stingray7469
New Member
Algae Control!!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!
- Thread starter stingray7469
- Start date
veni vidi vici
Active Member
I dont know squat,but ill ask anyway.You useing tap water?
stingray7469
New Member
yea, but i condition it. i know you're not supposed to use tap water, but i cant afford any fancy equipment to treat the water before i mix it
skeletoncowboy
Member
use red slime control by blue vet. i've used it and it works good. just follow the directions and it is reef safe
oceansidefish
Active Member
turn you lights off for 2 days and let the magic happen
m0nk
Active Member
Seriously consider using RO water from Walmart. You can go and use their self-service water dispenser that fills any sort of plastic container. It's usually around 33 cents per gallon. There's more nasty stuff in your tap water than food for cyano.
Also, reduce your lighting to even lower times. I'd work it down to 4 or 5 hours for a week or so. That's what really did the trick on my tank, but I also use RO water. Hope that helps.
Also, reduce your lighting to even lower times. I'd work it down to 4 or 5 hours for a week or so. That's what really did the trick on my tank, but I also use RO water. Hope that helps.
nick76
Active Member
Cyno sucks. Once its in a massive quantity its almost impossible to get rid of. I also use tap for the moment because I dont have an RO/unit. But Tap is do-able for me most of the time.
If you have tried everything, Look up "Chemicleam"-Red Slime Remover-
It comes in a small blue box. $15.00 But its done what nothing else could, got rid of my cyno within 48 hours. Saw no side effects.
If u follow the instructions exactly u wont have any problems.
If you have tried everything, Look up "Chemicleam"-Red Slime Remover-
It comes in a small blue box. $15.00 But its done what nothing else could, got rid of my cyno within 48 hours. Saw no side effects.
If u follow the instructions exactly u wont have any problems.
squirreloso
Member
cyano has to run its course.
it doesnt matter if you use RO or tap it still happends in young tanks (less than a year old)
ease up on the lighting and ease up on water changes. yep ease up on water changes, that nice purty brand new water we keep adding fuels the fire of cyano, which has me often wondering what the heck is in that artificial salt we use.
ive been through cyano so many times, this time i have an odd green variety, ive always had red so this is a pleasant new surprise
the way i handled it in the past is dont do water changes for three months straight. you'll see the cyano getting less and less as the weeks go by. of course during this time you will have to skim alot, skimming wet is best, and dont feed too much or add any coral foods like phyto etc. feeding fish once a day for three months is fine.
a better and quicker fix for cyano is major sand stirrers, not snails or stars i mean gobies! bullet gobies are the best, any fish that constantly takes in and spits out sand will disrupt cyano from taking hold. my bullet goby would also pick at the rock so he would dislodge the cyano while doing this. but keep in mind they also can bury low lying corals. ive had many corals that were placed on the sandbed totally burried by the goby. some corals can shake it off but not most lps corals, they just lay there buried and die out. mushroom corals can shake it off if its not too heavy.
then theres another method...go bare bottom!!
it doesnt matter if you use RO or tap it still happends in young tanks (less than a year old)
ease up on the lighting and ease up on water changes. yep ease up on water changes, that nice purty brand new water we keep adding fuels the fire of cyano, which has me often wondering what the heck is in that artificial salt we use.
ive been through cyano so many times, this time i have an odd green variety, ive always had red so this is a pleasant new surprise
the way i handled it in the past is dont do water changes for three months straight. you'll see the cyano getting less and less as the weeks go by. of course during this time you will have to skim alot, skimming wet is best, and dont feed too much or add any coral foods like phyto etc. feeding fish once a day for three months is fine.
a better and quicker fix for cyano is major sand stirrers, not snails or stars i mean gobies! bullet gobies are the best, any fish that constantly takes in and spits out sand will disrupt cyano from taking hold. my bullet goby would also pick at the rock so he would dislodge the cyano while doing this. but keep in mind they also can bury low lying corals. ive had many corals that were placed on the sandbed totally burried by the goby. some corals can shake it off but not most lps corals, they just lay there buried and die out. mushroom corals can shake it off if its not too heavy.
then theres another method...go bare bottom!!
G
garychef1
Guest
to me that looks like red slmie
. Anyway for any algae less light, low nitrates, and ro water are the only ways to stop it. Get nitrates to 10 ppm if possible, use ro water for water changes and top off's, set light time to 5 hours. Oh, and do water changes every 3 days. First change 60 percent, then 50, then 40, then 30, then do 30 percents for a week and you should be okay. If you try to scrub it off be sure to not let small particles float away because that will spread the algae more. Try and scrape it off and get a large piece.
squirreloso
Member
red slime is cyano
it can happen in tanks with zero nitrates
it can happen in tanks with zero nitrates
squirreloso
Member
Originally Posted by Threed240
Yes, its usually from lack of flow.
hmmm i believe thats a misconception
most peoples tanks have tons of flow but still have cyano.
its a new tank thing, and any tank under a year old is still considered new and fragile. tanks with a sandbed are also more prone to it compared to bare bottomed tanks.
you can blast your tank to the point that no living thing can remain balanced and still have cyano.
keeping the lights off does work and ive killed all cyano with a four day blackout in my tanks only to come back a week later when the lights were back on as usual.
ive reached a point in this hobby where i dont get bent out of shape about things like this. it will not kill your fish, it just looks really bad
its not forever..just needs time
Yes, its usually from lack of flow.
hmmm i believe thats a misconception
most peoples tanks have tons of flow but still have cyano.
its a new tank thing, and any tank under a year old is still considered new and fragile. tanks with a sandbed are also more prone to it compared to bare bottomed tanks.
you can blast your tank to the point that no living thing can remain balanced and still have cyano.
keeping the lights off does work and ive killed all cyano with a four day blackout in my tanks only to come back a week later when the lights were back on as usual.
ive reached a point in this hobby where i dont get bent out of shape about things like this. it will not kill your fish, it just looks really bad
its not forever..just needs time
ccampbell57
Active Member
Cyno will go away with time. It is a natual algea that occurs in newly setup tanks. Whether you have tap or RO/DI water, it will still come. The best method for getting rid of it is cleaning it off your substrate and extracting and then having a good cleaner crew (turbo snails, blue and red hermit crabs, etc.)
It will be more prevelant in tanks where there is too great a capacity of fish and the filtration is not good.
It will be more prevelant in tanks where there is too great a capacity of fish and the filtration is not good.
nick76
Active Member
Originally Posted by ccampbell57
Cyno will go away with time. It is a natual algea that occurs in newly setup tanks. Whether you have tap or RO/DI water, it will still come. The best method for getting rid of it is cleaning it off your substrate and extracting and then having a good cleaner crew (turbo snails, blue and red hermit crabs, etc.)
It will be more prevelant in tanks where there is too great a capacity of fish and the filtration is not good.
Actually thats not really true, Cyno comes from Cynopbacteria which refers that it is a bacteria, not an algae. Cleaner Crews will not eat cyno and it does not always go away on its own. Ive seen 1st hand the horrors of unstoppable cyno.
The Best prevention would be a good cleaner crew and good flow and of course using RO/DI
Cyno will go away with time. It is a natual algea that occurs in newly setup tanks. Whether you have tap or RO/DI water, it will still come. The best method for getting rid of it is cleaning it off your substrate and extracting and then having a good cleaner crew (turbo snails, blue and red hermit crabs, etc.)
It will be more prevelant in tanks where there is too great a capacity of fish and the filtration is not good.
Actually thats not really true, Cyno comes from Cynopbacteria which refers that it is a bacteria, not an algae. Cleaner Crews will not eat cyno and it does not always go away on its own. Ive seen 1st hand the horrors of unstoppable cyno.
The Best prevention would be a good cleaner crew and good flow and of course using RO/DI
spanko
Active Member
It is apparant that your tap water may be one of the culprits. Stop using it and go to ro/di from walmart or distilled from just about any grocery store and start doing 10% water changes per week.
when doing water changes or even in between if it is bad siphon out the cyano BACTERIA with a siphon hose. It will com up in like a blanket.
Reduce your lighting schedule. Coral will do wee with only 6-8 hours per day the rest is for our enjoyment and need not be there.
Reduce feeding, nutrients are a main contributor to cyano as well as algae.
Increase flow, not a hurricane but some very gently flow over the affected area. just enough that you can see the blanket of cyano waving slightly in the breeze.
Some have had success with lights out for a period on 2 days. Have not tried this method but have heard it used many times with success.
Try to stay away from chemical additives, the above things will work given some time.
Keep us posted.
Oh yeah and skim the heck out of tank. skim wet for a while until you see the skimmate lighten up.
when doing water changes or even in between if it is bad siphon out the cyano BACTERIA with a siphon hose. It will com up in like a blanket.
Reduce your lighting schedule. Coral will do wee with only 6-8 hours per day the rest is for our enjoyment and need not be there.
Reduce feeding, nutrients are a main contributor to cyano as well as algae.
Increase flow, not a hurricane but some very gently flow over the affected area. just enough that you can see the blanket of cyano waving slightly in the breeze.
Some have had success with lights out for a period on 2 days. Have not tried this method but have heard it used many times with success.
Try to stay away from chemical additives, the above things will work given some time.
Keep us posted.
Oh yeah and skim the heck out of tank. skim wet for a while until you see the skimmate lighten up.
squirreloso
Member
Cyano is a hybrid, a mixture between plant and bacteria. It has therefore plant, as well as bacterial characteristics and is considered the evolutionary link between plants and bacteria. The “algae-bacteria” is always present in each setup. Cyano is unicellular. It cannot be detected even when using a common microscope. What can be seen as slime are thousands of cells bound together by a protective slime coat, while some break away floating freely in the water.
Cyano, being a hybrid, is difficult to remove. Factors for growth are multiple and dealing with the algae-bacteria needs to be on multi levels in order to be effective.
Growth factors include, light, nitrogen-nitrate, dissolved organic carbon, and CO2. All of these factors are basically interchangeable, meaning that one or two factors can be limited, but it won’t stop the algae-bacteria from utilizing the remaining factors, nor will it stun their growth. For the sake of completeness, some limiting factors influence the shape and appearance, but not the occurrence itself.
Light might be an obvious factor as Cyano is able to photosynthesize, but eliminating or reducing the light will not stop the growth. Recalling that Cyano is a hybrid, it will rely on bacterial characteristics to produce energy for growth. Reducing the access to carbon as an alternate approach has no effect by itself either, since the algae-bacteria can use CO2 as a sole carbon source.
A closer look at our lighting may reveal an aging bulb with diminishing wave-lengths. This may create favorable conditions for many if not most algae. For the bacteria-algae light plays a more important role in freshwater setups. For saltwater, while light can’t be ruled out as a contributing factor, growth is dominated by dissolved organic carbon.
Cyanobacteria are often treated with antibiotics, addressing the symptom rather then the cause. Antibiotics are not very selective in what bacteria get killed. Cyano is gram negative (thin cell wall) in much the same way as the beneficial bacteria are. Many bacteria in fresh- and saltwater, especially the ones symbiotic with live rock and sand, are gram negative. All of the bacteria will be affected, either being killed or severely damaged. In consequence their ability to reproduce will also be negatively effected. The bacterial balance is delicate and any disturbance is likely to be responsible for larger problems and fatalities i.e. ammonia spikes, cloudy oxygen-depriving water.
Another consideration when using antibiotics is that bacteria will become increasingly resistant. This resistance may make the antibiotic useless if used for treating fish diseases.
Of course none of the contributing factors causing the cyano have been resolved by using antibiotics.
Dissolved organic carbon is an immediate result of anything organic that has died off and gets decomposed by bacteria. Dissolved organics are a food source of the bacterial side of the bacteria-algae. Sources of dissolved carbon include, fish slime, algae, bacteria, digested/uneaten food, metabolic waste, live food, some aquarium additives etc.
At this point it is worth mentioning that the protective slime coat is pure organic material, adding to the carbon content once it decomposes. In other words, the algae-bacteria contribute to a higher carbon content of the water, adding woes in the fight for its removal.
Aquarium additives, especially pH controllers, contain bicarbonates. Bicarbonates convert into CO2, thus adding to the carbon levels. This also explains why Cyano is often found in saltwater; this setup has a naturally high bicarbonate level.
Limiting dissolved organic carbon can help, but the bacteria-algae is capable of consuming all the carbon needed derived from CO2. It is therefore important, especially for saltwater aquariums, to ensure a proper gas-off by water movement and adjustments of water flow. The more oxygen created, the better the degassing effect.
Skimmers are effective tools, but need to be maintained frequently. A too small or ineffective protein skimmer, high waste loads, or a combination thereof will increase the dissolved carbon level.
As with all types of algae, any uncontrolled growth indicates an imbalanced system, a disturbance of the biological/chemical equilibrium. Cyano is overtaking the aquarium because of a high nutrient availability. Nitrogen-nitrate is taken up from the water column, dissolved organic carbon is in abundance, and the wavelength of the light has reached favorable conditions for photosynthesis to take place more vigorously.
take care of the nitrates, and dissolved organic carbon by micro-bacterial activity and direct oxidation. This in combination with proper aeration and a reduction of carbon sources will banish and control red slime, directly addressing the cause and balancing the system overall.
Cyano, being a hybrid, is difficult to remove. Factors for growth are multiple and dealing with the algae-bacteria needs to be on multi levels in order to be effective.
Growth factors include, light, nitrogen-nitrate, dissolved organic carbon, and CO2. All of these factors are basically interchangeable, meaning that one or two factors can be limited, but it won’t stop the algae-bacteria from utilizing the remaining factors, nor will it stun their growth. For the sake of completeness, some limiting factors influence the shape and appearance, but not the occurrence itself.
Light might be an obvious factor as Cyano is able to photosynthesize, but eliminating or reducing the light will not stop the growth. Recalling that Cyano is a hybrid, it will rely on bacterial characteristics to produce energy for growth. Reducing the access to carbon as an alternate approach has no effect by itself either, since the algae-bacteria can use CO2 as a sole carbon source.
A closer look at our lighting may reveal an aging bulb with diminishing wave-lengths. This may create favorable conditions for many if not most algae. For the bacteria-algae light plays a more important role in freshwater setups. For saltwater, while light can’t be ruled out as a contributing factor, growth is dominated by dissolved organic carbon.
Cyanobacteria are often treated with antibiotics, addressing the symptom rather then the cause. Antibiotics are not very selective in what bacteria get killed. Cyano is gram negative (thin cell wall) in much the same way as the beneficial bacteria are. Many bacteria in fresh- and saltwater, especially the ones symbiotic with live rock and sand, are gram negative. All of the bacteria will be affected, either being killed or severely damaged. In consequence their ability to reproduce will also be negatively effected. The bacterial balance is delicate and any disturbance is likely to be responsible for larger problems and fatalities i.e. ammonia spikes, cloudy oxygen-depriving water.
Another consideration when using antibiotics is that bacteria will become increasingly resistant. This resistance may make the antibiotic useless if used for treating fish diseases.
Of course none of the contributing factors causing the cyano have been resolved by using antibiotics.
Dissolved organic carbon is an immediate result of anything organic that has died off and gets decomposed by bacteria. Dissolved organics are a food source of the bacterial side of the bacteria-algae. Sources of dissolved carbon include, fish slime, algae, bacteria, digested/uneaten food, metabolic waste, live food, some aquarium additives etc.
At this point it is worth mentioning that the protective slime coat is pure organic material, adding to the carbon content once it decomposes. In other words, the algae-bacteria contribute to a higher carbon content of the water, adding woes in the fight for its removal.
Aquarium additives, especially pH controllers, contain bicarbonates. Bicarbonates convert into CO2, thus adding to the carbon levels. This also explains why Cyano is often found in saltwater; this setup has a naturally high bicarbonate level.
Limiting dissolved organic carbon can help, but the bacteria-algae is capable of consuming all the carbon needed derived from CO2. It is therefore important, especially for saltwater aquariums, to ensure a proper gas-off by water movement and adjustments of water flow. The more oxygen created, the better the degassing effect.
Skimmers are effective tools, but need to be maintained frequently. A too small or ineffective protein skimmer, high waste loads, or a combination thereof will increase the dissolved carbon level.
As with all types of algae, any uncontrolled growth indicates an imbalanced system, a disturbance of the biological/chemical equilibrium. Cyano is overtaking the aquarium because of a high nutrient availability. Nitrogen-nitrate is taken up from the water column, dissolved organic carbon is in abundance, and the wavelength of the light has reached favorable conditions for photosynthesis to take place more vigorously.
take care of the nitrates, and dissolved organic carbon by micro-bacterial activity and direct oxidation. This in combination with proper aeration and a reduction of carbon sources will banish and control red slime, directly addressing the cause and balancing the system overall.