How to proceed

fernalfer · Oct 12, 2016

Ok i have no nuisance algae. actually none at all except for the brownish algae that shows up on the glass about 6-8 days after cleaning it and sometimes on the over flows. Now i do have cyanobacteria that has cut back but will not completely go away. So i'm in limbo. Do i have a nutrient problem? I say no because their is no other algae issues besides the cyano. Is the nutrients locked up in the cyano that's why i get low phosphate and nitrate readings? I'm unsure.

My tank is now 5 1/2 months old. I have cut the lighting schedule down and have also only turned on the blues because i heard the white help promote cyano growth. I have a GFO reactor but have not hooked it up yet because i'm not sure if it is needed or if i should just let the tank run its course.

I do weekly 10% water changes with RODI water and Reef Crystals Salt. I siphon the cyano off the rocks at every water change. I have brand new LED Reefbreeder Photon V2 lighting. My parameters are:

Nitrate - 2
Phosphate - .003
Alk - 8.5 DkH
Calcium - 480
Magnesium - 1500
Ph - 8.2

Just not sure if i should hook up the GFO or not. Any advice on whether i should or shouldn't would be great.

Duke4Life · Oct 12, 2016

http://reef2reef.com/threads/cyanobacteria-questions-answers-and-solution.253823/

happyhourhero · Oct 12, 2016

Do you have adequate flow?

fernalfer · Oct 12, 2016

happyhourhero said:
Do you have adequate flow?

Yes almost to much flow. I have to turn my powerheads way down. actually one of the spots that has the most cyano growth is where the flow is at its highest. weird......

Broadfield · Oct 12, 2016

Yeah, the flow thing never helped with my cyano either. However, hydrogen peroxide will knock it out, plain and simple. You will need to make sure it's actually cyano though... which can be done with a sample of the "cyano" and a cup of tank water and peroxide. Simply follow the link that @Duke4Life provided and @twilliard explains how to test your sample.

I urge you to not assume that it's cyano because I fell victim to assuming not too long ago. I truly did have a cyano issue that I easily beat with hydrogen peroxide. About 2 weeks later, the "cyano" came back. So I dosed hydrogen peroxide again for a couple of weeks and it only got worse. Well after weeks of battling it, I figured out that it wasn't cyano, even though it looked IDENTICAL to the naked eye. It was actually spirulina... which peroxide has zero affect on. And Spirulina can easily be beat with Chemiclean. Note: Chemiclean does not work on cyano. Chemiclean wiped out the spirulina in a matter of days. I have not had either in months!

Duke4Life · Oct 12, 2016

fernalfer said:
Yes almost to much flow. I have to turn my powerheads way down. actually one of the spots that has the most cyano growth is where the flow is at its highest. weird......

Odd enough mine was in a high flow area. I got help from twillard and bye bye it went.

fernalfer · Oct 12, 2016

Broadfield said:
Yeah, the flow thing never helped with my cyano either. However, hydrogen peroxide will knock it out, plain and simple. You will need to make sure it's actually cyano though... which can be done with a sample of the "cyano" and a cup of tank water and peroxide. Simply follow the link that @Duke4Life provided and @twilliard explains how to test your sample.

I urge you to not assume that it's cyano because I fell victim to assuming not too long ago. I truly did have a cyano issue that I easily beat with hydrogen peroxide. About 2 weeks later, the "cyano" came back. So I dosed hydrogen peroxide again for a couple of weeks and it only got worse. Well after weeks of battling it, I figured out that it wasn't cyano, even though it looked IDENTICAL to the naked eye. It was actually spirulina... which peroxide has zero affect on. And Spirulina can easily be beat with Chemiclean. Note: Chemiclean does not work on cyano. Chemiclean wiped out the spirulina in a matter of days. I have not had either in months!

Interesting. I will do the test today. I have a couple skunk cleaner shrimp and have heard peroxide could have negative effects on them. My one concern because i love those shrimp and so do the kids.

Salty1962 · Oct 12, 2016

I wouldn't run any GFO with your test levels @ .003 on Po4.

fernalfer · Oct 12, 2016

If you notice the full tank shot their really is no algae issue other then the cyano on the middle top rock in the back and at the top of the rock pile to the right which gets crazy flow.

Rick.45cal · Oct 12, 2016

I've got a pair of skunk cleaner shrimp and have (and do) dose H2O2 on a regular basis. They have rapidly grown from less than 3/4" to almost 1.5" now so it definitely hasn't hurt them in anyway. Unfortunately it has had little effect on my cyano, though I know there is spiralina in there too. It's tough to battle organisms that are all around us, all the time, and were probably the first colonizers of the primordial ooze that was early Earth. Keep at it! Hopefully we will all get there!

Broadfield · Oct 12, 2016

fernalfer said:
If you notice the full tank shot their really is no algae issue other then the cyano on the middle top rock in the back and at the top of the rock pile to the right which gets crazy flow.

Cyano can live in virtually any conditions... Twilliard has proven that. This is why it's so difficult to combat it without using peroxide.

happyhourhero · Oct 12, 2016

Good info in here. My apologies for passing antiquated info along about flow. I have been lucky so far and not had to deal with cyano or spir aside from small patches that I never try and treat.

Cory · Oct 12, 2016

Want to try this?

Rotifiers are predators of cyanobacteria. Try grow some roties and dump in the tank.

By the way dont sell my idea like biopellets! U be in trouble.