so i have a 10 gallon reef tank that was set up 10 months ago. it is doing well and growing corals pretty good. however i have some cyano. it’s not as bad as it used to be a couple months ago after i added a skimmer. what should i do? i’m thinking about running gfo.
cyano
- Thread starter lucasb.
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I wouldn't run GFO without confirming a PO4 problem with a low range PO4 test kit.
I would just siphon it out, and possibly add or redirect flow in the tank.
I would just siphon it out, and possibly add or redirect flow in the tank.
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There really isn’t a good correlation between things measured like phosphate and nitrate and the presence of cyanobacteria (assuming what you have is cyanobacteria).
One popular narrative about measurable things is that when phosphate and/or nitrate become undetectable, nuisance organisms grow, typically dinoflagellates, though some think keeping nitrates around a few ppm help prevent or get rid of cyanobacteria growth. This narrative does not address the obvious question of what is feeding the cyanobacteria.
The answer seems to be that accumulated organic matter is supplying a high level of nutrients to sustain the cyanobacteria film. While undetectable nitrate and phosphate might be starving the organisms that might out compete cyanobacteria, the goal would be to reduce the organic material wherever it is feeding the cyanobacteria film rather than adjusting phosphate and nitrate levels.
Alvaro_Spain
Active Member
Extremely well explained. When I had cyano and lowered my nitrate and phosphate, I got dinoflagellates free of charge too!
