tank trouble

[TikiDan]

I have been Changing 30 gallons every 2 weeks for the past month and a half, plus I just changed 60 gallons a few days ago. I have been sucking out as much cyano as possible during the changes but it seems to just grow back.

for fish load I have my big naso, a sailfin and a yellow tang (both about 3"), A coral Beauty angel, 2 false perculas, a strawberry dottyback, and 2 small damsels.

My skimmer is an octopus NW 150 and it pulls out a cup of thick junk once a week.

I am thinking after the first of the year I might tear it all down and start over. I have learned so many better ways to do things than when I set this bad boy up.

 

[northbay-reefer]

Cyano is an infection type of bacteria, three things that I know off will kill it or minimize it, 1, running a UV or Ozone, 2, antibacteria medication, and 3, more flows. I would use some slimeremover medicine, and then use a UV and add more flows. Tearing it down starting over will slow you down another year. Fix what you have is much better because your new tank will go through the same stage latter on so its better if you know how to deal with the existing problem. Your water change regiment is good.

 

[jtarmitage]

Where is the cyano occuring? The sandbed, the rockwork? How is the flow there. As Northbay said, you may want to increase flow there. Also, take a turkey baster or small powerhead and blast the detritus from the rocks and hard to reach areas of the tank. Then go and siphon off the cyano from the sandbed or other surfaces, and then siphon sections of the sandbed itself. The cyano is growing due to something in your system. Usually on the sandbed as there are built up organics there that it is feeding off of. Clean the sandbed and it will eventually go away. Don't worry too much about it if it's not suffocating your livestock. Just keep up with the "cleaning" of your system and it will go away in time. Also, phosban will help, but you seem to already have that taken care of.

 

[TikiDan]

Well I have cyano in the front right corner of the tank and I know there is plenty of flow there cause there is a hole in the sand from my Power head blowing on the spot.

Just switched out one of my koralia 4's with a SEIO M2600 but the way it attaches with the suction cups is retarded and it wont stay put

While I was at the fish store I also picked up a bottle of cyano remover, and 25 more gallons of water.

I hope the new power head will help with the flow issue.

 

[TikiDan]

New water test results
Calcium - 440
Phosphates - .25
Nitrate - 5ppm
KH - 125ppm

So I guess everything is back in line. other than the cyano, but I just started dosing chemi clean tonight.

 

[racrumrine]

What test kits are being used?

80 seems highly unlikely. In tanks without skimmers or chaeto, I have a hard time going higher than 40.

To go from 80 to only 5 seems unrealistic as well. My guess is that 2 different test kits gave those results.

Do you have a sump with Chaeto in it? In my experience, Chaeto will drive nitrates down to zero better than a skimmer. In tanks without skimmers and only Chaeto, nitrates don't seem to go above 10.

Best of luck,

Roy

 

[TikiDan]

it might have been an error on the test kit but either way it looks good now.

I have a sump with chaeto and grape algae both growing well.

My skimmer is an Octopus nw150 and it skims pretty good.

 

[jtarmitage]

I agree that one of the numbers is off, likely the 80 reading. Don't sweat the cyano. As long as it doesn't smother anything, it will go away once it has used up all the available nutrients, or you have removed them. Or, you can constantly remove what you can. When cyano pops up in my tanks, I tend to blast it off of the rocks and not worry too much about the sand bed. It will run it's course and dissappear.

 

[TikiDan]

I think I have made it through! Everything that is left is coloring up nicely. thanks for all the help