what does cyano feed on?

[tjnorthdakota]

I took my carbon offline for a couple weeks to treat bryopsis and I have a huge cyano outbreak in the sand I cant figure out.
salinity 1.025
ph 8.0
alk 7.8
cal 440
mag 1400
no3 2
po4 .02
I maintain with aquaforest components 1+2+3+ and rs nopox, I also use the af pro bio salt to do bi weekly 10% water changes in my 100g system. Rox carbon and brs hc gfo are also used as I feed 4-5x a day. any help would be appreciated. how does chem clean affect acros if at all? though I would like to cure the problem without.

 

[Sk8r]

cyano needs only carbon, light, and water. The only thing it eats that we can deprive it of for 3 days during which it is discouraged---is light. Turn the lights out (room light only) for 3 days while skimming efficiently as you can, do a water change and bring the lights to low for the 4th day, as the corals wake up again. THen back to normal. You may have to do this once a month until it gives up.

 

[tjnorthdakota]

Thanks I will have to try that, would discontinuing my nopox for a fee days help starve it out? It says it doesnt cause cyano but is the only carbon source my tank has right now I think

 

[heathlindner25]

We are carbon-based life-forms, it is everywhere. If it wasn't for cyanobacteria none of us would be here.

 

[tjnorthdakota]

That may be but there is very little free carbon in a reef tank other than what we add to it, co2 being the most abundant natural source I wonder what effect raising my ph would have in the availability of it since Co2 is saturated in houses, maybe running an outside air source to my skimmer. Now that I think about it I bet since cyano is a lot like plants it probably feeds off of co2 for a carbon source in much the same way

 

[Ron Reefman]

Do as Sk8tr says, and before you do the lights out or the water change, siphon out the cyano that is on the sand or fairly loose anywhere in your tank. I took a small section of pipe (1/4" pex) that was long enough to reach into the bottom of the tank. Then added a section of clear hose long enough to reach the sump or whatever yo put water in when removing it from the tank. I ran my hose to a filter sock in the sump, so I didn't lose any water but removed most of the cyano. Each time you do that it usually grows back slower and in smaller amounts. Eventually it uses up all the food and stops altogether.

Good luck.