Cyno Bacteria and lighting

[plp]

After reviewing many threads on cyno bacteria, I'm convinced that's my problem. I see reference to reduced lighting. Should I reduce the lighting cycle on the actinic, or the 10000K or both?

 

[geoj]

No

 

[teen]

lower your total light cycle about 2-3 hours a day. whats your flow like?

 

[plp]

I've got a Rio2100 rated for 4-500GPH.

 

[ophiura]

It is unlikely that lighting alone is the problem.
Can you please post complete tank specs, including size, age, inhabitants, feeding, lighting, filtration, maintenance, parameters, etc?

 

[plp]

40 Gal, Set up since July
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrate - 10
Weekly 10% changes
192 watts PC lighting 10000K + actinic + lunar
Wet/Dry Sea Reef Filter - Rio 2100 pump
Sea Clone Protein skimmer
2 emerald crabs
1 anenome crab
1 Carpet anenome
1 sally lightfoot (never again)
2 domino damsels
2 percula clowns (new to the tank)
10 hermit crabs
coral banded shrimp
cleaner shrimp
Colt coral
Yellow polyps
Ricordea
however many turbos and nassarius snails are left after the hermits attacked (started with 20 each). Added 20 more recently.
Feeding every other day. Algae pellets and other pellet food. Anenome gets small piece of shrimp 5-6 days.
Is that enough info?

 

[ophiura]

Just to be complete - pH, alk, calcium, specific gravity, phosphate, source water (RO/DI, tap?), how long you have lights on, power heads in tank (or do you only have the return from the wet dry?)
If you only have the return from the wet/dry, I would say one issue is definitely a circulation problem.

 

[plp]

Sorry, forgot some of the basics. PH 8.2, temp 78, tap water dechlorinated and aged, SG 1.022. Using sealab 28 for calcium and trace elements. Lights are +/- 1 month old. Lights 10 hrs for actinic 9 hours 10000k. Lunar the rest of the time.
Circulation seems good. Howeve this stuff is growing in strands right in the main flow. It's not forming behind and between the LR.
I'm guessing overfeeding (been cutting back) and lighting.
The protein skimmer is also giving a lot of flow on the other side of the tank. I guess I could try a powerhead down low to divert flow.

 

[geoj]

You do not need to cut back on light, you can, but you do not need to. The lowering of light may harm or slow down the growth of some of the other animals.
The main problem causing nuisance algae are Phosphate, Nitrate, and Silicates. Control these and your problem will resolve over time.
And based on your description you may have diatoms they can look like cyanobacteria now with that said it does not matter what it is if you control Phosphate, Nitrate, and Silicates.

 

[teen]

you have to use ro/di water or your gunna keep experiencing cyano. and you really have to up the flow as well.

 

[jc74]

If all else fails, there are some great products out there that will get rid of it quickly, and in my case permanently without harming anything else.
It had completely overrun my tank a couple years ago.