Please help with Cyano outbreak...

[pk1]

OK so in the last 4-6 weeks I've had a pretty bad cyano bloom. I have never had cyano in my tank, so this comes as a surprise. The only changes I have made to the tank have been water changes...3-45 gallon changes in 3 weeks or so...and it had been a few months since I had done any. It has not slowed down. It appears all over, and in some extremely high flow area's. Tested parameters tonight:
PH 8.15 day 7.9 night
Alk 2.86
Ca 420
Mg 1400
SG 1.025
Temp 80-82
Phos- Undetectable, low range, new Salifert kit and Fastest kit
Nitrate >.10 with new salifert kit, undetectable with fastest kit?
RO/DI water reads TDS of .007
I run activated carbon constantly.
I have a light fish load IMO, and I am not an over feeder, nor and under feeder.

The funny thing is, most of my smaller frags really started to grow faster with the water changes...but so did the cyano. Any help would be greatly appreciated. What have you done in the past to stop these outbreaks? It is really growing fast, and I see micro bubbles sticking to all the rock work now....here are some pics...

Thanks,
Patrick

 

[Illuminati]

I just got over an outbreak. I got a new firefish and he wasn't eating enough for me so I overfed the tank for a week and missed a weekly waterchange and BOOM, cyano all over the sandbed.

I upped the waterchanges to about 3 gallons 3 times a week (I only have a 24). Plus I used a combo of Chemi-Pure, Purigen & Phosban. I think Phosban did the trick since I always run Chemipure and added the Purigen before the outbreak.

It cleared up in a week. If you are ever around Antioch and need the chemicals I have tons of extra's.

Of course I have a skimmerless NanoCube so what worked for me may not work for you.

Here is a picture on 7/23 (Cyano just starting in the bottom right corner)

I didn't take any pictures of it during the full outbreak but it covered 50% of the sandbed.


And this was taken on 8/6 (Cyano is all gone)

Good Luck, it's a pain.

 

[RRafael]

I had a real big problem in a 125 and once I ran Phosphate sponge (I ran it 50/50 with carbon in a Magnum 350) and within one week I noticed a huge difference and within 2 weeks it was all gone with out water changes

 

[Edward Smith]

I don't believe any of the kits can detect the low levels of phos that cyno feeds on. I'm not sure but I thought this was just a right of passage and would resolve over time? How old is the tank?

 

[nutto]

I use cheme clean 2 times and it's gone .now i running phosban to make sure it's not coming back.

 

[Teremei]

Just do a small water change and use the syphon hose to gently suck it up near the sand and rocks. Run phosphate remover 24-7, change monthly. Problem solved.

You will never have more than minor problems if you do that.

 

[hansnfrans]

pK1- didn't we discuss that red slime remover that AquaMedic makes? How about that stuff? I am about to try some of it soon.

 

[BenjieC]

Increase your flow, cyano thrives in dead spots.

 

[pk1]

The flow in the tank is not the problem...that first photo is where flow is greatest, in the middle of 2 tunze's. I may try the phosban, I have a deltec phosban reactor lying around . I tried syphoning it off, figuring that it was just a bloom, that was on the second 45 gallon water change...that just made it worse. What really gets me is that this outbreak coincided with the water changes. As for the red slime remover..I am weary of that route, because most of those products will also effect good bacteria. Thanks for the help folks....

Patrick

 

[mbunaman]

I had a problem in the past. I increased the flow, water change, used rowa phosa in a Reactor and it was gone. My cerith snails used to eat this stuff but it seems they got lazy maybe need some new ones. I feel that any cyno remedy is the last resort because it may cause some harm to beneficial bacteria. If I remember myracyn in half dosage kills this stuff. Dont quoute me on that it has been a while since i have heard it.

 

[menard]

In the past I have had succes w/ Kalk. Just triple the amount per gal. ( 3 tsp Per gal. RO water ), drip each night for 1 week and the damm thing is history.

 

[Douglas LEHMAN]

Hello Pat
Did you doudle check the RO/DI for PO4, what is the reading from the tap? Fresh AC and Rowa Phos won't hurt.

 

[pk1]

Thanks guys, I'll try the kalk, I use it for top off and am about ready for a new batch anyway. Myracyn or the like will be a last resort. Doug, I just tested the TDS of the RO/DI, not the PO4..I'll give that a try. Actually makes sense that it could be that...cause if the membrane was bad, and PO4 was getting into the large bucket of kalk used for top off (fed by my RO/DI), it would just precipitate out of there anyhow. But it would still be in the new ASW used for the water changes. I think I misunderstood what you meant about testing the RO/DI last friday.

 

[poopsko24]

Patrick, I've had this happen to me before. Get a small diameter hose, and concentrate on siphoning the slime up, not too much on changing the actual water volume. I did this to mine twice and then it subsided. Also carbon, and polyfilter should help. It seems like its just a phase that you have to get through.

 

[mm949]

how old are your bulbs...???

 

[pk1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7909488#post7909488 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mm949
how old are your bulbs...???

I was thinking along those same lines last week! I just swaped out 2 of the 400w MH's to new XM20k's on friday, the old 400w bulb where old. The other bulb is a 250w XM 10k maybe 7-8 months, the VHO's are all pretty new.

 

[pk1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7909300#post7909300 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by poopsko24
Get a small diameter hose, and concentrate on siphoning the slime up, not too much on changing the actual water volume. I did this to mine twice and then it subsided. Also carbon, and polyfilter should help.

Thanks Jamie, that's the next plan, just siphon it out through a filter bag...a lot of it it in hard to reach area's though. I hope it's just a phase...you saw how clean my tank was...this stuff is driving me crazy

Patrick

 

[mm949]

actinic bulbs are known to grow RED cyano....when u see it growing on your gravel its a sure bet its time to replace them...

another trick is to black the tank (no lights) for a few days to see if its a nutrient issue or a light issue...

 

[pk1]

OK tested RO/DI for PO4, both hi and low range with fastest and salifert, salifert gave >.03 and nada on fastest. Re tested Nitrate, still nada. New halides, mostly new VHO, the atinic's are under 6 months old. All other parameters are good. Have a lower PH at night, @ 7.9 or so but thats it. I am now using double the kalk in my last batch of top off, PH is getting high during peak photo period, at 8.4. Any other idea's? I'm really at a loss here.....

Patrick

 

[menard]

Pat
7.9 Ph at night is OK thats normal.
And 8.4 during the day thats good up to 8.6 max, thats just the kalk.
Are U driping at night, when the Ph is at its lowest ? U should.