Cyano (I think), but should I do anything about it?

[TheEngineer]

I do believe the issue is the redfield ratio. If you don't have enough nitrates, your bacteria can't break down phosphate. The theory, as I understand it, is to raise the nitrate level so your beneficial bacteria can do their job.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I do believe the issue is the redfield ratio. If you don't have enough nitrates, your bacteria can't break down phosphate. The theory, as I understand it, is to raise the nitrate level so your beneficial bacteria can do their job.

Yes , that’s the theory. However, in seeing so many tanks over the years now, I don’t belive it’s a common occurrence.

Also , if one is quoting the redfield ratio and it’s study of nutrient uptake in a green phyto plankton and applying it to nitrifying bacteria and saying it would starve , why would cyano be exempt and not starve as well?

 

[TheEngineer]

Yes , that’s the theory. However, in seeing so many tanks over the years now, I don’t belive it’s a common occurrence.

Also , if one is quoting the redfield ratio and it’s study of nutrient uptake in a green phyto plankton and applying it to nitrifying bacteria and saying it would starve , why would cyano be exempt and not starve as well?

If cyano does indeed have the ability to pull nitrogen from the air, I'm going to guess phyto does not have said ability.... I'm getting out of my depth here now

 

[TheEngineer]

Here's a reference about the ability of cyano to fix nitrogen from the air.

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/Phytoplankton

It would appear that bacteria can do this, but plants can not.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Lol. Rabbit hole.

It would again mean the good bacteria is fine too.

 

[TheEngineer]

Would cyano's ability to also photosynthesize have impact there? I don't believe our good bacteria can.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Dunno, the process is dissimilar as far as how it’s being utilized in the two organisms. The cyano is using it to produce its own sugars and the bacteria it not.

I still kinda go with the aminos though.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00264366

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s002270000518

 

[TheEngineer]

I stopped the aminos over 2 weeks ago at this point. If anything, the cyano is getting worse now. How long do you think they'd stay in the system? I've done a couple of water changes since then too...

 

[HOOPDEEZ]

Not sure about marine algae, but some terrestrial plants (legumes for instance) can fix nitrogen

 

[TheEngineer]

Not sure about marine algae, but some terrestrial plants (legumes for instance) can fix nitrogen

Isn't that achieved by bacteria nodules in their roots?

 

[TheEngineer]

I stopped the aminos over 2 weeks ago at this point. If anything, the cyano is getting worse now. How long do you think they'd stay in the system? I've done a couple of water changes since then too...

Add on to this that I just found out I under-dosed the aminos substantially. The label says one drop per 250g, so I was diluting in RODI and dosing over 5 days. Turns out it was supposed to be one drop per 25g. So I was dosing like 1/10 what I should have been.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Add on to this that I just found out I under-dosed the aminos substantially. The label says one drop per 250g, so I was diluting in RODI and dosing over 5 days. Turns out it was supposed to be one drop per 25g. So I was dosing like 1/10 what I should have been.

IMO. Instructions for dosing food can’t be done by volume.
An old full tank and a new empty tank will obviously eat differently.

 

[Hemmdog]

I had cyano when I fed phyto too. Just don’t use that, it’s to much. Feed mysis. Your fish will feed your coral. Reef roids twice a week. You will be good to go.

 

[TheEngineer]

I had cyano when I fed phyto too. Just don’t use that, it’s to much. Feed mysis. Your fish will feed your coral. Reef roids twice a week. You will be good to go.

The phyto is the only thing I didn't stop dosing. My corals all seem to like it when I feed it though. I'll try stopping it for a couple weeks and see if it helps.

 

[Hemmdog]

The phyto is the only thing I didn't stop dosing. My corals all seem to like it when I feed it though. I'll try stopping it for a couple weeks and see if it helps.

Yea they like it but there’s to many side effects for me. I still put maybe 1 ml in my 90 once a month. And the day after I do that my glass is caked in algae. Like I said, it’s to much lol.
Do you use reef roids ? It can cause cyano to but not nearly as bad imo

 

[GodfathR]

I just recently had the same issue as you. Except mine was brown in color and was taking my tank over. Water changes didnt seem to help, nor did manually removing it as it always came back. I ended dosing 2ml per gallon of hydrogen peroxide. Most people only dose 1ml per gallon but I wanted the stuff gone. I also manually removed ALL my rocks and sprayed each rock with hydrogen peroxide. Granted I sacrificed my corals that were attached to the rock, but I was desperate. Oh, I also dosed Dr Tims One And Only, followed by Dr Tims Waste Away. I can say my tank is about 95% free of this algae and only seems to be getting better each day.
Here are some before and after pics.

 

[TheEngineer]

Yea they like it but there’s to many side effects for me. I still put maybe 1 ml in my 90 once a month. And the day after I do that my glass is caked in algae. Like I said, it’s to much lol.
Do you use reef roids ? It can cause cyano to but not nearly as bad imo

I do not use reef roids. I have dosed ME coral food, but not in quite some time. I've never seen positive results with powdered coral foods.

I just recently had the same issue as you. Except mine was brown in color and was taking my tank over. Water changes didnt seem to help, nor did manually removing it as it always came back. I ended dosing 2ml per gallon of hydrogen peroxide. Most people only dose 1ml per gallon but I wanted the stuff gone. I also manually removed ALL my rocks and sprayed each rock with hydrogen peroxide. Granted I sacrificed my corals that were attached to the rock, but I was desperate. Oh, I also dosed Dr Tims One And Only, followed by Dr Tims Waste Away. I can say my tank is about 95% free of this algae and only seems to be getting better each day.
Here are some before and after pics.

Nice transformation. You appear to have had dinos, not cyano.

 

[Hemmdog]

I do not use reef roids. I have dosed ME coral food, but not in quite some time. I've never seen positive results with powdered coral foods.


Nice transformation. You appear to have had dinos, not cyano.

Ok then use roti feast, roe, and artici pods by reef nutrition.

 

[TheEngineer]

Ok then use roti feast, roe, and artici pods by reef nutrition.

I'll add them to the list to look at. For now, nothing's going in but fish food

 

[TheEngineer]

Did lights out for just shy of 48 hours. Tested phosphates and they jumped from 0.012 to 0.055. Yikes! The cyano died back a good bit. I put 1/4c of GFO in a reactor to try and do a double whammy on the cyano.