ChemiClean

PSXerholic · Jan 29, 2016

CoralIN said:
Cyanobacteria is one of the most prolific forms of life in the world and the only true way to combat it is through out competing it. It can grow in almost any environment and under almost any light. There is no hobby light that can be considered anti-cyano.

Key factors in reduction are:

increased flow

decreased nutrients

removal of any visible signs as soon as possible

I don't know how long your tank has been established but it sounds as if you are doing some dosing of different components for various reasons. It becomes increasingly difficult to make a recommendation without the interactions being considered.

IME staying on top of water changes, keeping flow high, reducing feedings and vacuuming out the cyano will stabilize the tank over a few weeks. All to often we are looking for FAST results.

I've also become a believer in Lanthanum Chloride as a method of reducing PO4. It's highly effective but must be utilized carefully to avoid any issue. dosing levels are relatively low.

Example:
I just set up a new DT at the house. I'm using new Marco Rock that was dry. It's known to leach PO4 for a while. New tanks are also known to be PO4 factories until all of the bacteria get into place and at levels that are needed maintain balance. I am NOT big on dosing stuff or on additives and believe that time is the best cure for a new tank......
2 days ago my PO4 was 0.31ppm
I setup an LaCl drip into my filtersock compartment. I used a 3ml per liter mix and dripped it over the course of about 24 hours. The next day the PO4 registered 17 on my Hanna ULR which is a level 0.05ppm. Still a bit high but not out of the ball park. I am positive that the PO4 will be back up in a few days but I will likely knock it down again. Eventually the tank will mature and this will not be an issue.

Well said and summarized.

The most challenging of all that is the patience honestly!!!!

CoralIN · Jan 29, 2016

CastAway said:
I changed from three hours of 100% on all channels to 5 hours of 100% on all channels. I also ramped them a little faster. So, I don't have a lot of that predominate blue that I see so often in other systems. My tank is blue very late in the evening only, for me mostly, not my corals.

Any thoughts or comment @CoralIN? Could I be causing this cyano issue driving my Atlantiks too hard? Is that possible?

In answer to your question, "Could I be causing this cyano issue driving my Atlantiks too hard? Is that possible?"

The lights (regardless of brand) will add fuel for the Cyano. Think of it like this.....you have a small house fire in the kitchen and you're trying to put it out.......but it gets really hot in the kitchen so you turn the ceiling fan on to high to try to cool everything off. The fan is inadvertently helping the fire to grow and spread. Did the fan cause the fire? NO........ It just helped the fire to use it's fuel more efficiently and therefore to grow and spread.

Cyanobacteria can grow in nearly any environment. This stuff is resilient as heck. I'm working with a couple of projects that are very interesting using this tenacity and it's pretty darn diverse.