Help with pesky pink stuff

[kingPumpkin]

I believe it is cyano but it hasn't gone away and is very annoying. It has black hairs growing off it and just started to spread to the rocks. I use a toothbrush to clean it off but it grows back quickly. I do regular water changes. 10-5 gallons a week in my 40 gallon reef tank. Here are my parameters:
Temp 75.5
Salinity 1.024 (i try to keep it around 1.025)
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Calcium 380 ppm (A little low for me, I like around 440 but maybe that is too high)
KH, 9 dKH, 161.1 ppm KH
Phosphate 0 ppm
Nitrate 10 ppm

Does anyone have suggestions on how to get rid of this stuff? I have tried turning the light off for 3-4 days, that didn't work. My local fish store owner told me to put some trocha snails in the tank and that hasn't helped (it has been about a month since I did that) I clean the sand bed, I have removed some sand and put new sand in. I can't seem to get rid of this stuff. any advice. Someone told me the cause of this bacteria is my rock (the green one) but I had a hard time believing that. Any advice?

 

[EvanDeVita]

Those are dinoflagellates. That sucks bro. I had the same strain in my tank. I fixed it with a UV filter and blackouts. They become waterborn at night, which is why my method worked. This is a very unfortunate outbreak and I’m sorry! I also removed it as much as possible with a syphon. Best of luck!

 

[EvanDeVita]

This is the gunk I had in my tank

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Evening,

I don’t know if I would jump to Dino just yet. Not saying it is not, and I am a fan of UV. I am thinking cyano as well.

With your tank lightly stocked I may suggest chemiclean. It could not hurt and be easy to get out of the system after used. You would also know for sure if it was cyano after using it.

 

[EvanDeVita]

I’m not as experienced as the guy above^, but I’d bet my kidney it’s dinos

 

[terraincognita]

looks like Cyano too me,

But also looks like you're just going through the "uglies"

I promise you, if you just siphon your sand bed once a week, and wait out the next 3-4 months it'll get better over time.

Don't try to "fight" it too much.

Dosing some microbacter7 every other day can help.

But don't try to dose vibrant or a bunch of other chemicals. PLease just let your tank be . It'll come out of it.

Your sand bed is working on establishing a filter. It's just excess nutrients, not being handled by bacteria or, coral, or coralline or other "positive" things you want to deal with the nutrients. Eventually your sand bed will catch up and deal with the nutrients faster than the cyano can use it to grow.

 

[terraincognita]

I’m not as experienced as the guy above^, but I’d bet my kidney it’s dinos

See how yours was kind of Snotty? and had bubbles.

I've never seen a dino without those air bubbles.

Thus why I'm assuming Cyano, also Cyano is generally mat like, which you can see from his photos chunks of the "mat" missing from something disturbing the sand.


Also OP. I have found FoxFace, Rabbitfish and Scarlett Hermit Crabs to specifically eat Cyano, in terms of utilitarian inhabitants.

Also cut back feeding to every other day. That will help more than lights or anything else.

 

[EvanDeVita]

See how yours was kind of Snotty? and had bubbles.

I've never seen a dino without those air bubbles.

Thus why I'm assuming Cyano, also Cyano is generally mat like, which you can see from his photos chunks of the "mat" missing from something disturbing the sand.


Also OP. I have found FoxFace, Rabbitfish and Scarlett Hermit Crabs to specifically eat Cyano, in terms of utilitarian inhabitants.

Also cut back feeding to every other day. That will help more than lights or anything else.

That is true. Can we get a closeup image @kingPumpkin

 

[kingPumpkin]

Here are some pics of it up close.
@terraincognita is it normal for the cyano to be only where the light is shinning?

 

[EvanDeVita]

Here are some pics of it up close.
@terraincognita is it normal for the cyano to be only where the light is shinning?

I hope it’s not too late- that does look cyano. PLEASE LEAVE MY KIDNEY ALONE

 

[terraincognita]

Here are some pics of it up close.
@terraincognita is it normal for the cyano to be only where the light is shinning?

I've never had Cyano grow where light DOESN'T shine as an answer to your question