Cyano

[roxy25]

ok I did several searches read many threads. I got advice from RC memebers and still have this stuff.

 

1. first thing I tried was no lights for 3 days. well all that did was kill mt red slime/ green slime algae.

 

second try someone on RC told me to use fresh water maracyn. did that that ###### didn't work.

 

third try I broke down and used chemi-clean that didn't work its still there and before I used the chemi clean I siphoned it all out first.

 

It killed a milli also so I don't want to use it again.

 

what can I do ? nothing is working people told me I need more flow but I have a mag 9.5 mag dive on my 20 gallon with 4 nozzles and a koralia pump 1 and a maxjet mini 606.

 

I am getting frustrated

[one8thscale]

Have you tested your phosphates? Also how long has your tank been up?

[Gwoardnog]

more water changes, less feeding. Limiting your lighting cycle shouldn't be turning off your lights for 3 days, it should be say, if your lighting cycle is 10 hours, lowering it to 8 hours... 14 hours to 10 or 12 hours. I'd also consider lowering lighting and uping flow secondary and tertiary things to do when compared to more water changes and less feeding (more export and less waste into system).

It also seems to sometimes to just become a phase for a month or two before it goes away in a semi-new tank.

[Cloob]

Don't feel bad, I'm in the same boat. My BC29 has been runnning since November and I am having Cyano problems as well. My bioload is a saddleback clown & green clown goby. I upgraded the pump for more flow, added two returns, bought new lighting, changed 15 gallons of water in a week, tested the water before the change and no Nitrates, Nitrites or phosphates in the R/O or in my tank for that matter. Added a phoszorb bag, and Purigen bag.

 

Nothing keeps the cyano away. So at this point, I'm just letting it grow as I'm tired of dealing with it and spending a ton of money on trying to fix it.

[roxy25]

more water changes, less feeding. Limiting your lighting cycle shouldn't be turning off your lights for 3 days, it should be say, if your lighting cycle is 10 hours, lowering it to 8 hours... 14 hours to 10 or 12 hours. I'd also consider lowering lighting and uping flow secondary and tertiary things to do when compared to more water changes and less feeding (more export and less waste into system).

It also seems to sometimes to just become a phase for a month or two before it goes away in a semi-new tank.

 

 

I did a 440 percent water change on sunday. I barely feed my tank clowns didn't get fed for 3 days nows.

 

I kept lights of and my sps don't like I am afraid for my idaho grape because every time I turn the lights out it looks worse.

 

 

 

Have you tested your phosphates? Also how long has your tank been up?

 

 

I have seachem phosguard running tank has been up since I think dec 06

? or Jan

[rhysiboy]

it looks god dam ugly but you may have to let it run its cycle. Ive found that just actually leaving it and missing a water change cyano exhausts itself and disapears.

[Gwoardnog]

I did a 440 percent water change on sunday. I barely feed my tank clowns didn't get fed for 3 days nows.

 

I kept lights of and my sps don't like I am afraid for my idaho grape because every time I turn the lights out it looks worse.

All of which is unhealthy for your tank.

It's like a diet that way. A little less nutrient intake vs. nutrient export = success.

 

When you just take food and light out of the equation, I believe you're starting to see the effect it's having on your coral, and guess what else that is having an effect on? Bacteria, plants, little critters that used to be alive and thriving are starting to die (or stressed out from uber water changes) off since they aren't needed anymore. Those things don't just "disappear" so you get more food for your cyano, and your problem continues.

 

Find a balance, but don't overdo it. And like the old adage says: Only bad things happen fast.

[Phixion]

I have cyano that will build up in my tank over a day, and then the next day it's gone! Then a day or two later it's back in the same place, then the next day, gone again....

[one8thscale]

I did a 440 percent water change on sunday. I barely feed my tank clowns didn't get fed for 3 days nows.

 

I kept lights of and my sps don't like I am afraid for my idaho grape because every time I turn the lights out it looks worse.

I have seachem phosguard running tank has been up since I think dec 06

? or Jan

 

440% I'm guessing you meant 40%. Anyway, your tank is still young, I say just wait it out. Just do what you've been doing (feeding, regualr water changes, etc.) and manually taking it out if it gets in the way. I had the same thing happen to me when my tank was only 6months. But then it just went away after sometime when my tank matured.

[Matty1124]

i had it for a while... nothing worked... and then one morning i went down and it was gone... i agree with people who say just let it run its course

 

EDIT: oh yeah i moved my fuge light closer to my macro earlier in the week... that may have had something to do with it

[roxy25]

440% I'm guessing you meant 40%. Anyway, your tank is still young, I say just wait it out. Just do what you've been doing (feeding, regualr water changes, etc.) and manually taking it out if it gets in the way. I had the same thing happen to me when my tank was only 6months. But then it just went away after sometime when my tank matured.

 

 

yeah I meant 40% water change I only did that because it tells you to do so on the chemi clean box.

[lil'wrasse cool]

well i just upgraded tanks and made it about 2 months without a algea bloom. Thought i was in the clear. Okey this is what I've heard, read, done in the past and I also been able to contain my new red algea. Algea needs 3 thing to thrive. (?) lighting high nitates high phosphates. Phophates are hard to test for becuse you algea (micro) good and the bad algea are useing it up makeing it look like low phosphate levels. So first I would get a phoshate sponge, ad some micro algea thest for nitrates if high do water changes maybe twice a week 10-15% until you nitrates get below 10ppm. have you lights come on a hour later, and go off half hour early. keed feeding but try not to over feed. get a good cuc if its on you sand bed try a conch snail. I was going to start a thread on my outbreak but to lazy to charge my batterys. also removeing it manualy works to. you can try a tooth brush. also I ve tryed this dont know if its good or bad.......... but if you have a rock you can flip over or move out of the light by placeing some thing over it that might starve it out. Red algea is not realy algea. but once its does die off you will get green hair algea. another month or so and the algea cycle should be done. unless u do a 100% waterchange hope this helps I;ve beat it in 3 tanks

[renegade510]

Rowaphos helped alleviate my Cyano problems but not completely, I also used RedSlime Control to finish it off.

[spanko]

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bgacont2i.htm

 

Lots of info here from Bob Fenner and his group.

[Cloob]

I have had a cyano outbreak in the front part of my tank in the sandbed. Everynight when I came home it would be there and looked to get worse. Tuesday evening I bought a softball size piece of chaeto and threw it behind the L/R in my tank as I suctioned out the cyano. Yesterday evening I come home and there is hardly any cyano buildup. I think the chaeto is winning so far.

[Maeda]

Seachecm phosguard is aluminum based, and doesn't really do jack.

Try an iron based phosphate remover such as rowaphos, or phosban.

Just remember no matter what BS the instructions say, rinse this stuff a few times in RO/DI(especially the ROWA).

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/july2003/chem.htm

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2002/chem.htm

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/june2004/review.htm

 

Also... You need more water flow. I have 100x turnover, and only then did I see a reduction in cyno dead spots. Experiment with the aiming as well.

 

DO NOT BLACK OUT THE TANK. I don't know what moron told you this but you'll just kill your sps without fail.

 

Cyno does not just DISSAPEAR when you have the magic formula right. It still takes atleast a good month for it to go away. This is what cured my problems. (in a superduper highlight 30g sps tank)

 

Cut lights to 7 hours down from 9(its not unheard of to go to 6 hours)

Swtiched Phosguard(crap) for ROWAphos

Added 2x Koralia #3s

siphoned out half my sand bed(now its just enough to barely cover the bottom)

weekly water changes(used to do bimonthly)

 

Good luck. It's really frustrating.

[Helfrichs Chick]

Honestly I have used chemi clean on TONS of tanks. I have used it in all of my personal tanks and also in clients tanks. It does work. On the box it should say dose once then if its not gone in 48 hours dose again. Then a 40% wc when it does go away. IMO chemi clean is a great way to get rid of it. If 2 doses does NOT work then I think you have something other than cyano.

 

On a side note, I thought I had diatoms in an old tank, turned out I had dinoflagelates. Let me tell you!!! I battled that $hit for a YEAR!

 

Dont mean to scare you lol just makes me wonder if its cyano at all. Pics???

 

Also are your bulbs new? They can shift spectrum when getting old and can cause unwanted algae.

1. first thing I tried was no lights for 3 days. well all that did was kill mt red slime/ green slime algae.

I am confused. IME Cyano is one and the same as green/red slime algae. Maybe I am misunderstanding.

[Withers]

Do you have a pic of what your dino's looked like? Makes me wonder if I'm battling the same thing (God I hope not!).

[Helfrichs Chick]

No sucks, I lost all my old tank pics in a comp crash. It looks like diatoms, but water will test perfect... no phosphates or silicates. " I will note that testing for levels of phosphate and trace elements all came up at 0. This is most likely because the bloom was processing and utilizing it so quickly. " I read that so I assume thats why tests come up fine. It goes away at night and comes back in the AM. This was like 8 years ago, and if I remember correctly it was kinda a web looking rust color. Wish I had all those pics, some were of my clam lagoon. It was amazing.

 

I fought with it for a year determined to fix the issue and not take the tank down. It was a PITA but reduced light, minimal feedings and I think time to wear itself out is what go rid of it.

Here are a couple articles.... I have seen this on someones rocks here, maybe it was yours..... look on the first website at figure 2. Looks the exact same as what I have seen here in someones tank, although I can not remember whos tank it was. HTH

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/rhf/index.php

http://www.reefs.org/library/article/t_crail.html

[roxy25]

there is some in the pic

 

 

 

Ok I forgot to say I tried marco algae I have 3 types now . chaeto, and two types of capluara sp?

 

 

I have hair algae also but that is not as bad as when it was in my 10 gallon its slowly dying off in certain areas.

 

I will try the other phosphate removers you suggested hopefully it will work

 

ROWAphos Sponge or the media which is better ?

[lil'wrasse cool]

I dont see to much slime algea looks like coraline (sp?)

[roxy25]

I dont see to much slime algea looks like coraline (sp?)

 

 

all of that brown stuff is what I am talking about i will take better pics when I get home its allover my sand could it be diatoms ?

[lil'wrasse cool]

all of that brown stuff is what I am talking about i will take better pics when I get home its allover my sand could it be diatoms ?

 

 

think so

[roxy25]

think so

Well My internet went down last night but usually my ceriths eat the diatoms they are not eating this stuff at all. None of my snails are

[Maeda]

Media, in a reactor.

 

Anotherthing to try is i've heard nothing but great things about phosar.

 

It's supposed to work much better then rowa when not used in a reactor.

 

Are you testing for phosphates?