Algae/cyano problem

goody

Member
Not sure what I am dealing with here:ponder2: I had a bad cyano problem about a month ago. I wasn't sure why I had the bloom, because I was getting good flow and wasn't overfeeding. I added a refugium and seemed to solve my problem, but then too much cyano was in my fuge, so I added a very lowl flowing powerhead. This could be where my new problem stems from as I have unplugged the powerhead because I wasn't seeing growth in my cheato.

I now have several small bubbles sticking to my rocks and some of my coral (pic 1). I also am starting see a "slimy" covering on the rocks and some zoas (pic 2) and lastly, I'm getting a dark brown algae on my DSB (pic 3).

Can anybody tell me if this is another cyano problem or new algae and if it is related to the bubbles or my refugium. I also recently upgraded my lights from PC to 4x54w T5. Appreciate any advice.

Important info:
Tank is 6-7 months new
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 5ppm (dropped from ~20ppm through WC)
Alk 8 dKh, Calcium 420
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii188/good365/aquarium143.jpg
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii188/good365/aquarium146.jpg
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii188/good365/aquarium144.jpg
 

sebastian

Member
looks like you have same cr*p that i'm fighting right now...:cry1: mine grows only in very high flow areas.... 1 rock and spot on sand.... i'm trying to fight but:nopity: ......hope you will have some answers that i can use.....good luck:java:
 

prow

Well-Known Member

goody

Member
Thanks Prow. Are the dinoflagellates the brown stuff on the sand and the slimy stuff on the rocks? Does it make it worse if I hit it with a powerhead? What about running carbon, should I do that? I will cut down my lighting period, keep skimming, and raise my pH. Anything else?
 

prow

Well-Known Member
yup, thats the stuff. bubble trapping slimmy brown/yellow icky stringy stuff.

if you use a filter sock and then use a PH to blow it off then clean the filter sock a few hours later would be best i think. yeah run the carbon, double the amount normally used for the toxins from them.

this is from the second link
Here's a series of actions besides raising pH that may help aquarists to deal with problem dinoflagellates.

1. Reduce available nutrients in the water. These include nitrate and especially phosphate. In a severe case, the concerns with driving phosphate too low may be minor compared to the dinoflagellates (and their toxins). In addition to the usual ways of reducing nutrients (skimming, growing macroalgae, deep sand beds, etc.), aquarists should consider very aggressive use of granular ferric oxide (GFO). Putting a larger than normally recommended amount into a canister filter or reactor, and changing it every few days, may help. Don't bother to measure the phosphate level, because the goal is to have it well below normally detectable levels (say, 0.02 ppm).

2. Reduce the photoperiod to four hours per day. This may help to keep the dinoflagellates under control, but by itself will not usually eradicate them.

3. Use more than normal amounts of activated carbon, and possibly ozone, to deal with toxins that the dinoflagellates may be releasing. This may allow snails and other organisms to survive while the dinoflagellates are still at nuisance levels.

4. Manually siphon out as much of the mass of dinoflagellates as possible. Daily removal would be preferable to keep populations at a reduced level.

so add lots phosban (ferric oxide) and lots of carbon too.
 

prow

Well-Known Member
i am trying to find a link about treating them but can not find it. however, daily blowing off of your rock and use of filter sock and siphoning go a along way. hope its not to bad yet, the hardest part is keeping up with the needed routines, "changing out lots of carbon every couple days, lots of siphoning, ect" it becomes a real pain cause it takes awhile. if its not too bad you may take care of it before it become a full invasion/infestation.
 

goody

Member
yup, thats the stuff. bubble trapping slimmy brown/yellow icky stringy stuff.

if you use a filter sock and then use a PH to blow it off then clean the filter sock a few hours later would be best i think. yeah run the carbon, double the amount normally used for the toxins from them.

this is from the second link


so add lots phosban (ferric oxide) and lots of carbon too.

Went to my LFS, guy tried to sell me chemiclean. Told him I didn't want to try and solve my problem using chemicals. then he tried to sell me chem-pure. I didn't buy it because I didn't know if this was what I needed or if I just need to run some activated carbon. I did buy a smaller filter sock. This may be a dumb question, but I am learning. People talk about the sock filling up in a few days. Is this because the water doesn't seep through sock fast enough? Since I am blowing a lot of "crap" off of my rocks with PH, I will clean out a few hours later. Do I just turn it inside out and rinse with hose or does it need to be cleaned with RO/DI water?

Thanks
 

Octoman

Well-Known Member
I rinse my sock with the hose inside out and then throw it in the washing machine (also inside out). If it has a drawstring, tie it in a knot before you put it in the wash so it doesn't get yanked out (they are a PITA to put back in...). Some people say do and some say don't use detergent, so it's up to you. It gets cleaner with detergent, but it could put detergent in to your tank. I use a tiny bit of All Free and Clear (no fragrances, dyes) and always give it an extra rinse cycle.

You're right about the sock filling up. As it clogs up with stuff from the tank, the water seeps through slower and slower. If it slows too much, it will back up into the overflow pipe and then, Uh-oh, mess...
 

Dentoid

Smile Maker
PREMIUM
Interesting aside. I read that the zooxanthellae that are found within photosynthetic organisms are dinoflagellates that have shed their flagella when incorporated by the host. It was also theorized, in the article, that because we heavily skim our tanks bleached corals, clams, anemones etc may not be able to find the dinoflagellates, in our tanks, necessary to reincorporate them into their tissues.
 

goody

Member
i will ask the silly question (again) what is your water source for the tank?

I use RO/DI water. I have tested with two different TDS meters. Reads good. Also tested with my salt mix in. Reads good. After doing 3 water changes in the last 10 days, my water in MT is reading <5ppm nitrates.
 

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
Interesting aside. I read that the zooxanthellae that are found within photosynthetic organisms are dinoflagellates that have shed their flagella when incorporated by the host. It was also theorized, in the article, that because we heavily skim our tanks bleached corals, clams, anemones etc may not be able to find the dinoflagellates, in our tanks, necessary to reincorporate them into their tissues.

That actually makes a LOT of sense!! I wonder if we should run a "skimmer schedule" rather than 24/7. Can you say another timer?
 
iam also fightin this problem right now. Iam going to do a water change and gravel vacume my crushed coral to remove as much as i can. Before i vaccume iam going to break it up with my hands so it comes off the crushed coral easier. If you have it on a rock use a non-used tooth brush and brush it off the rocks. The thing that has really worked for me the best after doing those steps is to black out the entire tank. i have a 55 gal so its managable for me. i usually get blankets and sheets towels and sweatshirts and just drape my whole tank. By doing this your eliminating the light soure that this cyno needs to live. leave it blacked out for 2-3 days. Your corals will be fine it happens in the wild when i big storm or numerous overcast days occurr (at least thats what i was told) i have done this technique myself numerous time and my corals are fine. When you take off your sheets you may need to slowly acclimate your corals back into a light cycle depending on the power of your lights. i usually give the tank a quick look over make sure it is all gone and if thier is still some left i usually manually remove it. Try not to leave any alive because it colonizes and spread like wild fire like iam sure you already know. "Good Luck"
Iam not an expert but i works for me.
 

zeus_roush

Member
i just went through the same exact stuff. both cyano and what ever that other stuff is. dont know exactly what cured it but i was changing and altering things like crazy. changed metal halides, changed pc, many many water changes, blacking out tank, siponing, cutting light period back, added a 10 gallon seperate refugium, put eggcrate on top with several layers of screening(which i removed a layer every other day) oh and funny thing removed my skimmer. but again not sure what actually fixed the problem. oh and i added a k4 for more flow. all i can say is dont give up and just stay on top of it.
 
I just had the exact same algae/cyano problems you had. Following the advice of my local fish store, which was to just let it run it's course was a disaster. It got the point of have moving clouds (like fog) in my tank. There was bubbles and brown slime everywhere. After that I starting trying all kinds of methods to beat it (new lights, water changes etc)... NOTHING WORKED. Then I talked to a very experienced fish fish dealer who helped me beat it. My tank is now perfect, all signs of algae/cyano are gone, and my water quality has never been better and more clear. Here is what worked great for me.

1.Purchased Chemi-clean and dosed my tank exactly as it says. I turned off my skimmer and removed my chemi-pure elite. Chemiclean oxidizes organic sediment and sludge. It's labeled fully reef safe on the box. I believe it's made by the company that makes chemi-pure.

2. After 48 hours I did a 10% water change. I used a baster and blasted all the rock clean. I then vacuumed the all the organic matter and waste off of the sand.

3. I immediatley redosed the tank again. Left the skimmer off, and kept out the chemi-pure.

4. 48 hours later I did another 10% water change (cleaning the rock with a baster again). I then turned my skimmer back on (I had to turn the air down a bit) and put the chemi-pure elite back in.

5. Two days later my rock was polished clean, my glass was clean and the sand was perfect. I then installed an eco-aqualizer and my tank still has no algae/cyano issues to this day. A quick note, I truly believe in the eco-aqualizer. I understand what it does cannot be tested for, however, I know my tank and the issues I had before are gone. All of them. Everything seems healthier, my water is very clear and I've gradually cut back on water changes. Even my nitrate and phosphate levels are a lot always lower. I didn't change anthing, except for the addition of the eco-aqualizer.

Last I had several snails in there at the same time to help clean. I would recommend this to anyone fighting the endless battle. I believe my problem was that there was to way to much organic matter in the tank.
Hope this helps, if anyone has similar luck please let us know.
 

Paul B

Well-Known Member
Surplusrifleguy, That is a good stradegy. I have used Chemi Clean many times with excellent results. Many people do not like adding chemicals to their tanks even though they have ozonizers, calcium injectors, ASW, UV lights etc.
Everything we add to our tanks including the frozen food is alien to our animals. Sometimes we need a little help. Chemi Clean is not an antibiotic like "Red Slime Remover" which I would not use (although it works very well)
If your tank is old enough there is going to be a large quantity of organic matter in there and I don't care what your maintenance schedules are. There are more nooks and crannies in a reef than in a Thomas English Muffin :laughroll
My tank is very old and I can easily make a sandstorm if I stir it up which I often do. The only think I would add to your post is that after I use Chemi Clean, I use a diatom filter to remove all those particles of dead cyano, diatoms etc.
I do this a couple of times a year. It needs to be done if you have an old tank. It is the main reason my tank has lasted so long.
Have a great day.
Paul
 

Octoman

Well-Known Member
Paul, I am still suspicious that chemi-clean contains antibiotic. Their claim is that "Most other red slime removers use purely antibiotics" and that theirs specifically contains no "erythromycin succinate"

This sounds suspiciously to me like theirs uses antibiotics along with other chemicals so it is not "purely antibiotics" and they use something other than "erythromycin succinate", most likely another form of erythromycin. Otherwise, why wouldn't they come out and say that it contains no erythromycin or no antibiotics?
 
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