Leaving light of Question

robertmathern

robertmathern

Active Member
I am finally tired of looking at the cyano in my tank. It is not bad at all but it must go. I know I got it from overfeeding. Hey a newbie is allowed to make a mistake if it has been corrected now. But the cyano seem to stay. Today I left my lights off all day. Only the light from the house lighting and it has worked real well so far. Still has a way to go. There is nothing in my tank photosynthetic as corals or anything. Just cayno and hair alge that the emrild seems to be making short work of. But he has alge sheets that I have not fed him yet. By the way do alge sheets have a shelf life. Now my question is should I still run the light in my sump or do I run the risk of getting alge in there. My water is good now had some amonia for a bit but it is 0 again. Amonia from overfeeding. I dont think the cayno or alge should because it has not so far. But would like input.
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
i think the cyano will come back as soon as you turn the light back on unless your water is perfect.
if you have no corals in the tank, try chemiclean. i'm not a fan of chemical cures, but i used this in the gym tank i am maintaining, and it wiped it out in 2 days and hasn't been seen again. this was a month or so ago. it didn't harm any inverts or fish either, and i never saw any sort of spike.
that will take care of the cyano, but not the hair algae.
 
robertmathern

robertmathern

Active Member
Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2897439
i think the cyano will come back as soon as you turn the light back on unless your water is perfect.
if you have no corals in the tank, try chemiclean. i'm not a fan of chemical cures, but i used this in the gym tank i am maintaining, and it wiped it out in 2 days and hasn't been seen again. this was a month or so ago. it didn't harm any inverts or fish either, and i never saw any sort of spike.
that will take care of the cyano, but not the hair algae.
Thanks X the cayno is gone now so I will turn the light on if it come s back I will try chemiclean I hear that stuff makes you skimmer go nuts. Should I just leave it off. for a week or so. and as far as the hair alge my big emerild has taken care of that.
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
yeah..yuo would have to do a series of waterchanges to remove the chemiclean.
 
robertmathern

robertmathern

Active Member
Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2897538
yeah..yuo would have to do a series of waterchanges to remove the chemiclean.
OK cool thanks X I turned the lights on and your right it is comming back slowly but its comming back. So its off to the lfs thanks for the help
 
gmann1139

gmann1139

Active Member
If your going to use chemiclean, make sure to follow the directions.
I would also keep the lights off while using it. I did that, only turning them on for 15 minutes to feed every other day.
It took two doses, but I went from a pretty bad cyano infestation to nothing.
 
robertmathern

robertmathern

Active Member
Originally Posted by gmann1139
http:///forum/post/2897746
If your going to use chemiclean, make sure to follow the directions.
I would also keep the lights off while using it. I did that, only turning them on for 15 minutes to feed every other day.
It took two doses, but I went from a pretty bad cyano infestation to nothing.
Yeah I got it. I should have read the directions before leaving the store. I would have goten more salt but what ever I will go back tomorrow for salt. I am really supprised on the small size of the scoop.
 
gmann1139

gmann1139

Active Member
Yeah, and the stuff doesn't mix easily into water. I used a one cup scoop, and it took serious agitation to make the powder mix into solution.
 
robertmathern

robertmathern

Active Member
hmm I guess I will wait till thrusday (pay day)to stat treatment. I only have enough salt for 2 water changes. 1 tomorrow and one in case of emergency change is needed.
 
floridacatfish

floridacatfish

Member
I used the red aglae remover as well on my 150g.... I did just fine with it, but I used less than the recommended dosage. I used a turkey baster to blast the red slime off the rocks which helped a lot! I watched my labs closely, no change in pH noted, but I've read it can change it.
 
robertmathern

robertmathern

Active Member
Originally Posted by Floridacatfish
http:///forum/post/2898781
I used the red aglae remover as well on my 150g.... I did just fine with it, but I used less than the recommended dosage. I used a turkey baster to blast the red slime off the rocks which helped a lot! I watched my labs closely, no change in pH noted, but I've read it can change it.
Cool thats what I was thinking of using less than the recomended doseage. I dont have much cayno but it is not going away. However today I noticed alot less cayno in there. So I will try to vacume it up and see if it comes back. Like stated before I dont plan on medicating the tank untill thursday. Hopefully there s no need to by then. My water is prestine just a few mistakes were made early in setting it up. I guess time will tell.
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
use chemiclean...not "red slime remover". the standard red slime remover is erythromycin, and antibiotic. you don't want to add that to your tank. the chemiclean is not. do i know what it is? no. but it says right on the box that it's not erythromycin.
btw- i think you should use it exactly as recommended. not less than a full dose.
 
robertmathern

robertmathern

Active Member
OK here are some pics X of the box it dose sat no erythromycin or phosphates on the back. I included pics of the box and my tank. Sorry my hand writeing on paint sucks. I still have alge but if you remember my thread on my emrilad (called big joe) the cayno is a lot less now than then. But you provided proff pf what you did. So what do you think. The box says both chemiclan red slime remover. I have herd of red slime remover nuking tanks. Let me know your advice. You did it already secsesfully.
 
gmann1139

gmann1139

Active Member
Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2899259
chemiclean won't hurt your tank, as far as i have seen.
As long as its FO or FOWLR.
If you're still nervous about using it, it can't hurt to try a week without lights, and minimal feeding. That may be enough to lower your phosphate level, and allow you to vacuum out the cyano in the tank.
 
robertmathern

robertmathern

Active Member
Originally Posted by gmann1139
http:///forum/post/2899298
As long as its FO or FOWLR.
If you're still nervous about using it, it can't hurt to try a week without lights, and minimal feeding. That may be enough to lower your phosphate level, and allow you to vacuum out the cyano in the tank.
Thats what I dont understand phosphates are 0 amonia are 0 but I had a spike due to overfeeding. Nrites as far as I tested where 0 but I am sure there was a spike that I didnt see due to amonia. Trates have alwaya been more than 0 but less than 10. PH has always been a little low but mot bad at 8.0 alk and cal accordingly.I think the problem I am having is I have not turned off the sump pump. Nothing sits on the bottom of the tank it all goes in the ovrflow. I am thinking my food is doing the same getting stuck in the filter I put in the sump. I will put a pic when it lets me so you know what I am talking about the same as a filter sock. I clean it with my water changes (on saterday) 5 gals in my 55 gal. But now I feed every mondat and friday. As before every day. So I think it is staying in the filter and turning to exess nutrients that I dont think I can test for. Now I vacumed most of the cayno out with the water change today. We will have to see I got the cayno from the overfeeding I have no doubt int that. Hey it was my first real fish tank. So it was bound to happen. Yeah you hear feed no more than your fish can eat in 3 minutes. But As your first real tank how do you know what they eat in 3 minutes. And yeah fed alot everyday. Good lesion to learn if nothing died. No harm no foul.
 
gmann1139

gmann1139

Active Member
Phosphate can read 0 and still be a problem. The cyano is using it up as fast as it appears. Remember, this is blue-green algae, pretty much the oldest organism, simple and efficient.
As far as 'excess nutrients' go, if you aren't seeing nitrAtes gaining on you, I wouldn't worry too much.
Just keep vacuuming, and keep your feeding minimal, and you should be able to beat this.
 
robertmathern

robertmathern

Active Member
Oh and yes the hole fo or fowlr is great to deal wit cayno. But I am going reef this is the reason I held off of getting corals yet. To learn from my mistakes. Yes I read and read but I am more a hands on learner. And I made a mistake I know how to correct it and hopefully how to fix it with out doseing my tank. But time will tell there. If not I have back up. but I will wait to see (plus I need to get more salt on hand without dipping into the emergency stash) to make it happen. Thursday is payday newborns are not cheap lol
 
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