Running a small reef with minimal circulation?

[cabrego]

I am currently running a 28g bowfront with a few small corals 3 tiny clown, small kole tang, and some clean up crew. This is a temporary tank until my 90g is done cycling.

Anyway, I have a hang on type skimmer and a hang on type filter to run carbon and other filtration as needed. I also have to K1 power heads and an ac50.

I would like to take the skimmer and and HOB off line for a while to see if this improves my cyanobacteria problem I have been fighting. The system has been running for over a year and I can't seem to get the cyano under control.


All of the paramters are reading well, no phosphates nitrates or silica. The only other culprit is my RO/DI which is reading in the 20s with a tds meter.

So are there any concerns like oxygen deprivation I should be worried about by taking the skimmer and hOB off line.?

 

[mat167]

Keep an eye on the surface agitation. I don't see how removing the HOB filter and skimmer will help with cyano though...

 

[cabrego]

I am not really expecting it to make a big difference, but it is time to remove them for cleaning and I thought I would leave them off for a couple of weeks to see if it helps at all.

I am thinking maybe the skimmer / HOB has built up some nutrients has traces of cyano that is helping propogate the cyano.


What do you mean keep an eye on surface agitation? There will be no surface agitation as I will only be running power heads in the tank?

 

[r-balljunkie]

Whats in your HOB?

sand, culpera, chaeto etc?

c

 

[cabrego]

It is a HOB filter, that I use to run chemical / mechanical filtration.

 

[r-balljunkie]

your logic is the inverse of normal thoughts.

you usually want to increase the flow/circulation for cyano, not decrease it.

i suggest you go lights out for 3-4 days, clean skimmer and hob.

c

 

[cabrego]

I have done lights out and that helped for a few days but it slowly crept back. My question is not really about how to tackle cyano, as I understand the various techniques and have gone through all of them.

My question is just about running a system with out the oxygenation of the water through the skimmer and HOB. There will still be good flow via the 3 power heads in the 26 g tank.

The HOB and skimmer cleaning, and RO/DI replacements are pretty much the last things in line in terms of what could be causing the cyano issue.

thanks

 

[DetectiveTofu]

How about water changes?
Throw an airstone in the tank if you remove the HOB.

 

[cabrego]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14844786#post14844786 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DetectiveTofu
How about water changes?
Throw an airstone in the tank if you remove the HOB.

I have done quite a few water changes trying to clean this issue up. And I continue to do weekly water changes. But, no luck. Which gets me back to the RO water I am using. I have also put brand new bulbs in.