Cyanobacteria: A Simple Approach To Treatment

[lgreen]

Cyanobacteria

 

What is it?

 

Cyanobacteria (aka red slime algae) is a photosynthetic prokaryotic bacterium that typically grows in films, commonly with hair-like projections that may resemble hair-like algae, that is shiny, almost velvety, red in color.

 

What causes it?

 

The most effective and simple way to treat cyanobacteria begins with understanding what causes it. Three major factors are going to influence the growth and proliferation of any algae or cyanobacteria growth: nutrients, circulation, and lighting. The most common cause of cyano bacteria is simply an accumulation of debris/nutrients in an area of the tank that is not receiving adequate circulation. For example, you may notice it growing on the sand bed right under the edge of a rock that blocks water from blasting nutrients that lay there up into the water column to be removed by your filters. It also could be that their is a spot in your live rock that isn't being hit with enough flow or just happens to be shaped in way that favors debris settling there.

 

Treatment

 

99% of the time cyano bacteria can be treated very simply by just making a few adjustments in your tank. You either need to move your powerhead so that more flow is hitting the area where cyano is growing, or you may need to add an additional powerhead or form of circulation to hit that area a little harder.

 

So to treat it, I'd recommend when doing your water change to take a gravel vacuum or piece of airline hosing and carefully try to suck up as much of it as you can (also try to suck up any loose debris that could feed it again). Then change the flow up in your tank so that the area is being hit a little more aggressively.

 

IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE. I PROMISE.

 

There is really no need to spend money on fancy chemicals that may kill it, but will not actually address the cause of it. If you do not address the cause, it WILL keep coming back and you will keep spending money on more fancy cures.

 

The use of any medication/chemical should always be a last resort anyway.

 

SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO USE CYANOBACTERIA REMOVAL PRODUCTS USE EXTREME CAUTION!

 

No joke. Typically the main ingredient in these magic pills is the antibiotic marycin which can be very dangerous if not used correctly. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS VERY CAREFULLY. Marycin may lower the oxygen level in your tank and change the pH. If you use marycin I'd recommend keeping an airstone w/ course bubbles in the tank during treatment. You may lose fish if you don't.

 

Products such as phosphate removers/reactors, chemipure, etc again will only temporarily fix the problem and/or will be reliant on your continued use of the product. If you want it gone for good at zero cost, use the method described above.

 

AGAIN...do not use these products unless absolutely no other natural method will work. I guarantee though that if you just play around with your water flow and make sure you have a filter sucking up all the crap that is dislodged, it will start to go away on it's own.

 

I actually crashed a 10g tank once using a half dose of mardel marycin to treat cyano. Never again. I have not had a customer yet tell me that changing the flow or adding powerhead did not work much better than any magic wonder cure.

[Trasm]

also another thing you can do is to turn off the white lights for a couple of days and that should clear it up.

[lgreen]

The only problem with that is the nutrients are still there. You are only suppressing it's growth, but not eliminating the potential for it pop back up the next day after you turn the lights back on.

[Ryan_H]

this is one of many reasons i always recommend a turnover rate of at least 15-20x in any saltwater tank, and 20-25x in reef tanks. with that much total water movement there will be almost 0 dead space, and if you stack you rock correctly there WILL be 0 dead space. a good cleanup crew of several blue legs and astreas really helps keep the detritus under control as well when it does settle, and with that kind of water flow it will only settle in small amounts.

[reefdan]

i like to feed the day or morning before i do my water changes. this obviously isn't my only feeding of the week but i think it helps cut down the nutrients floating around the tank that nothing (but algae, flatworms, and other pests) will eat.

 

high turnovers are an excellent way to prevent cyano by avoiding dead water.

[gnehcoel]

I usually get cyanobacteria some time during the first 6 months of setting up the tanks. After the tank is established ... I don't really see that anymore. I am setting up a new nano and will use the method suggested here and see if i can totally avoid it

 

I also heard from LFS that there are animals that will eat the cyanobacteria. is that true?

 

thx.

[lgreen]

I've heard people claim that cerith snails eat it, but I have not personally tested this.

[RayWhisperer]

Supposedly some hermits eat it too. As L said above, never tested it.

 

Now, on the original topic.... For the most part, I agree with you L. However, I have been doing some reading on cyano(because of a tank crash almost a year ago, that still isn't back to normal. It's infested with cyano) 99% of the time, the main culprit is neglect or debris settling or dead spots. However, whatever the cause, cyano can and will outcompete any macro or micro algae. Beyond that, cyano will still flourish in water or substrate devoid of nutrients. This has lead me to believe, sometimes the culprit lies elswhere.

 

Of all the tanks I've ever set up, only 3 had no cyanobacteria outbreaks. This wasn't apparent to me right off, I had to think about it. I never cycle with the lights on, but as soon as cycle is finished, I start a normal photoperiod. This is when I'll usually experience an outbreak. Even when water tests optimum, I still get them. No big surprise, things are still un balanced, giving cyano a foot hold. Those three tanks had one thing in common though(but it wasn't what you'd think). Of those 3 tanks, 2 had protein skimmers, the other has a dual refugium. I can see your thinking nutrient export via skimming or fuge. Maybe, but I don't believe so. Large water changes are a ritual I have on a newly cycled tank.... Many of them over the course of 2 weeks. This removes nutrients and stirs up the settled debris(common knowledge.)

 

Now, as I said, I have been doing some reading on the subject. As I said before, cyano can out compete anything once established, even in nutrient poor conditions. The one nutrient I've never seen listed in the studies, or addressed by someone in the hobby, is CO2. I believe, in those stubborn cases, CO2 is the main culprit. Cyano gets a foot hold, then once established, can't be defeated by conventional means of nutrient export and circulation.( I can see most noobs thinking they have stubborn cyano cases. LOL)

 

Crap, I gotta go to work. I'll finish this tomorrow. Maybe later tonight. Sorry for my incomplete posting.

[HecticDialectics]

I've heard people claim that cerith snails eat it, but I have not personally tested this.

 

 

I've personally seen ceriths plow right through some... they were just the 80 cent ceriths from sealifeinc.net

 

However, they did not eat it thoroughly. They do go in a straight line, and leave patches untouched. If you have lots of patience, you could keep putting it back on top, but it wouldn't be an effective solution, just help.

[Ryan_H]

micro hermits and dwarf zebra hermits eat it, as well as mexican red legs, and nerite snails are supposed to eat it.

[LoBo]

the thing is, if you want a stronger turnover, the flow is going to be too strong for the fish and they just get blown everywhere.

[HecticDialectics]

the thing is, if you want a stronger turnover, the flow is going to be too strong for the fish and they just get blown everywhere.

 

 

nah

 

 

they live in the ocean... with very high current speed...

[Ryan_H]

the thing is, if you want a stronger turnover, the flow is going to be too strong for the fish and they just get blown everywhere.

 

no they won't. the ocean is millions of gallons of water moving at all times. the reef is getting almost 100% water changes every few seconds and the fish are adapted to handle it. unless you are keeping something like jellyfish flow is your friend and can actually RELIEVE stress for your fish. plus more circulation = more oxygenation, which also means faster nitrification and more efficient break down of waste.

[nanoreef58]

I have over 1300 gph in a 15g and the fish have no problems swimming

[RayWhisperer]

OK, back to finish posting. One problem, I don't remember where I was going..... Seems I have most everything down already. Anyhow, I guess a basic overview is. In such stubborn cases where conventional means don't take care of it, a new direction may be improving dissolved oxygen levels.

 

Note; To all of you thinking you have stubborn cases, just because you've changed your water weekly for 2 weeks... That's not a stubborn case. Lgreen's steps are all most will ever need!

 

Another thing I feel is worth mentioning... Those of you with several inches of sand. This is also a prime culprit for cyano. Sorry, but your 10 gallon doesn't have enough water volume for a deep sand bed. Besides, 3" isn't a DSB, it's just a nitrate reactor.

[Ryan_H]

OK, back to finish posting. One problem, I don't remember where I was going..... Seems I have most everything down already. Anyhow, I guess a basic overview is. In such stubborn cases where conventional means don't take care of it, a new direction may be improving dissolved oxygen levels.

 

Note; To all of you thinking you have stubborn cases, just because you've changed your water weekly for 2 weeks... That's not a stubborn case. Lgreen's steps are all most will ever need!

 

Another thing I feel is worth mentioning... Those of you with several inches of sand. This is also a prime culprit for cyano. Sorry, but your 10 gallon doesn't have enough water volume for a deep sand bed. Besides, 3" isn't a DSB, it's just a nitrate reactor.

 

if you gravel clean regularly like your supposed to do it removes the nutrients from your sand that cause cyano. i know a lot of people recommend against vaccing your sand, but there is plenty of sand left undisturbed under your live rock to host beneficial organisms and anaerobic bacterias.

[RayWhisperer]

Your right. I'm not a big advocate of using a gravel vac on sand, personally. I do use it over the sand. This removes any debris on the surface, without disturbing the sand. I leave the sand turnover to the nass, cerith's, and bristle worms. And, incase you couldn't tell, I'm not a big advocate of deep sand.

[ReeferBrian]

I certainly appreciate all the input concerning this issue.I have a 10 gallon nano reef and I'm not sure if I have this or not.mine isn't a slimey film that's red in color.mine is maroon in color and forms very dark clumps in the sand,does this constitute the issue mentioned in this thread? Or is it something else?

[BoxKing]

Turning over your tank will only put a bandaid on the actual issue at hand, and as soon as you think the coast is clear and you change up the flow patterns WHAMMM!!! You will be smacked in the face with it within an hours time, and possible worse than what you had originally. I am just finishing up getting rid of it in my tank. Literally this stuff would grow back in full within an hour of sifting and siphoning my sand bed. It basically started by I didn't do a water change to my tank for over a year... Yup I just neglected it and only decided to revive in the past couple months. My issue was/is all the nutrients settled in my sand bed that provided the cyano with the fuel it needed to spread like wild fire all over my sand bed. Since this started I decided to agitate the sand bed at least once per day and I change my overflow floss at least once daily. I've done two 20% water changes weekly using RODI, added a mini max reactor with biopellets and carbon, added 8 marine pure balls to my custom caddies (4 on each side), and I have my desktop skimmer running at full blast. I have an RW-4 which is more than enough even at the lowest setting for my 16g and the "flow" did nothing to help me... Though I'm sure it helps after you get your perimeters under control by keeping unwanted debree from settling on the sand bed.

[ajmckay]

Holy old thread Batman... Geez.

 

Good info though - typically the root cause is something easy to address. I will say, however, that while setting up my refugium I was pissed because the macros weren't growing for crap because there was cyano growing all over them. Used a 1/2 dose of chemipure and the cyano was gone in 2 days. After that - the refugium took off and completely stripped my tank of nutrients which caused a new set of issues.

[brandon429]

Nice call

 

 

The overall claim about waste sinking has held the test of time, good to be waste free. People are using peroxide too to knock initial runs down as they clean, only because it's a little cheat boost not that it removes the base fuel of nutrients stored somewhere if applicable. Some get the same cursory die off from just a lights out run...no harm with a cheat boost. The overall take to not medicate the cyano strictly through the water as the total approach is good call for sure

 

neat to see it any old thread info will stand the test of time. Back then, LEDs were not the lions share of the game can't wait to see 2026 it's plasma lighting bet

[Clown79]

I never experienced cyano until my current 15g was started.

 

Cyano can come in various colours and it oftens doesn't look slimy until it gets bad.

 

I learned no one ate it. None of my hermits, ceriths, or turbos.

 

My approach to getting rid of it was finding the cause. Band aids help but it will come back.

 

Now its a rule of thumb for me to:

 

Floss change weekly or more

Carbon bag rinsed to remove detritus with water change

Filter and intakes cleaned monthly

Powerheads cleaned monthly

Turkey baster used on rocks every water change

Sand vacuumed at every water change

Feed 1x a day and small amounts

1x week reef roids

Weekly water changes are best

More flow is better

[msparklym13]

I never experienced cyano until my current 15g was started.

 

Cyano can come in various colours and it oftens doesn't look slimy until it gets bad.

 

I learned no one ate it. None of my hermits, ceriths, or turbos.

 

My approach to getting rid of it was finding the cause. Band aids help but it will come back.

 

Now its a rule of thumb for me to:

 

Floss change weekly or more

Carbon bag rinsed to remove detritus with water change

Filter and intakes cleaned monthly

Powerheads cleaned monthly

Turkey baster used on rocks every water change

Sand vacuumed at every water change

Feed 1x a day and small amounts

1x week reef roids

Weekly water changes are best

More flow is better

Turkey baster works!!! :-)

[Clown79]

Yes! Cheapest thing you'll buy for the tank but a great tool