cyano, diatoms bubbles?

I

isomorphic85

New member
what does the bubbles being released from cyano , diatoms etc actually mean?

Is it a good sign, bad sign indifferent?

I'm wanting to believe that the bubbles mean it's dying out lol.

What does it actually mean?
 
Well, I believe cyanobacteria release oxygen, so I guess that's what would be in the bubbles? I don't think the bubbles themselves are good or bad necessarily, just a sign that the cyano is growing. Which is generally bad for your tank, indicates high nutrients in the water.
 
It's just oxygen being released. That in itself is not harmful, but it's a sign that the cyano/algae is thriving. Considering increasing your water flow.
 
+1 I didnt mean the bubbles themselves are bad. I meant that bubbles are a sign of progression in the cyano.
 
isomorphic85 said:
what does the bubbles being released from cyano , diatoms etc actually mean?

Is it a good sign, bad sign indifferent?

I'm wanting to believe that the bubbles mean it's dying out lol.

What does it actually mean?
Click to expand...

If you ask just general question about bubbles - they are harmless. The cyano though is bad thing for your tank. And bubbles don't mean it's dying sorry.
It's something hard to get rid of cyano. Despite common beliefs its not nutrients problem only. Nutrients have to be reduced to acceptable (low) level but other methods still might be needed.
 
so what have you guys found to be the best way to get rid of cyano / diatoms as i'm still unsure which of the 2 I actually have in the tank.

When flow is passed over the cyano/diatoms it disappears and goes back into suspension invisible in the water column... does that help to narrow down a difference between cyano behavior or diatoms?
 
That seems like diatoms, is it brown or a red slime. If it's entering the water column hopefully your skimmer can pick some of it up. Although I'm not totally sure about the diatoms releasing gasses but don't quote me on that. You may want to look into dino to see if that resembles what you see in your tank. Posting a picture will get you a quick ID
 
I've seen cyano and diatoms make (or catch, idk) a little bubbles, but if it's a lot it might be dinoflagellates. There's not really a one-size-fits-all cure for reef nuisances like this, they are totally different organisms. But patience, good water, and proper flow help a lot.
Here's a good site for identifying things, and there's some tips to kill them too
https://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide
 
Hard to tell from those pictures if its diatoms or Dinos.The only way to positively identify what you have is too collect some and look at it under a microscope. It actually becomes very simply to ID. A cheap one will do.

If you have bubbles coming off of brown slime it could actually be as CStrickland suggested......... Dinos. Look at the brown stuff at night some hours after the lights go out. If it looks like its gone at night that's a sign of Dinos and not Cyano or diatoms. Dinos will separate at night from the brown slime "colonies" and disappears in to the water column like you described. Then when the lights go on will slowly regroup and appear thicker as the light cycle intensity progresses and produces the bubbles. Cyano does not do that it stayed in mats at all times even when removing it. Diatoms can be blown away with flow but its consistency is of dust not slime.

......hope its not Dinos
 
Last edited:
I have Dinos this is a pic of my tank after several days of not cleaning the sand bed
20151130_151554_zpscqccjsjv.jpg
 
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