Cyano. What am I doing wrong

[B-ridge]

I can’t seem to get this cyano in my tank under control. I test my water levels nitrate and phosphate and I’m getting readings of 0. I thought this was because of the cyano and hair algae I had in tank. I cleaned up 90% of the hair algae. Added some snails which took care of another 5% of the hair algae so 95% gone. For the cyano I couldn’t take it anymore and I added chemiclean. Dosed it as directed. Might of been a little short on the dosage as I got it from a fried and he used little. Rated up to 300 gallons. My tank is approximately 300-340. The chemiclean worked quite nicely. Cleaned up a bunch. Still had a little on the sand bed. I did water change. Let it settle. Turned lights back on this morning and within hours it looks like it’s starting to come back. Now I would of thought using the chemiclean when it took away the cyano the cyano would of released excess nutrients into my water. With water change would of got rid of some of the nutrients released by the cyano. I test my levels again this time using api and salifert for nitrate and I’m still getting a reading of 0. Test phosphate with Hanna checker and getting reading of 0. Now this can’t be true if I’m seeing cyano coming back correct? I added high grade gfo from bulk reef supply to see if this helps. I have a decent size chaeto ball in my fuge as well as 4-5 different macro algae. These were all just added to tank 2 weeks to a month ago. Buddy of mine seems to think the bad bacteria is out competing the good bacteria in my tank. How do I reverse this cycle? Start adding bacteria? Buy some well established live rock?
Any and all help will be greatly appreciated

 

[VR28man]

That’s horrible. I wish you the best luck in fighting this.

All I can say is that I beat it by letting all the nutrients get absorbed (which you have apparently done; the only thing I might say it just let it sit for a few weeks), vacuuming the sand several times, a few water changes, and greatly upping the flow to about 100x.


And it didn’t happen immediately. It took several months.

 

[Reeferdood]

How long has the tank been set up? It might just be new tank syndrome and unfortunately will have to run it's course until the system is established.

 

[B-ridge]

It’s been set back up 6-8 months. This time I used all new sand and dry rock. Before I broke it down it was running for 6-7 years.

 

[cancun]

I can’t seem to get this cyano in my tank under control. I test my water levels nitrate and phosphate and I’m getting readings of 0. I thought this was because of the cyano and hair algae I had in tank. I cleaned up 90% of the hair algae. Added some snails which took care of another 5% of the hair algae so 95% gone. For the cyano I couldn’t take it anymore and I added chemiclean. Dosed it as directed. Might of been a little short on the dosage as I got it from a fried and he used little. Rated up to 300 gallons. My tank is approximately 300-340. The chemiclean worked quite nicely. Cleaned up a bunch. Still had a little on the sand bed. I did water change. Let it settle. Turned lights back on this morning and within hours it looks like it’s starting to come back. Now I would of thought using the chemiclean when it took away the cyano the cyano would of released excess nutrients into my water. With water change would of got rid of some of the nutrients released by the cyano. I test my levels again this time using api and salifert for nitrate and I’m still getting a reading of 0. Test phosphate with Hanna checker and getting reading of 0. Now this can’t be true if I’m seeing cyano coming back correct? I added high grade gfo from bulk reef supply to see if this helps. I have a decent size chaeto ball in my fuge as well as 4-5 different macro algae. These were all just added to tank 2 weeks to a month ago. Buddy of mine seems to think the bad bacteria is out competing the good bacteria in my tank. How do I reverse this cycle? Start adding bacteria? Buy some well established live rock?
Any and all help will be greatly appreciated

Hi! Did you wait the entire 48 hours before adding carbon back in (make sure you remove your carbon before treatment)? Also did you do a 20% water change at the bare minimum after the 48 hours. Here are pics of my cyano issue several months ago. First one is before, second is after. It has never been back....took one treatment....also...make sure and use the powder Chemiclean, the liquid doesn't work...at least for me anyway.

 

[IslandLifeReef]

Are you sure it is cyano and not diatoms or something else. 0 nutrients in the tank is not a good thing. And remember, these test kits are only measuring what is left over in the water. Get your nutrients up a bit and give it some time. If it is cyano, it isn't a terrible problem, just try to clean it out as much as you can and it will go away once your tank parameters stabilize and equalize. A 6-8 month old tank is bound to have a few issues every now and then.

 

[B-ridge]

After chemiclean

Before chemiclean

 

[B-ridge]

@cancun
Yes I waited the whole 48 hours. I actually dosed Sunday night. I let it do it’s thing up until last night(Wednesday night) I did roughly a 25-30 gallon water change. I didn’t use any carbon. Gfo. Or turn skimmer back on yet. I may do that now and let it run for 2 days before attempting to dose again this time the correct amount. Your tank now looks beautiful by the way. Keep up the good work.
@IslandLifeReef
I’m sure it’s cyano. I see light red popping up on the sand bed again. In one corner that you should probably be able to see in the pics I believe it to be detritus. I don’t have the powerhead hooked up on that side as I am in the process of replacing it. I need to take a look at my mp40 flow rates. I think I should intensify the flow. I have 4 on a 5 foot long tank so I should have plenty of flow. I see mp40’s working on 6ft tanks. I don’t believe the test kits reading of 0. Something has to be feeding the cyano.

 

[Pete1968]

Try chemiclean again! Follow instructions perfectly! As stated in instructions if still cyano after first dose and 48 hours dose again! Then add your carbon and do big water change, turn on skimmer, gfo, once its gone try to cut back on feedings , add more flow and remove some of the sand you have! Its way to deep! Which is going to definitely contribute to all kinds of problems! Bulk up your clean up crew also if you fight it with a combo of all proven methods it will definitely go away for good

 

[B-ridge]

@Pete1968
The sand is actually not that deep. It’s not spread out evenly. Once I spread it out it will be much lower. Maybe I’ll do that before I dose over the weekend. Spread the sand evenly.
Now I was just reading blue life instructions for there brand of killing cyano. They say leave your lights as they are and dose in the morning. Now I’m wondering why that is. Is it because cyano needs light to grow? So while dosing there brand of cyano rx it kills the cyano while it’s trying to grow?

 

[cancun]

@cancun
Yes I waited the whole 48 hours. I actually dosed Sunday night. I let it do it’s thing up until last night(Wednesday night) I did roughly a 25-30 gallon water change. I didn’t use any carbon. Gfo. Or turn skimmer back on yet. I may do that now and let it run for 2 days before attempting to dose again this time the correct amount. Your tank now looks beautiful by the way. Keep up the good work.
@IslandLifeReef
I’m sure it’s cyano. I see light red popping up on the sand bed again. In one corner that you should probably be able to see in the pics I believe it to be detritus. I don’t have the powerhead hooked up on that side as I am in the process of replacing it. I need to take a look at my mp40 flow rates. I think I should intensify the flow. I have 4 on a 5 foot long tank so I should have plenty of flow. I see mp40’s working on 6ft tanks. I don’t believe the test kits reading of 0. Something has to be feeding the cyano.

Yea like pete1968 said, do a second dose. Do the same thing and wait the 48 hours too. I agree with you it looks like cyano to me!

 

[Katrina71]

Could you increase your flow?

 

[B-ridge]

@Katrina71
Yes I can increase flow. I have 4-mp40’s. I’ll have to go into dashboard or fusion and increase them

 

[ZoWhat]

What's going into the tank as food? Is it high in PO4 like frozen foods? How much are you feeding, how often?

Cyno is feeding on smthg....look at all the things going into the tank.

Even though tests are at 0 doesn't mean the Cyno has nothing to eat



.

 

[cancun]

I just remembered.... several years ago when my tank was about a year old I had a bad Cyano out break and I did have to repeat the treatment. After the first treatment it was about 80% gone, so I did a second treatment right after I did the 20% water change, waited another 48 hours and did another 20% water change. It was all gone. It didn't come back for several years until this last time.

I agree with increasing the flow....I also have a EchoTech MP40.....also if you can siphon as much as you can while doing the water change in between treatments helps too..... keep us posted.....[emoji6]

 

[jsker]

What kind of lights are you running? What are you feeding and how much?

 

[ZoWhat]

Note on chemiclean.

It works by starving oxygen killing good and bad bacteria....not all of it. But a good % of both good n bad.

After chemiclean, your tank needs a mini cycle to reestablish good bacteria. Just so you know



.

 

[Katrina71]

Any cons to just good old scrubbing, water changes, and increasing flow? I realize the process takes longer, but...

 

[brandon429]

B ridge

I like how you are actively engaged in the hunt for cure info. Consider at least the last five pages of these works below, recommended because we've had similar before and after shots posted but went about cure a different way.

it's what Kat said above. We -require- tanks to comply in this thread, we don't ask or coax or wait for anything...all sandbeds that pass a drop test, and all rocks that pass a swish test so as to show they have been cleaned well enough not to cast off waste and detritus when shaken in a stilled tank, stop being invaded.


The cure for your issue is to remove all the detritus and clouding. Chemi clean does none of that



Real estate takers, this group is making the rules, not following them

Yes it's hard work, woes of the large tanker but we were able to collect works by people forced to clean large tanks...home moves require that

Paul B cleaned his 46~ yr reef when he moved it.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-official-sand-rinse-thread-aka-one-against-many.230281/page-12

B

What's missing here is the absolute declouding of your reef, and then a couple re address sessions (much less growback each time) for having waited.

Disclaimer: hardly anyone in reefing agrees with any statement I make about sandbed biology. To say it's a minority view is a vast understatement/fwiw. My only offer is the work we collect.

Jsker above / lights I do find stat significant in cyano challenges. Any excess of white intensity vs blue selects strongly for that invader shown above. We like to use really blue lighting vs white balance after sandbed cleanups to lessen growback.

 

[B-ridge]

@skimjim
Yes I’m feeding the tank frozen. Half a cube a day or every other day. The problem here I can almost say with great certainty was when I was at work(I am currently on paternity leave) my wife would place a cube of frozen food in the tank. Probabky every day minus the days I wasn’t working. Combine this with me coming home and dropping half a cube in sure raised the phosphates significantly. On top of that rodi cartridges needed to be replaced(did this already). When I checked make up saltwater I was getting reading of 0.59. Something in my tank(macro algae) was consuming some of the phosphates where I checked and I was getting readings of .32 and going lower and lower as the macro algae frags I bought were less than 1 inch are now 2 inch and better.
I agree with you 100%. The cyano is feeding off of something. And I believe it to be nitrates and or phosphates. I believe something is giving me false readings.
@jsker
I am running 4 fathom led lights.
@brandon429
No disrespect but I didn’t quite understand much of what you were saying. From what I i got out of it I need to clean up all detrius and run some carbon. Doing it the old fashion way with some elbow grease and increasing flow?