Getting sic of this cyano

Thade_hicks

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What can I do to get rid of this cyano. I had lights blue for 2 weeks and saw a huge improvement. Went back to white and BOOM came back speckled on the sand. There's phosguard in my filter. But still, all this algae, macro and the turf. They are reading zero but algae is still growing like crazy even under blue. When I test phosphates, it's undetectable with a Red Sea kit. Nitrate (between 0 and 5 ppm) and nitrite (0ppm) pH (8.2) API kits. Just want to avoid chemiclean and other chemicals. Please, recommendations.
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PeterC99

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Three things got rid of my cyano naturally and I never cleaned any Cyano out of my tank.

1) Strong UV light
2) Started an Oxydator (look for threads on this site)
3) Phytoplankton every other day

Before and after pics (also have since increased the light point intensity by 15% on my Radions - up to 75%)

PO4 .05, NO3 2
Before 2021 04 28.jpg




After 2021 04 28.jpg
 

Lavey29

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Bottomed out levels like that lead to bad things. Corals don't rely on white light. It's only for viewing pleasure so the white light percentage should be very minimal. The cyano I see is minimal also. Increase flow to that area and siphon out. Get some sand stirring snail cleaners. It looks like you are trying to grow macro algae but the green algae on the side walls can be handled with manual removal and a turbo snail or tuxedo urchin. You need to get your parameters fixed.
 
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Three things got rid of my cyano naturally and I never cleaned any Cyano out of my tank.

1) Strong UV light
2) Started an Oxydator (look for threads on this site)
3) Phytoplankton every other day

Before and after pics (also have since increased the light point intensity by 15% on my Radions - up to 75%)

PO4 .05, NO3 2
Before 2021 04 28.jpg




After 2021 04 28.jpg
How would I add this stuff (except phyto) to my tank, it is a fluval evo13.5
 
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Thade_hicks

Thade_hicks

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Bottomed out levels like that lead to bad things. Corals don't rely on white light. It's only for viewing pleasure so the white light percentage should be very minimal. The cyano I see is minimal also. Increase flow to that area and siphon out. Get some sand stirring snail cleaners. It looks like you are trying to grow macro algae but the green algae on the side walls can be handled with manual removal and a turbo snail or tuxedo urchin. You need to get your parameters fixed.
What would be the best way to increase flow in my tank it's only 13.5. tank it too small for urchins and turbos will knock too much around in this tank. My trochus are already starting to cause problems. I'm aware I need my parameters fixed but suggestions on how to correct them is kinda what I'm asking about.
 

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What would be the best way to increase flow in my tank it's only 13.5. tank it too small for urchins and turbos will knock too much around in this tank. My trochus are already starting to cause problems. I'm aware I need my parameters fixed but suggestions on how to correct them is kinda what I'm asking about.
Do you have a powerhead in there or just return flow? A tuxedo urchin or turbo isn't going to cause problems but they mow down algae. Trochus are ok also but not as efficient eaters as the other two. You can cut lights to 6 hours with blue and uv only no whites like you already did while you get parameters in order. I have 3 urchins and 2 turbos and they don't damage any of my small frags but work very close to them. How old is your tank?
 
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Do you have a powerhead in there or just return flow? A tuxedo urchin or turbo isn't going to cause problems but they mow down algae. Trochus are ok also but not as efficient eaters as the other two. You can cut lights to 6 hours with blue and uv only no whites like you already did while you get parameters in order. I have 3 urchins and 2 turbos and they don't damage any of my small frags but work very close to them. How old is your tank?
No power head, can't find a good one that small. The turbos have such large shells, I have places that are less than 2 inches between frags and walls or other frags. And as for the urchin in a 10 gal display section with nothing glued down, they would wreak havock on my placements my moving frags and wearing them as hats. It is 5 months, set up with live sand and RO. But I have never had cyano, or Dino's, or anything leading to this point.
 

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No power head, can't find a good one that small. The turbos have such large shells, I have places that are less than 2 inches between frags and walls or other frags. And as for the urchin in a 10 gal display section with nothing glued down, they would wreak havock on my placements my moving frags and wearing them as hats. It is 5 months, set up with live sand and RO. But I have never had cyano, or Dino's, or anything leading to this point.
Well since you are against the obvious easy route then I would stick with light reduction, manual removal and sand cleaning during weekly water changes. You will have various ugly stages your first year but if you think starving out the current algae will help that just opens the door for other worse algae. MB7 works pretty well on cyano and anything to increase biodiversity and microfauna will help as well such as phytoplankton. I use PNS probio weekly which is natural heterotrophic bacteria that eliminates organic waste. Any of these should help and not damage macro algae because they have no affect on my chaeto in my fuge.
 

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No power head, can't find a good one that small. The turbos have such large shells, I have places that are less than 2 inches between frags and walls or other frags. And as for the urchin in a 10 gal display section with nothing glued down, they would wreak havock on my placements my moving frags and wearing them as hats. It is 5 months, set up with live sand and RO. But I have never had cyano, or Dino's, or anything leading to this point.
Try a nero3 on a low setting it would be good.
 

brandon429

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why not just rip clean the tank and put it all back without any clouding in the bed, or cyano

or you could go back to blue lights, whites are notorious for causing growths like that. a rip clean exports the huge clouding of waste that the fish + feed + waste puts into the bed, then there's less food for cyano. a rip clean helps ease the GHA battles that arise as that white rock begins to take on maturation and color over time. nice macros in there to help uptake things, looks good.
 

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No power head, can't find a good one that small. The turbos have such large shells, I have places that are less than 2 inches between frags and walls or other frags. And as for the urchin in a 10 gal display section with nothing glued down, they would wreak havock on my placements my moving frags and wearing them as hats. It is 5 months, set up with live sand and RO. But I have never had cyano, or Dino's, or anything leading to this point.
This worked out perfectly for my IM AIO 15 Nano.
 
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Well since you are against the obvious easy route then I would stick with light reduction, manual removal and sand cleaning during weekly water changes. You will have various ugly stages your first year but if you think starving out the current algae will help that just opens the door for other worse algae. MB7 works pretty well on cyano and anything to increase biodiversity and microfauna will help as well such as phytoplankton. I use PNS probio weekly which is natural heterotrophic bacteria that eliminates organic waste. Any of these should help and not damage macro algae because they have no affect on my chaeto in my fuge.
Not against it. Just size of those cleaners is too big for my tank and set up. I know from experience and from multiple other reef keepers that urchins will pick up and move things, and turbos will just move through things without care. I don't need more issues with corals and putting my hand in my tank top move things back around.
 

Lavey29

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Not against it. Just size of those cleaners is too big for my tank and set up. I know from experience and from multiple other reef keepers that urchins will pick up and move things, and turbos will just move through things without care. I don't need more issues with corals and putting my hand in my tank top move things back around.
Ok and just so I understand, are you trying to grow out the macro in there? What are the patches on the left side? Are you intentionally trying to grow that there as well?
 

thatmanMIKEson

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This worked out perfectly for my IM AIO 15 Nano.

I have this in a sump and it does work ok, I'm not a fan of the controller or the mounting system to the water side magnet, if on a budget it definitely works, and its a great sump powerhead for mixing additives as they drip into sump but for in display I prefer the neros.
 

vetteguy53081

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Not against it. Just size of those cleaners is too big for my tank and set up. I know from experience and from multiple other reef keepers that urchins will pick up and move things, and turbos will just move through things without care. I don't need more issues with corals and putting my hand in my tank top move things back around.
Generally high levels of nutrients cause this and your caulerpa should have helped reduced any. Light is your biggest enemy as its a fuel source for both Dino and cyano. Cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate. When the protein skimmer does not output the best efficiency or you do not have the suitable protein skimmer to cover the tank, the air bubbles created by the skimmer might be insufficient. And this insufficiency of air bubbles can trigger the cyano to thrive.
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development

I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 5-7 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.

After the week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.
 
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Thade_hicks

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Ok and just so I understand, are you trying to grow out the macro in there? What are the patches on the left side? Are you intentionally trying to grow that there as well?
Yeah, trying to grow the macro, but the turf off to the left is just kinda there. I don't mind it but I don't need it
 

Lavey29

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Not against it. Just size of those cleaners is too big for my tank and set up. I know from experience and from multiple other reef keepers that urchins will pick up and move things, and turbos will just move through things without care. I don't need more issues with corals and putting my hand in my tank top move things back around.
And don't believe everything your read. I have 3 urchins and probably 80 corals in my tank. They don't run around picking up frags. They typically find an empty snail shell or something very tiny like a piece of bubble algae. Once one picked a very small zoa head as a flower decoration but my small frags all along the sandbed never got relocated. Although, there are some instances of this happening.
 

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Generally high levels of nutrients cause this and your caulerpa should have helped reduced any. Light is your biggest enemy as its a fuel source for both Dino and cyano. Cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate. When the protein skimmer does not output the best efficiency or you do not have the suitable protein skimmer to cover the tank, the air bubbles created by the skimmer might be insufficient. And this insufficiency of air bubbles can trigger the cyano to thrive.
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development

I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 5-7 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.

After the week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.
That's the odd part, my nutrients are undetectable, but the turf and calerpa are still growing like crazy, I feed flakes once a week, and this all started after I did a 10% water change and removed some calerpa.
 
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And don't believe everything your read. I have 3 urchins and probably 80 corals in my tank. They don't run around picking up frags. They typically find an empty snail shell or something very tiny like a piece of bubble algae. Once one picked a very small zoa head as a flower decoration but my small frags all along the sandbed never got relocated. Although, there are some instances of this happening.
Talked to people, didn't read it. Actually heard it on Reef Therapy too. But isn't a 10 gal too small for an urchin anyway?
 

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Personally in this case, I would do a rip clean on it, and then build it back up properly.
I would add more rock, and definately needs a powerhead in there.
I would remove the macro algae from the tank (make a decision, corals or macro algae).
Some of the corals are reaching for light, so I question the lighting.
How often do you do water changes?
 

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