Cyano or something else?

[tkd]

Hi all,
I have been dealing with the ugly’s on the sand bed for a while. I think it is cyano, but not totally sure. I remove it during biweekly water changes then comes back within a couple of days. It is clumpy dark green, some red in color and fuzzy a little stringy like.

Tank parameters:
Salinity – 1.025
Alk – 8.2-8.3
Calcium 500-510 (Cannot get lower)
Phosphates - 0.028
Ammonia – 0
Nitrites – 0 (Don’t have Nitrate test kit but on list to pick up).

Running 2- MP40’s on reef crest opposite sides and a Maxspect gyre vertical along the back wall for flow along the back.
55-gallon tank due to room size and 20-gallon sump.

I have a CUC (Nerites, Cerith, tiger conchs, emerald crabs and nassarius)

I have a BRS 7 stage RODI system which is fairly new only a couple months old and have only made water about 4 times (About 30 gallons each time).

Any suggestions and advice what this stuff is and how to get rid of it would be helpful?

Thanks everyone.

 

[WIReefer]

looks like your dealing with some type of green algae and cyano.

 

[Tiki Reef Joshua]

Pick your flow up a bit if you can.

 

[Reef and Dive]

Looks like green cyano maybe Anabaena

 

[Jen1978]

Not sure how your PH is but if it is also a little low, you can dose soda ash (Alk). Raising your Alk a little should also help to bring calcium down.

 

[tkd]

let me increase the flow a little more and adjust my doser to increase the alk a

Not sure how your PH is but if it is also a little low, you can dose soda ash (Alk). Raising your Alk a little should also help to bring calcium down.

PH is around 8.2 - 8.4.

 

[tkd]

Will increase the flow a little more and adjust my doser to increase the alk and bring it up a little higher to try and bring the calcium down.

 

[Tiki Reef Joshua]

It might, but it might not. What do you dose?

 

[tkd]

Hi Tiki Reef, I dose Alk and Calcium

 

[Tiki Reef Joshua]

I’m trying to figure out your calcium situation.... are you sure you are testing properly? Maybe see if someone else gets same results.

 

[vetteguy53081]

This is not ph related but rather phosphates.
Are you using tap water from the faucet or RO water?
Also reduce white light intensity and adding the following cleaners will help:

turbo snailS
Nassarius snails
Trochus snails
Nerite snails
6-8 blue leg hermits

 

[tkd]

This is not ph related but rather phosphates.
Are you using tap water from the faucet or RO water?
Also reduce white light intensity and adding the following cleaners will help:

turbo snailS
Nassarius snails
Trochus snails
Nerite snails
6-8 blue leg hermits

I have a BRS 7 stage RODI system, maybe 2 months old, so fairly new. i have nassarius, nerite, trochus snails and 2 tiger conchs. My phosphates are 0.028. i could add some blue legged hermits. i will be doing another water change this weekend.

 

[Dan_P]

Hi all,
I have been dealing with the ugly’s on the sand bed for a while. I think it is cyano, but not totally sure. I remove it during biweekly water changes then comes back within a couple of days. It is clumpy dark green, some red in color and fuzzy a little stringy like.

Tank parameters:
Salinity – 1.025
Alk – 8.2-8.3
Calcium 500-510 (Cannot get lower)
Phosphates - 0.028
Ammonia – 0
Nitrites – 0 (Don’t have Nitrate test kit but on list to pick up).

Running 2- MP40’s on reef crest opposite sides and a Maxspect gyre vertical along the back wall for flow along the back.
55-gallon tank due to room size and 20-gallon sump.

I have a CUC (Nerites, Cerith, tiger conchs, emerald crabs and nassarius)

I have a BRS 7 stage RODI system which is fairly new only a couple months old and have only made water about 4 times (About 30 gallons each time).

Any suggestions and advice what this stuff is and how to get rid of it would be helpful?

Thanks everyone.

Looks like cyanobacteria but I don’t recognize the pink growth. A photo under white light might help.

This looks like fairly vigorous growth that is several weeks old. These mats seem to be feeding quite well. Is this location likely a spot where food and waste have been accumulating?

 

[tkd]

Hi Dan P, it does look like cyanobacteria. It could be where food and waste is accumulating. The pinkish growth is actual reddish in color. Photos are probably not real clear. I have a gyre mounted vertically on the back wall with flow going across the back. I would think the flow would help move some of the accumulation of food and waste. The growth is crazy and cannot seem to figure out what may be causing it, Have to say, first I have had to deal with this in this tank or previous tanks.

 

[Dan_P]

Hi Dan P, it does look like cyanobacteria. It could be where food and waste is accumulating. The pinkish growth is actual reddish in color. Photos are probably not real clear. I have a gyre mounted vertically on the back wall with flow going across the back. I would think the flow would help move some of the accumulation of food and waste. The growth is crazy and cannot seem to figure out what may be causing it, Have to say, first I have had to deal with this in this tank or previous tanks.

Cyanobacteria like many microorganisms can form films and mats which seem to give them super staying power. Treatment can involve continually removing the mat or film while performing some other action. For example, @Lasse , finds nutrient level adjustments useful in bringing his cyanobacteria outbreaks under control. Some folks prefer Chemiclean. There does not seem to be a universal deterrent or cure.

 

[Lasse]

My phosphates are 0.028

What´s your NO3 concentration and which test do you use (for NO3)

Sincerely Lasse

 

[tkd]

Thanks for the input Dan
Lasse - I need to pick up a new test kit. Hoping to grab one this weekend.

 

[Lasse]

I would recommend you to pick up one of brands there you can analyse both nitrite and nitrate because my next question - if you read a low concentration of nitrate - will be - what's your nitrite readings?

See here fore explanations

My general idea is that most cyanobacteria outbreak will be triggered by low nutrient concentration and especially from low or nonexistent NO3 readings - and/or maybe wrong P/N ratio in the water column.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[tkd]

Hi Lasse
I did a water change and sucked out some of the nastiness on the sand this morning around 9. I know it sucking out some of the the nasty sand will not resolve the issue but could not take looking at it. I also picked up a nitrate test kit at my LFS this afternoon.

I just checked my Nitrite, Nitrate and Phosphates
Nitrite – 0 (API test kit)
Nitrate – 5 (NYOS) test kit)
Phosphates – 0.012 (Hanna checker ULR)

I will also take a look at the link you posted.

Thank you, tkd

 

[Lasse]

Your nitrate should be good if the nitrite test is accurate. I have no experiences with this nitrite test.

However - your PO4 is a little bit low for my taste - I prefer around 0.05 - 0.08. 0.012 mg/L PO4 correspond to 4 µg/L as PO4-P in the P checker of Hanna. The accuracy of the ULR P checker is ± 2 µg/L - it means that your real reading (if everythings is done in the right way) is between 0-02-0.06 µg/L PO4-P

Sincerely Lasse