Im having a few issues... HELP

[legacy2mj]

I have a biocube 29 about 4 months old.... just recently there has been a major outbreak of red hairy cyanic algae..... it started in the sand so i tried to remove it when I did a water change a week ago, and also added a second power head to increase water movement..... but.... it didn't work, now its starting to grow off the tips of a few coral and continues to get worse. Is there anything i can do to get rid of it? or at least contain it better???
My second issue is my Zoas.... They won't open. I tested my water and everything is fine.... I have trace nitrate but nothing serious and my calcium is a slightly low.. But zoas can't be that sensitive can they? They are the only coral of mine that are closed up and won't open. I have been adding iodide to the tank in hopes that would help. Unfortunately it hasn't. So now I'm looking for some professional advice! PLEASE HELP!

 

[HVAC Guy]

Where are you getting your water? Have you tested the phosphates? In the new water and the tank? If you cant locate and fix the reasin for it you may try Nualgi or Chemipure/Chemiclean.

 

[CoralHut]

Red Cyanobacteria is usually a sign of high nutrients, low flow, high temperature, too long of a lighting photoperiod, and generally compounded on a mixture of all of these. An additional factor is water quality for your waterchange water and waterchange frequency. If you are not using RO/DI water with a low TDS < 5ppm then you need to get a cleaner source of water as this way be a source of phosphate. If you are not changing the water regularly you may have too high of phoshates in the ststem as well. I would first address the flow, is there adequate random flow in the tank? If not, add a powerhead or two. You said you have a biocube 29, recommended powerheads should be in the 400 GPH range. Second, what is the temperature running? If too high, find a way to keep it reliably lower. Time the lights so they are on no longer than 8 hours a day. Finally, check your phosphate levels as these are the limiting factor in cyanobacteria infestations. Keep phosphates low and cyanobacteria will have a hard time growing.

To get rid of the cyanobacteria fast: Change about 50% of the water using a siphon tube to get as much cyanobacteria as you can out of the system. You can then treat with ChemiClean to knock the cyanobacteria out. Change the water again in 48 hours 50% or more. Then test your phosphates with a quality low-range kit to ensure you don't have extra phosphate left over. If so, it may be time to start using phosphate reducing media, such as granular ferric oxide (GFO). You can get GFO or other phosphate binders in products like ChemiPure Blue (highly recommended) or ChemiPure Elite.

 

[legacy2mj]

Red Cyanobacteria is usually a sign of high nutrients, low flow, high temperature, too long of a lighting photoperiod, and generally compounded on a mixture of all of these. An additional factor is water quality for your waterchange water and waterchange frequency. If you are not using RO/DI water with a low TDS < 5ppm then you need to get a cleaner source of water as this way be a source of phosphate. If you are not changing the water regularly you may have too high of phoshates in the ststem as well. I would first address the flow, is there adequate random flow in the tank? If not, add a powerhead or two. You said you have a biocube 29, recommended powerheads should be in the 400 GPH range. Second, what is the temperature running? If too high, find a way to keep it reliably lower. Time the lights so they are on no longer than 8 hours a day. Finally, check your phosphate levels as these are the limiting factor in cyanobacteria infestations. Keep phosphates low and cyanobacteria will have a hard time growing.

To get rid of the cyanobacteria fast: Change about 50% of the water using a siphon tube to get as much cyanobacteria as you can out of the system. You can then treat with ChemiClean to knock the cyanobacteria out. Change the water again in 48 hours 50% or more. Then test your phosphates with a quality low-range kit to ensure you don't have extra phosphate left over. If so, it may be time to start using phosphate reducing media, such as granular ferric oxide (GFO). You can get GFO or other phosphate binders in products like ChemiPure Blue (highly recommended) or ChemiPure Elite.

excellent information... I will kick the timer on my lights down a few hours and start doing some water changes. I don't know what my phosphate levels are, I will have to get that tested when I go to get water. I will also pick up some chemiclean.

 

[CoralHut]

A high quality test kit is essential for phosphate testing. Do not use the API kits as their resolution is too high and the lowest level it tests for is too high for any reef aquaria. A kit I recommend that is affordable is the Red Sea Phosphate test kit. Easy to use, accurate, and has good color disparity.