My cyanobacteria is getting bad on my sand. Here are my numbers (Hanna checkers)
Nitrates = 2.6
Phosphate = 0.02
Calcium = 435
Kh = 9.7
Salinity = 1.025
Temp = 77-78
I dose neophos to get phosphates up to 0.02. Would be 0 if I did not dose.
I vacuum the sand weekly. These pics are 2 days after vacuum.
Should I use Chemiclean? Don’t worry about it? It only grows on the sand so far. My tank is 16 months old. What should I do?
Generally Phos level is elevated instead of this low. If its cyano (hard to see in pics with the darker lighting), first find the source before use of chemicals. When concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high and where there are areas with lack of flow, cyano develops. Water changes are important unlike what the perception of not doing one which reduces the organic content that feeds cyano.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with air bubbles which 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 settles as skim-mate. When a protein skimmer has low efficiency or you do not have a suitable size protein skimmer to keep up with the tank, the air bubbles created might be insufficient and can trigger cyano outbreak .
- Use of Aminos which actually feed them.
- Overstocking / overfeeding, yourtank with nutrients is often the cause of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured will act as a breeding ground for this red slime .
- If you don’t change your water regularly, you’ll soon have this red substance. Regular water changes dissolve nutrients which feed cyano
- Using water with nitrates or phosphates is a base for cyano. . . . . Tap water is an example of po4 and no3 introduction.
- Inadequate water flow is often a chief cause of cyano blooms as slow moving water combined with excessive dissolved nutrients creates red slime algae development
I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 3-5 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 5 days, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.
