Troubleshooting a Biocube-Massive Detritus

[kkgaskin90]

BioCube 29g set up in June. Was running fantastic until about a month ago when we started having algae issues. First it was red slime, now its green hair. I did a massive overhaul yesterday and cleaned/scrubbed all three back chambers and removed the bioballs from chamber 2. The back wall of chamber 2 was COVERED in detritus. It was gross. Then I went to the LFS convinced I should ditch the bioballs and make chamber 2 a fuge but they were out of chaeto and didn't have any lights I wanted. I explained the issues I was having with the algae, and added that I am losing a previously thriving Anthelia colony, can NOT keep Zoas no matter what I try, my Galaxea is struggling, and I suspected that my bio-load was too high (see below for descriptions). He insisted my problem was my lights are on too long and my bio-load is fine, then showed me his display biocube that has been running "stock" for 3 years and he has never touched the bioballs... I could see through the back window so he obviously didn't have the detritus build up I had. He also insisted I needed to change my light bulbs. And add 10 more hermits (my cuc is probably 10-15 snails/hermits all together)
Long story short, I feel like it's more than a "I need new lights" problem. Only parameters that ever test higher than 0 are Nitrates, and they test BARELY high. Everything else stays spot on. Until this morning. Also, I DID buy new lights and he assured me that I would be "shocked" at how bright the new lights appeared compared to my old ones... There's NO difference. My lights are only 6 months old (and BARELY 6 months at that...), shouldn't they be ok longer than this??? Here's what I have and my set up:
Stock Biocube with 10,000 Actinics and Daylights
Biocube skimmer (sub-par, I'm sure, but better than nothing?)
Biocube filter/bioballs in chamber 2
Stock pump
Heater
Additional Biocube Powerhead
30 pounds live rock
30 pounds live sand
2 Snowflake Clowns
Melanarus Wrasse
Bar Goby
Bangaii Cardinal
Blue-Green Chromis
Fire Goby
This morning my parameters are as follows:
SG: 1.025
Salinity: 34
span style="color:rgb(51, 51, 51)">Temp: 77
*pH: 7.8
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
*Nitrate: 160
Calcium: 420
KH: 9
Phosphates: 0.25
*Remember I did a MASSIVE clean-out yesterday (probably more than I should have done at once, but I was really disgusted and "over it") so my pH is lower than it has ever been and my Nitrates are WAY higher than they have ever been. Should I go ahead and do a 5gal water change to reduce Nitrates? What can I do about the pH?
Light schedule: 10 am Actinics on, 12 pm Daylights on, 7 pm Daylights off, 9 pm Actinics off Moonlight (LED) on, 12 am Moonlight off.

Water changes every 2-3 weeks (20%)
Any suggestions on what I can do about this (Detritus build up, losing Anthelia and Galaxea, high(ish) Nitrates) would be greatly appreciated. My gut says turn chamber 2 into a fuge but I'm fairly new to saltwater (this was our first salt tank) so any input would be fantastic! If there's anything I've learned, it's to not trust the LFS :/

 

[kenjones33]

Hello,


I had a biocube 14 (marine set up) until it cracked, about a week or so ago. It was 12 months old, I received it for Christmas 2012. Coralife will not honor the warranty, which I am finding out is a good thing.

I had the same issues with that tank. There was nothing I could do to stop the problem with alge, diatoms.... you name it I had it. The problem for me was that the "refuge" built into the back, kept the waste trapped in the back. I put in a small skimmer and ran cemipure, with a small pellet reactor from Dr tims aquatics. I scrubbed and vinegar-ed that thing, nothing helps. I did not use the bioballs - I used live rock pieces.

I would get rid of that crappy cube they are horrible. I got my neighbor into salt water about, maybe a year ago. What he does, and has no issues is running a 20 gallon long, with a fluval 206 canister. It is spotless. When My tank cracked, I set a tank up similar to his. I started into salt water using a small ten gallon tank, which was converted from a gold fish tank, when they expired. If I had a started in a biocube, and not the 10 gallon, I would be out of the hobby.

Maybe you could hook a canister filter, with some Dr Tims waste away in the nano. Its not much help, just verifying that its the tank, not so much you and probably not the lights. Better lights might help the alge grow better. If someone recommends that tank, they are morons. At my local fish store, the nano cubes that are running all look like crap. If someone likes that thing, that have not had it more than a few months... in a few more weeks, ka-blam.... they are toast.

Thanks

 

[kenjones33]

I saw that you are from Alabama - forgot to add.... "roll tide".

 

[flower]

Hi,

The issues you're having has to do with water quality. Small tanks mean big problems. Phosphates and nitrates....even if you did a test, you would get a false negative reading since the hair algae is feeding on it. LOL...My solution was to scrub my rocks and stuff to get the hair algae off, then upgrade from a 30g to a 56g column tank, using decorative macroalgae in the display right off the start.

Possible solutions:

• Lots of small daily water changes.
• A critter that feeds on hair algae, such as a seahare, but in such a small tank...that's almost the only critter you can keep.
  Macroalgae, but it isn't a fast solution, and with the hair algae already having a foot hold, it will starve out the macros before it has a chance.
  On a small reef the "two little fishes" GFO reactor works best, but I don't know about a biocube, since they are all sealed up and contained.

You can't scrub on hair algae in the tank, it spreads it's spores. You must remove the rock, power heads, and anything else covered in the algae... scrub it in a saltwater filled bucket with a NEW scrub brush (mark it fish only), then rinse in another saltwater filled bucket shaking and rubbing the rock to try and be rid of all spores....then another rinse in yet another saltwater filled bucket, to be certain the rock is clean, then set it aside a tub until you clean up the rest the same way.

 

[grant778]

I am having this issue too. Most likely from tap water that i thought was RO water (turned out I had been using the wrong faucet the whole time). I have been using the actual RO water for a month now and have the growth under control so its not spreading but it is unfortunately sustaining itself. Can I take out all of the rocks and scrub them or will that set off a mini cycle?

 

[kkgaskin90]

Thanks yall I have gotten it a bit better by doing lots of 5 gal water changes every other day. Also I covered the tank and turned off all lights for 3 days. Ditched the bioballs and added chaeto and chemi pure in the back.
Still high nitrates, but coming down and corals are making a comeback.
I have a 75 gallon that runs SO much cleaner and easier... So this cube just mystifies me!
Oh and Ken-War Eagle in this house

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by grant778 http:///t/396784/troubleshooting-a-biocube-massive-detritus#post_3535678
I am having this issue too. Most likely from tap water that i thought was RO water (turned out I had been using the wrong faucet the whole time). I have been using the actual RO water for a month now and have the growth under control so its not spreading but it is unfortunately sustaining itself. Can I take out all of the rocks and scrub them or will that set off a mini cycle?

Hi Grant,

As long as you clean off your rock in saltwater, you will not have a mini cycle. Remember to rinse the rock in separate buckets of saltwater, to make sure the spores are gone as much as possible, before placing them back into the display. Keep the rock wet so the tiny living critters deep in the rock, won't die.