billyboy2

I am preparing to return my fish to my DT....right now they are in QT. I have a major problem controlling red cyano in my tank. I have considered all factors that could make this problem and can't figure out where i'm going wrong. I use RO/DI water, i have good circulation, i don't overfeed, i have a good cleanup crew, i frequently test my water and the only place i can think it would be comming from is my phosphates usually go from 0ppm to .25 then will go down and back again. I have never measured it above .25ppm. my nitrate is always always 0ppm....never read anything but 0ppm. usually have a 0ppm reading for ammonia but i has once or twice gone up to .25 . my temp is 77deg, salinity 1.024. I use seachem reef salt for my mix. i have t5 lights and bulbs are all recently changed out. I have a skimmer and use an aquaclear70 for mechanical filtration. In the filter i use BIO-MAX could this be fueling the cyano?

I'd really like to get this problem solved before moving my fish back into the DT. my only other idea other from what i've tried (which is vacuuming it off substrate and rocks) is to take all my LR out and start over with new substrate. Right now my substrate is 50% crushed coral (from my first setup) and 50% aragonite(added substrate needed for larger tank). I went from a 29G to a 55G so i needed more substrate and i wanted to keep all the benifical bacteria that was built up in my crushed coral

Any ideas on where my problem is?

thanks

Stang Man

Send me a pic of it! show me what your talking about . Did you clear up the other problems? Have you did water changes?

billyboy2

i've done waterchanges. Everything looks great with the fish.

I definitly have Red slime Or red cyano. I've learned it's not actually an algea but bacteria that feeds off nitrate and phosphates. My LFS told me it could have been the root problem for my fish getting velvet and ICH, as it happend at the same time. They gave me some Chemi-clean...it's an antibiotic like erethromicen and it will kill the bacteria. i would post a pict but i droped my camera so i'm out a camera for awhile...

The LFS said they use it alot, its reef safe, so i started right away with the treatment to the DT. Treatment takes 48hrs and i want to move my fish back to the DT soon!

Stang Man

So you have no fish in Dt right? if I remember correctly all fish are in QT YES?

billyboy2

thats right

Annadvn

Before you treat the tank with antibiotics, which will kill your cycle in the tank causing huge ammonia spikes try and get to the root cause. Getting to the root cause will prevent it returning, just treating it will not!

If you know your nitrates and phosphates are high do more frequent water changes - try increasing to 20% twice a week rather than 20% once a week etc.. The test kits for phosphates are fairly inaccurate, most cannot get accurate enough, you may only have 0.25ppm showing but i bet you are closer to 1ppm. I would recommend getting a phosphate remover, if you cannot afford one like me just get the media that goes in them stick them in a nylon stocking and hang somewhere in your tank (i hang mine in the over flow box). Nitrates and phosphates in a reef tank should be 0ppm!

Cyano bacteria likes low flow areas, what GPH do you have flowing through the tank right now? For my 75g i have 2x koralia's 4 and 2x koralia 1. You can never have too much flow in your tank.

How much do you have for CUC (clean up crew) i would recommend adding more snails and hermit crabs, they might not eat the cyano-bacteria but they will help stir the sand/crushed coral keeping the rocks etc... cleaner (again preventing nitrate rise).

Whilst doing the water changes i would syphon up as much of the cyano bacteria as possible, its comes off the rocks and sand bed easily.

I have been there in 2 tanks now and got rid of it but getting to the root cause of the problem, i have never had to use chemicals to get rid of the problem, all of the above are what i used to cure the problem. 90% of the cyano bacteria found in tanks are from inadequate water flow, increasing the water movement by adding a powerhead (like i said earlier) and maybe moving rock work around to improve water movement will help.

Good Luck

Anna

EDIT: i have read your other posts with your ick/velvet problems!

billyboy2

The root cause of my problem might have been an overstocked tank...i have since reduced the size of my livestock. I had never had an algea problem, or any cyano before. When it first broke out it was right at the same time i added a powder brown tang and 2 pieces of LR. At the time i was not wise to doing dips before adding new things so i might have brought it into my tank and had just the right conditions to let it explode. I understand how it works and that it is bacteria and in fact not algea. I have been using SWC brand PhosBgone. It's a liquid that 1ml removes 1.5ppm phosphate per 1 gallon. When i test i can tell if i have 0ppm or 50ppm so i usually every few days dose enough in my 55G to remove 0.5ppm. I know i have phosphate that is for sure, but i don't know how high of a concentration and don't know the effects of over dosing the PhosBgone. I am wondering since i use an aquaclear HOB filter should i get one of those seachem filter media's that targets phosphates and add it in with my carbon and bio-max thats in the filter already? I am in the works for a sump and don't have one right now...i'd like to avoid hanging a bag in the DT if i can. would it be just as effective in my filter box?

Stang Man

You can easily get a phosphate sponge that you load into sock and place in filter for 24 hours then remove it and reload and place in tank for 3-5 days this will help remove phosphates and silica this stuff works great! and I save the dump out stuff let it dry and place on a new baking sheet and heat in oven at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes and you can reuse it for a second time then throw away I've been doing this for years! As for cyano use a sandwhich bag to soop it up with being very carefull not to stir it up and remove discard and then make sure that you have good flow going over sand bed if you don't have power heads you need to get a few I use TUNZE's or KORALIAS and they may cost but they move water around very well better than typical power heads. No water curricalation to sand bed is main cause. Your using way to many chemicals in your tank you will end up havin to start all over do what I said in beging about changing water every week or even 2-3 times if you have to your live rock is established just keep it healthy. Let me know what's up on that part.

billyboy2

I added Phosguard to my aquaclear70's media stack. I have lots of powerheads but just noticed 2 of my 3 koralia's stop working periodically and i got to flick the impeller a few times to get it going again. The cyano is all gone. I did a large waterchage and everything looks great.

locoyo386

My honest opinion to get rid of cyano bacteria is water flow. The flow has to be over the affected areas to keep the water circulating. The bacteria will grow in any area where the water stagnates.

Stang Man

What size are the power heads and for propeller heads need cleaning take them apart and clean them up and they will be at full force again use all heads to cirrculate water flow in differnt areas such as facing them toward glass and pointed downward in as many directions that you can . need to get water flowing bottom to mid range to get sufficent flow to sand . Another question I have is how thick is this red algea is it like a tint of red or is it about 1/8 inch thick and somewhat hairy looking?

ibiaquariums

Hi.. sorry to jump in on the band wagon lol, was reading this thread... my tanks been runninf for about 4/5months now... had the smallest piece of red algae... would come thne go come then go... now 4 months on its building more then it ever has.... mine is quite thick/hairy-ish in places... what does this mean? any ideas?

I never had this problem couple months or so ago... only thing id say is that my tank is alot more mature now... im going to try increase the water flow in areas... but for some reason i dont think this is its route problem.

Althoe... currently my external filter is fooked.. maybe this was what was keeping the red algae under control? im using a stand by interenal at the minute and it sucks lol!

Thinking of ordering the Eihm prof2... anyone used or is using this?!

Stang Man

I would need to see a picture of what you are talking about so if red algae is it pink or red and looks soild on the rock or is it appear to be hairy looking?