Cyno Bacteria Outbreak

D_Rock · 05/22/2018, 10:02 AM

Hello All!

I went on vacation for 3 weeks and came back to a huge Cyno outbreak. I had a bit before I left but now it has taken over. My intial plan was to identify what chemical build up is causing it and then attack using organic methods.

However, I ran a test last night and I see no build of any sort! Parameters are listed below. I just did a water change and sucked up as mush as I could knowing it is going to come back.

Without a spike in any of my parameters and with no dead spots does anyone know what might be the culprit?

As of last night before water change
CA- 459
ALK - 5.8 (I usually dose for this and it is steady at 7.1 however I was on vacation)
Temp - 78
Salinity - 1.025
Mag - 1300
Phosphate - 0
Nitrate - 0 (not sure how this stayed at 0 while I was gone. I tested it 3 times)

bertoni · 05/22/2018, 11:20 AM

Was there someone feeding or maintaining the tank while you were gone? I assume the tank has ATO?

D_Rock · 05/22/2018, 12:15 PM

Hey Bertoni!

I did have someone feeding once a day. There was no maintenance done on the tank besides refilling the ATO.

Dan_P · 05/22/2018, 04:27 PM

There should be a universal acknowlegement that you cannot deduce the cause of a cyanobacteria outbreak. The reason is that no one knows how to predict an outbreak.

bertoni · 05/22/2018, 10:44 PM

I suspect someone overfed. I always used a feeder or just left the tank unfed after a couple of issues. Tanks often do better without us. We tend to overfeed.

D_Rock · 05/23/2018, 08:07 AM

Funny you mention that! I actually just moved to feed only once a day instead of 2. Im hoping this might help with the cyno. Thank you for the feedback!

D_Rock · 05/23/2018, 08:08 AM

I appreciate it! I dont think I was trying to predict it, just trying to identify what nutrient was access and then diminish that nutrient to control it better. It sure is ugly looking stuff lol!

bertoni · 05/23/2018, 11:20 PM

Cyanobacteria is ugly, but it should go away on its own if the problem was a bit of extra food. If not, post back here and we can discuss some options.

05/22/2018, 10:02 AM	#1
D_Rock Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Mount Kisco, NY Posts: 65	Cyno Bacteria Outbreak Hello All! I went on vacation for 3 weeks and came back to a huge Cyno outbreak. I had a bit before I left but now it has taken over. My intial plan was to identify what chemical build up is causing it and then attack using organic methods. However, I ran a test last night and I see no build of any sort! Parameters are listed below. I just did a water change and sucked up as mush as I could knowing it is going to come back. Without a spike in any of my parameters and with no dead spots does anyone know what might be the culprit? As of last night before water change CA- 459 ALK - 5.8 (I usually dose for this and it is steady at 7.1 however I was on vacation) Temp - 78 Salinity - 1.025 Mag - 1300 Phosphate - 0 Nitrate - 0 (not sure how this stayed at 0 while I was gone. I tested it 3 times) __________________ Derick Current Tank Info: 55 Gallon, Protein Skimmer, UV Sterilizeer

05/22/2018, 11:20 AM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Was there someone feeding or maintaining the tank while you were gone? I assume the tank has ATO? __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

05/22/2018, 12:15 PM	#3
D_Rock Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Mount Kisco, NY Posts: 65	Hey Bertoni! I did have someone feeding once a day. There was no maintenance done on the tank besides refilling the ATO. __________________ Derick Current Tank Info: 55 Gallon, Protein Skimmer, UV Sterilizeer

05/22/2018, 10:44 PM	#5
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I suspect someone overfed. I always used a feeder or just left the tank unfed after a couple of issues. Tanks often do better without us. We tend to overfeed. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

05/23/2018, 08:07 AM	#6
D_Rock Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Mount Kisco, NY Posts: 65	Funny you mention that! I actually just moved to feed only once a day instead of 2. Im hoping this might help with the cyno. Thank you for the feedback! __________________ Derick Current Tank Info: 55 Gallon, Protein Skimmer, UV Sterilizeer

05/22/2018, 04:27 PM	#4
Dan_P Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 1,432	There should be a universal acknowlegement that you cannot deduce the cause of a cyanobacteria outbreak. The reason is that no one knows how to predict an outbreak.

05/23/2018, 08:08 AM	#7
D_Rock Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Mount Kisco, NY Posts: 65	I appreciate it! I dont think I was trying to predict it, just trying to identify what nutrient was access and then diminish that nutrient to control it better. It sure is ugly looking stuff lol! __________________ Derick Current Tank Info: 55 Gallon, Protein Skimmer, UV Sterilizeer

05/23/2018, 11:20 PM	#8
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Cyanobacteria is ugly, but it should go away on its own if the problem was a bit of extra food. If not, post back here and we can discuss some options. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni