Originally Posted by
drrlltmpln
http:///forum/post/3138203
ok so here goes. (sigh) we set up our first sw tank a few months ago. 55g with a floval filter, protien skimmer, live sand and so far 2 live rocks (homer and coco) yes we named the rocks. the fishes have names too lol. we started out with 3 damsels, a clown 3 astro snails and 4 hermit crabs and a coral banded shrimp. well,,,now my tank looks like sh.t. there is alge everywhere on sand walls etc. and homer has turned black. not sure if thats a good thing or not. i also have this pretty purple algea along with the green.we were so excited, we thought wow the rock is growing something!
the guy at the lfs said its cyano. so i got the treatment for it, but we just got in some stock we ordered from swf.com (nano cleaner crew) so hubby doesnt want to do the treatment for a few days so the stock can acclimate. so should i wait a few days or treat right away? im learning a lot from this forum. just read lions 101 tips. should have read them sooner lol. just found out i now need powerheads. no telling what else i need. any ideas or info is appreciated
I have used cyano antibiotics in the past - they do work as a short term fix, but the presence of cyano tells you that there is something else going on in the tank, and you must fix that or the cyano will just keep coming back, along with algae. First - what are your tank parameters? From the sound of it, it sounds like you have too much biomaterial in the tank - probably not fish, but too much fish waste and food, usually from overfeeding. Limit your feeding, keep skimming, make regular water changes (maybe 20% weekly until the tank settles down), and keep water movement going in areas where the cyano is thriving (glad you found out about powerheads, now get a couple of them). Be patient and the cyano will disappear. That's the good news! The bad news is that something else will almost surely happen because all new tanks go through a series of changes as the cycle, mature and finally settle down.