When will this go away?

[newbiefishgirl]

My tank has been up for about 3 1/2 months. I have added things very slowly. Tried to be VERY patient in the process. Since maybe the first month I have had the red algel in the tank, better known as cynobacteria. Evertime I change the water I cyphon it off the rocks, the sand, the glass....zzz and back on the first month I switched to the good RO water from walmart. But you know what.... the darn stuff just keeps coming back. My clown, coral banded, snails, and crabs don't seem affected by this... BUT I AM !!! lol I just don't like the looks of this in the tank.

Any susgestions on why it continues on?:*(

[Crakeur]

relocate your powerhead(s) to move the current over the area that is getting the growth.

 

If that doesn't work, No-cya-no will but use it, or any chems, as a last resort.

[newbiefishgirl]

Ok, I have been waiting for them to come in.

But the cyno doesnt stay in one area of no movement... it's throughout the whole tank.

Do you think my pengunie 170 isnt strong enough?

I might just have to go out and purchase them from a store instead of waiting on the company to get more in.

[bamann345]

No, the 170 isnt strong enough. You will need a powerhead in the tank. This should help out with the cyno. It doesnt like water flow too much!

[MrConclusion]

You should add at least one small pump (about 100-125 gph) to the system, and meny people would prefer two of them or perhaps a larger (175 gph) would be even better.

 

In my experience, the aquascaping makes a big difference, because water circulates more freely in open areas. With 11 lb. LR in a 10 gallon tank, you probably have a lot of free flowing open space, so I would recommend one small powerhead first.

 

Try an Aquarium System Micro-Jet 450 (compact, cheap, reliable, quiet, and adds less heat to the tank), 117 gph for about $15

 

Or the more powerful Aquarium System Mini-Jet 606, which I use in my 10 gallon nano. This pump will move plenty of water in combination with your existing Penguin 170.

 

One of the things I like about the Aquarium Systems pumps is that they're smaller than actual powerheads, because they don't have all of the unnecessary undergravel filter fittings that make a "powerhead." Plus, these pumps have a little intake strainer that will save your clownfish without the big, unsightly sponge prefilter required by powerheads when they're run "bare" wihtout an undergravel filter.

 

What are you using for light?

[SteveC]

If all this fails, fighting conchs are said to eat cyano and I've read that Mexican red leg hermits will as well. I would try these before trying any chemicals, but I would wait to see if this is just a temporary water chemistry problem before adding animals to deal with it. Also, do you have any macro-algae growing in the tank? That will compete with the cyano for nutrients. And some of it's even kinda pretty.

[tinyreef]

actually, it will never go away. as Mr. C notes bulb age can/will trigger a return of cyano but that can be addressed with a new bulb.

 

the root of the problem is still the excess nutrients (i.e. food & crappie). the increased flow will help but only to the point where it creates a level of difficulty for the cyano to take root (i.e. still/low flow areas). the cyano being throughout the tank lends me to believe that the overriding factor is nutrient overload rather than just flow control.

 

actually, i would look most closely at the quality of the RO water. have you ever tested the RO water by itself or any of your freshly mixed SW? maybe switch to distilled for a couple of weeks/months to check for any changes/improvements. i assume the penguin's bio-wheel is not being used. how often are you changing filter cartridges if using them at all? (i would suggest using them btw)

[newbiefishgirl]

I use the filter and the bio wheel.

I have never checked the water before it goes in the tank... sounds like a good idea.

I don't think I overfeed the lil guys. I give a pinch of food to the clown fish and one pellet of shrimp hard food to the coral banded. He always eats the whole piece up. I dont ever see any food left, lets put it that way.

[SteveC]

Originally posted by newbiefishgirl

I use the filter and the bio wheel.

Aha, there's your problem. Filters can be good if changed often but the bio-wheel shouldn't be used with a reef. It produces nitrates, which are nutrients for cyanobacteria. Definitely let your live rock do your biological filtration.

 

Edit: You might also want to reconsider using the filters. I think most people running nanos don't use any filter media at all, or only occasionally (when the tank is noticeably dirty or to remove dissolved organics with carbon).

[Masoch]

Fighting conch! The hardest worker in my janitorial crew!

 

I have two in a 20l (one wasn't cutting it) and my cyano's toast. Well, not quite toast; cyano will always be in a tank, it's part of the ecosystem. But at least I can't see it for the most part

 

Even if the conch doesn't eat the cyano off the sand bed (I think they do, but different peeps have different opinions), they'll clean the crap off the sand meaning less nutrients to feed the cyano.

[newbiefishgirl]

I am not sure I have heard of any lfs store around here carring fighting conch. I will inqire about this!

And I will take the bio wheel out tonight!!

[SteveC]

Fighting Conch

 

Too bad saltwaterfish.com is out of 'em right now.

[newbiefishgirl]

The only problem with saltwaterfish is that you have to purchase at least 75.00 worth of things to get the shipping free..

i am sure those conch's are nto exsepensive but probably shipping is like 40 bucks, right?

[Ascensive]

i wish i read this thread earlier, but anyways. i have a penguin 125 for my 10 gallon, and a powerhead, um rio 90. i have the bio-wheel out now, but im wondering about the filter media. how often should i change it, how often should i clean it, and is there anything better you can recommend to use in there instead. i look in my tank and see the gray matter, i think detrius? who or what takes care of that, and would it hurt to suck that stuff out when i clean the tank. i see it, and i just want to get it out.

let me know!

jAy

[SteveC]

Becky: The link was just to give you a picture. It would definitely suck to pay shipping for one critter.

 

Jay: Honestly, I would take the media out and only use it occasionally. Never for more than a day at a time. Otherwise it would be colonized by nitrifying bacteria and become a nitrate factory just like the biowheel. Carbon is only good for a day or so anyhow. Additionally, particles that get trapped in your filter will just sit there and decompose (into ammonia and organic compounds) instead of being eaten by little critters.

 

But some really smart people recommend using media provided you're good about changing it, so maybe it's not so bad. It seems to run counter to everything I've read about the ecology of a reef tank, but I'm a noob too so I'll hedge a bit on that...