At a stalemate with cyano/PO4

[jasonrusso]

I recently had a bad GHA problem. I used Vibrant which took care of the GHA but I traded it for a cyano outbreak.

I bought a Hannah Ultra Low checker. Using Phosguard and WC, I have my PO4 down to 0.06pph (from about 0.2). Nitrates are around 10. If I manually pull out cyano, it is back the next day. The only coral that is affected by it is my GSP, but it is a fighter.

So here is my issue, PO4 seems to have stalled at 0.06. Should I replace and add more phosguard? Should I start dosing NO3Ox? Should I run my biopellet reactor?

Should I dose Chemiclean [emoji54]? I've read pros and cons.

I am getting frustrated with this. My fowler has off the charts nitrate and Phosphate and has no algae or cyano!

 

[Cory]

There seems to be a relationship between cyano and low nitrates. Check your nitrate.

 

[rob safron]

Nitrate of 10 is not low at all however. But vibrant use causes cyno.

 

[jasonrusso]

Nitrate of 10 is not low at all however. But vibrant use causes cyno.

Should I stop vibrant until I sort this out?

 

[jasonrusso]

There seems to be a relationship between cyano and low nitrates. Check your nitrate.

Nitrate is 10 (salifert colometric test, so it is subjective)

 

[rob safron]

I wish I had good advice. I had bubble algea and uses vibrant. Like you I got cyno and now I have red turf algea and my phosphate are and always have been 0.01 and nitrate around 1-2. Stopped vibrant, used chemiclean which rid the cyno but red turf has gotten worse. Thinking of trying vibrant again as my phosphate is now 0 and nitrate 0 and red algea speading.

 

[rob safron]

That is a decent test I use that also. I also use NYOS which is a little easier to read. It shows 0
While salifert shows 1.

 

[jasonrusso]

That is a decent test I use that also. I also use NYOS which is a little easier to read. It shows 0
While salifert shows 1.

The way I see it is, it I have any pink I have some firm of available nitrate. Anything over zero means that there is more than what the coral needs.

 

[jasonrusso]

I wish I had good advice. I had bubble algea and uses vibrant. Like you I got cyno and now I have red turf algea and my phosphate are and always have been 0.01 and nitrate around 1-2. Stopped vibrant, used chemiclean which rid the cyno but red turf has gotten worse. Thinking of trying vibrant again as my phosphate is now 0 and nitrate 0 and red algea speading.

Any issues with chemiclean?

 

[rob safron]

For me no issue at all. The only issue is cyno May just come back after chemiclean depending on what caused it to begin with. Are you still dosing chemiclean?

 

[jasonrusso]

For me no issue at all. The only issue is cyno May just come back after chemiclean depending on what caused it to begin with. Are you still dosing chemiclean?

I haven't dosed anything other than vibrant.

 

[rob safron]

Sorry meant are you still dosing vibrant? If you continue your cyno May just come back after using chemiclean.

 

[jasonrusso]

Sorry meant are you still dosing vibrant? If you continue your cyno May just come back after using chemiclean.

If you dose chemiclean, you need to keep running the skimmer but remove the cup, correct? Low O2 is an issue from what I've read

 

[rob safron]

Yes. I keep the skimmer running and just remove the cup. Take out any carbon or UV for 48 hours. I blow off any cyno as much as possible also. After 48 add the carbon back in, add skimmer cup back and do your water change (I did not do the water change myself and it was not an issue).

 

[rob safron]

I did start up vibrant again to see if it will help the red turf algea at all and I do again have patch’s of cyno. The only positive is cyno is the best of the nucience algea to get if you have to get any. Pretty easy to deal with.

 

[jasonrusso]

I did start up vibrant again to see if it will help the red turf algea at all and I do again have patch’s of cyno. The only positive is cyno is the best of the nucience algea to get if you have to get any. Pretty easy to deal with.

How are you dosing? Once a week, every other? 1ml per 10?

 

[rob safron]

1 ml per 10, every 4 days.

 

[jasonrusso]

1 ml per 10, every 4 days.

Isn't that an overdose? I was planning on 1ml per 10 every other. Maintenance dose

 

[rob safron]

Twice a week is dosage for a dirty tank. Want to see if it will make a dent in this red turf algea. Not confident it will but trying. Not many options for this out there.

 

[Cory]

In my experience cyano is growing because of organics. In my substrate free reef, cyano only ever grows in slow flow areas where detritus accumlated and/ or dead dying algae was. Its like it feeds off dead things.