PDA

View Full Version : I'm going lights out! Stinking Cyano!


Aquaman101
07/08/2010, 06:47 PM
I've decided to attempt to go lights out for a few days by wrapping a couple thin towels around my tank.

I bought my tank from an individual online and when I showed up to get it, it was covered in cyano bacteria from top to bottom.

I cleaned off the tank and replaced the sandbed.

I only feed a small amount of mysis shrimp that has been thawed with RO/DI water and drained once on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

I have an 1800 gph turnover rate, lights on only 7 hours a day.

Is possible that the Live Rock sat in this maintenance ignored system for so long that the rock is leeching phospates? I get a .5 ppm reading with my API test kit with Cyano in the tank, so I'm not sure what the phosphate level really is.

My tank sits in the kitchen where some indirect sunlight comes into the tank. I'm wondering if that is part of the problem and hence the reason I put a towel around the tank.

I also added a bag of PhosGaurd into my HOB PowerFilter 2 days ago. Let's see if that helps.

Any other thoughts as to what I could do get this Cyano in check?

:uzi: Cyano!

Fishamatank
07/08/2010, 06:58 PM
.5 is high for phosphates. They're coming from somewhere.

Aquaman101
07/08/2010, 07:01 PM
.5 is high for phosphates. They're coming from somewhere.

That's why I think it's leeching from the old live rock.

I feed pretty sparingly.

It came with a pair of 65 Watt Coralife 50/50 PC bulbs. Maybe time to change those?

I think the sunlight through the window is a contributor to, even though it doesn't shine directly on the tank.

The person I bought the tank from didn't have it near any windows and it was covered in cyano though.

travis32
07/08/2010, 07:02 PM
Water changes, vaccum out as much of the cyano as you can. Lights out for a period of 48 hours (towel probably good idea of direct sunlight).

After 48 hours, I did reduced photo period for 2 - 3 days, and installed a chaeto ball in my sump witha small CFL bulb. Now, the cyano is all but gone in my DT, and the sump is starting to develop some Cyano.. Presisely where I'd like it if it's going to grow anywhere.

:)

This is what has worked for me. Don't know if it'll work for you.

Ralph ATL
07/08/2010, 07:15 PM
I have an Ultra Low Nutrient System for years..............ULNS..........yet, I've been battling cyno for 8 months..............after I told a newbie to not use chemi-clean, I investigated it again.........This was last weekend, and all is well. I have very sensitive livestock including Leopard Wrasses, Dragonettes, and acros.......we are looking great! :-)

JJ Ocean
07/08/2010, 07:25 PM
I have an Ultra Low Nutrient System for years..............ULNS..........yet, I've been battling cyno for 8 months..............after I told a newbie to not use chemi-clean, I investigated it again.........This was last weekend, and all is well. I have very sensitive livestock including Leopard Wrasses, Dragonettes, and acros.......we are looking great! :-)

So you were happy with chemi-clean? I have corals and a spawing clown pair ... not worried about anything else in there. Being trying to kick the cyno for some time now. Kind of up and down in the war against it. I'm tempted to try chemi-clean now. Still some apprehension though.

Thanks,
John

cpl40475
07/08/2010, 07:52 PM
Are you using a skimmer ,running powerheads in the DT? Lots of things can cause the cyano. The phosphates are a problem. Whats in the tank coral/livestock wise? A lil more details on the full setup might give more answers/options to treating the prob. Personally when I had my reef up and running I didnt use any "instant fix chemical" for problems like cyano.
Cyano can be caused by low flow which in turn leads to detrius settling on the sand or rocks or both. Try adding more flow to the areas that have the cyano in it. Scoop out what you can of it and see if this helps the problem.
You said you cleaned the sandbed out and added new sand but did you do a water change also to help combat it or did you use 100% new water. Adding the new sand and water could have caused a new small cycle to happen.

outy
07/08/2010, 08:08 PM
since the tank was just set up again it could be normal, just settling in.

if the LR is producing phos a few water changes and it will clear it up.

I have seen cyano in SPS tanks with perfect parameters and I have had it myself just by adding carbon to the system and it changed the tanks chemistry and brought it on.

with all that said cyano is still a sign of bad water so you need to address the water not the light.

I have used chemi clean on my 14 year old reef quite a few times and each time with success and never lost any livestock. I do keep my skimmer running but drop the water level so foam wont reach the cup. you want to keep as much oxygen in the water as possible. A week after medication i replace atleast %75 of the water with fresh saltwater. I also vacume all cyano before medication.

blasterman789
07/08/2010, 08:13 PM
High phosphate has me spooked a bit. What often happens is the previous owner hasn't used RO water, and phosphate gradually gets bound up in everything.

If this is just a fish only tank and nothing really sensitive you can always Maracyn the cyano if it won't go away. I've found black-outs marginally ineffective for cyano but more so for nuisance algae.

Also, once established cyano will happily hang around once the nutrient problem is fixed. Pretty stubborn this way.

Aquaman101
07/09/2010, 11:26 AM
The tank has been set up at 5 house now for 5 weeks.

I replaced the entire sandbed and I used about 40 gallons of the water from the previous owner and topped off with fresh premixed RO/DI saltwater from my LFS.

I do weekly 20% water changes using the premixed RO/DI saltwater from my LFS and am running a bag of PhosGuard. Hopefully that will help..

Maybe I am just to impatient...this is only week 5 after replacing the sandbed.

calamari
07/09/2010, 11:38 AM
i had a similar problem. i bought a couple hundred pounds of live rock from someone and it had cyano on it. i thought i got it all off but within a couple of weeks all the live rock was covered in it. i also was running old PC bulbs that came with the tank when i bought it. i didnt feel like dealing with it so i drained the tank took the live rock out side and fired up the power washer and blasted off every piece of live rock i had and then let it dry and its been sitting in several styro boxes for about a month now until i get my new tank up and running. so now i have close to 300lbs of fiji base rock :)

Allmost
07/09/2010, 11:41 AM
do water changed, run chemi-pure ELITE, change bulbs, increase flow.

why would anyone turn lights off ? ure just going to be making it worse.

outy
07/09/2010, 11:54 AM
its just a phase with the new set up,

Nanz
07/09/2010, 01:16 PM
API phosphate testkit is not very accurate.

Don't use chemiclean thats just going to recycle the tank.

1) Cover the tank 3 days (you did this)
2) Do weekly water changes with RODI (TDS = 0.0)

Check the TDS of the water that you are using to make for a water change. This is where most people assume their RODI filters are fine.

if you continue the weekly water changes the cyano will go away.

Floowid
07/09/2010, 01:39 PM
Sounds like a natural point in the new tank. It is a new tank, even though you used all the old components. In the past I have had good success with a 3 day blackout, but it only helps if you have the other contributing factors under control (nutrient and flow).

Aquaman101
07/09/2010, 01:58 PM
This is what I have in the tank:

55 gal, 60 lbs LR, 3" SB, Madarin Goby, PJ Cardinal, Dwarf Angelfish, Damsel, False Clown x 2
Emerald Crab, 3 Turbo Snails, 5 Astera Snails, 5 Nassarius snails, 2 Peppermint Shrimp, Brittle Starfish

Current Tank Info: 55 gallon, 60 lbs LR, 3" Aragonite SB, Reef Ocotpus BH100F Skimmer, Aqua Clear HOB PowerFilter, 3 powerheads = 1800 gph

I just bought a 6 x 54 Watt Nova Extreme Pro T5HO setup. Upgrading from my plain old 130 Watt worth of 50/50 Coralife PC bulbs.

I'm also looking to ditch the Damsel and PJ Cardinal to reduce the bioload. The clowns are tiny...less than an inch.

Grassroots
07/09/2010, 03:34 PM
Cyano isn a bacteria, keeping your light off won't really effect it as bein aggressive. Just be agressive in removing it, adventually you can get it all especially if you also use a product that also removes it.


The phosphate is leaching from your live rock and will adventually stop after a few water changes. Also rowaphos or something similar to remove the phosphates

cmoreland
07/09/2010, 08:59 PM
I can vouch for the chemi-pure ELITE. Good stuff that, Cyano disappeared from a problematic tank in a few days after I added the stuff. Best of all, it lasts for months before having to be replaced.

cmoreland
07/09/2010, 09:00 PM
Oh and a good sandstorm with a good skimmer helps as well. It comes off rock pretty easily.

Nanz
07/12/2010, 06:36 AM
Sounds like a natural point in the new tank. It is a new tank, even though you used all the old components. In the past I have had good success with a 3 day blackout, but it only helps if you have the other contributing factors under control (nutrient and flow).

If setup correctly one should never see cyanobacteria. Its not natural, LOL.

tedward27
07/12/2010, 08:33 AM
One thing that helped keep my cyano in check was doing my water changes when lights off. My thoery behind it is that when the lights are off cyano starts to die, releasing some phosphates, i could be wrong but it seemed to help kill it alot better. (And of course some other methods too).

evokevin
07/12/2010, 08:46 AM
i purchased a rock with a large digi colony on it from someone. when i went to pick it up, the tank (and the rock) were covered in cyano. i hessitated, but the price was right and i never think about the consiquences when i'm there looking at it.

anywho, when i got it back to my house, i hessitantly put it in my tank, but gathered all the turbo snails i have and placed them on this rock. overnight they had eated 80% of the cyano. after 1 more day the cyano was completely gone. once the cyano was gone i found a lovely mojano anemone which is my next target. there were also maybe a dozen tiny baby redish brown bubbly mushrooms (maybe ricordia?), and a big black nudibranch with a white spot on its back. not sure if i should take it out or not.

Aquaman101
07/12/2010, 12:37 PM
So I did my 72 hour lights out experiment.

It helped a little, but within a couple days it was back.

It predominantly grows on 1 rock. I can point a powerhead directly at it and it doesn't help.

I'm running a bag of carbon and PhosGuard in my HOB Powerfilter.

I've done about 5 water changes..on a weekly basis, using premixed RO/DI saltwater from my LFS.

I feed frozen mysis shrimp on M, W, F of every week. I rinse that in ro/di and drain before putting the shrimp in.

Thinking about ditching the rock it grows on....it's a large coral skeleton that I'm convinced is leaching phosphates.

outy
07/12/2010, 12:42 PM
soak the rock in a 5g bucket of clean saltwater with a powerhead and a week later measure fpr phos and see if your right.

if you are right, soaking it in teh dark with a powerhead will pull all the phos out. run GFO to keep the water clean so it will pull more phos out.

or search cooking rock and phos removal methods will pull up

chumcrazy
07/12/2010, 01:11 PM
If setup correctly one should never see cyanobacteria. Its not natural, LOL.

I guess you dont dive. All reefs have some cyano.

Aquaman101
07/12/2010, 01:15 PM
I guess you dont dive. All reefs have some cyano.

So can I start adding coral then? I thought having cyano = no corals as that's an indication of phosphate.

I did a 30% water change on Saturday and the phosphate reading was 0, but I'm sure it'll be back up to the .5 range soon.

Floowid
07/12/2010, 01:24 PM
If setup correctly one should never see cyanobacteria. Its not natural, LOL.

It can be a perfectly natural marker of a new tank cycle. It must be introduced, and usually is, on the new live rock straight from the ocean. If set up correctly, one should never see it PERSIST beyond the initial bloom.