Sucking out Cyano without losing sand?

[Kerchakone]

Is there a way for me to get this cyano out without losing too much sand? I already barely have enough. I don't want to have to do more.

How do you guys do it?

 

[kathywithbirds]

uh, I lose sand. Try a turkey baster, there's more control with that than a vacuum. I like my conch, it helps the vacuuming of cyano.

 

[Gina]

We had that problem once and decided to use Chemi Clean. I also rigged up a siphon hose with a toothbrush on the end to scrub it off the LR. We had alot of sand approximatley 4" bottom so, if we lost some it didn't matter. The Chemi Clean worked well and once we got control of it bought a Phos-ban reactor.

 

[CarmieJo]

You can play with lowering the siphon to where it first starts pulling the cyano up but, you are still going to loose a little sand.

 

[prow]

small size tubing and use a filter sock on the end.

 

[Kerchakone]

small size tubing and use a filter sock on the end.

The cyano will go through that?

 

[lcstorc]

I have used a net to pull it out. The sand filters back out of the bottom of the net but the cyano clumps together.

 

[Scooterman]

As mentioned you will loose some sand, the good news it is grows on the source of the problem, so eventually it will go away unless you can reduce the cause of the problem. Not letting detritus settle stagnant on those areas will help reduce it.

 

[reefjitsu]

I use small diameter tubing too, even airline tubing. It takes longer, but allows me to remove more cyano with less sand and water.

 

[Witfull]

unless you can reduce the cause of the problem.

this is the correct answer to the question not asked, "why am i getting cyano?"

 

[Surfnut]

There is only one way to do this w/o losing any sand. I use this technique myself from time to time when I have a flareup & no ChemiClean around.

Take a thin diameter rubber tube & place it in the substrate underneath the Cyano mat. Try to slide the tube under the mat carefully so as not to tear it. This is done eaily by pushing the tubing itself thru the sand & under the Cyano mat.

Once the tube is in place slowly blow air into the tube. This will slowly create an air pocket under the Cyano mat. If done slowly & with a bit of care you will cause the entire sheet of Cyano to detach from the sand & most times will float to the surface of the tank like a nasty lookin hot air balloon.

Hope this helps. Ive done this technique on roughly a dozen occasions with no troubles.

 

[prow]

The cyano will go through that?

yup thats the point. you use a bucket and siphon the tank water into that, with the filter sock on the end, the sand thats left in the filter sock is then removed and rinsed in RO/DI water before putting it back into the tank. there should not be too much sand as to start a cycle or anything.

but like said above the issue stopping it from just growing again. hope this is just part of your attack on the cyno.

 

[Gina]

Trying to find out what is causing the problem will help you alot like mentioned above.
One of the reasons why we got it was because we were putting our frozen food in reg tap water to thaw it. Once we found out that that could be one of the reasons why we were getting it, we started thawing frozen food in RO/DI water and rinsing it.

There are many reasons why it can happen, you just need to try and figure out whats causing it to appear in your tank.
Hope this helps a little.