How do most of you guys battle cyanobacteria and other algae

[koko maung]

Hello Guys,

I have my 55g tank setup for about 4 months now. I already have diatoms but it went away by itself. Now, I have Cyanobateria all over my tank. I am wondering

1. How do you guys battle cyanobacteria. I have seen many good looking tanks without cyanobacteria and I am wondering what are their secret.
2. What do you guys usually do to prevent other algae to taking over in your tank?

According my research most of the algae issue are caused by
1. over feeding
2. not enough flow
3. High phosphate
4. High Nitrate

I am not quite sure how to solve my over feeding issue. Since I have copperband in my tank, I like to make sure he has enough food to eat. He usually like split out 1/3 - 2/3 of the food so they end up everywhere. Is there anything I can do to solve this issue without reducing the amount of food I put in there?

I have two PP 8 that creating enough flow for the tank. I am planning get Bio-Pellet, GFO and carbon reactor to help me out with phosphate and Nitrate problems.

Any comments are welcome

Thank you!

 

[shadowmonster]

These links might help.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2095174&highlight=cynobacteria

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2279039

 

[chrisfont23]

Battling cyano is not easy, considering it is probably the oldest living organism on the planet. Four months is nothing to worry about - every tank goes through a few of these outbreaks as it matures and through 4 months, I know I had one myself. I would run siphon hose down a dowel and the other end into a fish net to act as a strainer. The fish net sat above the sump. I would simply siphon it out of the sand and rocks and let the water run back into the sump. Best practices like reducing photo periods and not overfeeding help sustain your success once through the tank maturation process.

As far as other algae, it depends on type. Reducing light, reducing feeding, increasing flow through dead zones, increasing water changes, using phosban/carbon/biopellets and adding critters, such as emerald crabs, all help in reduction of nuisance algae. I think to start, work with the easy tasks first (light) and then progress through those a bit more substantial (ie. carbon dosing). I would not suggest carbon dosing a new tank.

Fish do not need to be fed daily. I think that is a ridiculous misnomer in this hobby. I have two koi ponds, several freshwater tanks and a reef tank to prove it. Every other day and never on the weekend for me. Been doing this for a while now and I have been successful.

 

[Sk8r]

cyano is not an algae and does not respond to phosphate remover; algae does. GFO for phosphate, lights-out plus efficient skimming and water changes for cyano.

 

[nmotz]

Cyano also responds pretty well to red slime remover. Bulk reef supply has a youtube video showing the results. I use a combination of that and a short lights out period to beat cyano.

 

[RobZilla04]

Chemiclean for cyano. Follow the directions exactly. Start with research and you'll learn plenty.

 

[AboutAcans]

What the two above dudes just said. Always helps to hear a third person say it lol Cyano is actually one of the easiest things to get rid of.

 

[Broadfield]

Chemiclean for cyano. Follow the directions exactly. Start with research and you'll learn plenty.

Actually Chemiclean does not treat cyano... it treats spirulina. The problem is that spirulina can look identical to cyano to the naked eye. The only way you can tell the difference is under a microscope at the cellular level. It's the very reason why there are such mixed results when using Chemiclean. People think they have cyano so they buy Chemiclean. They actually have spirulina and it works absolutely great! Or they think they have cyano and actually do. They use Chemiclean and it doesn't work at all... thus saying it's a horrible product. But it's only because they misidentified the bacteria they have.

Hydrogen peroxide is the best thing against cyano... will absolutely kill it dead. The best part about it, is that you can easily test your sample to see if it's cyano. Put some of the "cyano" in a small container with two cups of tank water. Then add 1ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Let it set for a few hours. If it's cyano, then the water will turn pink and the sample will most likely turn green. If nothing happens at all, then it's most likely spirulina and Chemiclean will be your goto treatment. If the test is positive for cyano, then you can proceed with a fairly simply treatment with hydrogen peroxide. Use 3% hydrogen peroxide dosed at 1ml, per 10 gallons of tank volume, every 12 hours for 14 days.

 

[Walla2GSP]

Coralline

 

[koko maung]

Thank you so much for commenting guys. I ordered slime remover from amazon and will give it a shot.

Actually Chemiclean does not treat cyano... it treats spirulina. The problem is that spirulina can look identical to cyano to the naked eye. The only way you can tell the difference is under a microscope at the cellular level. It's the very reason why there are such mixed results when using Chemiclean. People think they have cyano so they buy Chemiclean. They actually have spirulina and it works absolutely great! Or they think they have cyano and actually do. They use Chemiclean and it doesn't work at all... thus saying it's a horrible product. But it's only because they misidentified the bacteria they have.

Hydrogen peroxide is the best thing against cyano... will absolutely kill it dead. The best part about it, is that you can easily test your sample to see if it's cyano. Put some of the "cyano" in a small container with two cups of tank water. Then add 1ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Let it set for a few hours. If it's cyano, then the water will turn pink and the sample will most likely turn green. If nothing happens at all, then it's most likely spirulina and Chemiclean will be your goto treatment. If the test is positive for cyano, then you can proceed with a fairly simply treatment with hydrogen peroxide. Use 3% hydrogen peroxide dosed at 1ml, per 10 gallons of tank volume, every 12 hours for 14 days.

Thank you for explaining. I will get some hydrogen peroxide and test my sample.

 

[RobZilla04]

Actually Chemiclean does not treat cyano... it treats spirulina. The problem is that spirulina can look identical to cyano to the naked eye. The only way you can tell the difference is under a microscope at the cellular level. It's the very reason why there are such mixed results when using Chemiclean. People think they have cyano so they buy Chemiclean. They actually have spirulina and it works absolutely great! Or they think they have cyano and actually do. They use Chemiclean and it doesn't work at all... thus saying it's a horrible product. But it's only because they misidentified the bacteria they have.

Hydrogen peroxide is the best thing against cyano... will absolutely kill it dead. The best part about it, is that you can easily test your sample to see if it's cyano. Put some of the "cyano" in a small container with two cups of tank water. Then add 1ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Let it set for a few hours. If it's cyano, then the water will turn pink and the sample will most likely turn green. If nothing happens at all, then it's most likely spirulina and Chemiclean will be your goto treatment. If the test is positive for cyano, then you can proceed with a fairly simply treatment with hydrogen peroxide. Use 3% hydrogen peroxide dosed at 1ml, per 10 gallons of tank volume, every 12 hours for 14 days.

Good info. Thx

 

[koko maung]

I would simply siphon it out of the sand and rocks and let the water run back into the sump.

I tried this method yesterday and I am very glad that you mentioned. It made my life easier and i was able to remove a lot of red slime. At first, i was having a hard time cuz I usually end up changing 30 - 40 g of water . Preparing 30-40g of salt water isn't easy. Thanks!

 

[Bent]

cyano is not an algae and does not respond to phosphate remover; algae does. GFO for phosphate, lights-out plus efficient skimming and water changes for cyano.

I don't think this is an accurate statement. The EPA and other sources list nitrogen and phosphorus excesses from waste water discharge as a contributing factor to excessive Cyanobacteria blooms:

https://www.epa.gov/nutrient-policy-data/causes-and-prevention#what1

Now, whether or not that's accurate I can't say. But I've read multiple sources that echo the same thing.

Anecdotally I can say through experience that running GFO and dropping my po4 levels will slow or recede cyano growth in my system. For what that's worth.

 

[monkeysee1]

Get some Rowa Phos! If you can't get a reactor for it then put it in a mesh bag, then put the bag in your sump sock. Three day blackout. Feed fish MODEST amounts of food. Get powerheads with GOOD flow (1400 gph each, MINIMUM).
That should take care of the problem for you!
Change the Rowa Phos at least MONTHLY to keep the problem from coming back.

 

[2smokes]

I don't think this is an accurate statement. The EPA and other sources list nitrogen and phosphorus excesses from waste water discharge as a contributing factor to excessive Cyanobacteria blooms:

https://www.epa.gov/nutrient-policy-data/causes-and-prevention#what1

Now, whether or not that's accurate I can't say. But I've read multiple sources that echo the same thing.

Anecdotally I can say through experience that running GFO and dropping my po4 levels will slow or recede cyano growth in my system. For what that's worth.

Its not the phosphates that are in the water that cause the problem on the rocks.Even if you use GFO youl still have cyano or algae because that feeds with phosphates directly from the rock wich contains a lot of phosphates.When the rocks and sand stop leaching phosphates there will be no cyano or algae.To stop the rocks from leaching phosphates you have to wait until the rock is cemented by a thin layer of calcium.TO get rid of cyano you need patience to wait until the rocks will get sealed by the calcium in the water.

 

[chrisfont23]

I tried this method yesterday and I am very glad that you mentioned. It made my life easier and i was able to remove a lot of red slime. At first, i was having a hard time cuz I usually end up changing 30 - 40 g of water . Preparing 30-40g of salt water isn't easy. Thanks!

[emoji2]

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Bent]

Its not the phosphates that are in the water that cause the problem on the rocks.Even if you use GFO youl still have cyano or algae because that feeds with phosphates directly from the rock wich contains a lot of phosphates.When the rocks and sand stop leaching phosphates there will be no cyano or algae.To stop the rocks from leaching phosphates you have to wait until the rock is cemented by a thin layer of calcium.TO get rid of cyano you need patience to wait until the rocks will get sealed by the calcium in the water.

People still have cyano outbreaks in established tanks, which makes me think that if organics in the rock can cause cyano then decaying poo and food can do the same. No?

 

[2smokes]

People still have cyano outbreaks in established tanks, which makes me think that if organics in the rock can cause cyano then decaying poo and food can do the same. No?

The ammount of phosphates from food its verry litle and indeed can cause cyano and algae bloom in an established aquarium but too litle to be a big problem like when the rock is leaching phosphates.In somme cases if a swing in ph happens, then that protective layer of calcium on the rock surface that keeps the phosphates off from leaching ,it can disolve and the phosphates are released from the rocks again even in an old aquarium .But it rarely happens and has to be man made like for instance if you use kalk for a long time wich makes a litle high the ph then suddenly stop dosing kalk and the ph gets low.

 

[Bent]

The ammount of phosphates from food its verry litle and indeed can cause cyano and algae bloom in an established aquarium but too litle to be a big problem like when the rock is leaching phosphates.In somme cases if a swing in ph happens, then that protective layer of calcium on the rock surface that keeps the phosphates off from leaching ,it can disolve and the phosphates are released from the rocks again even in an old aquarium .But it rarely happens and has to be man made like for instance if you use kalk for a long time wich makes a litle high the ph then suddenly stop dosing kalk and the ph gets low.

Which would totally explain why I have cyano outbreaks when I forget to fill my kalk stirrer....

Thanks makes sense.