Cyano in refugium only - not in display

[jonwright]

So I have an "auxiliary" tank to the side of my 200 gallon system. What's curious is that no matter what I want to put in it, it becomes overrun with Cyano.

I've tried to grow algae, and it does take hold. However, in a few weeks it gets covered in Cyano. I stopped the flow from the tank (i.e. just let it stew in its own juices without water exchange from overall system) and it's dissipating and the algae is doing better! Previous to that I ceased the small amount of carbon dosing I did - no effect. I increased flow in the aux tank with a power head - no change.

Now. I do NOT have what I consider a cyano problem in my display tank. I'm sure it's there - not kidding myself. However, it is not evident anywhere.

Sooooo I know Cyano has traits of both algae and bacteria. I can't fathom what's feeding it when the water circulates from the overall system to the aux tank.

My system is rather nutrient rich although I don't have a PO4 or NO3 problem (I've a healthy vermetid snail population) but even still....I don't see why it would grow in the Aux tank and not the main tank. The light that I have over the Aux tank is a small T5 lamp with a yellow sun (algae) light and a reef light. The light cycle has not changed - only that I cut off water exchange from the overall system.

What does this mean?

I've been running reef crystals salt and doing about a 7 gallon AWC daily for a while. Previously in another tank I battled dino and cyano and when I STOPPED changing the water it went away. Could that be the deal here, to? Maybe as an experiment I should stop AWC in main system and kick that off with the aux tank......

NO3 always =0 (really? Really). PO4 = .04 (that's standard in the new sea water, too after mixing RC). Alk = 9 ish depending, Ca = 420 usually.

 

[jonwright]

BTW - cut off aux tank 5 days ago. I've noticed a bit more PE from the SPS that's in the main system now removed from the Cyano farming aux tank. Can't say NOTHING has changed, but over the week that's certainly the biggest and most notable change.

 

[Justin330]

I have the same thing going on in my fuge. No signs in the display but my cheato is covered in. Cyno. I was thinking of shutting down the sump/fuge and running chemical clean down there for a few days.

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[jonwright]

Well if there's anyway to cut off circulation from your larger system (and not cause problems with your display) it would be interesting to see if your results are similar to mine before dosing chemicals. I've done nothing other than keeping the water in that tank from circulating with the larger system.

 

[Justin330]

I'm a little short on powerheads at the moment so I can't shut off the sump yet. But I'll he picking up some mp40s this weekend. I'll shut it down for a few days once I get them set up and post my results.

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[Vinny Kreyling]

Anecdotal I know but a friend has a big tank that was loaded with hair algae.
Real ugly looking, He had to shut down the sump but had plenty of water movement from power heads & you guessed it -- no more hair algae.
As Schultz would say "Very Interesting".

 

[jonwright]

Hmmmmmmm.

 

[cougareyes]

Are you running red leds on your aux tank, cyano loves the red spectrum of light.

 

[jonwright]

I have 2x t5 lights. Sun light special (kinda yellow) for planted tanks and a general reef bulb.

 

[ca1ore]

It's the circulation. I also have almost no cyano in my display but it regularly grows on my chaeto. Same water, but much less circulation. Cyano simply will not grow where there is good flow. I said 'almost' because I do get some cyano growing on the very tops of some of my SPS that's reached the water surface because, yep, very little flow there.

 

[mannyhernz]

I'm currently getting the same cyano in my fuge only. DT is ok...this is a newly cycled tank

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[Vteclover]

I have somewhat the same.
In the dt nothing, in the sump i have dark red cyano.
mostly on de glass walls and believe it or not on the side where there is lots of flow from the powerhead i have down there
Not on de frags i have down there

 

[Big E]

Something many people overlook..............if you're feeding the aux. tank, refugium from your overflow it's getting high nutrient laden water.

Try feeding the tank directly from the the middle of the display tank or if your sump is partitioned well you can feed it with a manifold from your return. This is assuming most of the water has been cleaned/processed through whatever export tools you use.

Any sump based compartment is likely going to have higher nutrient water vs the display. It's the dirtiest water and also with the smaller size vs the display it has more on a percentage basis of "dirty" water.

 

[ca1ore]

Something many people overlook..............if you're feeding the aux. tank, refugium from your overflow it's getting high nutrient laden water.

Try feeding the tank directly from the the middle of the display tank or if your sump is partitioned well you can feed it with a manifold from your return. This is assuming most of the water has been cleaned/processed through whatever export tools you use.

Any sump based compartment is likely going to have higher nutrient water vs the display. It's the dirtiest water and also with the smaller size vs the display it has more on a percentage basis of "dirty" water.

I've seen this argument before, and I simply don't buy it unless there is very slow flow between the tanks or the majority of the food is being allowed to collect and rot in the refugium (and even then I'm skeptical). There's really just no rational basis behind maintaining a higher gradient of anything in one connected tank versus another with adequate flow. I've tried testing for this and found no differences (though of course one could challenge the efficacy of the test kits).

 

[Big E]

I've seen this argument before, and I simply don't buy it unless there is very slow flow between the tanks or the majority of the food is being allowed to collect and rot in the refugium (and even then I'm skeptical). There's really just no rational basis behind maintaining a higher gradient of anything in one connected tank versus another with adequate flow. I've tried testing for this and found no differences (though of course one could challenge the efficacy of the test kits).

That's fine don't buy it..................I doubt it's something you're going to read on a test kit.

It's dissolved organics & detritus,ect. that haven't broken down yet, not PO4 or NO3 filled water. You've never seen the crap that your skimmer sucks up when you blow off the rocks? The algae fronds grab onto that detritus and such and the cyano grows right on top of the algae.

That's just the particles you can see with your eyes.......there are many more very small particles that will stick to the walls that bacteria will grab. The bacteria collect on the walls of the sump, be it cyano or other types you can't see with the naked eye.

I'm not a refugium guy but tell me how many people have frag tanks that are at the same level as the display and fed by a split manifold that are cyano infested. I agree flow does have a role but I also know I've seen cyano growing in heavy flow areas in displays.

I'm just offering up some suggestions to people...........I don't believe the original old school refugiums were a cyano mess...........they were intially set above the tank and fed from below. These tanks were actual refugiums for pods, worms, ect., and the high population of pods would flow down back into the tank.
It would also need to be managed correctly and not as an algae filter.

 

[jonwright]

well, in my particular set up my whateve's tank (with the cyano) is fed off of the return - a manifold that delivers "clean" (skimmed, filtered, GAC'd etc) water to the display and the whateve's tank. Same water. And I have a powerhead in there, so I have a tough time with not enough flow in the tank. Adding the powerhead did nothing to deter the cyano, BTW. I just have a clear spot in the middle of the tank due to the flow pushing the algae aside.

So there's that.

No cyano in sump. None that I SEE in display.

I've left the tank be since I posted this to see if the cyano would subside. It did a little. The caulerpa is still growing a little, and I changed water ONCE in the mean time (with newly mixed water, not display tank water). A few weeks later the cyano is still present, but boy the GHA is really setting in. No, I haven't cleaned it or anything.

BTW - I was fine with this being an algae filter. Seems all this tank is a cyano farm no matter what I put in it. In a few weeks when I get the gumption I'll probably bleach it out and try again for #3. There must be something that was in the tank itself feeding the cyano??? Is it the crappy light? May change the light back to the "reef" or plug in a Mh for fun. And still not change the water.

 

[polaravic]

I had cyano in my 75 gallon refugium at the beginning of my new 150 set up - 40 gal sump in basement. I kept rearranging the chaeto because it looked like a circulation problem because it was only in one spot near the light. That helped but it didn't almost disappear until I reduced my LED light by taping masking tape over half of it. I added another 40 lbs of Carib Sea Special Grade sand very evenly all over the bottom. Cyano is gone.

polaravic

 

[ericarenee]

I've seen this argument before, and I simply don't buy it unless there is very slow flow between the tanks or the majority of the food is being allowed to collect and rot in the refugium (and even then I'm skeptical). There's really just no rational basis behind maintaining a higher gradient of anything in one connected tank versus another with adequate flow. I've tried testing for this and found no differences (though of course one could challenge the efficacy of the test kits).

I agree my Fuge is fed from some of the water leaving my Display and Coral tank... I Just reworked my DSB Containers and i am getting GHA In my Fuge..
Before i was using spiral 6500k i think cfl bulbs (yellowish tint ) Cyano was taking over my fuge.. The lights seem to be the only thing different in the the OP FUGE Tank.. i would change those bulbs out to higher k value and see what happens..


OPINION.. THE YELLOW BULBS .....