Cyanobacteria

[dammar]

Not sure if this is the right forum, but ...
Iv had what I thought was 'cool algae' growing in my tank for a few weeks and my friend told me what cyanobacteria is and why I should get it out. He didn't have any tips for getting rid of it though.
Iv been siphoning the cyano out and doing water changes, I'm reducing the lighting slowly (was on for 11 hours now its 10 ill drop it to 9 in a day or two). There is a catch though. I'm in San Diego and with all the fires going on iv run out of aquarium water doing the water changes. Having a hard time convincing people that i need water for my aquarium atm =/
Iv been thinking of sterilizing the water i siphon out after netting the visible cyano then putting it back in the tank in a day or 2. i dont know the measurements for the bleach / water ratio and how much amquel plus i should put in to negate the chlorine when im done.
any ideas of some other way i could get rid of it? or something i can do in addition to help get rid of it.
Thanks

 

[rcoultas]

You certainly do NOT want to use bleach to "purify" your water - bleach is loaded with phosphates and can kill your fish if the levels are high. Try to submit pics and give a list of livestock you have in the tank and someone here will give you a safe remedy. What water do you normally use for water changes? If you are using tap water you may be putting in the cause. Again, give some details and you'll get a solution.

 

[dammar]

I wouldnt put the bleach directly in the tank, wouldn't the amquel remove the stuff from the bleach after letting it sit in a bucket of the water im trying to clean overnight?. This is why I asked before I did it =D
I use RO water I get from my LFS, never used tap water.
stock list ...
Flame angel
Ocellaris clown
Flame tip blenny
Priolepis nocturnus (gobby, was told he didnt have a common name cus he was rare)
and a Mandarin
2 emerald crabs
cleaner shrimp
fire shrimp
red porus star
few hermits
astrea, turbo, and nassarius snails
I know its a bit over stocked for a 46g ... the gobby spent a month hiding in the rocks and I thought he died then I found him again after i caved and bought the mandarin since he was eating frozen food at my LFS.

 

[dammar]

pics .... of the cyano? im sure thats what it is, my boss (avid aquarist) ID it for me but all he had were tips on how to avoid getting it.
Iv cleaned most of the visible spots but im sure itl grow back in a day or 2 then I can take a pic.

 

[earlybird]

You can use bleach to clean your equipment out of your tank but it should be rinsed very well and completely dry before adding them back to your tank.

 

[sambucus]

Put more flow to the areas of cyano growth, it helps out alot. And for my Tank I bought a queen conch, one of the few inverts that actually eats cyanobacteria.

 

[dammar]

hmm, I have a K2 in 1 corner and a K1 in the opposite. I do have a 2nd K1 I keep as a back up I could put in.
Ill try and find a good spot for it In the morning (my morning being like noon hehe)
also, would it have any detrimental effects on corals/fish to cut the lights from 11 hours to say 7 hours in 1 day? I know doing the reverse is a bad idea, so should I keep doing it slow 1 hour every few days?

 

[earlybird]

I'd cut them to half for a week. The corals will be fine and bounce back. When you raise your photoperiod again add an hour a day until you're back to where you want. Not sure how much lights affect cyano but it's possible for it to acclimate to the slow dropping of photoperiod.

 

[mr. limpid]

This a temp. idea siphon out as much cyano into a bucket pour through stainer (I made one from a coat hanger and nylons) then return this water back into tank. Correct solution is water changes (with siphon out cyano) using RO water, less light per day and less food. Over time your cyano will be gone. Also you want to think about is it time to change bulbs in your light fixture, this may also cause cyano to grow. good luck this stuff is almost as bad as ick.

 

[petjunkie]

A tank I helped set up just got an outbreak of brown cyano, I just had them cut the lights for three days and put a powerhead directly on it and it's almost completely gone a week later.