Help for finally removing cyanobacteria from tank

[MarkS]

Hi, I have got my cyanobacteria under control and tank is stabilised however I am left with red gunk still in pipes and tank. i regularly clean all equipment but how do you get the remaining gunk from tank? It is like the residue settles from the normal water flow.

TY Mark

 

[Jseimo]

Turkey basters are your best friend. I’ve also found a set of pipe cleaners at the hardware store to get into plumbing

 

[MarkS]

Thanks for the reply.Not sure if we have them in NZ what are they exactly? Also how do you capture the gunk from the pipes and not get it through the tank etc?

 

[Subsea]

I see little advantage in swabbing out plumbing pipes. You will never get it all. Cyno in a reef tank is like carbon dioxide in the air. You are going to have it. Outcompeting nuisance algae with desirable algae like zooanthellia Is the solution in nature. Vacume your sand bed of nuisance cyno.

 

[Jseimo]

Thanks for the reply.Not sure if we have them in NZ what are they exactly? Also how do you capture the gunk from the pipes and not get it through the tank etc?

Filter floss will catch loose stuff

 

[ineption]

I have had cyano bacteria in my tank queit a few times and I am pretty sure on how to exactly get rid of it.
First cyano comes from exess dissolved organic nitrogen I.e amino acids and or any kind of food that you may add starting from reef roids ending with flake or frozen. This means that you are feeding too much and cyano is the first on to come to a party and eat the easy dinner.
So reduce your feeding cut by 75% (don't worry your corals and fish will be fine! Stop any kind of Amino acid addictions and water changes.
I am assuming you are not carbon dosing if you are go algae scrubber route and or use tmc np bacto pellets ect.
Now go ahead and buy some microbacter 7 and dose the maintenance dose on the bottle do not over do it! Ask me how I know
Lastly give it around 4 to 6 weeks. Once Cyano starts receding start start upping the feeding ect by do it slowly.
PS I am no expert but this has worked for me few times in 2 different systems

 

[Jseimo]

I have had cyano bacteria in my tank queit a few times and I am pretty sure on how to exactly get rid of it.
First cyano comes from exess dissolved organic nitrogen I.e amino acids and or any kind of food that you may add starting from reef roids ending with flake or frozen. This means that you are feeding too much and cyano is the first on to come to a party and eat the easy dinner.
So reduce your feeding cut by 75% (don't worry your corals and fish will be fine! Stop any kind of Amino acid addictions and water changes.
I am assuming you are not carbon dosing if you are go algae scrubber route and or use tmc np bacto pellets ect.
Now go ahead and buy some microbacter 7 and dose the maintenance dose on the bottle do not over do it! Ask me how I know
Lastly give it around 4 to 6 weeks. Once Cyano starts receding start start upping the feeding ect by do it slowly.
PS I am no expert but this has worked for me few times in 2 different systems

From what I’ve read cyano is caused by a nutrient imbalance. High nitrates low phosphates kind of deal. Witch is why your mostly right. It’s also why people who carbon dose run into cyano problem. Eliminating one nutrient over another.

 

[ineption]

I have had cyano pop it's ugly head everytime I would over do on carbon or aminos acids or when I would overfeed The moment I stopped doing all of that I haven't seen cyano at all. Also in newer tanks with less coral and not very established microfauna there is nothing to consume even the smallest additions of food even frozen so that gets converted to organic nitrogen and cyano just thrives in it

 

[ineption]

Ps sorry about my writing!
sometimes I think I wrote something decent and after posting and rereading it I realise what I wrote and it makes me cringe Ignoring my amazing skills at writing the advice I hope is solid

 

[Subsea]

I have had cyano pop it's ugly head everytime I would over do on carbon or aminos acids or when I would overfeed The moment I stopped doing all of that I haven't seen cyano at all. Also in newer tanks with less coral and not very established microfauna there is nothing to consume even the smallest additions of food even frozen so that gets converted to organic nitrogen and cyano just thrives in it

Many species of Cynobacteria. Most do not require nitrogen in bulk water.

Biological Nitrogen Fixation

Nitrogen fixation is a key component of the nitrogen cycle, one of the most fundamental cycles in the biosphere. Conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into organic nitrogen compounds can be carried out only by certain bacteria and blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). Some nitrogen fixing bacteria live...

books.google.com

[Nitrogen fixation in Cynobacteria.]

 

[Subsea]

Ps sorry about my writing!
sometimes I think I wrote something decent and after posting and rereading it I realise what I wrote and it makes me cringe Ignoring my amazing skills at writing the advice I hope is solid

@inception
Look at bottom left of your post and EDIT as required

 

[MarkS]

Thanks for all the advice.

 

[homer1475]

I've had cyano issues on and off for many many years. Chemiclean cleans it up for a few months, then it comes back.

What finally cleaned it up for me, following someone from swedens advice(forgive me as I cannot think of their nick, but runs he swedens aquariums(I believe). If I think of it, I will add it in this post later on).

All I basically did was up my nitrates from 1 to 2 ppm to 6 to 8 ppm. No more cyano.

EDIT to add:
@Sallstrom and @Lasse is where I got this idea of raising nitrates to combat cyano. Low and behold in the last 2 months I am mostly cyano free. Least free from the ugly thick mats, but still have some cyano here and there, just no ugly thick mats.

 

[Paul B]

I have some cyano in my tank and it is fifty years old. It comes and goes and is very natural and in many areas of the sea. It doesn't bother me and I never even notice it.

If you look close in this video you can see it all over the place as well as hair algae, also normal.

 

[homer1475]

I have some cyano in my tank and it is fifty years old. It comes and goes and is very natural and in many areas of the sea. It doesn't bother me and I never even notice it.

If you look close in this video you can see it all over the place as well as hair algae, also normal.

100% agree with you here. It's amarine tank and some algae means its a healthy stable system. I just hate the thick red mats that strangle and kill anything they touch.