fix.

I also should be getting some phosguard tomorrow. Which is supposed to absorb silicates along with phosphates, so its a win win.

 

[Stlrockguy]

Did you get the buckets around the same time you started having problems

 

[00youknowit00]

Did you get the buckets around the same time you started having problems

Well the buckets I've pretty much always had. Recently(last 3-4 months) I got two 5g jugs with lids from Walmart. Followed the directions, rinsed it well with a bleach solution. Then rinsed clean very well. Went a step further and swished a concentrated solution of prime to make sure all the chlorine was gone from the bleached. Then dried well.

Its hard to remember exactly when it started. But I guess around the same time, maybe.

 

[Stlrockguy]

That's probably it then. I get the jugs that are for drinking water

 

[00youknowit00]

Touche.. Doesn't say anything about food safe/ drinking water.. Does say its made from recycled water bottles.



Edit: I don't know why it keeps rotating my pictures..

 

[00youknowit00]

Great.. This is straight from my ro/di..
Id call it 2ppm?


Again with the rotation..

 

[MacDracor]

How old are the filters and membranes? Maybe time to replace them?

 

[Stlrockguy]

Yea it looks like you need to replace the filters on your rodi unit

 

[00youknowit00]

Well the sediment filter and di resin I changed, I have the date written down at home. I have new carbon blocks I can put in. The unit was bought 4/22/13. Its a BRS 5 stage plus 75gpd.

 

[MacDracor]

Do you have a tds meter? If your tap water has high tds, your filters will need replacing more frequently.
But hey, at least you've finally solved the mystery!