Algae/cyano with 0 nutrients. Should I run GFO?

skim · Sep 29, 2016

Just so we're on the same page it is called Cyanobacteria and is a Bacterial bloom which means you have a bacterial imbalance. Do you Carbon Dose or use Pellets at all?

reeferfoxx · Sep 29, 2016

cginter said:
Year and half and still not mature? I did disturb a section of the sand bed last time I siphoned it, as I had some hard spots in the sand bed with cyano on top.

Ok no additions and no tinkering with the tank till CUC is in then I'll do some cleaning, I'm running socks 247 so that'll catch the junk then GFO.

What gives you the assumption that it may be the sand bed?

Thanks for your help.

You said the sand bed was new? It's only been 6 months and you are lacking clean up crew. It's kind of like cycling again, or at least for the sand bed. Diatoms because of new tank and sand. It will all eventually pass. But you need the micro fauna and bacteria to grow in the sand bed as it kind of acts like a filter. Once it matures you will have a better balance of nitrifying bacteria.

cginter said:
I do have an extra bottle of MB7, would that help?

No, it won't help.

cginter · Sep 29, 2016

skim said:
Just so we're on the same page it is called Cyanobacteria and is a Bacterial bloom which means you have a bacterial imbalance. Do you Carbon Dose or use Pellets at all?

I just use rox.8 carbon, 1.5 cups worth. Switch it out every 2-3 weeks.

cginter · Sep 29, 2016

reeferfoxx said:
You said the sand bed was new? It's only been 6 months and you are lacking clean up crew. It's kind of like cycling again, or at least for the sand bed. Diatoms because of new tank and sand. It will all eventually pass. But you need the micro fauna and bacteria to grow in the sand bed as it kind of acts like a filter. Once it matures you will have a better balance of nitrifying bacteria.

No, it won't help.

Sorry if you miss understood or I said it wrong ..... meant April 2015.

skim · Sep 29, 2016

OK New sand, what size is your tank?

reeferfoxx · Sep 29, 2016

cginter said:
Sorry if you miss understood or I said it wrong ..... meant April 2015.

Oh!! Well, that kind of changes things lol.

I would still refrain from doing anything until the CUC arrives. In the mean time, lets try and ID what you have going on? Pull some of the reddish stuff out. Put it in a cup of tank water. You don't need a lot. Then add about 10ml of H2O2. Let it sit over night. IF the cyano turns green and the water turns pink, its for sure cyano. If it stays red, it's spirulina.

reeferfoxx · Sep 29, 2016

Also, if you haven't run across it yet, https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/positive-identification-of-cyanobacteria.253287/ is a good thread to go over.

cginter · Sep 29, 2016

[emoji1360]. I'll do that now and give that a read up. Thanks again @reeferfoxx

reeferfoxx · Sep 29, 2016

cginter said:
[emoji1360]. I'll do that now and give that a read up. Thanks again @reeferfoxx

It's just a start. Not a cure. Positive ID really helps.

cginter · Sep 29, 2016

skim said:
OK New sand, what size is your tank?

sand is year and half old. and the tank is 180g with a 40g sump.

cginter · Sep 30, 2016

reeferfoxx said:
It's just a start. Not a cure. Positive ID really helps.

Well the algae kinda dissolved. I wouldn't say the water is pink and I still see some red algae.

Maybe I'll try another test with more algae in it unless this will do.

reeferfoxx · Sep 30, 2016

cginter said:
Well the algae kinda dissolved. I wouldn't say the water is pink and I still see some red algae.

Maybe I'll try another test with more algae in it unless this will do.

Might do a little more

cginter · Sep 30, 2016

[emoji1360]

cginter · Oct 2, 2016

Ok I did another test and it kinda dissolved again leaving behind a slight red hue. In the meantime I did receive my CUC from reefcleaners. I shut my lights off so the wrasses would burrow themselves and I dump the snails and crabs in. I ended up leaving the lights off for the remainder of the days so the CUC could get situated without being devoured by the wrasses. (This being last night 10/1)

twilliard · Oct 2, 2016

That is a good indication of spirulina with a small mix of cylindrospermum.
Spirulina retracts when in unfavorable condition. This is when you see a lot of people say "it seems to go away at night"
When you observe this under a microscope it becomes evident on the behavior of this genus of cyanobacteria

I do provide free analysis to R2R members who are willing to ship me a sample.

nervousmonkey · Oct 2, 2016

twilliard said:
That is a good indication of spirulina with a small mix of cylindrospermum.
Spirulina retracts when in unfavorable condition. This is when you see a lot of people say "it seems to go away at night"
When you observe this under a microscope it becomes evident on the behavior of this genus of cyanobacteria

I do provide free analysis to R2R members who are willing to ship me a sample.

I'll just agree with @twilliard .

The guy just knows his stuff here and has helped me a lot. Otherwise it's guerrilla warfare and not knowing what you have to fight. Send a sample to twilliard so you know for sure, then you can tailor an attack plan.

twilliard · Oct 2, 2016

Here is a quick sample I pulled off my culture. This is what spirulina looks like at 1000x power

Note the spiral. These guys can retract into something so small I have to use 2500x oil to see.

cginter · Oct 2, 2016

twilliard said:
That is a good indication of spirulina with a small mix of cylindrospermum.
Spirulina retracts when in unfavorable condition. This is when you see a lot of people say "it seems to go away at night"
When you observe this under a microscope it becomes evident on the behavior of this genus of cyanobacteria

I do provide free analysis to R2R members who are willing to ship me a sample.

That's exactly what happened. When the lights came on today the algae had depleted a lot. Still some patches of this algae but no mats like I had a couple days ago.