Low Nutrients Cyano Problem out of control!!

[danrobberg]

I used some kz coral snow and kz cyano clean and that reduced the cyano a lot. I the. Used some kz a balance and that reduced it further when it started to reappear. Finally I stopped carbon dosing and it completely went away in a few days. I have a real light load on my tank now. Only two gobies due to ich wiping out all of my other fish, so my live rock and water changes are doing a good job keeping nutrients in check. When I had the cyano I had 0 nitrate and 0 phosphate. I think cyano can be a problem for a lot of tanks that run some sort of carbon dosing.

 

[marinelife]

After trying everything, all that worked for me was taking my lights down to 3 hours a day, after week no more cyano, then I started slowing going back up. I am at 4.5 hours a day now.

 

[reefgeezer]

Here's what I would suggest and why.

IMHO, Cyano (a bacteria) is fueled by the N & P bound in the dissolved organics. Remember, test kits can't measure those bound nutrients. Reducing the dissolved organic level in the system is key. Water changes, vacuuming out the visible Cyano regularly, using more GAC & changing it often, making sure your skimmer is big enough, working properly, & skimming wet, vacuuming the sand bed, blowing off the rocks, and changing filter socks & any other mechanical filtration often enough to keep debris from decaying and adding to the dissolved organic load, and anything else you can think of to reduce it will help.

IMO, carbon dosing is a good way to create bacteria to complete with the Cyano and make your skimmer more efficient. Not all carbon sources will do so without also fueling the Cyano. I would suggest carbon dosing only with vinegar. IME, it doesn't seem to fuel Cyano, but I really don't know why.

 

[mcgyvr]

green cyano is neat looking...
I've only ever had red... I'm jealous :fun2:

3 days lights out then siphon + 2 treatments of ultralife red slime remover has ALWAYS done it for me and never caused a problem..

And I've had it FAR worse than any of those pics.. Like 1/4" thick covering EVERYTHING..

Increasing flow doesn't work IMO.. Unless its enough to literally blow it off the rocks then it will just grow somewhere else..

 

[bmitchell138]

When you all do a lights out for 3 or 4 days, do you cover the tank to prevent all light from entering the tank?

Just wondering because I'm going to do a lights out for a cyano issue and the room that my tank is in doesn't get any direct sun light but there is quite a bit of indirect light during the day especially if the curtains are open.

 

[ben01]

I need help. I have read everything posted in the last year on Cyano and tried almost everything. Black out? Yes. Reduced feedings and lots of water changes? Yes. More GFO and carbon? Yes. More circulation? 20x tank volume. Didn't help at all. I carbon dose. I switched over to vinegar because that was supposed help which didn't change anything. Lowered lighting intensity and it didn't help. Wet skimming didn't help. Hell this Cyano is getting worse. 1ppm nitrates and 0.02ppm Phosphate. I am about to use chemiclean because I am going to go crazy and broke. I have been doing so many water changes its crazy. Any suggestions? The weird thing is all my corals are doing good.

You should get a microscope and verify that it is really cyano and not dinos. The two can look very similar. The treatment can be completely different though.

 

[reefgeezer]

You should get a microscope and verify that it is really cyano and not dinos. The two can look very similar. The treatment can be completely different though.

The OP's picture is definitely Cyano. Been there... seen it... killed it... Etc.

I've had some good results combating with Dinos using a COMPLETE black out period for 5 days and then slowly increasing the photo period over the next few weeks. That means wrapping the entire tank in a dark blanket or something and not peeking at all for 5 days.

I haven't had the same luck with Cyano. IME, it goes away as long as the tank is dark, but returns when the light returns. Same goes for chemicals and antibiotics. IMO, they are just a band-aid.

The key is to reduce total dissolved organics and keep them there.

 

[mcgyvr]

When you all do a lights out for 3 or 4 days, do you cover the tank to prevent all light from entering the tank?

Just wondering because I'm going to do a lights out for a cyano issue and the room that my tank is in doesn't get any direct sun light but there is quite a bit of indirect light during the day especially if the curtains are open.

YES... BLACKOUT all sides and throw something over the top if you don't have a canopy,etc....

 

[jmm]

I don't understand the "fear" of using red slime reducer. It works and if used correctly, there are no noticeable side effects.

I''ve had it twice in the last four years. All the advice about nutrients, flow, reduced lighting, etc. was more harmful to the coral than a day of red slime reducer.

Have at least a 30% water supply for a water change.

Take carbon off line but leave GFO online. Take the cup off the protein skimmer and let it continually overflow.

Depending on the size of the tank either add an airstone or connect an airline to a powerhead.

It will be gone in 24 to 36 hours. Do the water change, re-introduce the carbon and let the protein skimmer settle down a little bit before replacing the collection cup.

The coral will be fine. The fish will eat throughout the episode and after, and the slime will be gone. Any traces that remain will wither away in a couple of days.

 

[bmitchell138]

YES... BLACKOUT all sides and throw something over the top if you don't have a canopy,etc....

Understood

 

[hbrochs]

Cyano

Cyano

I was basting the cyano off for like five weeks, and finally broke down and treated with chemiclean. You have to use an airstone for 2-3 days, cause the chemiclean reduces the oxygen content of the tank water. Worked great, but not sure if it will last.

Howard

 

[jmm]

I was basting the cyano off for like five weeks, and finally broke down and treated with chemiclean. You have to use an airstone for 2-3 days, cause the chemiclean reduces the oxygen content of the tank water. Worked great, but not sure if it will last.

Howard

It will last.

 

[reefrats]

Here's what I would suggest and why.

IMHO, Cyano (a bacteria) is fueled by the N & P bound in the dissolved organics. Remember, test kits can't measure those bound nutrients. Reducing the dissolved organic level in the system is key. Water changes, vacuuming out the visible Cyano regularly, using more GAC & changing it often, making sure your skimmer is big enough, working properly, & skimming wet, vacuuming the sand bed, blowing off the rocks, and changing filter socks & any other mechanical filtration often enough to keep debris from decaying and adding to the dissolved organic load, and anything else you can think of to reduce it will help.

IMO, carbon dosing is a good way to create bacteria to complete with the Cyano and make your skimmer more efficient. Not all carbon sources will do so without also fueling the Cyano. I would suggest carbon dosing only with vinegar. IME, it doesn't seem to fuel Cyano, but I really don't know why.

Would this also apply to a 4 month old tank? I am showing 0 NO3 and 0.01 PO4 but starting to get what I believe to be cyano on the sand bed as part of what I hear is the "ugly stage". I am running a skimmer and activated carbon. I was running chemi pure (pulled it out) and am running an algae reactor (pulled out most of the chaeto and changed light from 12 hours to 4). your comment on bound nutrients not showing in test kids caught my attention. I got a few more fish and am feeding a bit heavier. Thanks! I know this is an old thread but hope you are still around to respond.

 

[jmsilhy]

Following along, I might be facing a similar problem and my tank is newer, parameters are the same as yours Reefrats.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

In my experience, the best approach to getting rid of a cyanobacteria infestation is to hit it with a multi-pronged attack, over the course of a week or two.

First, do manual removal every other day, until you see that it struggles to come back. This could take a week or more. Why is manual removal important? Where do you think the most concentrated cyano food source is? The water? The sand? The rocks? Nope. It's in the cyano itself.

At first, it will come back quickly. After several days of removal, it will weaken. Once you've gotten it on the ropes, it's time for a brutal combo-punch. Combine a complete, four day blackout with chemiclean (or equivalent) treatment. This should just about wipe it out. When you unwrap the tank, locate any remaining patches. Manually remove them and finish it off with a large water change.

That should do it. Obviously, this doesn't address cause and prevention, but that's a whole other post…

 

[A Aaron]

I did all the things people recommended. When I stated dosing nitrates and phosphate it went away and it was the best day of my life. Opposite of what you hear. Carbon dosing makes it worse if it's from low nutrients. I use seachem for both supplements. Now When I start a new tank I dose both on the first day and continue for a few months.