blondetang
New member
Having battled Red Cyano in my 6 month old tank, I want to share my experience. There is a lot of information out there of how to get rid of it, and I think I have tried them all with limited or no success, except one.....
Please share your experiences, as it will help us all out.
My specs:
350 G Display tank, six Ecotech Radion G3's, two MP60's, two Tunze 6095's, 400 lbs rock
40 G Sump, ATB skimmer, GFO, Carbon Reactors, 600 W heater, Apex controller, and Apex DOS Alk, Ca
40 G Refrug, Kessler LED, WaterBlaster 7000 return pump
Livestock: (23 total) I QT everything.
Purple, Blonde, Yellow Tangs
Yellow Spot-breast, Wantanabei, Coral Beauty, Keyhole, Flame Anglefish
Midas Blennys Red Anthias, Red Head Solon Wrasses
Bullethole, Cheeckspot clownfish
Diamond Back Gobys
Inverts:
Cleaner Shrimp
Peppermint Shrimp
Emerald Crabs
Florida Conchs
Sand sifting starfish
Crabs and turbo snails
Corals: just starting out, SPS and LPS
Water Parameters: NH4, NO2, NO3, PO4- all undetectable; 1.023 SG, 77.5 Temp, 9.5 dKH, 420 Ca, 1450 Mg
About three months into my new tank startup, I saw my first red "algae". I wasn't sure if it was Coraline Algae or Red Cyano Bacteria. They look very much the same, but there are two main differences: Coraline is hard to scrape off, and is purplish. Red Cyano is not a algae, but a bacteria. It is easy to brush off, and will generate air bubbles with lots of light.
Having figured out that the Cyano is overtaking my tank, I did the research and this is what I tried/learned to rid the tank of Cyano.
Phosphates: Bacteria need Phosphates, light and nitrates to grow. I have a GFO reactor, and my PO3 measures 0.0 ppm. The test only measures inorganic phosphate, not organic phosphate, so don't think that your PO3 is zero, you should have no algae. You can't measure organic phosphates. My suggestion, use some inexpensive type of GFO reactor, and change it out every six weeks.
Nitrates: When I had cyano outbreaks (freshly scrubbed rock grows back within two days), my nitrates were at 0. This was really confusing- PO3, and NO3 at zero, and the cyano is covering everything! During this time, I noticed my Caulerpa macro algae in the refrug was turning pale and not growing, and the cyano was attaching to it and generating lots of bubbles. I talked to a well known Microbiologist and bacteria supplier and found out the cyano bacteria is competing with my macro algae. The nitrates are at zero because the cyano is eating up all that it can get! I also tried two of his bacteria addition products, but it didn't work on my system. I am sure it works most of the time for others, but I also could not use his products at full dose because it is harmful to snails and shrimp. My suggestion, keep nitrates below 10 ppm thru weekly water changes and/or macro algae.
Dosing- Carbon, Biopellets, Vodka, Vinegar, Methanol, Zeovit, etc.: There is a lot of Edisonian methods to reduce nitrates, but I believe only one method is reliable and cheap to set up. It also requires very little maintenance once set up, and that is a Methanol de-nitraficator. My suggestion, if you need of lower your nitrates, be sure to keep your system clean, and do water changes. Only if you have an overstocked tank, then use a Methanol De-nitraficator. I complement the current Champion of this system by generously helping others understand how this works and sharing best practices.
Three Days of Darkness: This approach is scrubbing off all the cyano you can, netting it up, and keeping the lights off for three days. This appears to work at first, but I never had any long term success with it. My suggestion, try it, it may work. Watch out for increase nitrates as the cyano will decompose and raise your nitrates.
Clean up crew: There is a lot of advice to get lots of snails, crabs, etc. My suggestion, get a clean up crew that will stir up the sand-bed. Diamond back gobies, sand sifting starfish, and turbo snails work great at string up the sand bed and will prevent cyano from growing on your sand-bed.
Red Slime Remover: This will destroy bacteria, both the cyano and the good bacteria (that converts ammonia, and nitrites). My suggestion- don't use it unless you are willing to risk having to manage your nitrogen cycle all over again.
Chemiclean: There is a lot of guessing at what is in this. Best guess is erythromycin sulfate with something else that causes a lot of foaming. It is banned in the Netherlands as someone tested it, and erythromycin requires a doctor to prescribe. This product definitely works. I've tried it twice now, the first to get rid of the massive amount of cyano I had in the display tank, and the second time to get rid of some residual cyano I had in the refug. Hopefully it is all gone now. The only drawbacks, it requires a big water change (20%) and I believe it bleached out a blue stag horn SPS. My other corals are doing fine. My suggestion: Scrub off as much of the cyano as possible, turn off UV, and all reactors. Dose ChemiCleam Professional one drop/gallon. Modify the skimmer to have it make air bubbles; (catching the skimate will overflow the skimmer.) Redose 50% at 48 and 72 hours. Perform at least a 20% water change, and raise the skimmer to get it going again due to the excess foam. After a week, change out the carbon, and lower the skimmer when it makes sense.
Having any cyano in a tank I believe is unsightly, and it will eventually cover your corals. I've tried many suggestions, and feel the Chemiclean treatment is a winner. My tank is growing coraline algae and is maturing, and I am able to turn up the LED's without having to worry about the cyano.
Please share your experiences, as it will help us all out.
My specs:
350 G Display tank, six Ecotech Radion G3's, two MP60's, two Tunze 6095's, 400 lbs rock
40 G Sump, ATB skimmer, GFO, Carbon Reactors, 600 W heater, Apex controller, and Apex DOS Alk, Ca
40 G Refrug, Kessler LED, WaterBlaster 7000 return pump
Livestock: (23 total) I QT everything.
Purple, Blonde, Yellow Tangs
Yellow Spot-breast, Wantanabei, Coral Beauty, Keyhole, Flame Anglefish
Midas Blennys Red Anthias, Red Head Solon Wrasses
Bullethole, Cheeckspot clownfish
Diamond Back Gobys
Inverts:
Cleaner Shrimp
Peppermint Shrimp
Emerald Crabs
Florida Conchs
Sand sifting starfish
Crabs and turbo snails
Corals: just starting out, SPS and LPS
Water Parameters: NH4, NO2, NO3, PO4- all undetectable; 1.023 SG, 77.5 Temp, 9.5 dKH, 420 Ca, 1450 Mg
About three months into my new tank startup, I saw my first red "algae". I wasn't sure if it was Coraline Algae or Red Cyano Bacteria. They look very much the same, but there are two main differences: Coraline is hard to scrape off, and is purplish. Red Cyano is not a algae, but a bacteria. It is easy to brush off, and will generate air bubbles with lots of light.
Having figured out that the Cyano is overtaking my tank, I did the research and this is what I tried/learned to rid the tank of Cyano.
Phosphates: Bacteria need Phosphates, light and nitrates to grow. I have a GFO reactor, and my PO3 measures 0.0 ppm. The test only measures inorganic phosphate, not organic phosphate, so don't think that your PO3 is zero, you should have no algae. You can't measure organic phosphates. My suggestion, use some inexpensive type of GFO reactor, and change it out every six weeks.
Nitrates: When I had cyano outbreaks (freshly scrubbed rock grows back within two days), my nitrates were at 0. This was really confusing- PO3, and NO3 at zero, and the cyano is covering everything! During this time, I noticed my Caulerpa macro algae in the refrug was turning pale and not growing, and the cyano was attaching to it and generating lots of bubbles. I talked to a well known Microbiologist and bacteria supplier and found out the cyano bacteria is competing with my macro algae. The nitrates are at zero because the cyano is eating up all that it can get! I also tried two of his bacteria addition products, but it didn't work on my system. I am sure it works most of the time for others, but I also could not use his products at full dose because it is harmful to snails and shrimp. My suggestion, keep nitrates below 10 ppm thru weekly water changes and/or macro algae.
Dosing- Carbon, Biopellets, Vodka, Vinegar, Methanol, Zeovit, etc.: There is a lot of Edisonian methods to reduce nitrates, but I believe only one method is reliable and cheap to set up. It also requires very little maintenance once set up, and that is a Methanol de-nitraficator. My suggestion, if you need of lower your nitrates, be sure to keep your system clean, and do water changes. Only if you have an overstocked tank, then use a Methanol De-nitraficator. I complement the current Champion of this system by generously helping others understand how this works and sharing best practices.
Three Days of Darkness: This approach is scrubbing off all the cyano you can, netting it up, and keeping the lights off for three days. This appears to work at first, but I never had any long term success with it. My suggestion, try it, it may work. Watch out for increase nitrates as the cyano will decompose and raise your nitrates.
Clean up crew: There is a lot of advice to get lots of snails, crabs, etc. My suggestion, get a clean up crew that will stir up the sand-bed. Diamond back gobies, sand sifting starfish, and turbo snails work great at string up the sand bed and will prevent cyano from growing on your sand-bed.
Red Slime Remover: This will destroy bacteria, both the cyano and the good bacteria (that converts ammonia, and nitrites). My suggestion- don't use it unless you are willing to risk having to manage your nitrogen cycle all over again.
Chemiclean: There is a lot of guessing at what is in this. Best guess is erythromycin sulfate with something else that causes a lot of foaming. It is banned in the Netherlands as someone tested it, and erythromycin requires a doctor to prescribe. This product definitely works. I've tried it twice now, the first to get rid of the massive amount of cyano I had in the display tank, and the second time to get rid of some residual cyano I had in the refug. Hopefully it is all gone now. The only drawbacks, it requires a big water change (20%) and I believe it bleached out a blue stag horn SPS. My other corals are doing fine. My suggestion: Scrub off as much of the cyano as possible, turn off UV, and all reactors. Dose ChemiCleam Professional one drop/gallon. Modify the skimmer to have it make air bubbles; (catching the skimate will overflow the skimmer.) Redose 50% at 48 and 72 hours. Perform at least a 20% water change, and raise the skimmer to get it going again due to the excess foam. After a week, change out the carbon, and lower the skimmer when it makes sense.
Having any cyano in a tank I believe is unsightly, and it will eventually cover your corals. I've tried many suggestions, and feel the Chemiclean treatment is a winner. My tank is growing coraline algae and is maturing, and I am able to turn up the LED's without having to worry about the cyano.
