CYANO Outbreaks

[M Woodhill]

It broke out once, green and red

now it broke out again, this time its brown and full of bubbles

it grows all over the glass, rock and some dead tips of corals. some tip burns probably due to low alkalinity

water parameters:

nitrate 0.00

phos 0.00

ca 376

alk 5.8

temp 81 to 83

dont they say 0 phos kills cyano??

plz help! the tank is established for almost a year

[disc1]

dont they say 0 phos kills cyano??

Cyano can create 0 phosphate. It will suck the phosphate out of the water as fast as you put it in. You gotta use something to suck it up faster like GFO or try to find sources of excess phosphate (like tap water) and eliminate them.

Low phosphate before the fact will help stop it from breaking out. So once you get it gone you can look at things like dosing organic carbon to help more beneficial bacteria outcompete.

Although from your description I'm not sure you're not looking at dinos and not cyano. Can you post a picture?

[crabbyjoe]

i added a GFO reactor and cut back on halide lighting schedule and kicked cyano out in less than 3 weeks. GFO is definitely the real deal.

[JSeymour]

If it looks like brown cyano but has bubbles under it, you have a dinoflagellate or chrysophyte (algae similar to dinoflagellates) outbreak. They both produce copious amounts of toxic compounds, so replace your carbon and maybe add a little more (not too much as this could kill your corals too). Removing any snails and clams is often recommended as they are very sensitive to these toxins and their corpses will provide even more food for the dinos.

Some good reading on battling dinoflagellates/chrysophytes:

How I beat dinoflagellates, and the lessons I learned (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/how-i-beat-dinoflagellates-and-the-lessons-i-learned) by Leonard Ho

How to Treat Problem Dinoflagellates (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/rhf/index.php) by Randy Holmes-Farley

Best of luck to you, they can be very hard to beat.

[Reefin' Dude]

siphon the offending mass out along with any detritus you see in the system. you are not going to outcompete the micro organisms for phosphates. especially with a device that has such a limited access to the phosphates. it might help, but it is not going to enough of the nutrients to really help.

G~

[M Woodhill]

i guess it's then dino algae

i took a pic of my ritteri and plz check the algae

http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h436/mcwoodhill/jun11/jun11ritteri1.jpg?t=1339444268

[Anselth]

Yep, looks like Dinoflagellates. The others have given you some good sources on how to deal with them. They're a pain, but beatable.

[kissman]

i doubled my amount of GFO and changes it out every weekend and beat it

[M Woodhill]

i doubled my amount of GFO and changes it out every weekend and beat it

I'm runnin a carbon and gfo and change monthly. Seems like I'd better change it more frequently?

But my corals always go bad with GFO change, tips burnt always after the it

[kissman]

carbon is really only good for about 2 weeks. Some people have success running it longer. GFO I was changing weekly when I had my cyano issue

[JSeymour]

I'm runnin a carbon and gfo and change monthly. Seems like I'd better change it more frequently?

But my corals always go bad with GFO change, tips burnt always after the it

This is because in your system, GFO and GAC are exhausted in less than a month, allowing all the things they remove to build up until the next change. Try running 1/2-2/3 the amount you usually do and changing it twice as often to achieve more stable parameters and clarity. This will stop the tips from burning due to rapid changes. I would recommend the 2/3 value(50% increase of media), as you have nutrient issues with you current amounts.

[M Woodhill]

This is because in your system, GFO and GAC are exhausted in less than a month, allowing all the things they remove to build up until the next change. Try running 1/2-2/3 the amount you usually do and changing it twice as often to achieve more stable parameters and clarity. This will stop the tips from burning due to rapid changes. I would recommend the 2/3 value(50% increase of media), as you have nutrient issues with you current amounts.

the water is always crystal clear

but i'll run less gac and gfo and change more frequently

[JSeymour]

the water is always crystal clear

To you, but your corals see it differently. :)

[M Woodhill]

To you, but your corals see it differently. :)

can i add one more gfo and gac reactor?

[JSeymour]

What's the water volume of the system? You probably don't need any additional reactors, just use a little less media and change it more frequently. Do you have a phosphate meter? By testing the effluent(discharge/output) from the GFO reactor, you can determine how long the GFO is lasting in your system.

Even with all the nutrient control, the key to getting rid of the dinos is keeping the tank completely dark for several days. They are very hard to starve out.

[M Woodhill]

What's the water volume of the system? You probably don't need any additional reactors, just use a little less media and change it more frequently. Do you have a phosphate meter? By testing the effluent(discharge/output) from the GFO reactor, you can determine how long the GFO is lasting in your system.

Even with all the nutrient control, the key to getting rid of the dinos is keeping the tank completely dark for several days. They are very hard to starve out.

i have a sensitive ritteri, so i guess i'll try blackout later in a month

[JSeymour]

Three to four days won't harm your anemone. You could always feed it some krill or mysis during the black out if you thought it needed something.

[kissman]

i have done the black out methond myself, I taped black construction paper to the galss and left the top open for oxygen exchange. I was worried about my anemone moving around but he never did. I peeked in a few times a day to check on him

[S14Swap240sx]

i have done the black out methond myself, I taped black construction paper to the galss and left the top open for oxygen exchange. I was worried about my anemone moving around but he never did. I peeked in a few times a day to check on him

i tried this once, and now i do it monthly for just 3 days. works great!