I've been up and running around two months now but over the last week I've had a manageable algae bloom(hair algae). The issue is that the algae is pearling and I'm accumulating a lot of either oxygen or nitrogen bubbles on my rocks. No big deal right? Wrong. I added a chocolate tang to the tank a week or so ago and he is doing great, as he eats well and is very active. This afternoon I noticed a small bubble inside my tangs right eye. I assume this is from the recent algal bloom super saturating the water. The other thing that I can think to do is to go dark on the tank for a few days to try to stop the bloom and thus reduce the amount of dissolved O2 in the tank. Any other thoughts? There's basically no way to catch a single tang in a 125 filled with LR for any kind of treatment. Even if I could catch him I don't see much on the web. I did read where if the O2 saturated in his system to the point of sending a bubble to his heart or brain it will kill him just about instantly. This is my fourth reef and have never heard of or had to deal with supersaturation. Anyone else out there seen this?
Supersaturation Help
- Thread starter coastalJ
- Start date
Are you sure it's not pop eye.? I think that crops up with lower water quality, which is indicated by the algae outbreak. That's a really young tank. Maybe do a couple largish water changes? I do think the condition can go away with time. Anyhow, bump for people smarter than me to look at your post. Good luck!
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Ya you are right at the normal cycle time for such a bloom and likely its a combo of things, include diatoms, algae and/or cyano.
Any pics? And where did your rock come from? Was it dry or live when you got it and was it cured before going in the tank? Are you feeding the tank anything or seed with anything else?
What do the numbers look like on the tank (sal, mag, alk, calc, PO4, NO3, ammonia ect...) and what leads you to believe its supersaturation?
Current light cycle and any other inhabitants in the tank besides the Rock, and tang?
My first though when reading your description is that its algae covered with cyano or diatoms, as mats of cyano and diatoms often produce the bubbles like you describe, and its possible the fish issue could be unrelated.
The more info you can provide the better we will be able to help.
Any pics? And where did your rock come from? Was it dry or live when you got it and was it cured before going in the tank? Are you feeding the tank anything or seed with anything else?
What do the numbers look like on the tank (sal, mag, alk, calc, PO4, NO3, ammonia ect...) and what leads you to believe its supersaturation?
Current light cycle and any other inhabitants in the tank besides the Rock, and tang?
My first though when reading your description is that its algae covered with cyano or diatoms, as mats of cyano and diatoms often produce the bubbles like you describe, and its possible the fish issue could be unrelated.
The more info you can provide the better we will be able to help.
Its not popeye. It was supersaturation. About 70# of the rock was dry the other 125+ was cured. I don't guess I was clear when I stated outbreak. I mean very very minor hair algae, just enough to color the rock. My cyano has come and gone and 99.5% never made it to the display, I kept it in the sump. Yes this is a new tank but I'm using a ton of aged materials. Around thirty pounds of the sand is from multiple established tanks and 65% of the rock was from an established source. The cycle was extremely short and sweet, and there isn't enough algae to even justify a clean up crew at the moment.
In the sump and in those small algae areas late in the day they would produce very fine microbubbles/pearling. At the same time I noticed the bubble in my tangs left eye. In it not on it. No swelling no discoloration. I had recently changed the return on my skimmer where it was discharging directly at the waterline. There was very little degassing from the skimmer. I raised the return and allowed the return flow to bubble off some and I added a fan to the display hood lowering the tank from 80 to 78 degrees. After I cooled the tank and rerouted the skimmer I still haven't completely resolved my saturation issue but its come a long ways. The tank only pearls the last 30 mins or so before lights out. I may cut the photoperiod by an hr and call it good.
24 hrs after these changes the bubble in the tangs eye is gone.
Nitrates have never raised past 5 and that was during the last few days of the cycle. The algae bloom is from leaching phosphates and there isn't much anyone can do about that but let it run its course and stay on top of the water changes. I change 15% weekly. So far I e had to clean the glass twice. Pods are booming in the fugue and display.
This is my fourth reef and this effort is a culmination of all the previous years to try to get it perfect the first time. Short cycle, very little uglies, and an established system on an excellorated timescale.
Thanks for the responses.
In the sump and in those small algae areas late in the day they would produce very fine microbubbles/pearling. At the same time I noticed the bubble in my tangs left eye. In it not on it. No swelling no discoloration. I had recently changed the return on my skimmer where it was discharging directly at the waterline. There was very little degassing from the skimmer. I raised the return and allowed the return flow to bubble off some and I added a fan to the display hood lowering the tank from 80 to 78 degrees. After I cooled the tank and rerouted the skimmer I still haven't completely resolved my saturation issue but its come a long ways. The tank only pearls the last 30 mins or so before lights out. I may cut the photoperiod by an hr and call it good.
24 hrs after these changes the bubble in the tangs eye is gone.
Nitrates have never raised past 5 and that was during the last few days of the cycle. The algae bloom is from leaching phosphates and there isn't much anyone can do about that but let it run its course and stay on top of the water changes. I change 15% weekly. So far I e had to clean the glass twice. Pods are booming in the fugue and display.
This is my fourth reef and this effort is a culmination of all the previous years to try to get it perfect the first time. Short cycle, very little uglies, and an established system on an excellorated timescale.
Thanks for the responses.
Its not popeye. It was supersaturation. About 70# of the rock was dry the other 125+ was cured. I don't guess I was clear when I stated outbreak. I mean very very minor hair algae, just enough to color the rock. My cyano has come and gone and 99.5% never made it to the display, I kept it in the sump. Yes this is a new tank but I'm using a ton of aged materials. Around thirty pounds of the sand is from multiple established tanks and 65% of the rock was from an established source. The cycle was extremely short and sweet, and there isn't enough algae to even justify a clean up crew at the moment.
In the sump and in those small algae areas late in the day they would produce very fine microbubbles/pearling. At the same time I noticed the bubble in my tangs left eye. In it not on it. No swelling no discoloration. I had recently changed the return on my skimmer where it was discharging directly at the waterline. There was very little degassing from the skimmer. I raised the return and allowed the return flow to bubble off some and I added a fan to the display hood lowering the tank from 80 to 78 degrees. After I cooled the tank and rerouted the skimmer I still haven't completely resolved my saturation issue but its come a long ways. The tank only pearls the last 30 mins or so before lights out. I may cut the photoperiod by an hr and call it good.
24 hrs after these changes the bubble in the tangs eye is gone.
Nitrates have never raised past 5 and that was during the last few days of the cycle. The algae bloom is from leaching phosphates and there isn't much anyone can do about that but let it run its course and stay on top of the water changes. I change 15% weekly. So far I e had to clean the glass twice. Pods are booming in the fugue and display.
This is my fourth reef and this effort is a culmination of all the previous years to try to get it perfect the first time. Short cycle, very little uglies, and an established system on an excellorated timescale.
Thanks for the responses.
In the sump and in those small algae areas late in the day they would produce very fine microbubbles/pearling. At the same time I noticed the bubble in my tangs left eye. In it not on it. No swelling no discoloration. I had recently changed the return on my skimmer where it was discharging directly at the waterline. There was very little degassing from the skimmer. I raised the return and allowed the return flow to bubble off some and I added a fan to the display hood lowering the tank from 80 to 78 degrees. After I cooled the tank and rerouted the skimmer I still haven't completely resolved my saturation issue but its come a long ways. The tank only pearls the last 30 mins or so before lights out. I may cut the photoperiod by an hr and call it good.
24 hrs after these changes the bubble in the tangs eye is gone.
Nitrates have never raised past 5 and that was during the last few days of the cycle. The algae bloom is from leaching phosphates and there isn't much anyone can do about that but let it run its course and stay on top of the water changes. I change 15% weekly. So far I e had to clean the glass twice. Pods are booming in the fugue and display.
This is my fourth reef and this effort is a culmination of all the previous years to try to get it perfect the first time. Short cycle, very little uglies, and an established system on an excellorated timescale.
Thanks for the responses.
1.026 sg
0/0/0
8.2 ph
440 ca
10 dkh
80* temp
I say super saturation due to the amount of pearling the cheato was producing in the sump. It only shows up after a long photoperiod. I have no microbubbles. I cooled the tank some, added some extra gas off areas in my return and have just about got it fixed. I think its due to a large skimmer, lower atmospheric pressure than my previous setups, a touch warmer tank, and a small bioload. This all effects the amount of oxygen saturation in the tank.
0/0/0
8.2 ph
440 ca
10 dkh
80* temp
I say super saturation due to the amount of pearling the cheato was producing in the sump. It only shows up after a long photoperiod. I have no microbubbles. I cooled the tank some, added some extra gas off areas in my return and have just about got it fixed. I think its due to a large skimmer, lower atmospheric pressure than my previous setups, a touch warmer tank, and a small bioload. This all effects the amount of oxygen saturation in the tank.