Please help with Cyano outbreak...

Hello Pat
Did you get any PO4 from the RO/DI? Get that PO4 reactor going (500ml Rowa Phos) to start. Add a power head or two if you have any laying around. Did you get that Ca reactor on line yet?
I like to keep my aquariums 10 to 12 dkh. Hit the system with a little buffer! Clean the skimmer and or add another if you can, G3 on a 180 ?
 
Doug, No PO4 out of the RO/DI at all. Menard, I run the kalk as top off 24/7. Rowa phos was ordered...I was hoping to get to the bottom of this w/o using the stuff. 5 years of reef keeping and I had not needed it...oh well, another additive/product/piece of equipment!
Calc. Rx is not up yet Doug, once the sump goes in, that will be put in line. I got the CO2 tank, valve and controller from Highlander and the peristaltic pump from Racen Rich, so it's ready to go...just need some of that Dolomite! I have the dividers for the sump, will silicone those in to place within the next week, and order the bit's to drill the tank. Hopefully I have it done before the new baby arrives...cause that will signal a large drop in "tank time" ! How's the 180?

Patrick
 
Read up on this a bit and it appears that the cyano takes over like this when you have extremely low nitrates and at the same time, a presence of orthophosphate (inorganic phosphate). As far as I know, all of these phosphate test kits can only detect the organic form of phosphate and not the inorganic form.
 
Also, the new lights should help greatly. I am pretty sure that is root of my cyano problem over here. Please keep us updated w/ this.
 
I've used the Red Slime Remover many times

I've used the Red Slime Remover many times

Back in the day that is. I never had any bad reaction to it. You have seen my rock, or what's left of it after downsizing. The stuff works really well. You must skim aggressively and perhaps use a canister filter to catch the removed slime. Back whien I used it i was running a Beckett skimmer 24/7\. That baby pulled the slime out of the water column no problem. I think your skimmer would work well too.

Ron
 
My problem got better after I installed new pc's. But it got lot better after I got a better skimmer. I went from a pretty serious outbreak after a 3 day power loss to almost nothing in 2-3 weeks after getting an ASM G2. No chemicals used to that point. I started running Phosban about a week ago in a TLF reactor, but haven't observed that to help at all yet.

Red-leg hermits, cerith snails, pure source water, very high random flow, new bulbs, top off with kalkwasser, use an oversized skimmer and run phosphate remover. Not sure what else can be done.
 
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It's hard to say for sure if it was THE cure, but I'm sure it helped. I did many things to get this stuff out, changed bulbs, water changes, syphoning, rowa and carbon in a fluidized filter. It did finally go away though, but I didn't see an immediate difference when I started the Rowa, not that I expected to. I have no doubt it does it's job. I think I know what caused it though-my PH dropped to @ 7.6 or so a few times when the AC was running and the house was sealed up. That caused some of PO4 that was locked up in the tank to dissolve (PO4 binds to calcium carbonate, so low ph+calcium breaking down and releasing PO4=food for cyano). That's my guess at least! Good luck getting your cyano under control!

Patrick
 
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