Old tank,NEW Algae

[ifirefight]

I seem to be having a cyano problem with my tank. Ive read and read and I am currently cutting my feeding to every 3rd day (instead of every day) Have done some 30 % water changes etc...How long before I should see progress? And for those that dont know me ( Ive been off the board for a while )
1. Tank is established over 2 years no major problems till now.
2. No new additions, always RO/DI
3. Bulbs less than 6 months old
4. 3 hydor 3s and little giant mdq-sc return (tons of flow)
5. Levels are good no phosphates..( i know cyano will eat the phosephates up)
6. 130 gallon 45 refuge octo dual recirc skimmer
7. I think I was over feeding ( I use homemade food not flake or mass produced.)
8. I dont want to use any chems.
9. How long till I start seeing results is my main question.

 

[coralreefer]

id say a month

 

[suspectcobra]

i had a bad cyano problem almost a year ago, a lot worse then what you're picture shows and i for the most part did what you have said, but if possible during water changes i would try to carefully siphon any loose debris, took a few weeks but then it was gone, no chemicals either, oi i hate that stuff

. anyway good luck

shouldn't be too much of a hassel

 

[pezenfuego]

new algae would be incorrect. The cyano didn't come from nowhere so basically you had endospores that just now decided it was a good time to germinate. It is also a bacteria, not an algae. I'm not calling you stupid, you are a very smart reefer, I am just a nitpicky nerd

Anyway, keep up with the big water changes and suck loose debri as was said. You are doing well and should see some improvement in a month or two. Good Luck

 

[mudplayerx]

Cyanobacteria are capable of utilizing non-reactive phosphates. These phosphates do not show up on our test kits. It can take quite a few water changes even after you detect no phosphates before the cyano actually goes away.

 

[ifirefight]

Originally Posted by suspectcobra
http:///forum/post/2992669
i had a bad cyano problem almost a year ago, a lot worse then what you're picture shows and i for the most part did what you have said, but if possible during water changes i would try to carefully siphon any loose debris, took a few weeks but then it was gone, no chemicals either, oi i hate that stuff

. anyway good luck

shouldn't be too much of a hassel
Yup, I was planning on siphoning what I can. Thanks
Originally Posted by PEZenfuego
http:///forum/post/2992675
The cyano didn't come from nowhere so basically you had endospores that just now decided it was a good time to germinate.

I have never had a problem with it so I never did much research on it... Where would it come from??? Or does it just show up when the conditions are right..like other bacteria. Thanks for the info.
Originally Posted by mudplayerx
http:///forum/post/2992697
Cyanobacteria are capable of utilizing non-reactive phosphates. These phosphates do not show up on our test kits. It can take quite a few water changes even after you detect no phosphates before the cyano actually goes away.
Yes,thats what makes this such a pain to deal with...thank you for the input.

 

[ifirefight]

UPDATE: Its been about 2 weeks.... I have been sticking to the feeding every 3 days....more water changes...siphoning it during water changes.. I seem to be getting the upper hand on it. Today I was able to blow a bunch of "gunk" off the rocks (seems like the stuff is finally losing its grip) I have also noticed that I do not have to clean the glass EVERY day like I used to...it takes 2-3 days before ANY algae builds up on it.(Seems to me like the execesive nutrients are dissapearing) Levels are all good (still). Will keep updating

If anybody cares.

 

[ifirefight]

Ok,latest update. I seem to have FINALLY eliminated almost all the cyano. It has been a very SLOW process. I have stuck with the water changes and reduced feeding. Imagine that...it actually worked.

... Here is what I learned from MY cyano experience.
1. Dont panic.. My cyano seemed to come on overnight and just get worse and worse by the minute....when you see this happening to your tank,you tend to panic and over react... I wanted this stuff gone imediatelly. I was tempted to use a chemical product because I was distraught over my misfortune. However, I was lucky enough to listen to my practical side...(which is rare for me) and go about it the old fashioned way.
2. My cyano seems to have come from over feeding. Even though I have read and read...and "thought" I knew how much to feed my fish...I was wrong. My conclusion...fish are like dogs...they will get excited and eat what you put in front of them. Even though I have cut my feeding way back,my fish still are portly,so they are definately not starving to death.
3. Water changes... the frequency of my water changes might also have had something to do with the outbreak.. I will continue to keep up with them also.
4. I know people talk about flow,old bulbs etc...Those were not contributing to myproblem..but they are something you should consider if you are having an issue with cyano.
5. So to summerize...be patient,feed less,change water more,replace old bulbs,increase flow.... It DOES work..but it DOES take time..Like anything else in this hobby...dont rush it. Thanks to this site and the members for helping me in my battle.

 

[pezenfuego]

Originally Posted by ifirefight
http:///forum/post/3055035
Ok,latest update. I seem to have FINALLY eliminated almost all the cyano. It has been a very SLOW process. I have stuck with the water changes and reduced feeding. Imagine that...it actually worked.

... Here is what I learned from MY cyano experience.
1. Dont panic.. My cyano seemed to come on overnight and just get worse and worse by the minute....when you see this happening to your tank,you tend to panic and over react... I wanted this stuff gone imediatelly. I was tempted to use a chemical product because I was distraught over my misfortune. However, I was lucky enough to listen to my practical side...(which is rare for me) and go about it the old fashioned way.
2. My cyano seems to have come from over feeding. Even though I have read and read...and "thought" I knew how much to feed my fish...I was wrong. My conclusion...fish are like dogs...they will get excited and eat what you put in front of them. Even though I have cut my feeding way back,my fish still are portly,so they are definately not starving to death.
3. Water changes... the frequency of my water changes might also have had something to do with the outbreak.. I will continue to keep up with them also.
4. I know people talk about flow,old bulbs etc...Those were not contributing to myproblem..but they are something you should consider if you are having an issue with cyano.
5. So to summerize...be patient,feed less,change water more,replace old bulbs,increase flow.... It DOES work..but it DOES take time..Like anything else in this hobby...dont rush it. Thanks to this site and the members for helping me in my battle.

Like any good thing, it takes time. Good job and if you can overcome cyano, you can overcome anything in this hobby. Glad to hear it worked out for you and that you didn't use chemicals.

 

[ryancw01]

That is good to hear about less feeding and your fish still being fat. I recently switched to feeding every other day from every day and I still feel bad for them on the day that I don't feed them for some reason.
Every time I walk over to the tank on non-feeding days they all take their feeding positions all in the corner and stare at me. They get so excited every time I am over by the tank. Hard not to want to feed them a little after all that.