Back at it! Peroxide vrs cyanobacteria
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buckeye82
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A quick update for those following. Quick bus ride. 450 gallons, multiple tanks, battled dinos for 9 months and cyano for the most recent few months. Starting dosing peroxide once per day with little to no effect on dinos and a slight affect on cyano. Upped it to 2x per day and it really started to clear both out. Cyano was the first to go and it only took a few days to clear the majority out. Dinos got hit back pretty hard and I am at the point where they are 95% gone. There are still some frag racks and places on the glass in a few tanks they are trying to grow back.
I have backed my peroxide dosing down to once per day to see if I can keep them out while resuming a full light schedule. I am going to give a full write up on dinos when time permits and they are 100% gone (as to what worked best for me over the 9 long months) but for cyano specifically here is what I noticed worked for me. I'm not suggesting you try it but rather see some of the items that worked positively for my setup.
Step 1. Dosed peroxide 2 times per day while my lights were out or in their "heavy blue phase."
Step 2. Covered the front of my tank during the day from light. I noticed areas that natural sunlight came in the cyano would thrive even with the peroxide.
Step 3. Cut my light schedule back. Instead of running lights for 12 hours I ran them for maybe 5-6 hours when the whites and reds were turning down or off. Basically only ran blue, royal blue, UV. Was not willing to go lights out completely.
Step 4. I sucked out with a turkey baster and netting any cyano I could see and I did it right before I would dose the peroxide to get as much removed or in the water column as possible prior to hitting with peroxide.
Step 5. Turned off GFO.
Step 6. Turned off refugium light.
All credit goes to Todd for helping me get this started. For that I am grateful. Everything else is just tinkering to find out what works best for my setup. More to come....
I have backed my peroxide dosing down to once per day to see if I can keep them out while resuming a full light schedule. I am going to give a full write up on dinos when time permits and they are 100% gone (as to what worked best for me over the 9 long months) but for cyano specifically here is what I noticed worked for me. I'm not suggesting you try it but rather see some of the items that worked positively for my setup.
Step 1. Dosed peroxide 2 times per day while my lights were out or in their "heavy blue phase."
Step 2. Covered the front of my tank during the day from light. I noticed areas that natural sunlight came in the cyano would thrive even with the peroxide.
Step 3. Cut my light schedule back. Instead of running lights for 12 hours I ran them for maybe 5-6 hours when the whites and reds were turning down or off. Basically only ran blue, royal blue, UV. Was not willing to go lights out completely.
Step 4. I sucked out with a turkey baster and netting any cyano I could see and I did it right before I would dose the peroxide to get as much removed or in the water column as possible prior to hitting with peroxide.
Step 5. Turned off GFO.
Step 6. Turned off refugium light.
All credit goes to Todd for helping me get this started. For that I am grateful. Everything else is just tinkering to find out what works best for my setup. More to come....
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twilliard
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Yes this is correct..
It's a bacteria and if you look back on my microscope pictures you will see why it doesn't take much for it to come back.
Jonty
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Is anyone dosing with a UV running , I am interested to try as I have some cyan but I run a oversized UV 120W on 300 gal tank with 1100g/hr running through it and want to make sure there would not be an issue or at least understand the possible issues.
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twilliard
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Thank you!
This information is important to the final.
Also was the dosing at the standard 1 to 10 ratio?
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twilliard
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UV is great for free floating organisms but cyanobacteria tends to bind in place.
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Todd I write up on h2o2 so people Know the different strengths and what they are used for would be need so people do not over dose chemicals.
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twilliard
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Thank you Ed
All testing is done with 3% peroxide
This is the beauty of this. 1/10th the cost of other methods with proven results and soon to show gone in 14 days.
No drop in o2, no need to shut skimmers down, no need to pull GAC
Also want to note so far no one has given the breakdown of h2o2.
This is where I want to educate people in this.
What is the end result of peroxide? ...
Water
All testing is done with 3% peroxide
This is the beauty of this. 1/10th the cost of other methods with proven results and soon to show gone in 14 days.
No drop in o2, no need to shut skimmers down, no need to pull GAC
Also want to note so far no one has given the breakdown of h2o2.
This is where I want to educate people in this.
What is the end result of peroxide? ...
Water
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twilliard
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I'm sorry but the introduction of cyanobacteria is complicated.
It's not from dry rock, it's not from dry substrate.
I can not conclude "where" it comes from but I have a theory that it can an be introduced from imported coral and an outside water source. (The water that the corals are held in)
It's a bacteria that you will never see.
It's not from dry rock, it's not from dry substrate.
I can not conclude "where" it comes from but I have a theory that it can an be introduced from imported coral and an outside water source. (The water that the corals are held in)
It's a bacteria that you will never see.
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I don't think anyone was inferring that cyano came from dry rock/substrate. "Modern" tanks start off devoid of diverse bacteria that "old fashioned" tanks aquired through live rock and live sand. When cyano is introduced there is a big "Vacancy" sign, so it is more apt to take over. Ask Paul B if he ever had a cyano problem...
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I am not sure of that. I had my tank up for over 3 years before my first issue with cyno.
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twilliard
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There is no such thing as taking over.
Either the cell is there or its not.
It has to be introduced based on what I have seen under the scope.
The sad thing..
You will NEVER know when it was introduced. You flat can not see the cells that are responsible for reproduction.
Either the cell is there or its not.
It has to be introduced based on what I have seen under the scope.
The sad thing..
You will NEVER know when it was introduced. You flat can not see the cells that are responsible for reproduction.
Retro Reefer
Slow and steady wins the race!
I agree 100% .. I never ever had cyno on any of my tanks in the 80's and 90's or did I see it in anyone else's tanks, now it seems to be everywhere
Duke4Life
Just a crazy eel guy, LMAS
Wanna know the odd part? It's not in my 20g observation/quarantine tank that's been up longer (set this up 1st).
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