Cyanobacteria outbreak. How to deal with this?

[khittik]

Hi,

It has been around 3 months that I set up my salt water Waterbox 20 gallon aquarium.

Today I notice that are a lot of cyanobacteria appearing on the sand bed, live rock and side glass. How do I get rid of these and are these bacteria harmful?

Will be these red stains go away? Is there any way to get rid of this?

I check online there are red slime remover but it requires air stone?

Please help me. The tank looks bad now.

With kind regards,
Khit

 

[T-J]

Yes, it's harmful.
Please post parameters and some pics.
Start by siphoning as much as you can out of the tank. Increase flow. Cyano tends to be worse in areas of low-flow.
Get your nutrients in check. Dose bacteria.
If all else fails, you can use Chemi Clean. It's just an antibiotic, but yes, you will need to aerate your water and follow the directions EXACTLY.

 

[khittik]

I am using Natural Sea Water from supplier. My tank temperature is 25 Celsius.

I have just done the tests as follows:
Salinity is 1.028 (which I’m trying to reduce to 1.026 as origin)
Calcium: 460
Magnesium: 1500ppm
KH/Carbonate Hardness: 8.0dKH
Amonia, PH, nitrite and nitrate are as enclosed picture.
Do you mean I should dose nitrifying bacteria?
Or should I just buy any cynobacteria dose?

If I siphon the sand bed corals and live rock, will the nitrifying bacteria be removed?

 

[khittik]

Yes, it's harmful.
Please post parameters and some pics.
Start by siphoning as much as you can out of the tank. Increase flow. Cyano tends to be worse in areas of low-flow.
Get your nutrients in check. Dose bacteria.
If all else fails, you can use Chemi Clean. It's just an antibiotic, but yes, you will need to aerate your water and follow the directions EXACTLY.

See my reply.

 

[SlugSnorter]

Hi,

It has been around 3 months that I set up my salt water Waterbox 20 gallon aquarium.

Today I notice that are a lot of cyanobacteria appearing on the sand bed, live rock and side glass. How do I get rid of these and are these bacteria harmful?

Will be these red stains go away? Is there any way to get rid of this?

I check online there are red slime remover but it requires air stone?

Please help me. The tank looks bad now.

With kind regards,
Khit

Patientice is key, with good params, weekly WCs with RODI (NO tap) and good stockings they will go away. Its a normal part of most tanks, espically dry rock tanks.

 

[Jeffcb]

Try large water change syphoning what of it you can.
Turn the lights down for a few days.
Increase flow as much as you can. More flow will help a lot.
That worked for me...

 

[SlugSnorter]

See my reply.

Id reccomend using sailfurt or RedSea test kits, API is pretty bad

 

[SlugSnorter]

I am using Natural Sea Water from supplier. My tank temperature is 25 Celsius.

I have just done the tests as follows:
Salinity is 1.028 (which I’m trying to reduce to 1.026 as origin)
Calcium: 460
Magnesium: 1500ppm
KH/Carbonate Hardness: 8.0dKH
Amonia, PH, nitrite and nitrate are as enclosed picture.
Do you mean I should dose nitrifying bacteria?
Or should I just buy any cynobacteria dose?

If I siphon the sand bed corals and live rock, will the nitrifying bacteria be removed?

No, vaccum it, dont remove the actual rocks and such

 

[khittik]

Patientice is key, with good params, weekly WCs with RODI (NO tap) and good stockings they will go away. Its a normal part of most tanks, espically dry rock tanks.

Hi, I am using natural sea water (good parameters from top supplier in the uk) with no tap. I am not using dry rock. I use CaribSea dry rock. Should I dose something?

 

[T-J]

Hi, I am using natural sea water (good parameters from top supplier in the uk) with no tap. I am not using dry rock. I use CaribSea dry rock. Should I dose something?

I assume you're using RODI to top-off, no?

 

[khittik]

I assume you're using RODI to top-off, no?

Yes! Can I dose Red Cyano Rx Red Slime remover?https://krakencorals.co.uk/blue-lif...EKzk-qJtIEcILu46oZ9zBLpr_D_dDsmQaAoGbEALw_wcB

 

[Not an IT guy]

Yes! Can I dose Red Cyano Rx Red Slime remover?https://krakencorals.co.uk/blue-lif...EKzk-qJtIEcILu46oZ9zBLpr_D_dDsmQaAoGbEALw_wcB

You can but without know what’s is causing it, it will return. Cyano can be a few things. Not enough flow, no4 up high over feeding. Under filtration

 

[zafink]

Id reccomend using sailfurt or RedSea test kits, API is pretty bad

Yeah, def need different test kit. Pick up a phosphate kit while your at it... Maybe you've bottomed out on nitrates and phosphate (which is one of many possible causes of cyano), it seems like your nitrates may be zero, but I can never truly read the api kits haha

 

[zafink]

Also, how long are you running lights for? I'd dial back to 8 hours a day for a little while. You could also do lights out for 3 days to give tank a little help

 

[khittik]

I assume you're using RODI to top-off, no?

Yes

 

[SlugSnorter]

Hi, I am using natural sea water (good parameters from top supplier in the uk) with no tap. I am not using dry rock. I use CaribSea dry rock. Should I dose something?

Thats dry rock with a fancy sticker IMO, nah, good params, cuc, vacuuming and WCs and some patients will go a long way.

 

[SlugSnorter]

You can but without know what’s is causing it, it will return. Cyano can be a few things. Not enough flow, no4 up high over feeding. Under filtration

or just young tanks. It takes time to outcompete the cyanobacteria

 

[SlugSnorter]

Dose Microbactr Clean alternating with Dr Tims waste away and Dr Tims ecobalance/microbactr7 (eco and 7 are simmilar) careful not to OD though


This stuff is just bottled bac which overtime and with the other steps I and others have mentioned it will outcompete cyano