cyanobacteria?

missy39

missy39

New Member
Hello All!!
I'm very new to SW. I have a few questions, is this cyanobacteria growing? If so what is the best way to get rid of it and keep it from coming back? I sure wished I had come to this site along time ago. It has been very helpful. Thanks :help:
Not sure if picture took!
 
stingrayjs

stingrayjs

Member
I wouuld like to know how to get ride of mine also. My tank was find for a very long time then, WHAM! I had it all over. Its so aggresive that is covers everything in about two days if I don't scrub it off. I have cleaned everything from my pumps, powerhead, ect... everything I could think of that could be hiding something. I check my tank on a reqular basis, and everything was fine before and still while I have the cyanobacteria growing. Im not sure where its getting its nutrients from or where it even came from for that matter. I have a phosphate reactor on the tank which I even replaced the media inside it when this broke out. Many many water changes with ro watter(once a week), droped my lighting hours down quite a bit. Even replaced lights that where a bit old. But none of them where older than 5 months. Nothing I do has even made a dent in killing it. So im not sure how others on the site got ride of theirs. Im about to give up and get come chemi-clean and kill it all. I don't know what else I can do. Tank checked out ok on all stats. So far my corals, are doing ok even with all of it around and some times over them. I remove it every day from them, and its back the next day or two. Its driving me mad! :mad: :mad: :mad:
 
fishieness

fishieness

Active Member
the way to get rid of cyano is not by adding chemicals, but by eliminating the source. and there are a few of those. here are a few:
-tank in direct sunlight
-OLD BULBS
-high nutrient tank (that can be caused by many things such as not oding water changes, over feeding, inadequate clean up crew, ect)
-not having proper flow
-ect.
 
missy39

missy39

New Member
Well I think I know what part of my problem is, not big enough clean up crew. They should be shipped today! We just changed the bulbs and have done water changes. Of course the guy at the lfs didn't tell me that was what was growing on the rock. Me thinking it was so pretty, it's a great maroon color, buys about 3 lr with this on it. I hate to say live and learn, but I guess that's what I have done. I have learn so much here!!
 
stingrayjs

stingrayjs

Member
Wish I could figure it out on my tank. Tanks not in direct sunlight, changed the bulbs already, and do water changes on a regular basis. I have a decent clean up crew, and I don't think I over feed. I have no problems with any other type of alge or anything else except this cyanobacteria. As for flow I think I have enough. But have been looking into incressing it som e more. But I tink im ok with what I have, never had any problems before. Tank has been runing just fine for about a year. I don't want to use a chemical and have been trying everythgin I can not to. But im at the end of my rope and its on fire.
 
fishieness

fishieness

Active Member
Originally Posted by aredmon
I added some phos ban to my filter and noticed a difference in the stuff in 2 days time.
oo, thats another one. doing water cahgnes with bad water. often, bottled water is very high is phosphates and other thigns that will cause it. esspecialy tap water. or if your RO membrane needs to be replaces.
do you have a PO4 test kit?
and when you say your flow is good, how much on what size?
could there be any dead spots wher eyour powerheads dont reach?
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
just because you do water changes often doesn't mean you don't have high levels of nutrients. You should test for nitrates and phosphates, as those will fuel the cyano. If you don't have test kits, you should get those asap.
 
stingrayjs

stingrayjs

Member
I have checked PO4 and thats ok also. The first suspect I though of was my RO unit but it checked out ok. Im proboly doing about 900-950 gph with my overflow, along with a decent amount of current flow in the tank from power heads. I havn't found any dead spot in the tank. Im not just getting growth just in one area which would make me think it was a flow issue. Its all over even in the high flow areas, like on my star polips, which are blasted. I have tested my tank for everything, every day. I know im getting some false lvls because the cyanobacteria is using something to grow. I guess before I go with a chemical I don't wan tto use try something else. Not sure what, but something. Im just at a loss, it make sno sence.
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
how long do you leave your lights on? Try reducing it to 6 hours a day. You should also try to run a phosphate sponge, even though your levels are reading ok. I ran one and it got rid of mine.
 
jerthunter

jerthunter

Active Member
Reduce phosphates.... That is how you get rid of cyanobacteria. I know it was mentioned already but I wanted to stress the importance of this one step. All the other things listed are no where near as important as phosphate levels.
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
i disagree. You can have 0 phosphates and still have cyano. They all play a roll in cyano outbreaks.
 
fishieness

fishieness

Active Member
but jsut because you arent picking up any phosphates in a test kit also doesnt mean that that isnt the cause of them. i could be like the amount of nutrients in your system. if your SPS isnt doing well, it could be your water levels even if everything is testing at 0 because you have enough algae, corals, ect in there to seep up any unwanted nutrients. This is why vodka dosing is dont to only tanks with sps. cause those softies, zoos, and mushrooms need some nutrients that are there even if nothing is being recorded.
it could be a phosphate problem. im not saying that it necessarily is, as i said, there are a lot of different causes. lighting schedual is another mentioned above although instead of a cause, that is usualy an aid.
 
J

jdragunas

Guest

your phosphates are probably testing 0 because the cyano is eating it all up.
are you using tap water?
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
oh, duh! i looked back at the original poster's comments, and i didn't see anything about it... lol
 
jerthunter

jerthunter

Active Member
Originally Posted by jdragunas
i disagree. You can have 0 phosphates and still have cyano. They all play a roll in cyano outbreaks.
Testing 0 phosphates and having 0 phosphates are totally different matters. Without phosphates cyanobacteria cannot live. Without light cyanobacteria can't live either however just because you cut back on light will not solve the problem because once light is available again it will grow. This is way Phosphate is the most important key to this equation. Phosphate needs to be the limiting resource in your tank otherwise you will continue to have outbreaks of cyanobacteria.. Other nutrients such as Nitrate will actually have a reverse impact on cyanobacteria. By this I mean with higher Nitrate levels algae will out compete the cyanobacteria for the phosphate.
 
stingrayjs

stingrayjs

Member
Im going to try reducing my light on for 6 hours a day and see if that will help make a dent in my cyno problem. Oh my corals are going to be pissed at me. I went looking at my setup last night, and I don't have cheto in my refugium, but a a grape type celurpa. Maybe its releasing nutrients into the water that it wasn't before. I have wanted to get cheto for a long time, but can never find it localy. Tonight im going to take a hard look at my refugium and see if my problem lies there. I have even lowered my feeding to once a day fo rhte fish and ever two days for phyto.
Last night I didn't notice one of my maxima's died. But all that is left of him is his shell my clean up crew made quick work of him.

Going to clean out all my filters again tonight and check out my phosphate reactor and make sure the media is still looking ok. I could tru a phosphate sponge and see if that helps. BUt the problem is still there, tryin gto figure out where the exra nutriests are comming from.
 
jerthunter

jerthunter

Active Member
Originally Posted by jdragunas
i already covered that.
but you also said you disagreed with my statement so I thought maybe I needed to clarify
 
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