Cyanobacteria out of control!

[Nick Barbier]

I have a 125g mixed reef that's been up and running for two years. The tank has a medium to heavy bio-load. I've been experiencing a massive bloom of cyanobacteria. I've been dosing Red Sea NoPox for years to keep my nitrates low. The Nitrate is at 10 ppm, which is not high, but not as low as I would like it. I've seen tanks with much higher nitrate (over 50 ppm) and yet SPS corals grew like crazy. The first step that I took was to use ChemiClean, which is designed to eradicate Cyanobateria. I turned off the protein skimmer for the duration of the treatment. As per the instructions, I did a water change (36 gallons) after 48 hours of introduction of the ChemiClean. This did not seem to even slow the growth of the Cyano. I then used Reef Flux, which I have used with great success on GHA. Reef Flux normally takes 10 days to 2 weeks to run it's course. It's been nearly 3 weeks since the introduction of Reef Flux into the system and still no change. Everyday I used a turkey baster to blow off the cyano from corals, rocks and substrate.This only seems to make it worse, and within hours, the cyano returns with a vengeance. Not counting the dual returns, I have DC controlled power heads on each end of the tank. There is more than adequate water circulation. The Cyano is smothering and killing my corals, especially the SPS. The Cyanobacteria is out of control and I'm at my wits end! I don't know what created the cyano outbreak or how to eradicate it. Not that it matters in this case, but the Alkalinity is 8.4 DKH.
Any and all comments and suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Miller535]

Are you sure it's cyano and not dino? Could you please provide a photo of your tank?

 

[Nick Barbier]

Are you sure it's cyano and not dino? Could you please provide a photo of your tank?

It's reddish-brown slime. I will take a picture when I get home today.

 

[Snooty]

I had a bad outbreak on my tank but led me to understanding it better. For one thing keeping phosphate and nitrate ratios in check is important. I had always heard it's either caused by bad lighting,low flow, or high nutrients. I have great lighting and flow and zero nutrients. Could be your phosphate is too low in comparison to your nitrate. Too clean can be bad like if your running gfo it prevent beneficial microalgae and bacteria from growing. Also check ph. A low ph causes excess co2. Which was an eye opener to me because co2 is why low flow areas tend to have cyano. If you have high co2 then you can still get cyano in high flow tank. Cyano takes in co2 and releases oxygen like other plant life.

 

[GeoSquid]

I've been running saltwater tanks since about 1990 and have had cyano many times. Usually, I just let it run it's course and work itself out. About 8 mos ago, I was dealing with a pretty bad outbreak of cyano and decided to try ChemiClean. What a disaster! Not only did it almost kill all my monty caps, but I know it caused a horrible dino outbreak. I will never use that stuff every gain. Do you see a lot of bubbles under the algae? If so, might be dino's. Cyano was not much of an issue compared to dino's.

 

[ReefPig]

I'm unclear why you started the treatment of Reef Flux? Was this to clear the cyano?

Reef Flux / Fluconazole will have no effect on cyano, and you definitely shouldn't be jumping from one treatment to the next like that.
Throwing chemicals at the tank should be the last resort, and well researched. Which clearly on this was not done.

If it's cyano, chemiclean will remove it within a few days, full stop. This means that it's not dinos, or you have some form a mutant cyano that nobody has seen before.

Have either your NO3 or PO4 bottomed out recently?
What are your current params? (NO3/PO4)
What export method do you use?
Are you running a UV?

 

[Snooty]

You are correct dinos suck! I got a terrible outbreak from buying coral from an unreliable source and not treating before addition. Too low nitrate and phosphate can cause it. Thing is though if you try to raise nutrients prior to killing it it will grow more and remove nutrients. Best recommendation for dinos is use vibrant. Amazing stuff. Then once eradicated raise nutrients.

 

[Miller535]

I'm unclear why you started the treatment of Reef Flux? Was this to clear the cyano?

Reef Flux / Fluconazole will have no effect on cyano, and you definitely shouldn't be jumping from one treatment to the next like that.
Throwing chemicals at the tank should be the last resort, and well researched. Which clearly on this was not done.

If it's cyano, chemiclean will remove it within a few days, full stop. This means that it's not dinos, or you have some form a mutant cyano that nobody has seen before.

Have either your NO3 or PO4 bottomed out recently?
What are your current params? (NO3/PO4)
What export method do you use?
Are you running a UV?

He used chemiclean and it had NO affect. If anything that means it's not cyano, and likely something else possibly dinos.

 

[Miller535]

It's reddish-brown slime. I will take a picture when I get home today.

Dino can appear this way also.

 

[ReefPig]

I've been running saltwater tanks since about 1990 and have had cyano many times. Usually, I just let it run it's course and work itself out. About 8 mos ago, I was dealing with a pretty bad outbreak of cyano and decided to try ChemiClean. What a disaster! Not only did it almost kill all my monty caps, but I know it caused a horrible dino outbreak. I will never use that stuff every gain. Do you see a lot of bubbles under the algae? If so, might be dino's. Cyano was not much of an issue compared to dino's.

Then either your corals were already under extreme stress, and the chemiclean killed them, or you did not use the treatment correctly.

Tens of thousands of people have used it without issue, and the small fraction of people which did have issues, it nearly always appears they did something wrong, but getting the truth and full picture is always murky.

I have used it multiple times, and multiple tanks and have never had anything die, literally nothing. Polyps might close up for a day or so, but thats it.

It's FAR more likely your corals were at deaths door anyway for any number of reasons, and the chemiclean finished them off.

 

[Snooty]

I'm unclear why you started the treatment of Reef Flux? Was this to clear the cyano?

Reef Flux / Fluconazole will have no effect on cyano, and you definitely shouldn't be jumping from one treatment to the next like that.
Throwing chemicals at the tank should be the last resort, and well researched. Which clearly on this was not done.

If it's cyano, chemiclean will remove it within a few days, full stop. This means that it's not dinos, or you have some form a mutant cyano that nobody has seen before.

Have either your NO3 or PO4 bottomed out recently?
What are your current params? (NO3/PO4)
What export method do you use?
Are you running a UV?

I agree with this reef flux is great for algae but not for dinos. Dino x is terrible to me fyi.

 

[ReefPig]

He used chemiclean and it had NO affect. If anything that means it's not cyano, and likely something else possibly dinos.

Did you even read the post which you indeed quoted?
Reread it for me would you, forth sentence, starting "if it's cyano"

 

[vetteguy53081]

Cyano is a bacteria whereas Dino are flagellate
Cyano is sort of a carpet with slime and Dino us stringy golden brown representing snot with bubbles
Both react similar to light
As requested- pics will confirm
Also verify your readings for phosphate and nitrate as both contribute to these conditions

 

[vetteguy53081]

You are correct dinos suck! I got a terrible outbreak from buying coral from an unreliable source and not treating before addition. Too low nitrate and phosphate can cause it. Thing is though if you try to raise nutrients prior to killing it it will grow more and remove nutrients. Best recommendation for dinos is use vibrant. Amazing stuff. Then once eradicated raise nutrients.

Vibrant does little to nothing for dino
Peroxide is best

 

[Miller535]

He used chemiclean and it had NO affect. If anything that means it's not cyano, and likely something else possibly dinos.

I did, but the fact that he said he already used it and it didn't work makes this sentence moot. You even declare in it IF it's cyano, chemiclean will remove it within a few days, full stop. Well he already said that it didn't, sooo it seemed clear you didn''t read his original post or missed something. But there's really no need to get snarky.

 

[Snooty]

Vibrant does little to nothing for dino
Peroxide is best

Weird it wiped out my dinos and bubble algae. Every tank is unique.

 

[Nick Barbier]

I had a bad outbreak on my tank but led me to understanding it better. For one thing keeping phosphate and nitrate ratios in check is important. I had always heard it's either caused by bad lighting,low flow, or high nutrients. I have great lighting and flow and zero nutrients. Could be your phosphate is too low in comparison to your nitrate. Too clean can be bad like if your running gfo it prevent beneficial microalgae and bacteria from growing. Also check ph. A low ph causes excess co2. Which was an eye opener to me because co2 is why low flow areas tend to have cyano. If you have high co2 then you can still get cyano in high flow tank. Cyano takes in co2 and releases oxygen like other plant life.

I will test the PO4 tonight. Come to think of it, I used to have lots of coraline algea all over everthing, and now there isn't any at all. And hasn't been any for quite some time. Also, I used to have huge bushes of colt coral, and they have all died off. Yet, all my other soft corals seem to be fine (mushrooms, zoas, ricordia).

 

[vetteguy53081]

If you find it’s Dino , follow this whereas more than 100 people have thanked me


Prepare for a water change and blow this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles.
Turn lights off for 5 days and st night dose 1ml of hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5 nights
During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as bacter 7) per 10 gallons.
Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED CORAL FOODS OR ADD NOPOX as it is food for dinos.
Day 5,, you can start with blue lights and work your white lights up slowly

 

[vetteguy53081]

Weird it wiped out my dinos and bubble algae. Every tank is unique.

Bubble- now we’re talking vibrant !!
You got lucky on the Dino

 

[Miller535]

Both based off of my own experience, and experience I have observed on here from other reefers, it seems that cyano and dino tend to pop off from some time of an imbalance.