Pitched my chaeto...

[JammyBirch]

My chaeto ball started turning red and getting covered with reddish purple slimy stuff... Got the chaeto from reef cleaners.com, yet another disappointment from them. Anyway, scrubbed some rocks that it moved to and starting to see some stringy reddish stuff in my DT... LET THE BATTLE AGAINST CYANO BEGIN...

Oh well, I'm looking forward to kicking its butt, I'm new and this was bound to happen sooner or later.

Just to check my research...
1. Run GFO, currently doing since last week
2. Blackout sump and DT, how do the fish like this?
3. RODI water changes til this is gone.

Anything else?

 

[JammyBirch]

Here is a pic...

 

[Odysi]

Cant see how its the fault of Reefcleaners for your cyano. How is your flow in your sump? More then likey it just new tank syndrome. How old is the tank?

 

[JammyBirch]

The system is relatively new, this didn't show up until the CUC did.

 

[jinsmurf]

This has nothing to do with your chaetomorphora algae. It's purely coincidental. In fact the chaeto should help reduce the nutrients to minimize the cyano bloom. Lights off fir three days will get rid of it. Good luck.

 

[gone fishin]

lights out will not bother your fish for all they know it is dark and stormy. You can try sucking it up with a turkey baster and adjusting a PH to get a little more flow in that area.

I agree about being a coincidence with the chaeto.

 

[triggreef]

I and many others have beaten cyano with weekly dosing of microbactor7 search mb7.

 

[Mcgeezer]

Go buy airline tubing and get a spare filter sock. Put the sock in the sump and tape one end of the tube in it. Start a siphon by putting the other end tubing of tubing that will go into the tank against your power head or return line to force water down the tube, then start sucking up the cyano. Doing this doesn't remove any water from your system.

Start running a high quality GFO like RowaPhos or BRs high capacity GFO. RowaPhos is amazing stuff and will make big changes very quickly. Just make sure to flush it thru your reactor first because it lets off a very strong rust color to the water unless you flush it first.

My cyano problem has practically disappeared in 72 hours after using it.

 

[shesacharmer]

Darn. I was wishing I had some new Chaeto today...and since I too am battling Cyano, I'd have been happy to take it off your hands.

 

[Sk8r]

The stuff is ubiquitous in the hobby. It didn't come in with the cheato, or if it did, it'll come in again and again and again. It's pretty well a phase tanks go through, and it will pass. If it gets bad, a 3-day monthly lights out regimen and a good skimmer are the best treatment. 1 day of blue-only following the lights-out.

 

[Dan_P]

My chaeto ball started turning red and getting covered with reddish purple slimy stuff... Got the chaeto from reef cleaners.com, yet another disappointment from them. Anyway, scrubbed some rocks that it moved to and starting to see some stringy reddish stuff in my DT... LET THE BATTLE AGAINST CYANO BEGIN...

Oh well, I'm looking forward to kicking its butt, I'm new and this was bound to happen sooner or later.

Just to check my research...
1. Run GFO, currently doing since last week
2. Blackout sump and DT, how do the fish like this?
3. RODI water changes til this is gone.

Anything else?

Unless you have a specific goal in mind, skip the water changes. Water changes can make cyanobacteria blooms rage. With a new aquarium, your are more likely dealing with a biofilter that is being out competed by fast growing cyanobacteria.

Blackouts seem to be a good way to stunt the growth of cyanobacteria, giving other bacteria a chance to takes its place.

Keeping phosphates low is generally a good idea but phosphate levels seem to be a poor predictor of cyanobacteria blooms. The story is the same for nitrates probably because ammonia in the aquarium is available to cyanobacteria just as it is to the biofilter that converts it to nitrates. So, work on reducing reducing nitrates and phosphates but also consider removing dissolved organic compounds with skimming and GAC. This will reduce nitrogen compounds which cyanobacteria might be able to use for nitrogen and carbon source.

Blowing cyanobacteria off the rocks and suctioning it from the sand surface might be more than cosmetic. The red slime mats might be a way for cyanobacteria to out compete other microorganisms by shading and excluding nutrients. They also seem to attract detritus, further shading and smothering the surface.