Chemiclean good or bad

[PeterEde]

Ok so for the first time in 5 months I have cyano.
Is chemiclean the simplest method to get rid of it?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ok so for the first time in 5 months I have cyano.
Is chemiclean the simplest method to get rid of it?

Not always.
Cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations go haywire. Just like when you eat too much sugar and your waistline starts to bloom, the same happens in your tank when concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate. When the protein skimmer does not output the best efficiency or you do not have the suitable protein skimmer to cover the tank, the air bubbles created by the skimmer might be insufficient. And this insufficiency of air bubbles can trigger the cyano to thrive.
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development

I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 5-7 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.

After the week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.

 

[PeterEde]

Not always.
Cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations go haywire. Just like when you eat too much sugar and your waistline starts to bloom, the same happens in your tank when concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate. When the protein skimmer does not output the best efficiency or you do not have the suitable protein skimmer to cover the tank, the air bubbles created by the skimmer might be insufficient. And this insufficiency of air bubbles can trigger the cyano to thrive.
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development

I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 5-7 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.

After the week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.

This happened when I did a 50% WC and dropped Nitrates by half. Lesson learned I guess. 50% not necessarily a good thing. A few zoas and my Goni have been telling me since they didnt like it. While Nitrates are now back up to 40ppm again. (dosing NOPOX added more LR to sump and 2 Genesis bricks)

 

[PeterEde]

Not always.
Cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations go haywire. Just like when you eat too much sugar and your waistline starts to bloom, the same happens in your tank when concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate. When the protein skimmer does not output the best efficiency or you do not have the suitable protein skimmer to cover the tank, the air bubbles created by the skimmer might be insufficient. And this insufficiency of air bubbles can trigger the cyano to thrive.
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development

I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 5-7 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.

After the week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.

I have turned off white light and keep blinds closed. I may also make a shade to cover the tank. Started dosing Stability again.

 

[taricha]

Is chemiclean the simplest method to get rid of it?

the simplest and most conservative cyano removal method is repeatedly sucking it out.
you remove most of the cells and they usually bring along with them the food source helping to drive the growth.
One time certainly won't solve it, but it pretty directly addresses the issues - and you asked for the simplest

 

[PeterEde]

the simplest and most conservative cyano removal method is repeatedly sucking it out.
you remove most of the cells and they usually bring along with them the food source helping to drive the growth.
One time certainly won't solve it, but it pretty directly addresses the issues - and you asked for the simplest

Tried that. Took top layer of sand with.

 

[Jeffcb]

Chemi Clean works. It is an antibiotic, erythromycin, Cyano is a bacteria. But, cyano will be right back unless you correct the problem that caused it.

I tried Chemi Clean and it irradiated the cyan but it returned.
After the cyano retuned, Another round of Chemi Clean with water changes as directed, adding more flow (2 more WAV pumps) and lowering light schedule, especially for the time I am not there. fixed it for me. Chemi Clean helped.

 

[Miami Reef]

I think chemi clean should be used as a last resort when you’ve made all the husbandry fixes.

I personally used chemi clean as a last resort and it worked extremely well.

 

[MattB69]

I've used Chemiclean a few times and it works great for removing cyano. Keep your skimmer running but take the collection cup off to allow it to continue aeration in the tank and also remove any carbon during your 2-3 days treatment. To remove Chemiclean after treatment, I use my skimmer with the cup back on, but I run a tube from the cup to a bucket and just let it overflow for a couple hours. Eventually you can keep turning your skimmer up to remove more. This wastes much less water than doing a water change and I feel does a better job of removing the chemical from the water column.

You will need to figure out why you started getting cyano to begin with and make adjustments otherwise it will just come back again.

 

[taricha]

Tried that. Took top layer of sand with.

And my point of view is that it may be pointing me to something.
When the cyano microbial mat entwines itself that tightly to sand grains, that tells me that the sand may well contain goodies (adsorbed PO4 or attached organics etc) that the cyano is interested in.
If the cyano wants the sand that much, then it can have it - in the trash.

 

[Miami Reef]

And my point of view is that it may be pointing me to something.
When the cyano microbial mat entwines itself that tightly to sand grains, that tells me that the sand may well contain goodies (adsorbed PO4 or attached organics etc) that the cyano is interested in.
If the cyano wants the sand that much, then it can have it - in the trash.

Haha! YES!

Makes sense why cyano comes after Dino’s start to die back. It wants to consume the dying dinos!

When I used chemiclean, the cyano died and I got some places of dinos again, but they quickly left and the cyano never returned.

 

[taricha]

When I used chemiclean, the cyano died and I got some places of dinos again, but they quickly left and the cyano never returned.

Right. When we do something like chemi clean that narrowly excludes 1 nuisance, but we don't change the local conditions, we should expect another nuisance to try to fill that same niche. If we are lucky it will only be a small temporary outbreak of the new organism.
Some aren't so lucky. I'll always think manual removal is an important part of whatever is done, chemi clean etc.

 

[PeterEde]

And my point of view is that it may be pointing me to something.
When the cyano microbial mat entwines itself that tightly to sand grains, that tells me that the sand may well contain goodies (adsorbed PO4 or attached organics etc) that the cyano is interested in.
If the cyano wants the sand that much, then it can have it - in the trash.

Sand is turned over daily using blower and my goby never lets sand sit still. My tank at times looks like a snow globe when the goby dumps sand everywhere
My problem started with a 50% WC to reduce nitrate when I should have stayed with 10-20% as I was doing and not make such a big change. I dropped nitrate 50% in one hit. Bang first time cyano next day.
I run a Nero 3 but I have noticed my return pump is not as powerful as it was originally. I have cleaned it but still slow. Maybe time to upgrade to DC return pump I can control.
Or it's due to the check valve I installed slowing it down.

 

[Siberwulf]

Bumping this back up... I now have a Cyano problem in only one corner of the tank. Everything else is lovely, but that one corner is a bugger. I'm thinking if I add a pump to face into the corner, it may work itself out, no? Should I pull up that mat of it on my own, first?

 

[PeterEde]

Bumping this back up... I now have a Cyano problem in only one corner of the tank. Everything else is lovely, but that one corner is a bugger. I'm thinking if I add a pump to face into the corner, it may work itself out, no? Should I pull up that mat of it on my own, first?

what are your No3/PO4 numbers.
I had zero PO4 and cyan arrived. I have been dosing phosphorous a 1ml a day and just now is PO4 detectable and cyano near gone. Like you it's now a little in one corner. The rest of my sand is pristine white

 

[Siberwulf]

what are your No3/PO4 numbers.
I had zero PO4 and cyan arrived. I have been dosing phosphorous a 1ml a day and just now is PO4 detectable and cyano near gone. Like you it's now a little in one corner. The rest of my sand is pristine white

PO4 = .25
NO3 = 0.5 - 1.0 (trying to dose it up)

 

[joe-ejs]

I am now trying to get rid of Cyano as well. Earlier in the thread there was a recommendation to dose Liquid Bacteria. Would something like Dr. Tims be a good choice?

 

[Chrisv.]

I am now trying to get rid of Cyano as well. Earlier in the thread there was a recommendation to dose Liquid Bacteria. Would something like Dr. Tims be a good choice?

Dr Tim's has a cyano treatment protocol that's worth a look!

 

[joe-ejs]

I just happened to purchase this product to try. Has anyone else had experience with the Dr. Tim's Cyano product?