Cyano Outbreak

[neseypooh]

Ok so I have been fighting what I thought was green algae, but looking on another post they noted the same thing I seem to have as cyano. Most on this post look red/brown. I am not sure what I have, but it's green on the sand almost matted and on the glass and some rock with bubbles everywhere.

My tank has only been up since March so it's relatively new but it did cycle and I have very low to no phospates and 0 ammonia and 0 nitrates in this tank

Would SB help on the green variety? considering it as an option..

 

[DgenR8]

I have not used SB, but I didn't want your post to go unanswered. Cyanobacteria, be it red or green is essentially the same thing. What defeats the red should be equally as effective on the green.

 

[alexandernewell]

Interesting occurence that I 'm sure others have seen or experienced, but may not have considered for bein a stimulus for Cyano. ... I also treated for RBs about a week before starting this thread. I know for a fact I had more die-off of Pods and shrimp this time around because this time claimed my cleaner shrimp, and my last remaining hermit, ... Just wanted to share my observence with everyone and maybe stimulate some conversation.

Your post made me think of a change I noticed in my tank right before my problem with cyano started. I did have quite a few pods and micro fauna about in my 29g cube. There were enough that my girlfriend thought something was wrong since I had clear little bugs everywhere. Was running out of space in the tank so I moved a bunch of the rock to another tank. Since then, I haven't seen the pods and cyano has appeared.

Since the outbreak started, I first kept the lights off for 3 days and that really really helped to put it on the run. I also ordered SB from DFS and last thursday put in my first dose. I have cut back my feeding and even though my lights are on about 16 hours the cyano's advance has been kept in check. Its still advancing very slowly but I think its my ridiculously long light periods fault and I am still on the first dose of SB. My husbandry is not amazing. I am a forgetful and impatient person. I learned long ago in freshwater that the more complete my ecosystem the more mother nature would help care for my tank. Special blend is a much better choice than the chemical alternatives. I am going to get a few more hermit crabs and reduce my light cycle to help in the "hands off" fight against cyano.

Oh, and a side note. I have noticed much better polyp extension on 80% of my stock since I added SB. I don't test my water much since I am a little color blind. Enough to where reading the dropper tests can be a right pain in the arse. I gauge my water quality based on the live stock and my about every 2 weeks 30~50% water change.

It may stink to high heaven but after one dose cyano has slowed and everything is happier in my fairly nutrient rich system.

The little patch in the bottom right is my main cyano problem. The big mess of polyps on the right side of the shelf is a cup coral. Since adding SB all I see are the polyps!!

 

[jbanks]

Alex, was there a die-off of pods in your system due to medicating for Red Bugs? That's what I was leaning to with my situation.. I wish all I had was that little patch to deal with when it struck.. It's on the run again now that I am back on track with my SB dosing regiment...

 

[alexandernewell]

Not so much die off as sudden removal. In your case it may be the dead pods adding nutrients. In mine it might be the lack of pods consuming detritus or whatever it is that they eat. Your post made me think sudden drops in pod population may play a factor. I have had no cyano appear in the tank I moved the excess rock into.

Long before I moved the rock I had a bit of red between my sand bed and the glass. Since it made no day-to-day obvious advance I simply assumed it was another algae. But that is also where the first obvious colony of red slime appeared.

This is my first go at saltwater, I expect to be wrong often. I haven't had to fight redbugs yet. Just a few aptasia that never made it more than 3/4" tall, and this current fight with cyano. Hrmm... I just realized the removal of the rock would have affected my bacterial populations as well.

If the cyano has been there since I started the tank 4~5 months ago, then something shifted the balance and allowed it to begin to form large colonies.

In either case, I added my second dose of SB yesterday and it was still stinkerific but things look even better today. Maybe I just got a really good batch but does anyone else have opaque films forming on the inside of their SB bottles?

 

[usctrack]

I too am starting to get a little in my 9 month old 90g. I first saw it in my fuge that I had no timer on for a while and ran the light 24/7. I am running lights out on it right now for a few days to help cut down the major source and started dosing SB yesterday.

Do the hermits and snails help keep cyano at bay? My CUC has done an ok job but I might need to update their staff.

 

[jbanks]

Unfortunately, lights out will only help temporarily.. Your CUC will help overall, but once the Cyano takes hold, they will have very little effect on clearing it up.

 

[kenjung]

I have the bout with cyano, red slime, it was every where possible, tank, refuge, overflow you name it, I had it for a month. finally the thing did work for me was better flow from the 2 vortech. First I setup GFO reactor one week-in, didn't do much, next was SB two weeks in and didn't do much. I lost one SPS colony during all of this going on. I was determined to beat this thing. Finally I like to know what would happened if I have perfect flow no dead spot on the sand. I levitate all my live rocks, within a week cyano began to died off, its dramatic different. the tank was becoming clean, refuge was clearing and overflow area. I re-aquascape the entire tank with platform, no walls, flow is not block from north to south of the tank. Nice to see pieces of red slime floating when flow swap it away.

 

[jbanks]

Kenjung,

I'm glad that more flow did the trick for you.. My tank is on Flow overload with 2 MP40s a tunze 6100 and a retun pump that pushes 3600 gallons per hour with very little head pressure and that did not help for me one bit.. As a matter of fact, I think the Cyano liked it I have said it before and I will say it again. As similar as our systyem are, they are all different. What works for me might not necessarily work for you and visa-versa.. I guess that's one of the reasons this hobby never gets boring to me.. It can really be very complex at times.. SB took a solid 5-6 weeks to clear my tank of Cyano..

 

[jbanks]

Not so much die off as sudden removal. In your case it may be the dead pods adding nutrients. In mine it might be the lack of pods consuming detritus or whatever it is that they eat. Your post made me think sudden drops in pod population may play a factor. I have had no cyano appear in the tank I moved the excess rock into.

Long before I moved the rock I had a bit of red between my sand bed and the glass. Since it made no day-to-day obvious advance I simply assumed it was another algae. But that is also where the first obvious colony of red slime appeared.

This is my first go at saltwater, I expect to be wrong often. I haven't had to fight redbugs yet. Just a few aptasia that never made it more than 3/4" tall, and this current fight with cyano. Hrmm... I just realized the removal of the rock would have affected my bacterial populations as well.

If the cyano has been there since I started the tank 4~5 months ago, then something shifted the balance and allowed it to begin to form large colonies.

In either case, I added my second dose of SB yesterday and it was still stinkerific but things look even better today. Maybe I just got a really good batch but does anyone else have opaque films forming on the inside of their SB bottles?

Alex,

How are things going with your tank?

 

[dixiedog]

BTW, perhaps different from most people's experience - I noticed the cyano would grow most overnight - then recede during the day (like the light was actually causing it to die back rather than contributing to its growth... Take care,
--Kyle

THIS is the cyanobacteria I know and love. I always shake my head when people talk about cutting back on lighting to fight cyano, when mine grows best in total darkness! (hmmm, I wonder about a temporary 24hr light cycle?)

I jumped on the SB train yesterday. It's cheap and stinkerrific. My son and I laughed for an hour about all the practical jokes you could pull with this stuff.:bounce3:

I will never really know if the SB has been effective, since I'm also cleaning out the sandbed and adding a caulerpa compartment into the sump (chaeto will not grow for me, never has).

 

[kyley]

Yep, lighting certainly hasn't benefited the growth in my tank at least...

My cyano has returned a couple times since I "got rid" of it with SB. I never stopped dosing it, and I'm again dosing it at the full strength (instead of the maintenance dose). So, I can't say this stuff is 100% effective. I've used more than 1.5 16 oz bottles now. I've also done manual removal - using a gravel vac on the sand, squirting it off rocks before water changes, and even siphoning it off the rocks some. I'm scared to use Red Slime Remover though. Not sure what to do - I've been battling this for so long that the Red Slime Remover might be a risk I need to take...

Any of you have experience with NP Biopellets (or similar media)? I actually have no measurable NO3 or PO4 levels, but I've thought about trying this out as my tank is getting more heavily stocked and people seem to be happy with it. I've read of some people getting cyano after starting it though. Since I already have cyano, I'm really wondering what effect that may have. Anyone here had cyano and then started using Biopellets? Take care,
--Kyle

 

[tazmanian_cowboy]

There was actually an article on a tank in this months Coral magazine where they used Special Blend to get rid of cyano. I do not think you ever get it 100% out of your system, but it definatly helps. I had cyano for over 9 months, tried lights out, manual removal, flow, everything shy of chemicals. I think ultimately wet skimming and SB finally did it for me. I see a little in my fuge on occasion, but I don't really care if it stays there!

A fellow reefer also told me that he read a book that stated lighting has NOTHING to do with cyano. I can't think of the author right now, but he said Skimming properly is the only way to control cyano.

 

[jbanks]

Taz, you may be on to something there.. In response to your post above, I actually adjusted my skimmer to skim wetter and I have noticed a slowing effect on the cyano. There's still some there, but definitely on the down turn..

 

[plankton99]

OK Here is my expereince. Special Blend did not work at all. I used 4 bottles, dosed as recommended, then overdosed, then tried again, reduced lighting etc. I struggled for 6 months with nasty cyano that would grow mostly on my hard corals.

This is what ended up working...

I took out all the corals and live rock into buckets and scrubbed the [profanity] out of them. the display tank had about 3 inches of water above the sand line and did a massive shake up of the sand bed. I then drained out the 3inches of water muck and refilled the tank with fresh salt water. Put back the rock and corals and now I can say that I have had no cyano for 2 months.

I also got rid of my refugium and only use a phosphate reactor now.

finally no CYANO!



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[mcrist]

OK Here is my expereince. Special Blend did not work at all. I used 4 bottles, dosed as recommended, then overdosed, then tried again, reduced lighting etc. I struggled for 6 months with nasty cyano that would grow mostly on my hard corals.

This is what ended up working...

I took out all the corals and live rock into buckets and scrubbed the [profanity] out of them. the display tank had about 3 inches of water above the sand line and did a massive shake up of the sand bed. I then drained out the 3inches of water muck and refilled the tank with fresh salt water. Put back the rock and corals and now I can say that I have had no cyano for 2 months.

I also got rid of my refugium and only use a phosphate reactor now.

finally no CYANO!

I am not trying to be negative but I wouldn’t consider 2 months a success.

 

[plankton99]

I am not trying to be negative but I wouldn't consider 2 months a success.

well given my expereince, it is definately in the right direction.

 

[jbanks]

plankton99, I hope that your tank continues to be Cyano Free. For some of us and depending on the size of our tanks, removing everything is not an option for us.. I for one would be very concerned about the shock of all new water on my corals. You're a brave soul and we need brave souls in this hobby. Keep us posted as time continues & thanks for sharing your experience..

 

[plankton99]

plankton99, I hope that your tank continues to be Cyano Free. For some of us and depending on the size of our tanks, removing everything is not an option for us.. I for one would be very concerned about the shock of all new water on my corals. You're a brave soul and we need brave souls in this hobby. Keep us posted as time continues & thanks for sharing your experience..

I have a elos 70 (55 gal in main tank 20 gal sump). total water changed was 25 gallons. Yes the corals got shocked but the cyano was mostly growing on the hard corals so i was doomed anyway.

 

[jbanks]

Wow. That's interesting.. I've never seen it actually grow on my corals.. It only seems to grab hold of dead coral, rock or substrate in my tank.. Keep us posted.