Can't beat Cyano

Sabres429 · Mar 31, 2021

I just can't seem to beat cyano. It's all over my rocks and the few corals that are barely alive. I run bare bottom on my Red Sea Reefer 250. Yes I use the BRS 5 stage RODI and read 0 TDS coming out. I use Red Sea blue bucket salt with a 5 gallon water change every week. I did the whole Chemiclean treatment, a 3 day blackout, and nothing has worked. I have a MP10 and MP40 in the tank. Reef Octopus 110SS in the sump and I have the BRS ROX 8 and GFO in a reactor. Only 1/8 of a cup is used. I purchased 40 Lbs. of Reel Reef Live rock from my LFS that was very much alive and covered in coraline.

I attribute this outbreak to Reef Roids. I fed a 1/4 of what is recommended once. I waited a full 24 hours and tested phosphate with my Hanna ULR checker. The vile was literally blue from being so high. It was reading .90.

My levels are currently:

Temp: 77.9-78.5 Via APEX
Salinity: 1.025
Mag 1440
Cal: 440
Alk: 8.5
Phosphate .03
Nitrate 1

I've been dosing N03 and P04 to get the levels up but I can't beat this cyano. I'm at the point of either breaking down the tank for a bit or having to do a re-boot.

PBar · Mar 31, 2021

Hello,
if you have cyano and you are still dosing phosphate and nitrate together with Reef Roids.... in my personal opinion, I would be surprised if you get rid of them.

Just as information, how old is your tank and which corals do you have it today?

Again, in my opinion, you need to be very careful when feeding corals (and adding phosphate and nitrate) in new tanks... particularly bare bottoms.

Let me know, so we can beat this cyano. Not easy but far from extreme difficult as well.

Cheers

Greybeard · Mar 31, 2021

Don't feel lonely, we've all been there, or will be at some point.

I'd suggest a big water change. Like half... maybe 30 gallons, and then another 30 the following week. Siphon out as much gunk as you can. Rocks that are fairly easy to pull, I might even yank and swish in waste salt water, try to clean as well as possible.

Then, I'd increase flow. Bare bottom, you can have a LOT of flow. Put the VorTechs in 'Nutrient Transport' mode. Even then, I might add another flow pump.

schuby · Mar 31, 2021

Just an FYI, GFO removes phosphate. I would never run GFO and dose phosphate at the same time. They are the opposite of each other.

I've used chemiclean a few times and it always got rid of cyano. Are you sure you have cyano and not something else? Some pics with white light would help us help you.

Sabres429 · Mar 31, 2021

PBar said:
Hello,
if you have cyano and you are still dosing phosphate and nitrate together with Reef Roids.... in my personal opinion, I would be surprised if you get rid of them.

Just as information, how old is your tank and which corals do you have it today?

Again, in my opinion, you need to be very careful when feeding corals (and adding phosphate and nitrate) in new tanks... particularly bare bottoms.

Let me know, so we can beat this cyano. Not easy but far from extreme difficult as well.

Cheers

I've only used the Reef Roids once to try it out because I heard they improve coloration in corals. The tank is about two months old.

Sabres429 · Mar 31, 2021

Greybeard said:
Don't feel lonely, we've all been there, or will be at some point.

I'd suggest a big water change. Like half... maybe 30 gallons, and then another 30 the following week. Siphon out as much gunk as you can. Rocks that are fairly easy to pull, I might even yank and swish in waste salt water, try to clean as well as possible.

Then, I'd increase flow. Bare bottom, you can have a LOT of flow. Put the VorTechs in 'Nutrient Transport' mode. Even then, I might add another flow pump.

Good info. I'll continue with water changes.

Sabres429 · Mar 31, 2021

schuby said:
Just an FYI, GFO removes phosphate. I would never run GFO and dose phosphate at the same time. They are the opposite of each other.

I've used chemiclean a few times and it always got rid of cyano. Are you sure you have cyano and not something else? Some pics with white light would help us help you.

Yeah, true. It' definitely cyano. It's red and all over the rocks and smothering the few corals I have.

Dolphins18 · Mar 31, 2021

Try chemi clean! Many folks have had a lot of success with this product for cyano. Unfortunately cyano is often a stage in new tanks, I usually deal with it for the first few months, I usually let it clear it up with time, but chemi clean should help expedite the process.

reeferkeeperabq · Mar 31, 2021

Sabres429 said:
Yeah, true. It' definitely cyano. It's red and all over the rocks and smothering the few corals I have.

Post a picture using some white lights

DC Reefer · Mar 31, 2021

Following - Cyano can be a real PITA. Have been dealing with it in one tank for a few months now. Used ChemiClean a few times, now dosing KZ coral snow and CyanoClean daily at recommended doses. Seems to slow it down but far from gone. Also running a bare bottom with a lot of flow and blow the stuff off every day and then vacuum it off every week.....

littlebeard · Mar 31, 2021

Did you use dry base rock?

I did and got the ensuing horrid cyno outbreak. Was covering everything. My nitrates and phosphates dropped to 0 and I started dosing. Didn't help much and I felt like I was just feeding the cyno as there was nothing to compete with it or nothing that could out compete it. Just nuked it with chemiclean and I'm now keeping a super close eye on my nutrients. Time will tell if this approach helps.

Kind of wishing I used live rock.

G Santana · Mar 31, 2021

Sabres429 said:
I've only used the Reef Roids once to try it out because I heard they improve coloration in corals. The tank is about two months old.

Two months is young, I know, i have a 3 month 130 gallon tank, bare bottom and getting to a MATURE state takes time.
I only have fish in the tank as I wait it out.
Hang tough, this will pass!!!

schuby · Mar 31, 2021

My $0.02, if you're trying to avoid the ugly phases by running all that stuff (GFO, GAC, chemiclean, blackout) on a young tank, you are only delaying the process.

Cyano and dinos are very efficient at surviving and thriving in a very low nutrient, nearly-sterile tank. It is practically impossible to starve them out. Best results seem to come from adding competition for nutrients: more biodiversity. Live rock, even a small piece with sponges and other growth, can supply a large variety of micro-diversity. Fish can help a lot, too, as their poop is a prime food for corals.

PBar · Mar 31, 2021

Agree.
I‘m kind of surprised about the amount of things done (and suggested) for such young tank.
Chemiclean in 60 days tank is not reasonable and a bit counterintuitive.

If you allow me...
Assuming that you don’t have much corals... I would remove them, cut the lights for one or two weeks (no full blackout needed), meanwhile add some biodiversity (live rock, copepods...) and fish.

By the way, I also have a bare bottom tank... things are slower than usual.

And I also had a cyano phase...just give it time...

Anyway, no need rush in this hobby! You will see that step by step the tank will stabilise and thrive!

Enjoy and good luck!

thewire · Mar 31, 2021

Avoid using GFO, Chemipure, what soever. Use some carbon and water change. You can try Microbacter Clean that introduce nitrifiying bacteria.

How often you water change?

TheDragonsReef · Mar 31, 2021

At 2 months you dont have a healthy bacteria culture yet. Therefore the first bacteria or algae that gets any sort of advantage will quickly take over, in your case the cyano.

So first off stop all chemical filtration, pull the gfo out, turn the skimmer done as low as you can so its not producing any waste and just use it to aerate the tank, if you have a uv turn it off.

Now since your problem is due to a bacterial imbalance and not high nitrients that cyano is commonly associated with, your main plan of attack should be adding competing bacteria instead of trying to kill the cyano.

I cant recommend dr tims products enough. Pick yourself up some refresh and eco balance. Use the refresh for a couple weeks, 1 cap per 20g, once a week. You should see a decline in the cyano after the second or third dose. Use the eco balance in between refreah treatments.

thewire · Mar 31, 2021

Dragonsreef said:
At 2 months you dont have a healthy bacteria culture yet. Therefore the first bacteria or algae that gets any sort of advantage will quickly take over, in your case the cyano.

So first off stop all chemical filtration, pull the gfo out, turn the skimmer done as low as you can so its not producing any waste and just use it to aerate the tank, if you have a uv turn it off.

Now since your problem is due to a bacterial imbalance and not high nitrients that cyano is commonly associated with, your main plan of attack should be adding competing bacteria instead of trying to kill the cyano.

I cant recommend dr tims products enough. Pick yourself up some refresh and eco balance. Use the refresh for a couple weeks, 1 cap per 20g, once a week. You should see a decline in the cyano after the second or third dose. Use the eco balance in between refreah treatments.

Careful Refresh can kill snails.

TheDragonsReef · Mar 31, 2021

thewire said:
Careful Refresh can kill snails.

Only if over dosed. Ive used it a couple times and even the baby snails have been fine. It hasnt bothered anything in my tank

Sabres429 · Mar 31, 2021

reeferkeeperabq said:
Post a picture using some white lights

Sabres429 · Mar 31, 2021

PBar said:
Agree.
I‘m kind of surprised about the amount of things done (and suggested) for such young tank.
Chemiclean in 60 days tank is not reasonable and a bit counterintuitive.

If you allow me...
Assuming that you don’t have much corals... I would remove them, cut the lights for one or two weeks (no full blackout needed), meanwhile add some biodiversity (live rock, copepods...) and fish.

By the way, I also have a bare bottom tank... things are slower than usual.

And I also had a cyano phase...just give it time...

Anyway, no need rush in this hobby! You will see that step by step the tank will stabilise and thrive!

Enjoy and good luck!

I used 40 pounds of Real Reef live rock from my LFS that was covered in coraline.