Poll: How Have You Battled Cyano?

[Brew12]

Fair enough. Then, you should have about the same of each. With the caveat that "about the same" is fuzzy, bit it's not 0:0.1, or 10:0.03. Or 20 and 1.5. As long as your system doesn't look out of whack.

The best target I can give you is 16:1 N to P. But remember this is N to P, not NO3 to PO4. I feel there is value in understanding this ratio and its role in aquatic life but I know of no practical use since we can't measure all of the N and P sources in our tank.

 

[Brew12]

When I start getting patches, I first, will add a cap or two if seachem no3. I find in my tank, a lack of and indications of stunt algae growth, I'll get the cyano.
Opposite for me and dino, Ill add po4, still with the lack of algae growth indications as well.

+1

This is typically my first recommendation. It won't work for every strain but it does show success on some of them.

 

[chefjpaul]

+1

This is typically my first recommendation. It won't work for every strain but it does show success on some of them.

True.
I did diagnose with a microscope and a ton of reading prior to doing anything. After awhile I just got used to what this particular tank looks like and what it looks like it needs from experimenting on dino and cyano.

 

[GoVols]

This +1

The problem with trying to find the balance is that we have no way to actually measure it. Taking water samples and testing NO3 is fine and useful. The problem is that it only tells you the NO3 content of the water at that particular time. It doesn't give you any accurate indication of other sources of nitrates in your system.

All we can try to do is look for limitations. If your system looks great and you have 0ppm of NO3 and PO4 I wouldn't change a thing.

Brew,
That's a great point.

We can only test for those things that are within the open water column but those things could be bound up within other things in ones reef.

Like you said, if all is good then I would not change a thing.

Seems like over time, we figure out what each of our reefs are, and what method that works for one may not be the right call for the other.

Thanks for your time and incite.

 

[GoVols]

True.
I did diagnose with a microscope and a ton of reading prior to doing anything. After awhile I just got used to what this particular tank looks like and what it looks like it needs from experimenting on dino and cyano.

The one time that I ever dealt with dino's it was pure misery.

First instinct was to hit the reef with a lot of water changes. For my strain it was the wrong call. Had nothing left to compete with the dino's and it was like adding gas on a fire

If I had to do it all over again, I'd hit the reef with bacteria's and maybe more nutrients instead of those water changes that stripped everything out.

At least on Reef 2 Reef we can ask each other for help and keep on learning encase you hit that situation again.

I know were off topic from the thread headline but it's a good conversation to have

 

[Rob77]

I have dosed kz coral snow and zeobak and turned up the flow and got rid of it so I think it was 1 of the two things I done or TIME IDK !!!!!!

 

[Sonor]

If you siphon for any reason, use the ridge tubing connected to flexible tubing and run it to a small filter sock ( 4") in a portable plexi hanger, placed in your sump. This way you can siphon all day and not worry about water changes, just remove the sock and clean after use.

 

[Moo76]

It's a question often asked on the forum - How do I get rid of Cyanobacteria? There are many options offered on how to battle the algae, so I'm curious to see what you've done in the past to get rid of an outbreak. The ultimate goal is to determine the root cause of the problem, but while we're doing that, what have you found to work for removal?

The chemical solutions work well. Best way to keep from having an outbreak is to have PLENTY of circulation.

 

[Syed123]

3-4 Day black out followed by water changes and manually removing cyano. Make sure to vacuum sandbed/remove detritus from glass bottom of a bare bottom tank. Also have as much flow as possible and no dead spots. Repeat the black out and water changes every few weeks.

 

[Sycoticrealm]

I'm keep this simple find the root cause and remove it. Nutrients is the root cause.

 

[palmer]

stop feeding or feed minimal- lights out- and scrape and vacuum as much as you can.