help diagnose my tank please!!

[cathy]

My tank is sick and I can't figure out what the cause is. Please help! About a month ago, the first indication was that my mushroom anenomes were not extending as much as usual. I first attributed this to a somewhat fluctuating temp and salinity, as we were just getting going with the heating season. We cooled it with the thermostat, but no improvement. Checked for ammonia - none, no nitrates either. Ca a little low, supplemented that, dKh ok. We are on a regular schedule as far as water/filter changes go. We have had one of the mushrooms for several months, prior to this. Compact lite bulbs new in august. Through this, a gorgonian and a leather are perfectly happy. Just this week my Bubble tip is now not acting so happy.
The only other thing is, I am experiencing a cyanobacteria bloom. This has happened before, usually goes away with good housekeeping, which I have kept up. This time the bloom seems to be worse. Plus I am seeing green hair algae in places.
Could these nuisances be causing the problem with the anenomes? Should I consider treating the tank with macerin (?sp)
Anything else I should consider - can I save my shrooms?
all advice welcome......

[RothChyld]

Cathy, I have not had a Cyanobacteric attack in the history of my tank but based on a basic understanding I would probably guess you had an episode of poor water quality due to overfeeding, skimmer malfunction, or your bio load is too high.

Again I have never fought this algae in the 3.5 years I have had a saltwater tank so let me know talk with experience. I have a good website for you to read on how to potentially get rid of the algae. See this website (http://netclub.athiel.com/cyano/cyanos2.htm) for more information. Perhaps someone that has successfully fought this can be of more help and will reply to your post.

I would also check your alk, ph, phosphate (really important for algae growth) and make sure everything is in range. Depending on the life of your tank maybe a bacteria supplement to reestablish the bio would be good but before I really recommend that I would prefer someone with more experience in this topic to comment.

RothChyld

[g. mcclean]

From my experience I would say that the cyano is your problem. It seems that good maintenance is not enough to stay clear of cyano. Water movement seems to be the key. We just started with our second outbreak and got a new powerhead . Within hours the cyan was gone. It is also very hard on corals. Perhaps you could try "blasting" the shrooms with a turkey baster to be sure that there is no cyano on them. If you get on top of the problem perhaps you will save them. They are supposed to be very hardy. Good luck and let us know how you do.

[cathy]

thanks all. To the first reply, Idon't think my biological filter is the problem. I have been checking frequently for ammonia and nitrates, have not detected any, and this was rechecked by my LFS. Although I am very concerned about the possibility of my shroom's demise if things don't improve. They still are very shriveled.
I did install a new powerhead. I now have four sources of current in a 46 gal tank. Fluvial 304 filter output, power head, output from skimmer, and vigorous upward jet from airstone. The back corners of the tank may not get direct current, but it's hard for me to see where lack of current is the problem.
To the second poster, I have a clean medicine dropper that i use to suction and/or put a stream of water to disrupt the slime from around the mushrooms. I am concerned about their delicate tissues in this process.
We had been doing water changes every other week, and have now gone to a weekly schedule. Any other suggestions, anyone?

[g. mcclean]

Kathy, I hate to belabor a point, but any slime on the mushrooms will be a large problem. The output from the skimmer and the filter will give you water turnover, but not a current. I also don't think the air stone does much either. I don't think a medicine dropper gives enough oomph to get algae off the mushrooms. Power heads create a current that keeps algae from settling on the corals. A turkey baster has never hurt any of our corals, but has successfully removed cyano from on and around them.

[mogurnda]

Hi Cathy,
You've got me puzzled. It seems particularly odd that the softies are doing fine, while the mushrooms are fading. The water change schedule sounds fine.
There are a few things that might be worth checking/changing.
1. Get rid of the airstone. The splash gives you salt creep and increases evaporation, which will contribute to the fluctuating conditions.
2. Increase current. Add another powerhead, aimed somewhat toward the one you have, to generate more chaotic motion. Mushrooms don't like to be blasted, but do need some current to flush away wastes and aerate. Also, cynanobacteria thrive in low current conditions.
3. What are the actual numbers for your Ca, alkalinity and pH? I also agree with RothChyld that it would be worth checking PO4. Too much can not only support algae blooms, but can also inhibit calcification.
4. How much light have you got? Many species of mushrooms don't like too much light. Do you know what kind of mushroom you have? Presumably they would have shown their displeasure earlier, but it's a possibility.
I am clutching at straws, but maybe something of the above will help.

[vicious]

Have you switched sources for your water? Do you make your own RO/DI, perhaps the membrane needs cleaning. It almost sounds like you have excess nutrients in the tank (phosphates are prime contributors to hair algae and cyano). If it's an issue of nutrients, then water changes may not help if the source of the water is the issue).


Mike

[Pisces]

Hi Cathy, I have a few questions for you that might help to determine the problem. How long has this tank been running and what kind of water has been going into it?
We had a few bad algae blooms in the past soon after setting up our 125G and 55G. We finally determined our problem was with our source water (both were initially filled with well water) because it tested high for silicate and phosphate, just like our tanks were.
So I would definitely suggest that you test your tank water for phosphate and silicate to see where they stand and check your source water too. Now we only use distilled water (yes, it's been checked for copper) in our tanks and we haven't had any more bad outbreaks since getting the silicate and phosphate levels back down to zero in both tanks.
And I also agree that any red slime or algae that settles on your corals or any other inverts should be removed promptly so they don't suffocate and die. I would just fan everything off by hand or use a powerhead, they can handle it.
I hope you find out what the problem is so you can fix it, good luck!