Red algae

[daplatapus]

Originally Posted by Slyguy00

My water perameters have been really good ( i test everyday) and I just tested now, and my nitrates are super high, nitrites are next to 0, no amonia, no phosphate. What would cause my nitrates to go so high in one day, but not nitrites?

Just to comment a bit on this. The progression of the breakdown of nutrients in our tank systems starts with ammonia after they begin to de-compose. Beneficial bacteria in our tanks feed on this ammonia, process it and turn it into nitrite. More bacteria then grows and feeds on this nitrite and turns it into nitrate. If you have a deep sand bed or other area that is very low in oxygen, or an anaerobic area, there are further bacteria that will process this nitrate and turn it into nitrogen. But if there is no deep sand bed or anaerobic area, the nitrates sit there until you get rid of them with water changes.

If you have a sudden spike in nitrates without a reading of nitrites or ammonia in the days previous, the only answer I can think of is an error in testing of either of the 3. If you are in fact testing every day and diligent in those tests, it would seem unlikely (but not impossible) that both the ammonia test and nitrite tests got fouled and you caught it in the nitrate test. But if the first 2 tests were accurate, I'd suspect the nitrate test could be inaccurate. This is where good quality tests and a clean, conscientious routine of testing is invaluable.

[Reef Pilot]

You may not have enough flow near your sand bed either, allowing detritus to accumulate there. I have Orange Spot Sleeper Gobies in my tanks, which constantly sift the sand and keep it stirred up. I think that helps, too.

[michika]

I'm just going to point it out that the tank in question is new, 6 months old I believe. This cyano bloom could be natrual and you may have to do nothing more then let time pass and keep up with good husbandry practice.

I too have recently set up a tank and I had a 2.5 month daily cyano cycle. It has finally started to pass without any changes to my current practices. Just something to think of of as you're considering the variety of response you've received.

[daplatapus]

+1 to the above. Every new tank has extra nutrients and time usually solves them. I had actually meant to mention that too but sometimes my brain works faster than my fingers. Thanks for pointing it out Michika