cyanobacteria. What's the best way

[paulamrein]

How do you guys get rid of this stuff. I did a 20% water change on Monday and I see no improvements. I plan another 20% this weekend. My neighbor gave me some commercial stuff to dose it with, I've read others on RC that dose with vodka to lower nitrates, what is everyone else doing. Keep in mind what ever the popular vote is that is what I am going to be doing so my tank's fate, as so many other times before, is in your hands.

 

[trottman]

chemi - clean

 

[Reeferhead]

Best Way: Reduce nutrients, increase circulation, and keep your alk up

Quickest Way: Red Slime Remover

I recommend the "Best Way"

 

[DrBDC]

What are your phosphate levels at? I would imagine elevated and then a gfo would need to be run.

 

[paulamrein]

phosphates are at zero, and currently no fish in the tank. I've had it running for 3 months and it was only 2 weeks ago Sunday I got a decent skimmer on it. All I have in there is some shrimp , snails and stars. I had 3 chromis and a fairy wrasse in there before, but they went back to the lfs when my wife decided she wanted a "warm color" tank. So anything blue went back. I have decent flow, 2 mj mods @ 4000gph together and a nano tunze plus returns. The rock work is pretty much open.

 

[Reeferhead]

Your Phosphates are not zero they're "undetectable" Regardless, your tank is still new and like you said you've only been running the skimmer for a couple weeks.

Get a nice wet skim going, a couple more water changes, and give it a few weeks. Patience, your doing everything right as far as I can tell. If you still are having issues after a month, slap a Phosban reactor on, you'll probably want to add one in the future anyway.

 

[paulamrein]

That was my next purchase, fade looked like he wanted to hit me when I told him I was running phosban in a bag in my sump. After my last post I realized that I put phosphates were zero realizing phosphates aren't zero in ANYTHING much less my tank. Also, they can read a lower number because the phosphates are currently in the cyano bacteria. Can I vacuum that crap up? Or I can actually listen with my big-boy ears and be patient like you said

 

[scbadiver]

Sucking the crud out is fine. That wont hurt anything though it will probably come back, the more you remove, the more bad stuff you remove so, I say do it.

 

[Freed]

It's pretty easy to suck it out with a hose. Just hover above it a bit and it'll suck up.

 

[paulamrein]

I'll give it the ole' college try during my water change tomorrow! thanks all.

 

[fazgood]

"Best Way: Reduce nutrients, increase circulation, and keep your alk up

Quickest Way: Red Slime Remover

I recommend the "Best Way" "

Agreed, but might add TIME. It takes time for the stuff to run it's course. Phosban reactor and a month did it for me.

Faz

 

[zt444a]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12146776#post12146776 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fazgood
"Best Way: Reduce nutrients, increase circulation, and keep your alk up

Quickest Way: Red Slime Remover

I recommend the "Best Way" "

Agreed, but might add TIME. It takes time for the stuff to run it's course. Phosban reactor and a month did it for me.

Faz

He is right... but I might even do both. The chemi-clean, and add flow and reduce nutrients

 

[breutus]

do you dose DT's?

i had a bad cyano problem for many months. and finally gave up and decided to live with it.

then I ran out of DT's ones week and picked up something else and it went away in a week!!! on it's own!

could be coincidence, maybe it was just it's cycle but seemed like odd timing.

I will say if you get the access nutrients down in the tank and lower the nitrates to the point it wont support a new birth of the stuff. you can vacuum all you can see out, Then you can shut the lights off for 36 hours and not feed the tank for the same period, then as soon as the time periods over suck out every thing that you can see left of the stuff again and it should die off.

 

[michealprater]

I have had luck in the past increasing actinic light. Cyanobacteria does not do well under lots of actinic for some reason.