Just about ready to throw in the towel grrr

[digital-audiophile]

I don't know what it is about SW tanks sometimes. About two months ago my tank looked the best that it ever had, I had started zeo and everything was showing growth and colour and I could not have been happier.

In the past month however everything has gone down the tube. I have been fighting a losing battle with cyano, it just will not go away and just keeps getting worse not matter what steps I take to stop it. My SPS are browing out and even starting the first stages of STN.

[michika]

That is really unfortunate. Are you still using the Zeo system?

[Delphinus]

Sorry to hear that Greg!! I know how you feel though.

FWIW, I ran a cyano treatment on my zeo tank some 2-3 weeks ago and it has helped. The cyano kicked back and hasn't reappeared. I've also discontinued all but the basic 4 of zeo for now and on Sean's advice I dialed back the flow through the reactor to a very small trickle.

I broke my reactor 2 nights ago trying to clear a rock jam. Luckily I had some weldon onhand to fix the acrylic, but now my reactor is starting to look more like Frankenstein between the gouges from rock jams and my acrylic fixit job. Not sure why I mention this, it's sort of irrelevant I guess.. .just thought I'd share my story that had me all p!ssy about zeo a couple nights ago.

Are you tracking your tank temperature at all? I wonder if it's warming up a bit now that it's warmer outside.

[Aquattro]

Greg, this is just one of those downs that make the ups that much more rewarding. Throwing towels won't fix it, and if you pack it in, you'll regret it in three weeks. Figure out where and when things changed, and work backwards. Maybe pull out the zeo for now, do a 50% water change, siphon and sand bed with one of those vac things, keep the skimmer cleaned daily, and use filter socks if you aren't already.
Slow off feeding, rinse any frozen foods, rearrange flow every few days to remove dead spots, and in a month you'll be happy again. Or too tired to care. Either way, get at 'er!!

[digital-audiophile]

I am still using zeo, but right now I have cut out all but the basic four and have lowered my dose to almost nothing. From everything I have read Zeostart in excess can be a cause of red slime. My params are all testing normal which is what confuses me.

I am thinking on the weekend when I have some time, and kick this cold I have been fighting I will lift off my lights so I can get deep into the tank and manual pull/syphon out as much as the cyano as I can. I want to do a large water change and a change out of my zeolites and carbon as well (they are still about 3 weeks before the scheduled change) but this may help.

[Red Coral Aquariums]

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate happenings. Since I have been on this site you have been supportive and a great help to others.
A couple small things I am sure you have checked and double checked your parameters?
What is the TDS on your RO?
Have you considered contacting zeovit.com?

Kevin

[digital-audiophile]

Thanks for the support guys and gals

What were you using as a Cyano treatment Tony?

The TDS on my RO DI is 0 right now, I do store my fresh water in a rain barrel but it still tests 0 as it comes out.

My temp does not fluctuate too much as it is in the basement. It goes from 79 overnight to a max of 81 after the lights have been on all day.

I might consider chaning bulbs as my T5's are all about 3 months old now.

I've taken advice from the gurus on zeovit.com but it has not helped too much as of yet.

I will try to move around my flow, I am running a vortech and three koralias but perhaps they need to shift a bit. If I had the extra money burning a hole in my pocket I would pick up another vortech

[sphelps]

You do require a large skimmer with the zeo system, what kind are you using and what size is your system. Also have you been keeping up with the 10% weekly water changes?

Zeovit is a good system but you can't do it half ***, ineffective skimming will result in all kinds of bacteria blooms such as cyano. I would defiantly cut your dosing by half until you can figure out what is causing the bloom.

[andestang]

In the early stages of starting Zeovit I used Chemi-clean (boyd) and what I had cleared up(but not a cure) and never returned with continued use of zeo. I also use now the Coral snow,which also to help control cyno and seems to be working.

[Delphinus]

I'm nodding my head fervently at Brad's advice and wishing I had said those things too.

Hmmm, I would sincerely hope that T5's last longer than 3 months.. I doubt that lights is the root cause here.

The red slime treatment I did was just one of the standard red slime treatments you can get. I forget which one I used this time but it was one of Chemiclean or just "Red Slime Remover" (if you ask at the store they'll know which one it is). It's a yellow powder that smells like banana and your water will go yellow at first and you'll freak right out and wonder what you did to your tank, and your skimmer will go nuts so you have to take it offline or just have it drain back into your tank, but in 2-3 days the cyano will be gone and you can start skimming again (at a low setting as it will skim out like nuts). You do also need to run carbon and do something like a 25% water change afterwards.

I suspect running red slime treatments is a "dirty little secret" a lot of reefers won't admit to, but do occasionally do. I've run them about a half-dozen times over the years when I've gotten desperate. I don't like to do it because it affects O2 levels in the tank but it really does work.

Another thing you can try is erythomycin but I haven't used it myself.

I should mention that one thing I did do at the same time as my red slime treatment was I bleached out my SW mixing bucket (30g rubbermaid), rinsed the HECK out of it, also rinsed the heck out of my RO/DI reservoir.

But yeah, stay the course. Brad hit the nail on the head. The downs makes us appreciate the ups, and frankly, if this stuff was super easy then everyone would be doing it.