Cyno driving me crazy

[Montaquelaveist]

Hey i know i posted this before but i can't find the post i really need help with my cyno problem its a very dark purple in color i know that my NO3 is low due to the fact that they must be consuming it but all my other levels are pretty good not sure what else i can do i scrapped the rocks the other day and its already starting to come back i even increased the flow in my tank to where i have sand storms in there now LOL but to no avail heeeellllllpppppppp

Here are my tanks stats:
PO4 - 0.03 ( HANA CHECKER AND SALIFERT )
NO3 - O.OOPPM (RED SEA AND SALIFERT )
SALINITY - 1.026
CA - 450
MG - 1260
AMMONIA - 0.0PPM
NITRITE - 0.0PPM
ALK - 7.6-8.5
TEMP - 76
PH - 8.05 - 8.17 (LOWEST AT NIGHT 8.05)

All these stats were taken not more than 20 minutes ago. what am i doing wrong and will adding a cheato container help with this i currently run bio-pellets and GFO

 

[Dan_P]

Lately, I have been reading everything I can find on the Internet about cyanobacteria in saltwater aquariums. It seems everyone agrees on the factors that contribute to cyanobacteria growth (nitrates, phosphates, dissolved organic carbon, light too red, photo period too long, and low flow) and in what direction to change these factors to reduce or eliminate the bacteria.

The one factor that we typically cannot measure, dissolved organic carbon, may be the one variable behind the situation where two seemingly similar tanks differ dramatically in cyanobacteria growth.

So, if nitrates, phosphates and the other factors are under control, look into leaning out the nutrients entering the aquarium, and if that does not help, finding ways to export more.

One thing that I am doing to reduce DOC introduction into my tank is filtering frozen mysis shrimp before adding them to the aquarium. I pass a suspension of defrosted mysis shrimp through a plastic mesh to remove the tiny pieces of shrimp that are usually missed during the feeding. It raises the cost of feeding because around 20% of the cube consists of mysis particles. I just started this so it is too soon to report any results.

Good luck.

Dan

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

Starve it !!! I modified my light output both by power and time length and that did it for me as well as decreasing feedings !! Hope it helps.

 

[Montaquelaveist]

thanks guys i think i will try that I'm gonna adjust my photo cycle right now

 

[Montaquelaveist]

so i just shortened the cycle hope the corals don't get affected i turned off the red spectrum on the light and turned down the green and lowered all the other levels as well lets see how this works

 

[reefer4eva]

not sure if this helps or im not sure about the salt mix you use but i found this interesting and i googled this after and found alot of people having the same problem...and by no means am i knocking this salt mix just passing the info on from others experience.
http://www.3reef.com/threads/think-i-finally-solved-my-cyano-and-gha.128274/

 

[Dan_P]

not sure if this helps or im not sure about the salt mix you use but i found this interesting and i googled this after and found alot of people having the same problem...and by no means am i knocking this salt mix just passing the info on from others experience.
http://www.3reef.com/threads/think-i-finally-solved-my-cyano-and-gha.128274/

A potential case of confirmation bias, collecting only data that supports the idea. How many aquarists aren't having issues?

What would be interesting is to find the number of aquarist blaming their salt mix for cyanobacteria growth and then determining if any one brand had a larger number of complaints. To be fair the number would need to be adjusted for total number of users for each salt and average experience level for the complaining parties.

 

[reefer4eva]

I understand where your coming from as many factors can come into play (high nutrients, tap water, lack of maintenance etc.etc...I personally know a few experienced members on here that been battling cyanobacteria and drove themselves crazy with water changes, testing, blackout periods for 3-5 days for numerous times trying to defeat it..and the end results come down to 2 things either switching salt mixes and the cyanobacteria bacteria cleared up in 2-3 days or sticking it out and letting nature run its course with the red sea coral pro. (And losing numerous corals and fish in the process) I personally almost made the switch from coralife salt mix(high calcium levels with coralife) to red sea coral pro till I seen what my friends where going thru and decide that I'd rather deal with high calcium levels and use a buffer than to walk in there shoes with the endless battle of cyanobacteria

 

[jackson6745]

If you guys feel that cyano is nutrient related then why are there tanks with much higher nutrient levels with no cyano?

 

[BioMan]

Idk if this matters or not but in one of my tanks I let the cyano run wild only vacuuming out larger thicker patches and the zoas I had in there multiplied like crazy. It looked like flowers growing in red grass but it was effective in some type of way.

 

[NycGunner]

Get some banded Trochus snails. They cleared up my cyanos in a week. I threw a few in the refugium too. I'm afraid the snails will starve that I put food in the refugium to create more nutrients.

 

[Dan_P]

If you guys feel that cyano is nutrient related then why are there tanks with much higher nutrient levels with no cyano?

When you say "higher nutrient levels", what do you mean? How was "nutrient" level measured?

 

[jackson6745]

When you say "higher nutrient levels", what do you mean? How was "nutrient" level measured?

Measured with normal nitrate test kits, low range po4 meters, visual inspection etc. I know there are DOC kits available but I never used one. IME cyano is not selective to a certain n type of nutrient. Heck, I've seen some very ESTABLISHED tanks that are thriving with detritus for a sandbed and no cyano lol?. seriously

A system with an adequate amount of live rock, good filtration, flow, proper husbandry, and enough time to populate nitrifying bacterial populations will eliminate cyano on it's own eventually. The end result will be a system that can be fed heavily, stocked heavily, and process more nutrient.

I have a 115g system, have 24 fish, feed the equivalent of 8 mysis cubes daily (I buy sheets of mysis) along with flake and pellet? No cyano. I did however get cyano during the first few months when stocking this system, which eventually disappeared never to be seen.

The amount of food/bioload that a system can process is underrated by most hobbyists. If you freak out and clean the tank every time you get cyano, you will never challenge the biological capacity of the system and your tank will never be allowed to process larger amounts of wastes. This will create a teetering of a "nutrient balance" on a weak bioload. I'd rather throw in a bunch of fish, bunch of food, and add some bacterial additives such as special blend and nite-out II to speed things along. :givebeer:

 

[jeffgreg]

i used the boyds medication
added an air pump for filtration , it was all gone in 48 hrs
do a partial water change

then i repeat 1 week later , my tank if full of coral doing well and is not affected

 

[Dan_P]

Measured with normal nitrate test kits, low range po4 meters, visual inspection etc. I know there are DOC kits available but I never used one. IME cyano is not selective to a certain n type of nutrient. Heck, I've seen some very ESTABLISHED tanks that are thriving with detritus for a sandbed and no cyano lol?. seriously

Therein lies the point of confusion: nitrate and phosphate levels while generally useful indicators of tank health do not completely describe the aquarium's propensity to grow cyanobacteria. Dissolved organic carbon could be a big missing piece of information but I have not read any encouraging reviews about available kits. Visual inspection of detritus amounts is an unverified indication of whether a system is in danger of a cyanobacteria bloom.

I agree with your conjecture about the development of an ecosystem of bacteria that out competes cyanobacteria when the tank ages sufficiently. It is consistent with observations that new tanks tend to have cyanobacteria blooms, though this anecdotal at best.

 

[vio]

Hey i know i posted this before but i can't find the post i really need help with my cyno problem its a very dark purple in color i know that my NO3 is low due to the fact that they must be consuming it but all my other levels are pretty good not sure what else i can do i scrapped the rocks the other day and its already starting to come back i even increased the flow in my tank to where i have sand storms in there now LOL but to no avail heeeellllllpppppppp

Here are my tanks stats:
PO4 - 0.03 ( HANA CHECKER AND SALIFERT )
NO3 - O.OOPPM (RED SEA AND SALIFERT )
SALINITY - 1.026
CA - 450
MG - 1260
AMMONIA - 0.0PPM
NITRITE - 0.0PPM
ALK - 7.6-8.5
TEMP - 76
PH - 8.05 - 8.17 (LOWEST AT NIGHT 8.05)

All these stats were taken not more than 20 minutes ago. what am i doing wrong and will adding a cheato container help with this i currently run bio-pellets and GFO

I would say, the problem (Cyno) is the way u run the Biopellets, to create a nice biological system, bacteria need both , Nitrate and PO4, by running both (Biopeletts + GFO) u may ad to much Carbon in your tank, Biopellets need to be balance ,for the best result , then u need good protein skimmer, then more flow around the tank.