CYANO that wont die!

jjmcat

New member
I cant get rid of this stuff.I have dosed my tank 3 times with chemi clean with not much luck.I run carbon and a phosban reactor as well.I also have a phosphate sponge. I only feed once a day so please any advice will be helpful.

Calc.450
Alk 3.5
Mag 1350
Ph 8.3

I tested my phosphates with a salifert test and it didnt show any.
 
This isn't algae and doesn't respond to phosphate removal.

Your skimmer should be (IMHO) adequate to 300 g (2x water volume)---this is my own formula, but skimmer size/potency does affect this stuff.
Areas of low flow---candidates for problems.
Areas where window sunlight hits the tank.
Try: skimming wet, increasing power of skimmer if yours is undersized; turning lights out 3 days, bringing it back with 4th day actinic only. Do this once a month, while skimming fanatically.

Don't use any more chemiclean: it's an antibiotic, and it weakens your sandbed, which only exacerbates the problem.
 
I guess I can add an evtra powerhead to the tank.I have allmost 40x turnover rate right now.If it doesnt get any better i might just replace some of the sand.This is a shallow sand bed so I dont think it will hurt to much.
 
Please do the lights off technique. Our 56 was a constant battle for about 6mos. Never used any chems but bought new powerheads, phosban reactor, filter medias, nothing would touch it. Did lights out about 3 times over period of a month and It has never been more clear and the sand so white. Not one problem after that and that was about 4 mos ago.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12934348#post12934348 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r
This isn't algae and doesn't respond to phosphate removal.

Cyano is a bacteria who thrives on phosphate. If you have cyano then you have phosphate.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12934416#post12934416 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kevin2000
Cyano is a bacteria who thrives on phosphate. If you have cyano then you have phosphate.

What are some other signs there are phosphates other then testing?I have zero algae on my live rock and my macro macroalgae will barely grow.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12934412#post12934412 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kenwendyb
Please do the lights off technique. Our 56 was a constant battle for about 6mos. Never used any chems but bought new powerheads, phosban reactor, filter medias, nothing would touch it. Did lights out about 3 times over period of a month and It has never been more clear and the sand so white. Not one problem after that and that was about 4 mos ago.

I did turn my lights off for 2 days solid and it helped some but it came right back.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12934446#post12934446 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jjmcat
What are some other signs there are phosphates other then testing?I have zero algae on my live rock and my macro macroalgae will barely grow.

Unfortunately you really can't test for phosphates in a tank that has either cyano or a lot of algae .... the phosphate test kits only test for for phosphates within the water column and both cyano and many algae tend to sequester the phosphates very quickly.

Cyano is very typical in young tanks ... often because the tanks don't have a sufficient infauna which would otherwise consume/sequester the excess phosphates. As such cyano tends to grow to fill the lack of demand. Once the tank matures sufficiently the infauna out-competes the cyano and it eventually goes away. The mature tanks with cyano tend to be those who have allowed phosphates to build up over the yrs because of the type of food, overstocking, etc.

A picture would help ... you might consider looking for pics of dinoflagelletes (sp?) which are sometimes mistaken for cyano - can be much harder to control.
 
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you have to pull out as much as you can before the lights out pull you rock and scrub it off in new saltwater vaccum it off the sand exct. if you dont it will just keep comming back, it also feeds of nitrate as well as phosphate, make sure you use r/o water if you havent thats why your having these problems
 
Must be a zillion posts on cyano .... in the vast majority of situations its nothing other than a temporary cosmetic problem. On one end of the extreme you have people using chemi-clean or other chemical cure .. on the other hand you have people who do nothing and view the cyano as natures phosphate binder (they do nothing other than removing it periodically).
 
Did lights out for 4 days with a black sheet over tank as well. we are talking no light!! Sucked out all that could and did 25% water change and then lights out and sheet on. Following week did it again and then following week again. Im telling you it works. first week was completely discouraged as nothing seemed to happen. Next week looking better. By the end of the month when took sheet off for the last time, gone and beautiful!!!! Nothing in this hobby is fast cures and def need patience. By the way this is tank in my dining room that we enjoy watching while having dinner. So looking at a sheet for about a month sucked but it was worth it. Doing lights off for one try didn't do anything for us either. But continually for an extended time until it was gone was our answer.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12934773#post12934773 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kenwendyb
Did lights out for 4 days with a black sheet over tank as well. we are talking no light!!

Light deprivation may provide temporary help but isn't considered a cure for cyano .. does help with dino which some mistake for cyano. Cyano is a bacteria which tends to grow everwhere even under the rocks in your garden.
 
Ive had it before but not like this.It it everywhere including behind the rock work and in the corners and the middle.
 
I faught cyano in both of my tanks by adding flow, reducing the photoperiod, adding more flow, adding a phosban reactor with rowaphos, vucuming it at least twice a week and making sure I drained the melt off of my thawed food. And, use RODI.

Here's something that will help. I figured out a way to vacuum without losing water volumn. I clipped a filter sock into my sump and put the end of my syphon tube in the sock. I was able to syphon with my tube that has a pipecleaner type brush attached the end of it for an hour without having to rush.
 
Do a series of weekly water changes to lower the nutrient mix. Use an iron based phosphate media instead of phosphate sponge which can re release phosphate back into the tank. Reduce feeding to every other day.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12935878#post12935878 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Percula9
Do a series of weekly water changes to lower the nutrient mix. Use an iron based phosphate media instead of phosphate sponge which can re release phosphate back into the tank. Reduce feeding to every other day.

I change 25 to 30 gallons a week.I feed daily but only 1 cube of frozen food that I make myself.I do run a phosban reactor as well as a sponge that I change weekly.
 
Are you using R/O or DI water for water changes? If nothing else has worked, try slime remover instead of chemiclean.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12936164#post12936164 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Percula9
Are you using R/O or DI water for water changes? If nothing else has worked, try slime remover instead of chemiclean.

I do use RODI.The sad thid is I did use the red slime romover with the same results.This is my third treatment in less then 2 weeks.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12936330#post12936330 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Percula9
Did you turn off your skimmer during treatment? Any idea what the nitrate level is?

I turn the skimmer,phosban reactor and remove all carbon while treating.
 
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