Where does cyano go at night - water change timing?
- Thread starter jjencek
- Start date
The best thing you can do with cyano relies on your skimmer to remove the die-off quickly. Turn the tank lights off for 3 days, bring them up gently on the 4th day (if you have corals), and do this once a month. This bacteria dies back with lack of light, so with no light, you can scoop up quite a bit of it. May take a few months.
LobsterOfJustice
Recovering Detritophobe
I also recommend a fresh batch of GFO before shutting the lights off and a water change before turning them back on.
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Valentini89
New member
Or dose chemiclean and kick back and watch your tank do its thing.
jjencek
New member
I have done the 3-day blackout and it worked for a while, but they came back. It was pretty brutal on some of the corals, but they recovered.
I also tried the Coral Snow with minimal effect. Same with adding Coral Bak - no effect.
Many members here say I need to get rid off the underlying problem of "food supply" to the cyano.
Would Carbon Loading help, hinder. or do nothing? I am thinking of vinegar.
I also tried the Coral Snow with minimal effect. Same with adding Coral Bak - no effect.
Many members here say I need to get rid off the underlying problem of "food supply" to the cyano.
Would Carbon Loading help, hinder. or do nothing? I am thinking of vinegar.
Very possibly you need a better skimmer. Cyanobacteria eat 3 things: water, carbon, and light. THose things are essential. Unfortunately in a marine tank, only one thing is controllable.
It dies back nightly, rebuilds in the light. Water changes just before dawn could help in lieu of a stronger skimmer.
It dies back nightly, rebuilds in the light. Water changes just before dawn could help in lieu of a stronger skimmer.
jjencek
New member
Oh, adding vinegar would make it worse. Then forget the vinegar, right?
I am using the skimmer which came with the Red Sea 250. I am running it pretty dry.
Ok, back to drawing board - my tank - and keep trying ...
jjencek
New member
Funny you mentioned indirect light ...
My tank is 9 months old. Going through my notes, my cyono problem started with more daytime light. I live in Prague now and we get 16.5 hours of daylight at peak of the summer. I always loved the living room with all that sun light. Of course the tank is in the same room.
I will just have to wait until December when we get only 8 hours of light or start closing the shades.
ichthyogeek
New member
Uhm...I thought that smaller microorganisms ate the cyano throughout the night, hence the disappearance of cyano at night...
But yes, indirect light and other stuff mentioned in the thread is also probably the cause of it.
But yes, indirect light and other stuff mentioned in the thread is also probably the cause of it.
jjencek
New member
Just a quick update...
I have done 3 -day blackout. All cyano is gone. Also what I believed were diatoms are gone. Coral little stressed, but ok. Fish seems to be fine. All I have left are patches of hairy red algae. Plan to do 10% water change and scrub the algae off as much as I can.
Then I will see ...
I have done 3 -day blackout. All cyano is gone. Also what I believed were diatoms are gone. Coral little stressed, but ok. Fish seems to be fine. All I have left are patches of hairy red algae. Plan to do 10% water change and scrub the algae off as much as I can.
Then I will see ...
jjencek
New member
More update for interested parties ...
2 days after 3 day blackout - cyano started to appear again. Got worse every day, but not as bad as before.
4 days after blackout - I added PURE REEF BALANCE (10 balls for 60 Gal tank) to help the good bacteria to win.
11 days after blackout - Cyano continued increasing, but not critical. I added MYCOSIDOL (9 tables for 60 Gal tank).
24 hours after MYCOSIDOL - 80% of cyano gone
48 hours after MYCOSIDOL - 100% of cyano gone
4 days after MYCOSIDOL - no sign of cyano YET, starting to see minor diatoms on the back wall
2 days after 3 day blackout - cyano started to appear again. Got worse every day, but not as bad as before.
4 days after blackout - I added PURE REEF BALANCE (10 balls for 60 Gal tank) to help the good bacteria to win.
11 days after blackout - Cyano continued increasing, but not critical. I added MYCOSIDOL (9 tables for 60 Gal tank).
24 hours after MYCOSIDOL - 80% of cyano gone
48 hours after MYCOSIDOL - 100% of cyano gone
4 days after MYCOSIDOL - no sign of cyano YET, starting to see minor diatoms on the back wall
Salahunreal
Member
Thanks for the update
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ssgss gogeta
Member
Where does cyano go at night - water change timing?
Things to remember about cyano.
- the blackout thing is a bandaid nothing more. There was a reason why it begun and if you don't rectify it will continue. The reason why new tanks are prone to cyano is the general increase in bio load that the tank can't handle yet.
- even though it is regarded as an algae it is still a Bacteria. This is why commercial products exist to control the bacteria however it often leaves the tank inhabitants with undue stress. And can end up badly.
Best things you can do to beat cyano
- if possible lessen bio load, feed less and less supplements like reef roids and other coral food
- if you have a long light period lessen it. Otherwise it isn't detrimental just don't go overboard with the amount of time lights are on. The reason it isn't detrimental is because if this is the one thing that controls your cyano than your between a rock and hard place that's where your lighting period stays. You want to keep your tank running how you want it and controlling any nuisance at the same time.
- right before lights out remove as much as possible. Be diligent every single night remove as much as possible.
- do larger water changes twice weekly, do this after you remove as much cyano as possible.
- uv filters help. There are plenty out there that will bag a uv filter chances are they have also never used it. With a good uv with the appropriate flow it will benefit bacteria in the water like cyano and free floating aspects of ich.
- keep your nitrates and phosphates in check no higher than 0.03 phos and preferable 2.5 nitrate at most 5.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Things to remember about cyano.
- the blackout thing is a bandaid nothing more. There was a reason why it begun and if you don't rectify it will continue. The reason why new tanks are prone to cyano is the general increase in bio load that the tank can't handle yet.
- even though it is regarded as an algae it is still a Bacteria. This is why commercial products exist to control the bacteria however it often leaves the tank inhabitants with undue stress. And can end up badly.
Best things you can do to beat cyano
- if possible lessen bio load, feed less and less supplements like reef roids and other coral food
- if you have a long light period lessen it. Otherwise it isn't detrimental just don't go overboard with the amount of time lights are on. The reason it isn't detrimental is because if this is the one thing that controls your cyano than your between a rock and hard place that's where your lighting period stays. You want to keep your tank running how you want it and controlling any nuisance at the same time.
- right before lights out remove as much as possible. Be diligent every single night remove as much as possible.
- do larger water changes twice weekly, do this after you remove as much cyano as possible.
- uv filters help. There are plenty out there that will bag a uv filter chances are they have also never used it. With a good uv with the appropriate flow it will benefit bacteria in the water like cyano and free floating aspects of ich.
- keep your nitrates and phosphates in check no higher than 0.03 phos and preferable 2.5 nitrate at most 5.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
jjencek
New member
I have to agree with you that blackout is a bandaid. But I felt that if I were going to do the rest of recommended steps (similar to your suggestions), it did not hurt to get it little under control and give the other bacteria a fair chance. Sort of start with a clean slate.
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