Exterminating Lyngbya?!

Dule T&T · Dec 22, 2021

As the thread headline says, is it possible to exterminate the Devil's seed called Lyngbya?
I mean, for more than a year I have that incredibly persistent pest!
It's just so irritating!

When I'm removing it mechanically it releases toxins and irritate my corals and fish... if I don't remove it mechanically it covers EVERYTHING in the matter of a day!
UV sterilizer is useless!
CUC is also inefficient....

I saw some ideas like using antbiotics like Azithromycin, but I'm not sure that I would dare to put that in 400 gallon, 5 years old reef with hundreds of corals...
My guess is that if something kills bad bacteria it will kill good one as well?

I'm slowly going insane here!

chipchipbro · Dec 22, 2021

@vetteguy53081 tagging you as I know u know lyngbya good

vetteguy53081 · Dec 22, 2021

Dule T&T said:
As the thread headline says, is it possible to exterminate the Devil's seed called Lyngbya?
I mean, for more than a year I have that incredibly persistent pest!
It's just so irritating!

When I'm removing it mechanically it releases toxins and irritate my corals and fish... if I don't remove it mechanically it covers EVERYTHING in the matter of a day!
UV sterilizer is useless!
CUC is also inefficient....

I saw some ideas like using antbiotics like Azithromycin, but I'm not sure that I would dare to put that in 400 gallon, 5 years old reef with hundreds of corals...
My guess is that if something kills bad bacteria it will kill good one as well?

I'm slowly going insane here!

Devils seed- LOL
This will require elbow grease and good scrubbing with my preference- a stiff automotive detail brush. This stuff is type of cyanobacteria which looks like hair algae and is filamentous rather than slimy. It comes off easily from the rock, has no hard to remove root or mat structure and as you may have discovered-grows fast. Lyngbya seems to grow very fast in warmer temperature tanks, and spreads quickly once attached to a given surface.
After scrubbing, add some carribean blue leg hermits, chiton snails and larger cerith and nerite snails for control

Dule T&T · Dec 22, 2021

vetteguy53081 said:
Devils seed- LOL
This will require elbow grease and good scrubbing with my preference- a stiff automotive detail brush. This stuff is type of cyanobacteria which looks like hair algae and is filamentous rather than slimy. It comes off easily from the rock, has no hard to remove root or mat structure and as you may have discovered-grows fast. Lyngbya seems to grow very fast in warmer temperature tanks, and spreads quickly once attached to a given surface.
After scrubbing, add some carribean blue leg hermits, chiton snails and larger cerith and nerite snails for control

Tried scrubbing it many times like a crazy person.... but some small piece always remains somewhere hidden and then comes back....
It's so annoying.

reeferalex21 · Dec 22, 2021

I had good luck with the following:

- Manually remove as much as possible.
- Raise nitrates to 10ppm.
- Dose Vibrant per instructions for dirty tanks.

vetteguy53081 · Dec 22, 2021

Dule T&T said:
Tried scrubbing it many times like a crazy person.... but some small piece always remains somewhere hidden and then comes back....
It's so annoying.

Other suggetion I leave as a last resort is ro pull the rock and dip in a solution of 1 pint 3% peroxide to 1/2 gallon of tank water after scrubbing which will weaken any remaining devils seed then add those cleaners mentioned