GHA Gone but now Cyano...

[meverha1]

110 gallon tank with 40 gallon sump. Started in late September

Salinity: 1.025
Nitrates: ~ 10 (using Red Sea)
Phosphates: undetectable using Salifert
Mg: 1500
Alk: 8.4
Ca: 475

Dose: NoPox Daily, Reef Fuel 2x a week



Went through a rough bout of GHA a couple of months ago and have gotten it under control but scaling back on feeding to reduce Nitrate/Phosphate content in the water.

At one point I tried using GFO as well but it had a negative effect on my chaeto so I stopped.

As soon as the GHA started to clear up I noticed little patches of Cyano in my display tank over the last few weeks it's gotten worse and I seem to notice a new patch every day.

There's no cyano in my fuge at all.

How do I go about dealing with the Cyano? Is it just the "new tank uglies" running their course or is there a issue?

As I said above, my Phosphate reading is 0 but I suspect that's because the cyano is using it all so the reading isn't accurate. Likewise, I've tried running GFO before and it had a very bad effect on my chaeto, which I'd like to see thrive for my pod population. I'd run it again but only if you think it's really, really needed.

 

[Pond Boy]

New tank blues sucks hu I have a nano I trying to bring back.... I would vacuum off what you can with some air hose do some water changes and see what happens. Just take it slow doing to many things at once gets confusing as to whats working and whats not.

 

[mcgyvr]

yep... welcome to what is usually the "last" of the uglies..
You can go at it a few ways..

#1-Let it be basically and let it do its "nature thing"... As long as its not getting to be a thick mat covering anything you don't want then this method is fine.. This may be the most "natural" way but could be longer/uglier

#2-You can combine this with #1 and just siphon as much of it as you can during water changes. This can work pretty well in some cases but normally doesn't get it done.

#3-You can do the siphoning then a 3 day lights out on the tank then siphon out whats left after the blackout period.. This works very well for some and not so much for others and it often just comes right back.

#4-Chemical... Red Slime Remover or Chemiclean.. I use RSR and it works VERY well.. Follow directions right on the box and it may be totally gone in easily under a week..
Some don't want to go at it from a "chemical standpoint" but this does not bother me at all.. Everything in ours tanks is man made salt and various other chemicals..
I believe both products are just erythromycin which is a common antibiotic used on people all the time..

To me I start with #1.. I believe its nature doing nature in a new tank and believe it may actually be beneficial to be there and let it try to run its course.. When I get tired of that or its getting worse or whatever I go straight to #4 and it works every time..
Many of us get a little bit of cyano on a yearly basis and most get it with a new tank for sure.. Its not a horrible thing at all and basically normal..

Have fun... Pick your poison

 

[meverha1]

yep... welcome to what is usually the "last" of the uglies..
You can go at it a few ways..

#1-Let it be basically and let it do its "nature thing"... As long as its not getting to be a thick mat covering anything you don't want then this method is fine.. This may be the most "natural" way but could be longer/uglier

#2-You can combine this with #1 and just siphon as much of it as you can during water changes. This can work pretty well in some cases but normally doesn't get it done.

#3-You can do the siphoning then a 3 day lights out on the tank then siphon out whats left after the blackout period.. This works very well for some and not so much for others and it often just comes right back.

#4-Chemical... Red Slime Remover or Chemiclean.. I use RSR and it works VERY well.. Follow directions right on the box and it may be totally gone in easily under a week..
Some don't want to go at it from a "chemical standpoint" but this does not bother me at all.. Everything in ours tanks is man made salt and various other chemicals..
I believe both products are just erythromycin which is a common antibiotic used on people all the time..

To me I start with #1.. I believe its nature doing nature in a new tank and believe it may actually be beneficial to be there and let it try to run its course.. When I get tired of that or its getting worse or whatever I go straight to #4 and it works every time..
Many of us get a little bit of cyano on a yearly basis and most get it with a new tank for sure.. Its not a horrible thing at all and basically normal..

Have fun... Pick your poison

Thanks. I'll probably take your advice and go with #1 and then #4 if needed.

 

[AK707]

i just went through the same thing as you, it came up out of the blue...first it started as patches on my sand bed and i would suck it out during water changes, it would come back a tiny bit in the same spot, so i would suck it out again next water change (weekly water changes about 15-20%) and it didn't come back on the sand but now on some rocks. i did a few small water changes while brushing it off rocks and sucking it out but it just kept getting worse and i didn't have the time to do that every couple of days, after about 2 weeks of only doing weekly water changes it got pretty bad covering about a 1/3rd of my rocks. so i turned my light way down (from 70% to 10%) for a few days and i went to town on my rocks with a tooth brush and the power heads turned on full blast for about an hour to try and wash it down my over flow and into the filter socks, i would change the filter socks about 3 hours later. a couple days after that i did a 30ish % water change, bought a skimmer, changed the media in my reactor from carbon and gfo to gfo only and filled a mesh bag with carbon and tossed it in the sump. i did that about 1.5 weeks ago and the tank is now pretty darn clean only 1 tiny patch left that ill suck out when i do a water change later tonight.

oh btw tank is a Nuvo 40 thats about 6 months old, 5 fish that i was over feeding , 2 clowns, tail spot blenny, yellow watchman gobie and a zebra stripe dart fish

 

[ajoe]

Are you over feeding perhaps?

 

[ReeferNoob4ever]

Skip all the hassle and use Red Slime. That stuff works!!! Make sure you're doing deep cleaning on the inside of your filters and powerheads in used aquarium water. Get in there with a pipe cleaner if you have to.

Try to keep your lights on a couple hours less if you are doing more than 8hrs per day. I notice sun coming in from my window encourages a light dusting on thesubstrate where the light hits it. Yummy turbo food.

Good luck!