Help!

[samanthalyn850]

Well, my light went out on my fluval nano yet again. Was going to take over a week to replace. So I threw on the hood to my old biocube for light. Three days later my tank looks like this. What is it and how do I stop it from taking over? It's covered probably around 90% of my sand. Any suggestions?!

 

[mr. limpid]

First do water change and siphon of the Cyno bacteria as mush as you can. Ok to take off a little sand too. Just rinse the sand with old tank water or new salt water. Then return sand back to tank. Post your tank prams. High nitrates or phosphates with the old bulbs or all of them caused the cyno growth.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Limpid http:///t/394737/help#post_3513522
First do water change and siphon of the Cyno bacteria as mush as you can. Ok to take off a little sand too. Just rinse the sand with old tank water or new salt water. Then return sand back to tank. Post your tank prams. High nitrates or phosphates with the old bulbs or all of them caused the cyno growth.
I agree, however the tests will show a false negative because the Cyano is absorbing and feeding on it.
Low flow is another cause, if you have extra nutrients and PO4...the nutrients settles in the low flow areas and begins to grow. Overfeeding is another cause and old bulbs will not only help cyano, it will help hair algae get a foot hold and you sure don't want that. You would be better off without any light, if you have coral you can't do that, but if you have only fish, they actually like just the house light and leave the tank dark.

 

[beaslbob]

Quote:
Originally Posted by samanthalyn850 http:///t/394737/help#post_3513466
Well, my light went out on my fluval nano yet again. Was going to take over a week to replace. So I threw on the hood to my old biocube for light. Three days later my tank looks like this. What is it and how do I stop it from taking over? It's covered probably around 90% of my sand. Any suggestions?!
Actually the "false" positive from tests is actually accurate. Which should be a hint. Like a refugium with macro algaes in it would starve your cyano if done right.
While your waiting around for new lights or whatever you can simply kill the lights you have and all that red stuff will die off in a few days. Good idea to stop adding food also.
then resume with less lighting and feeding and adjust so the cyano does not come back.
my .02

 

[samanthalyn850]

I've tried that. Left lights off for a week, fed once. Pretty much just as much of the crap as when I shut the lights off! Again, their light that they sent me to replace the last one just started to go out. UGH! Apparently they're only made to last for one month. Is it possible to just replace all my sand and scrub the rocks, and see if that gets rid of it?!

 

[jay0705]

Possible yes. But do u have fish in the tank? When u remove the sand your going to remove alot of bacteria u need in your tank

 

[beaslbob]

Quote:Originally Posted by samanthalyn850 http:///t/394737/help#post_3518488
I've tried that. Left lights off for a week, fed once. Pretty much just as much of the crap as when I shut the lights off! Again, their light that they sent me to replace the last one just started to go out. UGH! Apparently they're only made to last for one month. Is it possible to just replace all my sand and scrub the rocks, and see if that gets rid of it?!

You didn't do it long enough.
And some times it takes a couple of times.
that red stuff will not survive in a dark tank.
my .02

 

[btldreef]

Those fluval nanos are cool tanks but very hard to keep clean and get good circulation which doesn't help with cyano. I always recommend doing those tanks with no fish or one very small fish that's fed a small amount 1-2 times a week. If you do out a fish in one, you will have more issues.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by beaslbob http:///t/394737/help#post_3518483
Actually the "false" positive from tests is actually accurate. Which should be a hint. Like a refugium with macro algaes in it would starve your cyano if done right.

While your waiting around for new lights or whatever you can simply kill the lights you have and all that red stuff will die off in a few days. Good idea to stop adding food also.

then resume with less lighting and feeding and adjust so the cyano does not come back.


my .02

Hey, how have you been? You corrupted me, I love macroalgae!

LOL...I say false negative readings because there are phosphates, even though it reads 0 on the tests. The cyanobacteria can't live without it, and neither can macroalgae. The beauty of macros is that it absorbs it, and we want it in the tank or sump/refugium to get the PO4 out...Cyano on the other hand is not desired at all.

So when a person doesn't understand how they can have cyano because the test reads no PO4...I explain it's a false negative reading, because they do have PO4 (phosphates)

 

[2quills]

I don't see what the big deal is really, I'd just tell everyone that I had some designer red sand. It actually doesn't look half bad. Wondering if this issue has cleared up yet?

 

[beaslbob]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/394737/help#post_3530610

Hey, how have you been? You corrupted me, I love macroalgae!

LOL...I say false negative readings because there are phosphates, even though it reads 0 on the tests. The cyanobacteria can't live without it, and neither can macroalgae. The beauty of macros is that it absorbs it, and we want it in the tank or sump/refugium to get the PO4 out...Cyano on the other hand is not desired at all.

So when a person doesn't understand how they can have cyano because the test reads no PO4...I explain it's a false negative reading, because they do have PO4 (phosphates)
I've been around. perhaps kinda hiding LOL.






Shhhhhhh!!!!!!!

Don't tell my wife I corrumpted anyone.

Glad it worked out for you.

Yes I understand the false reading stuff. But the reading is actually correct and the phosphates being generated are being removed from the water column.

My point is that we should all want false 0 readings where macro algaes in recycleing the wastes (ammonia, nitrate, phosphates, carbon dioxide) into fish food and oxygen..

just my usual .02

 

[beaslbob]

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///t/394737/help#post_3530612
I don't see what the big deal is really, I'd just tell everyone that I had some designer red sand. It actually doesn't look half bad. Wondering if this issue has cleared up yet?
LOL
Actually there is a danger.
Once cyano startes blooming it feeds off the nitrogen gas and robs phosphates from desirable algae, corals, clams and so on.
My killing the lights and stop adding food advice allows the cyano to die off returning nitrates to the more desirable stuff and rebalance out the tank.
This red bloom IME is a very common problem.
You get the tank going every thing is looking great then about 6 months is nitrates drop to 0.
Good finally there.
Only.
here comes the cyano using the nitrogen gas. And the tank rapidily becomes cyano dominated vrs plant live (algae types) dominated.
Still that's just my .02

 

[2quills]

Quote:
Originally Posted by beaslbob http:///t/394737/help#post_3530668
LOL

Actually there is a danger.

Once cyano startes blooming it feeds off the nitrogen gas and robs phosphates from desirable algae, corals, clams and so on.

My killing the lights and stop adding food advice allows the cyano to die off returning nitrates to the more desirable stuff and rebalance out the tank.

This red bloom IME is a fery common problem.

You get the tank going every thing is looking great then about 6 months is nitrates drop to 0.

Good finally there.

Only.

here comes the cyano using the nitrogen gas. And the tank rapidily becomes cyano dominated vrs plant live (algae types) dominated.

Still that's just my .02

So in your .02 would cyano be just as undesirable if it were left to grow wild in a refugium?

Agree the red bloom is common. My old system went through the same thing. It hit right around the 3 month mark. I also tried killing the lights for days on end and virtually starving my other live stock in order to get it to die back. And it would seem to do so as long as the lights weren't being used. But as soon as I'd put them back into use then here comes the red stuff again all over the sand bed. I eventually said screw it and left it alone because it seemed like I was causing more harm to my other inhabitants trying to get rid of it than anything. Then after about 5-6 weeks it all of a sudden started fading away then it ultimately disappeared. I never did see or have an issue with it again after that. I didn't have a refugium on that system. And I hadn't really changed or neglected anything in my maintenance schedule that would lead me to think that I did something specific to make it go away. Trates always stayed virtually undetectable, phosphates I never did detect much above the lowest detectable levels. I did water changes ever week pretty religiously for a solid year on that system. Small but frequent. Maybe it was just a faze in my case.

 

[beaslbob]

No,

I try to control cyano and keep the algaes growing.

 

[flower]

LOL... Just my .02

Make sure there is good water flow, and don't overfeed. Keep the bulbs changed.

I will use red slime remover before plunging my tank into total darkness, which only works as long as the lights stay off. I don't know if it's new tank syndrome or what, I do recall my new tanks always seemed to get some cyano...shrimp and serpent sea stars are the best critters to keep as part of the CUC, those critters eliminate the overfeeding issue, my seahorses waste so much food it's a crime. Macroalgae is now a natural part of my tanks up-keep, I plan on my macros as I plan my tank set up, even the icy cold of the potbelly seahorse horse tank. Cyano can't live without phosphates, so phosphate remover is another thing I would use without hesitation, but since I have kept macros, that has not been an issue for me.