How to defeat cyano

[Carterfish]

I️ have a tank that is about 12 years old now. Been through it’s fair share of ups and downs. Recently I️ have made I️t into a softie/lps tank. Within the last week or so cyano has started to grow on multiple rocks and now is starting to grow on sandbed. How to solve this? I️ am not feeding too much more than I️ usually do. I️ know chemiclean works but would like something thatll keep cyano at bay all the time. Thanks

 

[GoVols]

Keep your phosphates and nitrates stable and in balance.

The times that I used get cyano, my nitrates were too low.

And if you carbon dose it "fuels" good and bad bacteria.

 

[mcarroll]

What all changes did you make in the recent switch you mentioned?

New rock? New substrate? New lights? New filters? More? All of the above?

If the cyano is bothering you while we figure this out, then siphon out the heaviest patches and use a baby toothbrush to clean from around your corals if needed.

FYI it sounds like the cyano is favoring the substrate as a source of nutrients...probably PO4, but possibly lots more than that in a 12 year old tank. But this suggests that the water column might be nutrient-poor. Do you have some test results for N or P?

 

[Fin]

I have a 15 gallon nano and I had a pretty bad outbreak of cyano, following dosing the tank with Vibrant. I can only tell you what I did. Everyone's tanks are different and some things work in some, but not all situations.

I used daily dosing of KZ Cyano Clean along with their recommended use of KZ Marine Snow. It is now completely gone and I haven't seen it in a couple of months. Zero. I have used the Cyano Clean before by itself without much success. But when using in conjunction with the Marine Snow, according to directions on the bottle of Cyano Clean, it did work for me. I really made no other changes. Could be a complete coincidence, but I feel like it did what it is advertised to do - when used as directed.

Good luck with the battle. I know it is not fun.

 

[Carterfish]

What all changes did you make in the recent switch you mentioned?

New rock? New substrate? New lights? New filters? More? All of the above?

If the cyano is bothering you while we figure this out, then siphon out the heaviest patches and use a baby toothbrush to clean from around your corals if needed.

FYI it sounds like the cyano is favoring the substrate as a source of nutrients...probably PO4, but possibly lots more than that in a 12 year old tank. But this suggests that the water column might be nutrient-poor. Do you have some test results for N or P?

All I️ got was a couple rocks with the softies attached(leathers and zoas) I️ don’t dose the tank. The cyano is on one rock at the top of my scape a couple in the middle and then on the sandbed. I️t is starting to creep up my wall. I️ siphon I️t out but can’t get I️t all and the next day it’s right back where I️t was. Is their any inverts that eat I️t? Otherwise I️ will use the chemical stuff but does it work?

 

[mcarroll]

Cyano is just a phase and it's generally harmless, so you don'y have to do anything. It'll eventually pass if you aren't doing anything to feed into it.

So keep siphoning, but only as-needed/if-needed.

Don't use chemicals on it....your tank needs to mature past this.

But getting back to my questions...

The only real change was the added rocks w/corals that were on them?

Were these rocks sold as coral, or as rocks? Can you post a pic?

Is there any other algae growing anywhere in the system?

 

[Carterfish]

Cyano is just a phase and it's generally harmless, so you don'y have to do anything. It'll eventually pass if you aren't doing anything to feed into it.

So keep siphoning, but only as-needed/if-needed.

Don't use chemicals on it....your tank needs to mature past this.

But getting back to my questions...

The only real change was the added rocks w/corals that were on them?

Were these rocks sold as coral, or as rocks? Can you post a pic?

Is there any other algae growing anywhere in the system?

Yea I️ figure it’ll have to go away eventually. They were sold as coral but were mounted to rocks. Also is there any filter media that could help prevent this like chemipure elite?

 

[mcarroll]

Not at this phase....keep your activities manual and let the tank grow out of this phase.

 

[Lasse]

Keep an eye on your PO4 and NO3 levels - not the way normally suggested (if they are to high) instead - are the too low? Do you have any figures of PO4 and NO3?

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Carterfish]

My ph level is about 8.3 Don’t have a no3 test kit currently

 

[Carterfish]

Could I️t by chance be feeding on detritus and “scum”from my sump. I️ have a lot of detritus down there and recently poured water into the sump and the detritus and “scum” found its way into the pump and into the tank. Could this be I️t?

 

[Lasse]

I did not mean pH - I mean PO4 -> phosphate level

Sincerely Lasse

 

[bh750]

Ive been battling cyano for months and months now, over 6 months! It was concurrent with my battle with Large celled Amph Dinos, which I seem to have beaten. But not the cyano. Ive been taking the patient approach and vacuuming it out of my 220g display weekly and sometimes daily. Nitrates and Phosphates are not zero, but low. Usually NO3 ~ 5 PPM and PO4 <0.1PPM or less. I havent dont a WC in months and was about to do a series to drop NO3 and PO4 them and risk getting dionos back. But now reading it can have to do with imbalance and maybe NO3 needs to be higher?

 

[Lasse]

Ive been battling cyano for months and months now, over 6 months! It was concurrent with my battle with Large celled Amph Dinos, which I seem to have beaten. But not the cyano. Ive been taking the patient approach and vacuuming it out of my 220g display weekly and sometimes daily. Nitrates and Phosphates are not zero, but low. Usually NO3 ~ 5 PPM and PO4 <0.1PPM or less. I havent dont a WC in months and was about to do a series to drop NO3 and PO4 them and risk getting dionos back. But now reading it can have to do with imbalance and maybe NO3 needs to be higher?

A NO3 level of 5 ppm needs not to be higher. You run your NO3 and PO4 levels as I do by myself. It works for me.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Neoalchemist]

If the new corals were large you may have disrupted the water flow in the tank which can give the cyano a new home. Cyano doesnt like being in the current, so maybe try and move some pumps around to or add some flow to make the preferred spots less ideal.

 

[bh750]

A NO3 level of 5 ppm needs not to be higher. You run your NO3 and PO4 levels as I do by myself. It works for me.

Sincerely Lasse

So manually removing it for months now hasn't worked. What else can we do?

 

[bh750]

If the new corals were large you may have disrupted the water flow in the tank which can give the cyano a new home. Cyano doesnt like being in the current, so maybe try and move some pumps around to or add some flow to make the preferred spots less ideal.

I don't think it was the new corals. And the cyano seems to grow anywhere there's light. I.e. It grows everywhere!!! Granted I only have two 13 year old Tunze powerheads and my return pump providing flow. But not many coral to block the overall flow.

 

[Lasse]

Is it growing on sand, rock or both?
Are you sure on your NO3 readings? What test do you use?
Are you sure on your PO4 readings - what test are you using?

Sincerely Lasse

 

[bh750]

Is it growing on sand, rock or both?
Are you sure on your NO3 readings? What test do you use?
Are you sure on your PO4 readings - what test are you using?

Sincerely Lasse

- growing on both
- testing NO3 using a (new) Nyos kit
- testing PO4 using a Hanna Low Range checker. Reagents are new, but tester is pretty old.

 

[Carterfish]

If the new corals were large you may have disrupted the water flow in the tank which can give the cyano a new home. Cyano doesnt like being in the current, so maybe try and move some pumps around to or add some flow to make the preferred spots less ideal.

I️ have one large pump on I️t and then a few just from the filter that pump that water back into tank. Got any suggestions for small cheap pumps?