Lyngbya and Live Rock ?

[j.falk]

I've been fighting Lyngbya for the better part of 6 months now. It came in with a piece of live rock and took over everything.

So I've decided that I'm going to break my tank down and completely restart from scratch to get rid of this problem once and for all.

My question is, how do I clean my rock so that I can reuse it? Can I soak it in bleach for awhile to kill everything off of the rock and then soak it in clean water? Or should I use peroxide instead since it's known to kill Lyngbya? Will soaking the rock guarantee that it will be Lyngbya free or would it be better to purchase all new rock and start from scratch?

 

[Daddi0]

Is that the stuff that is toxic?
Cheers! Mark

 

[j.falk]

Is that the stuff that is toxic?
Cheers! Mark

Yes which is why I want it eradicated.

 

[j.falk]

Would something like this work?

- Take the rocks out of the tank.

- Scrub all the algae off with a toothbrush.

- Pour 3% peroxide over the rock to kill off the algae or dip the rocks in a bucket of peroxide.

- Place the rock in a tote with new RODI saltwater, heater and powerhead.

- Break down the tank, clean everything, wipe it down with peroxide and then rinse everything off.

- Refill the tank with new saltwater and place the rocks back in the tank.

Is that a feasible plan to get rid of this cyanobacteria algae or would I just be better off bleaching the rock (or buying all new and tossing the old rock). I'm really hoping to be able to kill all the algae from the rocks and not have to completely restart the tank from scratch again.

 

[mcgyvr]

Peroxide should be more than sufficient to kill the bacteria.
I would soak the rocks for 10-15 minutes or more in the peroxide... Adding some water to it would be fine to dilute it.. I've used 50/50 before with great results on algae.

I always think a process like a total tank break down is excessive but if you are willing to put in the time and are fine with it then go for it..

 

[j.falk]

Peroxide should be more than sufficient to kill the bacteria.
I would soak the rocks for 10-15 minutes or more in the peroxide... Adding some water to it would be fine to dilute it.. I've used 50/50 before with great results on algae.

I always think a process like a total tank break down is excessive but if you are willing to put in the time and are fine with it then go for it..

Did you use 3% or 35% peroxide and is there a possibility that the peroxided rocks could cause the tank to cycle again due to die off?

It's only a 20 gallon so I think the total breakdown to get the carpet of Lyngbya off the back glass would be the best way to go in this case.

 

[mcgyvr]

I use regular 3% peroxide..

Peroxide will kill the bacteria (both the bad and the good).. Your tank will ABSOLUTELY need to cycle again as you are going to kill all bacteria.. You are starting from a brand new basically dry rock tank..

You will need to wait 4-6 weeks just like a regular cycling process before you can start slowly stocking the tank again.. Or use other methods to "Try" to fast cycle

 

[j.falk]

I use regular 3% peroxide..

Peroxide will kill the bacteria (both the bad and the good).. Your tank will ABSOLUTELY need to cycle again as you are going to kill all bacteria.. You are starting from a brand new basically dry rock tank..

You will need to wait 4-6 weeks just like a regular cycling process before you can start slowly stocking the tank again.. Or use other methods to "Try" to fast cycle

Okay. That makes sense. Thank you for the advice.

 

[Daddi0]

Considering that it is a poison, I would opt to throw the rock away and start with new.
Cheers! Mark

 

[j.falk]

Considering that it is a poison, I would opt to throw the rock away and start with new.
Cheers! Mark

I already thought about that. I have a new box of rock coming in tomorrow...this old stuff I'm probably going to throw in a bucket of bleach water outside for awhile.

 

[j.falk]

Any ideas on how to clean my filter, powerheads and heater that all have the Lyngbya growing on it? I'm assuming vinegar should be effective.

 

[mcgyvr]

Scrubbing/vinegar should be fine..
Dont soak more than 10 minutes in vinegar as you can damage the seals on pumps,etc...

 

[j.falk]

Scrubbing/vinegar should be fine..
Dont soak more than 10 minutes in vinegar as you can damage the seals on pumps,etc...

Thank you. I'm glad you mentioned that. I've been soaking my powerheads for 24 hours in the vinegar/water solution. I probably would've done the same for everything else.

 

[j.falk]

Would it be possible to reuse my sandbed without adding the algae spores back into the tank? Perhaps rinsing the sand in a vinegar/water solution?

 

[slojim]

If you are going through all that trouble, my first inclination would be to dose peroxide into the tank directly and leave it circulating. It should just decompose into water and oxygen as it finds stuff to attack, but sometimes the bottles have a little something extra in them to act as a stabilizer, so the peroxide won't decompose on the shelf. So I would not overdose, and I'd do a full water change afterward. I think it should only take about an ounce of 3% in your tank. See how it responds and repeat if necessary.