Lyngbya/Cyano HELP!

[RockyProndoa]

Hello:

So after a few months of lazily battling GHA using GFO, I believe I actually have Lyngbya. The stuff covers my tank walls, pumps, overflow box - pretty much anywhere.

Tank is a 135g Apex controlled reef, alk is about 8.5-8.7, calcium 420, Mag about 1300. Nitrate and phosphate both test at zero.

This stuff is brown/green, and seems to have air bubbles trapped inside it by days end. I manually scrape/remove it from the glass and powerheads semi periodically, but it seems to grow back with a vengeance. It is easily removed, even using my finger. My Rabbitfish and yellow Tang won't touch it, either.

I have seen a few threads regarding this stuff, all with differing opinions and ideas, but I have yet to see an actual treatment. Does one exist?

 

[RockyProndoa]

And perhaps a few more telling photos from the top down.

 

[RockyProndoa]

And now I'm really confused... sure looks like GHA under a crappy kids microscope?

 

[RockyProndoa]

Thoughts? Opinions? Anyone?

 

[ZombieEngineer]

Does it easily remove from rough surfaces or does it feel like it is rooted in and almost impossible to pull free?

 

[RockyProndoa]

Does it easily remove from rough surfaces or does it feel like it is rooted in and almost impossible to pull free?

Fairly easy to remove manually. It much prefers the glass and pumps as there is very little on the rockwork.

 

[ZombieEngineer]

Then that is very likely just normal GHA. Manual removal and increase your nutrient export should solve it pretty quick.

 

[sixty_reefer]

You do know that nutrient at zero will bring you more problems than solutions don’t you? You are risking your hole set up for a method that never worked to anyone ever.

firstly by stripping the tank from nutrients you are actually increasing the availability of ammonia that may be feeding the algae, after that you looking at Cyanobacteria and diatoms that will thrive in high carbon abundance created by no phosphates and nitrates and soon after coral starvation.

 

[RockyProndoa]

Then that is very likely just normal GHA. Manual removal and increase your nutrient export should solve it pretty quick.

Appreciate the input. I would tend to agree, however, my Tang and Rabbitfish won't touch it - which I guess led me down the cyano path. Upon further research, it doesn't appear to be that either, so GHA does seem like a logical explanation were it not for the fact that nothing seems to want to eat it, in any amount. Derbesia perhaps? Will tangs eat that?

 

[RockyProndoa]

You do know that nutrient at zero will bring you more problems than solutions don’t you? You are risking your hole set up for a method that never worked to anyone ever.

firstly by stripping the tank from nutrients you are actually increasing the availability of ammonia that may be feeding the algae, after that you looking at Cyanobacteria and diatoms that will thrive in high carbon abundance created by no phosphates and nitrates and soon after coral starvation.

You do know that nutrient at zero will bring you more problems than solutions don’t you? You are risking your hole set up for a method that never worked to anyone ever.

firstly by stripping the tank from nutrients you are actually increasing the availability of ammonia that may be feeding the algae, after that you looking at Cyanobacteria and diatoms that will thrive in high carbon abundance created by no phosphates and nitrates and soon after coral starvation.

The zero readings are unintended; I am well aware of the negative affects of a 'clean' environment.

I hesitate dosing anything until I correctly identify what I have and come up with a treatment plan. Perhaps a better microscope would be my first step?

 

[ZombieEngineer]

Appreciate the input. I would tend to agree, however, my Tang and Rabbitfish won't touch it - which I guess led me down the cyano path. Upon further research, it doesn't appear to be that either, so GHA does seem like a logical explanation were it not for the fact that nothing seems to want to eat it, in any amount. Derbesia perhaps? Will tangs eat that?

Tangs also don't eat GHA when it's long. They stop eating it when it gets more than like 1/4" long.

You need to just manually remove it and increase your nutrient export so it doesn't immediately grow back huge before tangs can eat it.

You might also need to up your CUC but I don't know enough details about your tank size and current CUC to recommend anything.

 

[ZombieEngineer]

You do know that nutrient at zero will bring you more problems than solutions don’t you? You are risking your hole set up for a method that never worked to anyone ever.

firstly by stripping the tank from nutrients you are actually increasing the availability of ammonia that may be feeding the algae, after that you looking at Cyanobacteria and diatoms that will thrive in high carbon abundance created by no phosphates and nitrates and soon after coral starvation.

That is only true in a tank with little to no visible algae. In a tank like this one, the nuisance algae uptake it so quick due to the large mass availablr it reads zero even though there is a huge source of it.

If OP manually removed 99% of it daily and they still tested zero, then you're right that even worse issues like a dino bloom could be around the corner.

 

[sixty_reefer]

That is only true in a tank with little to no visible algae. In a tank like this one, the nuisance algae uptake it so quick due to the large mass availablr it reads zero even though there is a huge source of it.

If OP manually removed 99% of it daily and they still tested zero, then you're right that even worse issues like a dino bloom could be around the corner.

No matter the amount of algae nutrients still need to be detectable to keep the overall tank out of risk, planted tanks with macro algae do similar mistakes.

 

[sixty_reefer]

The zero readings are unintended; I am well aware of the negative affects of a 'clean' environment.

I hesitate dosing anything until I correctly identify what I have and come up with a treatment plan. Perhaps a better microscope would be my first step?

If most of your herbivores not touching it it could be maidens hair algae

 

[RockyProndoa]

Tangs also don't eat GHA when it's long. They stop eating it when it gets more than like 1/4" long.

You need to just manually remove it and increase your nutrient export so it doesn't immediately grow back huge before tangs can eat it.

You might also need to up your CUC but I don't know enough details about your tank size and current CUC to recommend anything.

Thanks for the input.

6 year old 135g reef with a 100g Rubbermaid sump (about 175g total system volume). Omega 150 skimmer, reefmat1200, Apex controlled dosing. Inhabitants - Yellow Tang x1, Rabbitfish x1, clowns x2, fairy wrasse x2. Auto feeder x3/ day, and one frozen every other night. If anything, it's probably underfed.