Cyano update--how is this making sense???

[Stanley-Reefer]

I posted an earlier thread that I dosed the blue vet red slime remover on Friday. That means I have been skimmerless in a fish/coral heavy tank now since Friday--I worried about water clarity, oxygenation, etc but......

Only my granulosa looks angry--it's paled to yellow from nuclear green but has PE day/night now.

I mean my fish don't seem stressed, the sps have full PE day with feeders out at night

There is absolutely NO algae on the glass--which is not the norm even though I magnet my tanks daily.

My tangs are plucking along the rocks like they are more content without the skimmer!

This skimmer, ER RS 250, makes 2-3" in the collection cup every three days of putrid black gunk.

All since the blue vet.

????Thoughts???

[Jerm77]

have you done any parameter tests?

[Nanz]

When you used the red slime remover did you also run an air stone? Thats in the instructions to help add O2 to the tank.

After you use Red Slime remover your going to go through another diatom cycle with brown covering the sand. The red slime remover is basically an anti-biodic and works great at killing cyano but also kills your beneficial bacteria. So now the beneficial bacteria is trying to repopulate.

Red slime remover never fixes the problem and in my opinion makes it worse. You need to get your nitrate and phosphate levels as close to 0 as possible. First get an accurate test of these nutrients and then you will know what the problem is.

The best way I have found to fight cyano is to increase flow. I also started cutting back on additives I was adding to my tank like reefbooster. Cut back on feedings as well.

[Stanley-Reefer]

No testing since the dosing on Friday. ALL THE CYANO IS GONE.

Last time I tested was 1/25. P, nitrate/nitrite, ammonia all at 0 with corals growing like weeds, Alkat 2.8meq/l, ph 8.4 at the end of my light cycle. I had some cyano then, but it kept going and going to the point I was changing more and more water to siphon it out.

The instructions on blue vet do not call for an airstone. Only that it MAY affect ph and oxygen levels if overdosed. I purposefully underdosed by 2 scoops.

I watched my tangs and they are actually calmer now after dosing and without the skimmer. shirmps and stars are good. Only upset crature is my granulosa that is worrying me now with its pale color compared to what it use to be. Everything else is as good as it was--there is alot of diff sps in this tank.

As for the flow, I had cyano on the grills of my koralia and on the edges of LR that you could watch it fling all around. Flow is not the issue here.

If I had to blame something it was me and these real lunars dumping coral foods in every night to watch them extend their feeder polyps to eat.

I alternated the following nightly!!! Coral Frenzy, Reef nutrition pods, rotifiers, phytofeast, oyster larvae, reef bugs, marine snow, coral accel, cyclopeeze. On top of that I was acclimating ALL of my fish in a new tank trying to keep them well fed and get them established. I think I just identifed my problem!

I am only dosing tech a/b and mg now and not any extra strontium, iodine, coral vite, or essential elements now at the advisement from another RC member.

I still don't understand why there is NO algae on the glass though without skimming.

I chaned 30 gal today and will folllow with the remaining 15 gal tomorrow to total the 25% water change per the instructions.

To me it seems the water is hyperoxygenated. The skimmer foams like it has a new filter sock on it or something.

I don't like using chemicals, but I'm glad to look at it without the red stuff after dealing with it so long even if it ends up costing me my phil's.