Allgae help
 

Tank has been up and running a couple months. Have about 20 snails and 1 damsel. Starting to get a covering of a reddish, purplish algae which I think is cyano. What steps should I take to keep under control.

Suck out as much as you can with airline tubing & just ride it out, it is a common occurrence in new tanks & poses no serious threat to your tank's well being except that it's a bit ugly to look at, it will eventually subside on it's own unless your conditions remain favorable to the Cyano Bacteria, which seldom is the case.

Check this out.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...highlight=cyno

I was trying to suck it out but doesnt seem to come off to easy.

what kind of water are you usig? tap or ro/di?

tap

You should switch to RO/DI water asap, tap water can have contaminates that fuel Cyano Bacteria, in that case it would never go away.

as long as you use tap water you will have algae, buy a RO/DI unit

any suggestions as to where and what to purchase

Just buy a 4 stage RO/DI unit with a 75gpd filmtec membrane, brand names mean nothing, it's all about the filters themselves, also add a flush valve kit, it will add years to your membranes life. I would search the web for the best price, including E-Bay, they can be purchased at practically every pet shop that carries saltwater fish, online or local.

bulkreefsupply.com has good selection get a 5 stage system I suggest get your self a TDS meter as well

yep BRS get atleast a 4-stage and get in-line TDS meter

You do not need an extra carbon block, so the 5 stage unit is just a waste of $ in my opinion.

thanks

I don't mean to play the Devil's advocate here, but there are plenty of threads where hobbyists are using RO/DI and still have problems with cynobacteria. I've been using tap water for almost 14 years now without any problems. You might want to check out that link that I posted earlier. There's no way that everyone was using tap water. At the very least, just make sure that your tap water can't be used first. It would be a damn shame to muck up RO/DI. GL. :)

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...highlight=cyno

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/1/chemistry