cyano issues

[SoupySteve]

So I have an out break that keeps occuring in the same places in my tank...
I've got 12 hrs of light from 2x150W MH 8" from surface - considering lowering that to 10 hrs
I've taken control of my temp issues by keeping the ceiling fan in the room on medium for most of the day - the tank stays at 80 F now.
I've been siphoning the cyano from the substrate when I do my ~5% water change (every three days).
I've backed my feedings of (you guessed it) SEAS frozen blend and a strip of seaweed down to alternating feeding instead of BOTH daily...
One of the 3 patches is occuring where there was low/no flow... a powerhead angled down there seems to be doing the trick...
Any other suggestions?
I don't have ANY params other than S.G. to give you... somehow several test bottles of my RED SEA kit managed to open on their own... now the box they were in smells like something Ron Burgundy would wear... so I'd have severe problems relying on the results of their tests :bum:

 

[fewells]

Bring me in a sample and i'll test it.

What is in the SEAS food? How old is it. Sounds like a flow or nutrient problem or mabye both.

 

[rigleautomotive]

high ph chases it away.monitor ph if you can and keep it on the high side.with kalk. add some snails.that might help.larger water changes maybe too

 

[SoupySteve]

The SEAS food is frozen... oh... let's see here.. there was squid, clams, artemia, cyclopeeze, nori, some garlic ... i'm sure there was more... we made the stuff over a year ago - I feed the tank about two or three pencil earaser sized chunks each time I feed. I never thought the age of the food would be an issue since it's been frozen... maybe I'm wrong. I'll bring a water sample next time I swing by... thanks Matt!

 

[fewells]

Stuff is usually only good for aroud 8 months if frozen. Especially if you are taking it out every once in a while. The warm air can really degrade food. Mabye the problem mabye not. I continue sucking it out and stop the seas food for a while and see if that helps. I am battling a little cyano at the store right now and I KNOW it is not a flow issue. Gonna try RowaPhos in a phosban reactor. Dont see how phosphates could be the issue but you never know.

 

[aquaconnect]

I too am having problems, as you can see from my thread on this. I'm going to run a Deltec FR509 w/1liter of RowaPhos which will be here from Europe next Friday. Rowa is supposed to be the bomb.

 

[Deadeye]

My nano cube is covered in red slime. Going to get the chemical stuff cause I don't have thousands of dollars of coral in it.

 

[rigleautomotive]

i think that is a mistake and will only prolong the misery

 

[SoupySteve]

I'm gonna make 15 gallons of salt for a larger w/c.
I'll run carbon for a while...
I'll still take water in for a test, Matt.
When I had issues in my 55g, a couple of healthy w/c would do the trick... I'm not overly concerned - yet. None of this stuff is taking over/smothering any of my corals. I'm relatively sure that once I jet my sump running again, the macro algae will suck up all the nurient excess...
I also think that changing out the RODI cartridges wouldn't hurt either (about 10 mos old - no color change on them to speak of...)

 

[Deadeye]

Well, Fewells is getting some of the chemical stuff in tonight, I'm going to buy a bottle or whatever it is and try it for my red slime in the nano-cube.

I hear the pumps in the nano cubes are weak and most people replace them, but with seahorses I think I will leave it.

Hope you guys fix your problems too.

 

[fewells]

I would change the DI. The ro should be good for a while.
Macroalgae is one of the best assimilators. They like the nasties.

 

[SoupySteve]

Thanks for testing my water for me, Matt.
RO/DI - fine (no phosphates)
Tank water is not showing anything unusual either.
Since I know my RO/DI is good, I guess I'll just go gung-ho and do some daily 10% changes all this weekend and see what that does...

This stuff is starting to get kinda long and filamentous - but I noticed my Tang was actually picking at it today... do I maybe have something that ISN'T cyano? I mean, it's purple-ish, has bubbles underneath it most of the time, kinda looks like a sheet over the substrate.. I mean, THAT IS cyano, right?

Any suggestions anyone? I hope that when I get off of my arse and plumb as sump to this tank, the macroalgae in the sump will pull excess nutrients out of the water...

 

[fewells]

Just keep sucking it out when you do water changes.

 

[aquaconnect]

What salt are you using? Any Ca or dKh tests? I'm sure it's cyano. I'd get a TLF phosban reactor and run some ROWA in it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SoupySteve]

I'm using reef crystals.
I haven't done any tests, myself... just the ones mentioned above (phos on my RO/DI source, ammonia and one of Nitrate or Nitrite on my display). Matt said they looked good.
I think I'll do my best to get a sump set-up going soon - as I really do think that some macro algae may help... If not, I may get the reactor you mentioned, Dave (aquaconnect - that's your name, right?)... I was surprised to see that they are relatively cheap.
I'll also go along with whatever group buy we do for hermits and snails - maybe I have too much fish poo down in the substrate...
Sorry to keep going on, but I'm getting slightly concerned/frustrated.

 

[aquaconnect]

Yep, Matt and I are setting that bad boy up tonight as long as the media I overnighted shows up. It looks awesome!!!!!!! Come on out and see.

 

[SoupySteve]

I've done 5 (~daily) 5 gal water change since sunday. I've been syphoning up as much as possible and it seems as though the tide may be turning in the war on the cyano. one guess i have is that when i seeded my 110 with my substrate from my 55, i left too much of what should have been at the BOTTOM of the substrate on the surface... i've just started siphoning until the water is clear...

In 24hrs, my tank has a "5o-clock" shadow of cyano at the base of a couple of rocks - as i get those sucked up or turkey bastered away the tank seems to be getting back to normal nicely :bum:

 

[calypso_mustang]

I have teh same issues. No phos in the water being added. we tried the weekly water changes on my 155 bow, but it is still present on the substrate of crushed shells. The skimmers yes plural, a seaclone 150, and excalibur 125 both are pulling like crazy. I have 0 nitrates/nitrites, pH is between 8.3 and 8.4 (depends on am or pm) ammonia is zero. I use ocean nutrition formula one pellet, sea weed selects and the BF feeds them frozen brine shrimp daily. I tried to stop the frozen, but got a " but the tangs like it" response.... My macro in teh sump is having trouble getting started, I am not sure what happened all my good stuff died, now trying chaeto, calurpa, and some weird stuff my marine guy sent home. My sea hare eats it off the rocks, but not the sub. Should I try more flow despite the arguments of the BF?