Jack biocube 32
Community Member
Bit of a bad outbreak. Want to do lights out. Any suggestions on how many days I should leave the lights out
Rough Cyano Alage Outbreak
- Thread starter Jack biocube 32
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Lavey29
10K Club member
What will lights out do if you have not identified and remedied the problem that caused your cyano in the first place? decrease lights to 6 hours with blue and uv only no whites, Increase flow to cyano area and siphon out during weekly water changes. check all your parameters and determine why this occurred.
prodbot7
Active Member
How long has the tank been running for? I agree with the first persons post that figuring out what caused the issue is important and if the tank is newer, then the answer is likely that it just hadn’t fully cycled. If it’s well established then something else must be going on.
I also have used chemiclean with good results (at the time I had softies, lps, nems, and a variety of inverts…. I did not have and sps at the time so can’t vouch for how they respond)…. As an fyi following chemiclean I over corrected my nutrients too low and ended up with Dinos *sigh*. Dino X worked a charm for that and since it’s been smooth sailing.
I also have used chemiclean with good results (at the time I had softies, lps, nems, and a variety of inverts…. I did not have and sps at the time so can’t vouch for how they respond)…. As an fyi following chemiclean I over corrected my nutrients too low and ended up with Dinos *sigh*. Dino X worked a charm for that and since it’s been smooth sailing.
LPS Bum
Well-Known Member
Honestly, I would suggest you syphon out as much Cyano as you can first, and then treat with Chemiclean. You might even have to treat twice (back to back) which is perfectly safe. Then you can work on getting your nutrients, bacterial biome and parameters stable and robust enough to prevent the Cyano from coming back.
No doubt you'll hear from plenty of people who will try to shame you for using Chemiclean, but don't listen to them. It flat out works. And it can give you the head start you need to get everything in order, so that the Cyano doesn't come back.
No doubt you'll hear from plenty of people who will try to shame you for using Chemiclean, but don't listen to them. It flat out works. And it can give you the head start you need to get everything in order, so that the Cyano doesn't come back.
prodbot7
Active Member
As an aside, I like to be able to feed pretty heavily… after chatting with Chummingham we started dosing Microbacter 7 and Clean to help keep the tank stable and allow for lots of feeding.
OP
OP
Jack biocube 32
Community Member
Probably should have given more info. So, the tank just finished cycling.(Or maybe at the end of it aka the ugly stage) The tank has only been running since the very end of January. Went through hair alage got that under control but now this. Nitrates sit around 5 and ammonia is kept at zero. The tank is 32 gallon and gets a weekly 5 gallon water change every Saturday (gravel vac, glass scrape, skimmer cleaned). Thanks for the chemi clean suggestion I’ve done it in previous tanks but for some reason one of my gregorians does not seem to tolerate it. Which is why I’d like to do lights out (never done it tho, hence the thread)As far as coral go the stocking isn’t filled with many demanding corals as I just cycled. Green hammer, Birdsnest sps, forest fire digitata, a duncan, acans, zoas, some montipora, a candy cane, Gregorian, and one lonely shroom( have also messed with flow, turkey basted, and gravel backed but no sucess)
Lavey29
10K Club member
What are the rest of your parameters? Obviously something is off but that is to be expected with a new tank. Lights and flow affect cyano as much as water chemistry. I do not recommend using harsh chemicals because your biome is just starting and you will kill off what little good bacteria you have presently. You will experience various ugly stages over the course of your first year.
vetteguy53081
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Chemicals are alternatives and not solutions and one thing is certain- Cyano is photosynthetic which contributes to reproduction. Cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high.Bit of a bad outbreak. Want to do lights out. Any suggestions on how many days I should leave the lights out
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate. When the protein skimmer does not output the best efficiency or you do not have the suitable protein skimmer to cover the tank, the air bubbles created by the skimmer might be insufficient. And this insufficiency of air bubbles can trigger the cyano to thrive.
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development
I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 3-5 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.
After the 5 days, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.
