cyanobacteria help please.

newjack0000

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 18, 2014
Messages
108
Reaction score
0
Location
Atlanta, GA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Done some research and gotten some advice from my club but no one seems to know the answer to my questions.

This is a new tank syndrome. I have had it in my old tank but not like this.

Since after the first few weeks and ghost feeding I notice a red like build up around the sand. It always stayed in the front of thank and under the top layer. It seems to be only growing were light is penetrating.

I already know the cause. The flow is low in the front bottom of the tank so when food drops down there it just sits. Thus because it was always in the sand and not on the bed surface I ignored it. It would go through phases were its worse one day and almost gone the next.

Now as of a week ago it has started growing on the bed surface but just in the front.. No more than an inch back. Large bubbles accumulate on it and go no where. In the morning it is gone and only under the top layer. as the day progresses its started getting on the surface again and building up bubbles. I am pretty positive there nitrogen bubbles, It would make sense. I decided to wait it out. Like you should do with most things in reef tanks.

Now its spreading onto the LR. I read that you can just syphon it out. Here are my question...

Does it hurt anything at all like fish, mobile inverts, coral, LR, micros, ect.. or is it just an eye sore?

should I just syphon the top layer out during WCs or should I try to get it all out under the top layer as well? I really rather not stir up the sand bed if I don't have too.

If it is released into the water does it spread or hurt anything?

Is there a more natural way to get rid of it, say an invert or small fish or anything that eats it? (no chems! my tank is a chem free experiment!)

If I take my wave maker and create flow in that area will it blow it everywhere and cause harm or spreading?

here is the pics I have!

The not so bad area and a little before.



Here is the worse area and seems to be the only surface area it is on. Hasent gotten much worse than this.

 

Reefing Madness

Carbon Doser
View Badges
Joined
Oct 27, 2012
Messages
19,704
Reaction score
6,816
Location
Peoria, AZ.
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Just hand wave the stuff into suspension, net out what floating debre you can get, and the skimmer will get the rest. Just an eye sore, but you don't want it climbing all over your corals.
 

Reefing Madness

Carbon Doser
View Badges
Joined
Oct 27, 2012
Messages
19,704
Reaction score
6,816
Location
Peoria, AZ.
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Usually but not always, comes back where it was. By waving it off, it doesnt grow around the tank lime Coralline does.
 

barbianj

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 30, 2010
Messages
225
Reaction score
3
Location
Port Washington, WI
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
"Is there a more natural way to get rid of it, say an invert or small fish or anything that eats it? (no chems! my tank is a chem free experiment!)"

Lights out for three days. Some will say it doesn't work for whatever reason, I don't know. I recently switched my 300 DD FOWLR to a reef tank, and had a good crop of cyano going. Did 3 days lights out, and it's completely gone.
 

jcdeng

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Messages
1,476
Reaction score
431
Location
NYC
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
need more water movement, at toward the bottom too.
 

Reefing Madness

Carbon Doser
View Badges
Joined
Oct 27, 2012
Messages
19,704
Reaction score
6,816
Location
Peoria, AZ.
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Astraea Turbo Snail
Banded Trochus Snail
Nerite Snail
 

Reefing Madness

Carbon Doser
View Badges
Joined
Oct 27, 2012
Messages
19,704
Reaction score
6,816
Location
Peoria, AZ.
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Oh, they will be ok in the tank, natural clean up crew, but yea, if you have cheato in the tank, they'll eat that up. They'll also eat nuisance algae as well.
 

Being sticky and staying connected: Have you used any reef-safe glue?

  • I have used reef safe glue.

    Votes: 82 87.2%
  • I haven’t used reef safe glue, but plan to in the future.

    Votes: 6 6.4%
  • I have no interest in using reef safe glue.

    Votes: 3 3.2%
  • Other.

    Votes: 3 3.2%
Back
Top