cyano

[rwl5420]

I have a problem that I hope someone can help me with, I have a 90 that has been up for 5 years as a reef now, about 1 year ago I got a gorgoian that has been doing fine but the last three or four months cyano has been growing on it, there is a little cyano on the intake on one of my powerheads but there is no cyano to be found anywhere else in my tank, the cyano on the powerhead has not spread and I continually blast the cyano off the gorgoian with a turkey baster it just comes right back I have moved it to many differant places in my tank hoping that would help it hasn't, it is so confusing to me because the cyano is not on anything else in the tank except the one powerhead and the powerhead is on the opposite side of the tank that the gorgoian is on. Any info would be appreciated.

 

[skipm]

Try placing the gorgonian in an area where it receives enough current to keep the cyano off of it, I would also make sure my skimmer was working at its best and make sure I wasn't adding too much food for the cyano to feed on. I hope this helps.

 

[Merkur]

what are you useing for lighting? i battled cyno for 2 years when i was running pc's. it went away and have never came back within a couple days of switching to halides. didn't change anything else!

 

[rwl5420]

merkur
looks like you did alot of work on the car how fast is it?
I use metal halide I've had them on the tank for three years, I think if my protien skimmer wasn't working right or I was overfeeding I would have cyano everywhere but it just grows on the gorgoain, I have two gorgoians but it is only the one that grows cyano, I don't think the water is my problem, I have sps, lps and soft corals and they are doing well, I have a pretty good growth rate on my stoneys, I'll keep working at it to try to get the cyano to go away.

 

[Merkur]

Thats very bizzare to here the cyno is sticking to just the gorgonians. if you ask me, i'd say its probobly not cyno! when i was dealing with cyno problems i had a very even distrobution along the sandbed and rocks.

you can always try skipping feeding and lighting for two-three days, do a 25% water change each day, make sure the skimmer is very clean and performing in tip top. this procedure would always rid my tank of cyno 4-5 days.

off topic section:

actully, thats a very old photo, i'm just to lazy to make a new sig. in that configuration my best 1/4 mile was a 12.4. now my best (and only thus far) 1/4 is a 10.8.

car: 1988 1/2 Merkur XR4Ti

engine as pctured:
bone stock 1988 engine, 32,000 miles with air/water intercooler and 17-23 psi boost.

drivetrain:
d&d T5 stage 3, dog gears, no synco's
carbon driveshaft
driveshaft loop
centerforce 2 dual friction clutch
5 pound alum. flywheel
quaffe limited slip rear diff.
3.73 gears

suspension:
avo coilovers
cossie swaybars
group-n bushings
brass bushings in select locations
adjustable lower control arms
HD rear subframe
bear racing front brakes (4 piston)
cossie rear brakes

body:
cozzie grill
fubua antena
1987 rear hath/wing

new engine:
(just started about 3 weeks ago)
race engineering 2.5 stroker/long rod bottom end
high deck SVO block
custon header
turbonetics t60 ball bearing turbo
air/water intercooler
custon intake manifold
esslinger arca aluminum head/cam(.62 lift)/valvetrain
tec-2 engine managment system
dyno varrified 623hp @ 22 psi of boost.
will tune to 28psi when it starts to feel slow again

 

[Anonymous]

I use a product called Chemi-Clean by the makers of Chemi-Pure.

It is a reef safe permanganate that flocculates dissolved organic matter (DOM) and chokes out all cyano.

Then you can address the more serious problem of DOM buildup which arises from insufficient protein removal (aka skimming).

Good luck. Incidentally, this problem, cyano on sea fans and other gorgs, is horrible in FL Keys and kills many animals. Results are highly correlated with increased tourism, population pressures, and SCUBA traffic on reefs.

Oh well. Can't skim the ocean can we?

 

[Merkur]

have you thought about adding a refugium to the system? not a quick fix for sure, but over the long term you'll be able to unplug that skimmer and still process more waste through the system than you can today.

 

[rwl5420]

Thanks for the info, I have been thinking of a refugium lately, but I am going to look into upgrading my skimmer the one I use I made it seems to get the dark foam ( skimmate ) but maybe it is not enought.
My next door neighbor races, he has a 88 camaro, he is in the super gas class, it has a dart big block I think 560 c.i. he said it put out about 1100 hp his ets are round 9.15-9.20, cars are my second favorite hobby after my reef but I do not have the funds for both, from what he has told me he has almost as much in his car that I paid for my house!

Thanks again for all the responses
Ron

 

[Merkur]

what skimmer are you running? i really wouldn't peg that as the thing to do. i'm using en ETSS evo 500, but you can DEFINITLY go a much smaller skimmer if your bioload isn't crazy. I keep 1 bleni, two clowns, a yellow tang, and a manderin. i think this load is just about right for my 90 gallon.

i'd really consider the refugium, a 20 to 55 gallon tank with a hang-on overflow (the tube type, like a lifereef) would be great. go pick it up, along with a cheep stang from petsmart or something. just go ahead and throw 4 NO flourescents over it for the time being. supply it with fairly low flow (simply place a "t" fitting and a ball valve off your return line), a 6-12 inch deep sandbed and some calupra.

IMO, if your skimmer is to good you'll just starve the calupra, it will take off and start compensating for your small skimmer. in 6 months your skimmer can be unplugged.

 

[Merkur]

wow! heck of a ride. outside observers may not understand how far 1-1/2 seconds is between my car and his he'd leave me in my dust! my nest project is going to be a 351 windsor in a 66 mustang coupe with twin to4b turbos. i've already got the car engine and turbo's. its all the details that couse trouble i'm looking to pull over 1000hp and run some single digits. can't wait to send my mom photos! (yeah, she's thrilled....)

when i first set up my tank, it consumed ALL of my extra income. now its just the electric bill, unless i need to buy a refill for the calc reactor. the refugium even feeds the fish

 

[Mouse]

Thats very bizzare to here the cyno is sticking to just the gorgonians. if you ask me, i'd say its probobly not cyno! when i was dealing with cyno problems i had a very even distrobution along the sandbed and rocks.

I must say my obsevations are very different. In my system the outbreaks of Cyano can be very large and spread over everything as described. But they do also appear in small patches.

Gorgonias are deep water non-photosynthetic predatory corals, and as a result have lived for millenia without the light that helps to feed diatoms and cyano. This has resulted in a coral thats not used to or evolutionarily challeneged when it comes to fending off attacks from cyano and diatoms. Therefore we have to make extra sure that we provide conditions where other steps have been taken to give the Gorgs an upper hand when it comes to these nucience algies/bacteria. the first would be to remove the light by placing in a cave or under an overhang, emulating a more natural condition. Or by littlerally blasting the Gorg with currents so that the diatoms and cyano never get a hold.

 

[SPC]

Posted by Mouse:
Gorgonias are deep water non-photosynthetic predatory corals

-This statement does not apply to all gorgs, many are photosynthetic and live in shallow waters. :wink:
Steve

 

[Carpentersreef]

Oh well. Can't skim the ocean can we?

As a thought....don't ocean waves washing up on the beach perform some sort of skimming action? I realize it's probably insignificant, but skimming action nonetheless? Sometimes I've noticed foam developing, sometimes not.

Mitch