Back at it! Peroxide vrs cyanobacteria

[cowboy]

@cowboy looks like those things I got from you are going to come in handy. Going to start this within a few days, shooting for Tuesday, depends on how my pink margin is acting (wasn't himself this late afternoon).

Glassware always comes in handy heck after my daughter brushes her teeth she only wants a graduated cylinder to rinse her mouth out she says so its just right. That way theres enough water silly dad. Mind you she's 4

 

[shollis2814]

So, I just started tonight. I have had a bad cyano outbreak. I am attempting a two pronged attack. I dug out my old UV sterilizer and hooked it up in my sump. I was researching whether I should stir up the mats in order to get the cyano into the sterilizer when I can across this thread.

After reading through the thread and weighing the risks, I dosed 4ml of H2O2. I have a 36 gallon bowfront with about a 5 gallon sump. I wish I had taken a before picture. 2 hours later and the mats on the substrate were noticeably reduced.

I was a bio undergrad, but focused mostly on vertebrates, so, I could be wrong about this. I'm wondering if the peroxide begins disrupting the bacterial cell wall and the uv finishes it off.

I seem to remember that the cells need time in the UV light for it to be more effective, so I only hooked it up to a MiniJet 404. Maybe 40-50 gph. I will try to document progress better.

 

[shollis2814]

And as an update, as if I didn't have enough variables with the peroxide and the UV. I did the first 4ml dose last night, and I am going to try 2ml 12 hours apart. Sort of the way you can take a double dose of antibiotics to get blood titre up and then maintain. I did take a semi-before picture this morning, and I will try to take pics as I dose.

 

[joshkirkland83]

So @twilliard, i have early cyano in my 75. Would you suggest i do the 1:10 ratio of peroxide vs chemiclean. I got this crap from using fuel.

 

[twilliard]

And as an update, as if I didn't have enough variables with the peroxide and the UV. I did the first 4ml dose last night, and I am going to try 2ml 12 hours apart. Sort of the way you can take a double dose of antibiotics to get blood titre up and then maintain. I did take a semi-before picture this morning, and I will try to take pics as I dose.

Just keep in mind that 2ml doses may not be effective as the half life is too short

 

[twilliard]

So @twilliard, i have early cyano in my 75. Would you suggest i do the 1:10 ratio of peroxide vs chemiclean. I got this crap from using fuel.

That is a good starting point dosed every 12 hours but not suggesting proceeding with dosing.

 

[shollis2814]

do you think 4 ml 12 hours apart is too much?

 

[twilliard]

4ml of h2o2 would be fine after 12 hours as the lifespan is short. (Per ORP readings)

 

[webbrage]

I'm having a hair algae and cyano problem now

i think i have hair algae starting myself i do not have a clean up crew yet. Do you know if there is anything i can buy that will clean this up

 

[joshkirkland83]

i think i have hair algae starting myself i do not have a clean up crew yet. Do you know if there is anything i can buy that will clean this up

A lot of good info in this thread, just gotta skim through it.

 

[Paul B]

Ask Paul B if he ever had a cyano problem...

Don't ask me as you won't like my answer.

 

[cowboy]

Apologies I missed my picture again today was out of town.
Anyway its day 2 after the H2O2 for 14 days and the cyano is still gone but did have a little dinos this morning. Removed the rock they were on and cleaned it off. I believe that is due to a very inadequate Protien skimmer.
Other than that everything is happy and doing well no loss of livestock and the corals are showing heavier growth.
Water Quality
Ca 455
Mg 1480
Dkh 8.0
Po4 .3
No3 .2
Ammonia not detected
S.G 1.025
P.H 8.38

 

[shollis2814]

So, I may be overthinking this question, but want to ask. You mentioned not disturbing the mats on the substrate, etc. (up until last week, I was turkey basting and apparently making it worse). What about water changes? Should I try to physically remove some during a normal water change, or does that also spur on reproduction?

I am assuming the positives will outweigh the benefits, but just wanted to toss that question out.

 

[cowboy]

So to answer your question removing the mats during a water change is fine just let the suction do the work. Were the issue lies about disturbing the mats is that they break apart and were they land will create another. The trick is remove what you disturb.

 

[shollis2814]

So to answer your question removing the mats during a water change is fine just let the suction do the work. Were the issue lies about disturbing the mats is that they break apart and were they land will create another. The trick is remove what you disturb.

Thanks. That's exactly what I thought. Just nice to confirm.

 

[twilliard]

Exactly..
Remember my pictures are at 2500X
Easily spread

 

[JPergamo]

Tank is finishing cycle, got a slight bloom of cyano in small clusters on rock and bare bottom. I must have introduced it with my macro algae. I also have a big green "dust algae" bloom as I call it. For anyone that claims to just "increase flow" for cyano, if that is indeed what I have, just know that this picture is taken of direct return pump flow from a reeflo hammerhead.

This rock is getting literally pummeled with water, by design temporarily, as sort of a test to see what the little red clumps do. As stated I'm not even 100% certain what I have is cyano because it is just these thick little clumps, but the clumps look like an action shot of people on the fastest G-force roller coaster on earth. H202 may be in my future thanks to Todd, his work, and this thread.

 

[cowboy]

Day 3 no H2O2
The cyano is still gone, dinos are coming back but i still believe the is from the insufficient nutrient export I have on this tank. Other than that everything is doing great all the coral is looking happy the fish are doing good.
Water Quality
Ca 460
Mg 1490
Dkh 8.2
Po4 .35
No3 .2
Ammonia not detected
S.G 1.025
P.H. 8.4
Dosing pump went a bit over today added an extra dose of Ca and Mg not bad though.
100%tired user error

 

[twilliard]

Tank is finishing cycle, got a slight bloom of cyano in small clusters on rock and bare bottom. I must have introduced it with my macro algae. I also have a big green "dust algae" bloom as I call it. For anyone that claims to just "increase flow" for cyano, if that is indeed what I have, just know that this picture is taken of direct return pump flow from a reeflo hammerhead.

This rock is getting literally pummeled with water, by design temporarily, as sort of a test to see what the little red clumps do. As stated I'm not even 100% certain what I have is cyano because it is just these thick little clumps, but the clumps look like an action shot of people on the fastest G-force roller coaster on earth. H202 may be in my future thanks to Todd, his work, and this thread.

A good indicator is O2 bubbles forming underneath the mats. Cyanobacteria produces oxygen

 

[john.m.cole3]

A little update on my system:

• Started dosing 1mL/10 gal on 4/2
• Did not notice any decline in cyano after 4 - 5 days
• Started dosing 1mL/10 gal every 12 hours on 4/7
• Noticed cyano decline within 24 hours
• Cyano was pretty much gone by 4/10
• Added an Oxydator to automate the dosing on 4/12

Here's a before image the day before I started dosing - 4/1

IMG_6084 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr

Here's the tank right now - 4/15

IMG_6214 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr

On a side note, I wonder if Peroxide has any effect on green bubble algae? I picked up an Acan(on rock) from a fellow R2R member and it had a couple bulbs of green bubble algae on it. It had been on there for weeks in my tank and I just hadn't removed it yet. When I started dosing, it was still dark green as usual. But I noticed a couple of days ago when I was shooting some macro pics, that it was virtually see through clear. Now today it is completely gone. I'll try to dig up an image.

Those results are UNREAL!!! (in a good way)