Cyano W/ No Trates??

[FishMaster1000]

Whats up guys, I have a 28 bowfront setup for about 2 months. Everythign reads 0 Calcium is about 410.... Anyway I have had cyano for about the past 2 weeks. Mostly on the sand some on the rocks. I did a waterchange and syphoned most out. Could it be a phase the tank is going through since there are no trates or anything to make it thrive? I use R/O and I.O. salt if that matters. I know the R/O fact definitely does. Well please help!

 

[mogurnda]

If there is phosphate, but no nitrate, then you can get cyano. Most algae and plants require nitrate and phosphate in the right ratio to be able to grow. Cyano can fix its own nitrate, so all it needs is a little phosphate (even less than your test kit will measure) and it will do well.

The other half of the answer is that it's usually just a phase in a tank's development. Assuming you have adequate circulation and don't overfeed, it should disappear on its own.

You didn't mention alkalinity. How is that?

 

[mike89t]

My tank is 5 months old now. I just finished going through the nasty Cyano phase some new tanks experience. It covered almost all of my sand bed.

It took about 2 months to get it under control. The key is to limit the nutrients you add to the tank. I also periodically sucked out large patches of it with a turkey baster as a form of nutrient export. Growing Macro algae in a Fuge also helps.

 

[JmLee]

cyano has been known to grow even in good water conditions. So the only thing i can suggest is probally just syhpon it out and keep up good water quality.

 

[FishMaster1000]

Alrighty...Hopefully it is just a phase! I believe it is! Well the hobby has its good and some of its bad.

 

[reefD]

remember cyno is a bacteria. also as stated above check phos.

 

[NCreefwannabe]

Having good flow throughout also helps with cyano. Maybe where its growing are dead spots?? Try changing or upping the flow along with keeping the water in check.

 

[mike89t]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7197470#post7197470 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NCreefwannabe
Having good flow throughout also helps with cyano. Maybe where its growing are dead spots?? Try changing or upping the flow along with keeping the water in check.

That is a common misconception. I had cyano growing everywhere. Even in high flow areas.

The key to beating Cyano is to control your nutrients. New tanks usually have a lot of nutrients from the cycling of LR and new tank maturation.

Here is a great thread that helped me:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=725686&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

 

[Paintbug]

keep in mind that just because you test your nitrates, and phosphates and get a 0 reading doesnt mean they are not being produced. cyano will consume phosphates, and nitrates as fast as they are produced. limit where they come from. things like overfeeding, poor skimming, are just a couple of ways for extra nutrients are produced.