Most Comprehensive Lyngbya Treatment Research for Infected Reef Tanks

[stacksoner]

Is there a chance that the research is limited bc were calling it by the wrong name? There's a lot out there on:

Leptolyngbya
Leptolyngbyaceae

 

[Lasse]

Please let me know if you have any difficulty accessing:

NDOC
https://www.triton-lab.de/en/showroom/aquarium/auswertung-a/n-doc/2395/

ICP OES
https://www.triton-lab.de/en/showroom/aquarium/auswertung-b/icp-oes/71510/

I can only see that you have a huge difference between inorganic N and inorganic P. Did you measure your NO3 when you send in the N-DOC test - if so - what was it?

The other figures look good I think

Sincerely Lasse

 

[ahl]

Is this lyngbya or plain old gha? I just defeated red cyano with chemiclean a week ago but haven't been able to get rid of this fluff. Have Vibrant on the way.

 

[brandon429]

Slew

We posted a method that fixes this invasion within a couple days, very curious to know if you still have it in your tank

 

[stacksoner]

Slew

We posted a method that fixes this invasion within a couple days, very curious to know if you still have it in your tank

I removed the rocks and gave them a Clorox bath followed by a muriatic bath, followed by a pressure cleaning and dechlorination bath.

Managing the die off is agonizing. I connected my skimmer output to a python and had wet skimmed over 100 Gallons before I threw in the towel. It was much easier to pull the rocks and start em over.

 

[brandon429]

That w def kill it gotcha / thorough wow thank you for the update

 

[Aquanautical]

I literally just had to do a full tank reset because of this stuff, Here was my experience:

Started with a biofilm on my rocks, I was busy with the semester ending so I could not do intense maintenance (first big problem). I decided I'd just dose chemiclean as I had done before for cyano to try and reduce the large biofilm. It worked and within 3 days the slimy biofilm was gone. After a bout a week (? life was very hectic so my timeframe is cloudy) the lyngbya started exploding, and within a few days all the rockwork was covered with the stuff. Tried a 3 day total blackout.... nothing, it had gotten worse. I then began finals and sadly had to give up.

Well last week I tore it down, put the few survivors in a biocube with a cycled rock from my buddy and tore that sucker down. Bleached the heck out of the tank, and got all new rock. I just got all my survivors back in on friday. THIS STUFF SUCKS

GL man i'm in this with you

 

[brandon429]

I want to reiterate it can be beaten without a reset, we did in the first link. Resets are ok and thorough agreed, but some want in tank fixes, no restart. Lyngbya is easy to control if that is wanted, it can be test modeled and proven on each system before running it.

One benefit of doing a living tank fix of it versus a start over is you learn how to control it in case it comes into the new tank

 

[stacksoner]

I want to reiterate it can be beaten without a reset, we did in the first link. Resets are ok and thorough agreed, but some want in tank fixes, no restart. Lyngbya is easy to control if that is wanted, it can be test modeled and proven on each system before running it.

One benefit of doing a living tank fix of it versus a start over is you learn how to control it in case it comes into the new tank

So what's the magic recipe?

 

[j.falk]

So what's the magic recipe?

Ditto. I'm fighting the same thing right now. I've been manually removing it for months and it just comes back with a vengeance every time. Going to break down the tank, peroxide or bleach everything and rebuild at the end of this week.

I'm tired of fighting this stuff.

 

[stacksoner]

It's super important to completely clean out your tanks plumbing as this stuff accumulates everywhere you wouldn't expect it to.

 

[j.falk]

It's super important to completely clean out your tanks plumbing as this stuff accumulates everywhere you wouldn't expect it to.

I had some concerns about that. The Lyngbya is growing on both of my powerheads, all over my heater and inside my HOB filter. I'm not running a sump since it's just a 20 gallon tank but this stuff grows incredibly fast and has coated everything in less than 2 months time.

 

[brandon429]

Full tank shot update pls we want to see how it worked out

We need a complete set of before and after pics to see how recommends worked out. The thread is labeled most comprehensive, we need an update

 

[Dan_P]

Is there a chance that the research is limited bc were calling it by the wrong name? There's a lot out there on:

Leptolyngbya
Leptolyngbyaceae

How did you identify the organism?

 

[stacksoner]

Full tank shot update pls we want to see how it worked out

We need a complete set of before and after pics to see how recommends worked out. The thread is labeled most comprehensive, we need an update

How did you identify the organism?

My apologies for the delayed reply. I actually took out all of the rocks and dipped them in muriatic acid, and deep cleaned my entire tank shortly after this infestation.

I pulled tube brushes through all plumbing, scrubbed the crevices, overflow, etc. There was an obscene amount of this type of matted bacterial slime that gripped to surfaces (as seen in the drain pipe photos) throughout the plumbing. I would often see debris shoot out of my return after turning it back on, which I suspect may have been related to this. I had a series of major chaeto die offs in the pax bellum around the time of my severe outbreak which I can't determine if it was a cause or effect of the lyngbya in my system. All I can tell you is that it was the fastest epidemic I have ever witnessed and seemed to thrive by killing everything in it's path.

I previously posted microscope photos of it, (I believe), and every microscope photo I was able to find of Lyngbya Majuscula was a unmistakable match for the clumpy, debris filled, filamentous growths I observed in my microscope.

I conducted my experiment until I learned about Lyngbya's toxic byproducts, which I didn't want anywhere near my pets or family.

Direct application of undiluted Hydrogen Peroxide in a Julian's Thing / syringe seemed to have the most dramatic impact as it helped to dislodge it's foothold on surfaces and inhibit it's ability to remain in dense interconnected patches.

Again, this experiment was a tongue in cheek, desperate attempt to try and gain insight into how to defeat this aggressive nuisance. I would highly advise against attempting to kill a serious outbreak of this in your tank as research shows that it produces toxins that are harmful to both marine life and humans.

 

[joe0813]

any updates on this? I have it bad in my tank and im about to just throw it all in the dumpster

 

[brandon429]

Is this Lyngbya?

I've been having a heck of a time with some flavor of nuisance algae/cyano. Several months back, it would mat on my sand bed. I could clean it up, vacuum it away, then it would return within 48 hours. I thought removing the sand bed would help, but this stuff just grown on everything. I can get...

www.reef2reef.com

thats best method so far, to not apply it is to keep the invasive mix by choice

there may be less invasive/harsh options, but they're not as fun.

 

[stacksoner]

Is this Lyngbya?

I've been having a heck of a time with some flavor of nuisance algae/cyano. Several months back, it would mat on my sand bed. I could clean it up, vacuum it away, then it would return within 48 hours. I thought removing the sand bed would help, but this stuff just grown on everything. I can get...

www.reef2reef.com

thats best method so far, to not apply it is to keep the invasive mix by choice

there may be less invasive/harsh options, but they're not as fun.

If there was a way to kill it, how would you find the time to deal with the headache of having this stuff slowly die off in your tank?

 

[Dan_P]

Is this Lyngbya?

I've been having a heck of a time with some flavor of nuisance algae/cyano. Several months back, it would mat on my sand bed. I could clean it up, vacuum it away, then it would return within 48 hours. I thought removing the sand bed would help, but this stuff just grown on everything. I can get...

www.reef2reef.com

thats best method so far, to not apply it is to keep the invasive mix by choice

there may be less invasive/harsh options, but they're not as fun.

Interesting thread. I liked the comment that an invasive organism could be multiple organisms. I wonder if that is more accurately called an invasive ecosystem which sound like science fiction.

 

[brandon429]

yes agreed Slew, that waste would compile and only feed the next generation, he rips the whole tank apart to clean out the waste, then kills it

his dosing was not to the water, after that chemi clean trial we got him to rip clean the system and work that one example rock outside the tank, it really held its clean in my opinion. something happened to the tank at the end of the thread unrelated, but his work method was thorough I thought


Dan I would bet firmly if areas of this stuff was sampled under a scope its comingled organisms where one is a beckoning or support substrate for another. ive no proof of this but its just the patterned appearance of this organism/set of organisms tbd

I don't know at all what the real ID name would be, just that its a joy to blast off surfaces with peroxide and power etching in some way + full tank detritus removal

we always get the full takeover jobs that are big cleanup. this invader needs to be handled right when it appears vs at full mass