Cyanobacteria?

[Jilly92]

I've had this tube anemone for about a month now and it keeps getting cyanobacteria around it I believe. Its nowhere else. Just starts from the anemones base and spreads in a circle all around its parameter. What can I do? Something without chemicals preferably, but if chemicals are the sure fire way lmk.

 

[Spare time]

Is it like a fuzzy red mat? It is odd that it would be no where else (then again it grows only on my rainbow stylo in my tank :/ )

 

[Jilly92]

Is it like a fuzzy red mat? It is odd that it would be no where else (then again it grows only on my rainbow stylo in my tank :/ )

No not fuzzy. At first I thought it was a war slime the anemone was shooting out at other anemones and corals hahaha idk what it is

 

[Spare time]

No not fuzzy. At first I thought it was a war slime the anemone was shooting out at other anemones and corals hahaha idk what it is

I have seed tube anemones make a kinda goop in sand. I wonder if that is it? Have you tried physically removing the stuff?

 

[Jilly92]

I have seed tube anemones make a kinda goop in sand. I wonder if that is it? Have you tried physically removing the stuff?

Yes thats what its kind of like, goop. Yes I siphon vacuum the sand bed every couple of weeks and in a matter of days it slowly accumulates around the base and outward again.

 

[Spare time]

Yes thats what its kind of like, goop. Yes I siphon vacuum the sand bed every couple of weeks and in a matter of days it slowly accumulates around the base and outward again.

I am not sure why they make that but I think you can just manually remove it

 

[BigSkyRich]

Good morning - been following and appreciating/learning from your contributions since joining this forum and clearly you are the "go to" guy on most things algae/bacteria. So I have this (what I thought initially) was some algae, but when describing to my LFS guy, he immediately went to Cyno - and of course sold me Chemiclean. I used it first time and thought I saw some improvement, but then it came back in about 2 weeks. I just dosed again, but also added a Carbon/GFO reactor about the same time (Phosphates now at 0 when before reactor was in the .25 range. I'm not sure after this last go around (getting ready to do another water change after the 48 hour treatment period) if there was really any effect by this treatment. I'm starting to wonder if its something else. Tried to find something on line but really can't seem to pinpoint. Its exclusively on sand bed. I've taken a picture - hopefully it is clear enough. Some of these thing strings are a couple inches in length. Its not matting but definitely in different locations right where rock and sand meet. My parameters are good - only 3 clowns so minimal nutrient issues, plenty of CUC. I'd appreciate any thoughts/insights you may have. I saw where I can test further to identify by using peroxide to see color change (outside tank of course) and may do that today

 

[HuduVudu]

Anemones produce a very large amount of mucas and are pretty dirty creatures when it comes to organics. What you are seeing is the algae taking advantage of the organic output of the anemone.

As your tank matures and your biodiversity really ramps up it is very likely that this will simply go away on it's own. You can manually remove it, but make sure you stir the sand in that area to encourage more biodiversity from the oxygen that you will provide the sand by stirring it. Perhaps a nassarius will help with stirring the sand also.

Either way though it would be considered unsightly it is nothing to be concerned about.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Looks more like slime algae which a good cleanup crew should handle

turno snails
Astrea snails
Nerite snails
Trochus snail
Some blue leg hermits

check also, your phosphate level and reduce white light intensity a little

 

[Spare time]

Good morning - been following and appreciating/learning from your contributions since joining this forum and clearly you are the "go to" guy on most things algae/bacteria. So I have this (what I thought initially) was some algae, but when describing to my LFS guy, he immediately went to Cyno - and of course sold me Chemiclean. I used it first time and thought I saw some improvement, but then it came back in about 2 weeks. I just dosed again, but also added a Carbon/GFO reactor about the same time (Phosphates now at 0 when before reactor was in the .25 range. I'm not sure after this last go around (getting ready to do another water change after the 48 hour treatment period) if there was really any effect by this treatment. I'm starting to wonder if its something else. Tried to find something on line but really can't seem to pinpoint. Its exclusively on sand bed. I've taken a picture - hopefully it is clear enough. Some of these thing strings are a couple inches in length. Its not matting but definitely in different locations right where rock and sand meet. My parameters are good - only 3 clowns so minimal nutrient issues, plenty of CUC. I'd appreciate any thoughts/insights you may have. I saw where I can test further to identify by using peroxide to see color change (outside tank of course) and may do that today

Hello, could you pm me some more pictures. We can chat about it there. I appreciate you calling me a go to guy but I assure you I am not an expert haha! I'm just a guy who works at an LFS and meets a lot of people in person with the same issues that I see online so I try my best to help

 

[BigSkyRich]

Anemones produce a very large amount of mucas and are pretty dirty creatures when it comes to organics. What you are seeing is the algae taking advantage of the organic output of the anemone.

As your tank matures and your biodiversity really ramps up it is very likely that this will simply go away on it's own. You can manually remove it, but make sure you stir the sand in that area to encourage more biodiversity from the oxygen that you will provide the sand by stirring it. Perhaps a nassarius will help with stirring the sand also.

Either way though it would be considered unsightly it is nothing to be concerned about.

Thats encoursging

Looks more like slime algae which a good cleanup crew should handle

turno snails
Astrea snails
Nerite snails
Trochus snail
Some blue leg hermits

check also, your phosphate level and reduce white light intensity a little

Thanks. I have a good and diverse cuc and phosphate level is 0. Using AI mixed reef lighting schedule on 2 hydra 32s

 

[BigSkyRich]

Hello, could you pm me some more pictures. We can chat about it there. I appreciate you calling me a go to guy but I assure you I am not an expert haha! I'm just a guy who works at an LFS and meets a lot of people in person with the same issues that I see online so I try my best to help

Let me see what I can do on the picture front. Thanks

 

[BigSkyRich]

Hello, could you pm me some more pictures. We can chat about it there. I appreciate you calling me a go to guy but I assure you I am not an expert haha! I'm just a guy who works at an LFS and meets a lot of people in person with the same issues that I see online so I try my best to help

Thanks - not sure how to PM through this forum, but I'm posting a better picture of the culprit - thanks for your help

 

[Spare time]

Thanks - not sure how to PM through this forum, but I'm posting a better picture of the culprit - thanks for your help

I recommend starting your own thread. There you can put more pictures and what not. Those stringy things almost look like a spaghetti worm of some sort if that is what you are referring to.

 

[BigSkyRich]

I recommend starting your own thread. There you can put more pictures and what not. Those stringy things almost look like a spaghetti worm of some sort if that is what you are referring to.

Thanks - let me try that

 

[BigSkyRich]

I did do a quick search on the worm, and it may be. They just aren't as think - these are quite thin - thread like at best.

 

[jahel318]

Google hydrogen peroxide for cyano in reef tanks. I've injected it into my sand bed in the past for cyano and it worked instantly. You have to dose according to your tank size but pay attention to your pH.

 

[BigSkyRich]

Google hydrogen peroxide for cyano in reef tanks. I've injected it into my sand bed in the past for cyano and it worked instantly. You have to dose according to your tank size but pay attention to your pH.

Thanks. I did see where peroxide can be used as a diagnostic tool outside of tank using a sample. Was thinking about doing that today

 

[jahel318]

Thanks. I did see where peroxide can be used as a diagnostic tool outside of tank using a sample. Was thinking about doing that today

Just make sure you try to fix the source of the problem afterwards (too much feeding, high nitrates, phosphates, etc) otherwise it will grow back eventually.

 

[BigSkyRich]

Just make sure you try to fix the source of the problem afterwards (too much feeding, high nitrates, phosphates, etc) otherwise it will grow back eventually.

Thank you. Yes totally agree. That's my quandary, my phosphates are at 0, only have 3 clowns that I feed minimally once a day or every other day. Nitrates at 5 for a couple of months now