Red algae
- Thread starter stickman87
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Labridaedicted
Wrassetastic
Sure looks like cyano to me
If it blows off its probably cyano. It will probably go away.
nervousmonkey
LPS Lover, SPS Enabler
looks like cyano to me; if you want to, you can try to scrub it off with a brush (suction the water out behind the brush just in case). Cyano should come off very easily. What are your levels of NO# and PO4? Are you doing any carbon dosing? And cyano will grow anywhere, I just had a bad case of it and it was *on* my WAV pump. Just because there is flow there doesn't mean cyano won't grow there, just lessens its' chances.
Or do what Salty said and watch it to see if it will go away on its' own.
Or do what Salty said and watch it to see if it will go away on its' own.
stickman87
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Nitrate is a 3 I evils say it's between the 0 and 5 and ammonia 0 nitrate 0 I don't have a test kit for PO4 but I only use Rodi water how did you get rid of yours I was going to try the Dr tims refresh and see if that works I'm running ati t5 bulbs for 8hrs too
nervousmonkey
LPS Lover, SPS Enabler
There isn't much, so I would just monitor it and see if it goes away. I don't think Dr. Tim's will help; anything that has a carbon source will make it worse. Just watch it and see what happens. If it spreads quickly, start a new thread on treatment for cyano and you'll get a lot of answers. Right now I would not do a thing to your tank. Leave it just like it is, no water changes, nothing and see if it resolves itself. Don't do anything fast right now, it'll make it worse I promise. 
How much coral do you have in there.
Also are you running a refugium? IME cyano and even some green algaes cycle through a tank. Sometimes but not always is from a little to much feeding. If your numbers are still low it may be bacause there's nothing on there to compete with the cyano. Sometimes it's higher dissolved organics building up. Sometimes it's a little in both of those and low ph. Cyano does like lower ph cuz it likes co2.
So a fuge or ats will eat up extra nutrients and also c02.
A longer or higher light cycle may actually help too. Allowing more time for coral to eat nutrients and co2 and organics and compete w the cyano.
Also are you running a refugium? IME cyano and even some green algaes cycle through a tank. Sometimes but not always is from a little to much feeding. If your numbers are still low it may be bacause there's nothing on there to compete with the cyano. Sometimes it's higher dissolved organics building up. Sometimes it's a little in both of those and low ph. Cyano does like lower ph cuz it likes co2.
So a fuge or ats will eat up extra nutrients and also c02.
A longer or higher light cycle may actually help too. Allowing more time for coral to eat nutrients and co2 and organics and compete w the cyano.
nervousmonkey
LPS Lover, SPS Enabler
^^^^^This is your long term solution and short term, "What to think about and why is cyano in my tank?", solution. IME, cyano grows by having a carbon source, whatever form it is in. So as Salty said, higher dissolved organics, and esp dissolved organic carbon (DOC) will be a source of growth for cyano. In our tanks, that is usually the limiting factor, but once cyano has a source for it, it will take off, just IME/IMO. Anything that can reduce your DOC's and dissolved organics, from more skimming (only somewhat effective, skimming only takes out ~30% of DOC's), to Purigen (absorbs organics, but more specifically nitrogen containing ones, but will do a great job at pulling these reducing compounds out the of the water, raising your ORP in the process), to most importantly, refugiums with macroalgaes that have an amazing ability to utilize carbon based compounds as well as NO3 and PO4 in their growth, to an algae turf scrubber (ATS), which IME is the best eliminator of extra unwanted higher level carbons and DOC's (in fact, some ATS are so effective that they reduce the skimmate; a great skimmer and an ATS are frequently all that's needed).
Great point on the longer light cycle so corals can do the work of algaes, either refugium-based or ATS-based, until you can put in a good fuge or ATS.
There is a reason why cyano is so effective: it has been around for a really long time on this planet, and can fix nitrogen, so NO3 levels don't play into it, and they can survive on the smallest amount of phosphates, which really only make up a very small part of the amino acids needed for growth. Cyano cannot, however, fix carbon. It can absorb what's there and break it down, but if you reduce the levels of carbon sources in your tank, you will reduce the chance cyano has to grow.
Great advice Salty!
Great point on the longer light cycle so corals can do the work of algaes, either refugium-based or ATS-based, until you can put in a good fuge or ATS.
There is a reason why cyano is so effective: it has been around for a really long time on this planet, and can fix nitrogen, so NO3 levels don't play into it, and they can survive on the smallest amount of phosphates, which really only make up a very small part of the amino acids needed for growth. Cyano cannot, however, fix carbon. It can absorb what's there and break it down, but if you reduce the levels of carbon sources in your tank, you will reduce the chance cyano has to grow.
Great advice Salty!
stickman87
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Ok thanks for all the info I will leave it alone for now it's not spreading quickly either the pics are about 3 weeks worth of building up and I'm in the process of building another sump for it and might do a fuge in it I just thought it was odd that it is only on the newer rock and not my established rock.. Thanks for all the help
nervousmonkey
LPS Lover, SPS Enabler
I would definitely put a fuge in. what we are both trying to say is that there is a reason why cyano is there, there is a source of something it likes, and you have to get rid of the source to make sure you get rid of the cyano.
nervousmonkey
LPS Lover, SPS Enabler
It's pretty easy, add some miracle mud and chaeto and that's it. I would add some gracilaria as well (super pretty), or some caulerpa. That's really all you need
