Poll: How Have You Battled Cyano?

[Tahoe61]

Chemiclean for me as well, I use it about every 4 months on both tanks just as a maintenance measure. I avoid amino acids or foods such as Acropower......Sometimes I do a light reduction.

 

[LovesDogs_CatsRokay]

Chemiclean didn't work for me. What did is just syphoning out as much as possible everyday for about a week, and eventually it stopped coming back.

 

[divewsharks]

I've had good experience adding additional bacteria to my tank. Like MB7 or the like; something that adds additional strains of bacteria to outcompete it.

 

[Jose Mayo]

I also did not find my way in the voting options ...

I treat cyano with azithromycin in a single dose of 1 mg / liter, directly in the DT. In 100% of the times I used this treatment the cyanobacteria were eliminated in 3 to 4 days, with no consequence for corals, crustaceans (including pods), snails, worms or fish. In almost all the times there was no alteration of the biological filter and, when there was, there was only a slight elevation of the nitrite, without ammonia appearance and without nitrate increase. I did not change the feeding routine and aquarium lights at all, I only removed the activated charcoal and the cup of the skimmer during the time of treatment.

The treatment time was as necessary for the aquarium to be two days of normal light cycle, with no return of cyano. On average, a total treatment time of 6 or 7 days.

After the treatment, it is enough to return the activated charcoal and the cup of the skimmer and, after 24 hours of this, to realize partial exchange of water 25% to dilute the altered parameters.

I do not consider that the approach to antibiotics should be the first to be considered, but if corals and even biology is threatened by a particularly invasive or toxic strain of cyano, I find it extremely "courageous" to allow it to proceed as "natural metods" do not have the effect of controlling it.

Best regards

 

[Brew12]

The other main competitor to a direct control method is the balance of increasing nitrate or phosphate back to balanced levels vs nutrient restriction. nutrient balancing is gaining strength in 2018.

I'm not sure this is a competitor, just a different version of the same thing. When you take apart a small DT to clean it you are essentially doing a nutrient reset to restore balance. When that isn't practical other methods of restoring that balance are required.

 

[Maritimer]

I've successfully eliminated it only one time - and that was with a three-day blackout. Water movement turned out to be a myth in my case - two x-50 Gyres running fwd/reverse in a 65, and the stuff was growing thick. Haven't had it crop up in the 220. (Watch - now it will!)

~Bruce

 

[GoVols]

Have I dual treatment that I will not post.

But.. Since I was able to keep phos. and nitrates in-balance with out the need to carbon dose...
Have not had a new cyano outbreak in a year and a half.

Carbon dosing fuels good and bad bacteria.

 

[GoVols]

I've successfully eliminated it only one time - and that was with a three-day blackout. Water movement turned out to be a myth in my case - two x-50 Gyres running fwd/reverse in a 65, and the stuff was growing thick. Haven't had it crop up in the 220. (Watch - now it will!)

~Bruce

(lol)
Bruce,
We both just put the Voodoo on our reefs

Freddie

 

[Brew12]

(lol)
Bruce,
We both just put the Voodoo on our reefs

Freddie

I'd comment, but I fear the slime!

 

[FLAdaboy]

I do lights out for a few days. I have tried other means and every time I do lights out, my corals survive with no issues. I can’t say the same about other means.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

My current 30 gal is a rehab rbuld of my jbj. It was coated in sheets of cyano.
When I transferred tanks, I scrubbed and rinsed and used a bit of peroxide.
Once backnin the new tank the sheets formed immediately.
I was also acclimating the tank to a 150w 20k radium MH.

Several of the rocks tested positive for bound Po4 the day I did the scrub and transfer.

I put a small hob fuge on the back of the tank.

Over the course of two months I slowly increased the intensity of the MH with proximity and time.

I disturbed the cyano by blowing it off before water changes.
I added more and more more corals to the tank
I did my water changes with natural seawater.

I fed the fish normally , with several types of frozen foods.

The cyano patches eventually got smaller and smaller , some , interestingly, formed on Rock branches in very high flow.

Corals all grew pretty well in that time Esp the sps.

So, high Light, waterchanges, competed for nutrients with coral.

Would have been nice if my skimmer worked well at the time. Or at all really.

That was pretty much the last time I fought cyano , two years ago.

 

[VR28man]

The other main competitor to a direct control method is the balance of increasing nitrate or phosphate back to balanced levels vs nutrient restriction. nutrient balancing is gaining strength in 2018.

I have seen this more and more lately. What does it mean to balance nitrate and phosphate, versus running low nutrients?

Back to the thread, I have a very small cyano outburst, and I’m trying to figure out the cause. And what, if anything, to do about it right now .

 

[Brew12]

I have seen this more and more lately. What does it mean to balance nitrate and phosphate, versus running low nutrients?

Back to the thread, I have a very small cyano outburst, and I’m trying to figure out the cause. And what, if anything, to do about it right now .

The idea is that "good algae/bacteria" will outcompete the cyano and dino's as long as there is enough PO4 and NO3 for them to do so. If you run deficient on one or the other that opens the window to the ugly bacteria.

This often works but definitely not always. There are so many strains of cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates that no single treatment would ever be effective on all of them. The best we can do, short of microscopic identification, is offer advice on what works for "typical" species of each.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

One doesn't battle cyano, the only option is full warfare. I've done a black out, new filter media, manual removal, water changes, etc, I'm only now seeing it beginning to weaken.

 

[VR28man]

The idea is that "good algae/bacteria" will outcompete the cyano and dino's as long as there is enough PO4 and NO3 for them to do so. If you run deficient on one or the other that opens the window to the ugly bacteria.

This often works but definitely not always. There are so many strains of cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates that no single treatment would ever be effective on all of them. The best we can do, short of microscopic identification, is offer advice on what works for "typical" species of each.

I see. So what should the balance be? (Eg 10 ppm trates and 0.1 phosphate?) Are there any articles available?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I see. So what should the balance be? (Eg 10 ppm trates and 0.1 phosphate?) Are there any articles available?

There’s not a balance. It’s a limitation.
If one has zero N and some P. It’s N limited. And vice versa.

 

[GoVols]

The idea is that "good algae/bacteria" will outcompete the cyano and dino's as long as there is enough PO4 and NO3 for them to do so. If you run deficient on one or the other that opens the window to the ugly bacteria.

This often works but definitely not always. There are so many strains of cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates that no single treatment would ever be effective on all of them. The best we can do, short of microscopic identification, is offer advice on what works for "typical" species of each.

There’s not a balance. It’s a limitation.
If one has zero N and some P. It’s N limited. And vice versa.

Agree with both of the above post. If one bottoms out, could be trouble.

The last strain that I had, phos and nitrates were perfect, but this was some kinda funky hybird ;Wacky

 

[Brew12]

There’s not a balance. It’s a limitation.
If one has zero N and some P. It’s N limited. And vice versa.

This +1

The problem with trying to find the balance is that we have no way to actually measure it. Taking water samples and testing NO3 is fine and useful. The problem is that it only tells you the NO3 content of the water at that particular time. It doesn't give you any accurate indication of other sources of nitrates in your system.

All we can try to do is look for limitations. If your system looks great and you have 0ppm of NO3 and PO4 I wouldn't change a thing.

 

[VR28man]

Fair enough. Then, you should have about the same of each. With the caveat that "about the same" is fuzzy, bit it's not 0:0.1, or 10:0.03. Or 20 and 1.5. As long as your system doesn't look out of whack.

 

[chefjpaul]

When I start getting patches, I first, will add a cap or two if seachem no3. I find in my tank, a lack of and indications of stunt algae growth, I'll get the cyano.
Opposite for me and dino, Ill add po4, still with the lack of algae growth indications as well.

I now look, observe the aquarium for critter foods / algae growth to kinda confirm if I am lacking nutrients, which in this particular tank is quite often.

Not testing with numbers and chasing so much anymore. It's a bit trickier without the mass load of corals to go by color indication in a new tank, so I use algae as a souce.
-critters to consume.

Untill my bio load is higher, and I get a lot more coral to consume, I try and control through dosing. It has been working for me. aling with the complete stopping of the stupid terminology "probiotic" .... carbon dosing.