blue/green algae (cyano)

[charlie h]

Hi there again, haven't posted for a few months thought i'd consentrate on getting rid of the cyano infection i have, and guess what..... It's still as healthy as every, covering absoloutly every thing...... i've tried every thing suggested on all the forums and nothing has changed... The only thing left is to turn the lights off for a few days or try some sort of chemicals... But i'm worried about killing the corals with no light or the good bacteria with the chemi's...
What do you lot think, or do you have any tricks up your sleaves...

 

[Damsel13]

cyano isn't blue/green in my small experience.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Blue Green Algae is the common name for Cyanobacteria
Cyano = blue, also called blue green algae, but most species found in the aquarium are pinkish-red. Another common name for this nuisance algae is red-slime, because the algae cells form a carpet like mat with a slimy appearance. The mats come off easily by using a vacuum.

Cyanobacteria is a single celled algae and actually more a bacteria. This algae usually starts out on one spot (dark with low water flow) then vastly spreading throughout the tank. As all single celled algae can grow fast, this one is the fastest. In an optimal environment, this algae can double every 20 minutes.

The cause: high nutrients (nitrates) and bad lighting as well as a high organic content in the water.

http://netclub.athiel.com/cyano/cyanos2.htm

 

[charlie h]

Like you've stated above mine is a darkish browny red..... And once removed from syphoning will recover the whole tank within 24 hours.
Now i've cut the feeding down to small pinch of flake a day (fish looking starving), increased flow, reduced lighting for a bout 3 months (been put back to normal now), Using phosgaurd in sump and doing about 10% water changes weekly.

 

[charlie h]

But Must Be Doing Somthing Wrong!!!!!

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Reducing the lighting might not be helping. Please describe your tank in extreme detail. Size, sump, skimmer, lighting, flow rate, RO filter, pumps, filters, sand, rock quantity and placement, fish, plants, refugium, and each water level as in temp, salinity, PH, alkalinity, phosphate, nitrates, etc.

 

[charlie h]

Well here goes..........
I have an 120 gallon tank with 10 gallon sump, which house an aquamedic turbo float 1000. I'm running aqua sunlight with 2 x 250watt halides plua 2 x 54watt actinics. (bulbs are around 10 months old) I have around 2500gph flow not including return which is a ocean runner 3500lph... Will be adding another 1200gph just after christmas. All water for tops and water changes is brought from LFS and test perfect... Tank only has one sponge filter which gets a quick rinse out in old water very water change... I have no refugium.....
fish list....
2 x clowns
1 x coral buity
1 x yellow tang
7 x cromis
1 x yellow tailed damsel
1 x pink tailed trigger
1 x brittle star
selection of snails and hermits

salinity 1.026
temp. 80
dkh 9
ph 8.2 during the day
nitarte 0
phosphate 0

and here's a picture of the tank so you can see the set up.

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd266/charlie-har/pinkcorsa236.jpg

if i've missed anything out just tell us and i'll let you no.....
would be great to get some help though

 

[trido]

When was the last time you broke down your skimmer and cleaned the pump? Does it act like its performing well lately?

I did a quick search on your skimmer and am now conviced it is most likely your problem.
IMO your bioload is far more than that skimmer can handle. Just the cost alone says it all . For over a year I ran an ASM G-3 ($300)Modded to the hilt, on my 120 with fewer fish than you and was always on the verge of a cyano outbreak. When I did get a small outbreak I knew it was time to get my skimmer performing better and do a couple WCs. I recently upgraded to a much larger skimmer and was shocked at how dirty my water really was. Id bet your tank is just at an age that you may not get ahold of the cyano without either doing a bunch of 50% WCs or get a bigger skimmer.

Also, do you have any sort of sand bed maintanance crew or do you siphon it during WCs? It may be full of gunk helping to fuel the cyano.

 

[charlie h]

I trouble is the list of fish stated were all vertally added at the same time because they were moved from my old tank into the new one. I have had this bloom for about 8 months now and light unit and skimmer were brand new about 10 months ago. I no this was the wrong way to add the fish but no one would have them including all LFS and i couldn't bring my self to kill them.
Here's a pic of the skimmer looks a bit wet to me but can't get it to skim any drier.
before....

after....

 

[trido]

thats just the way I like it. HOw long did it take for the skimmer to produce that much?

 

[charlie h]

that is over a 24 hour period and is like that every day.... so what do you rekon..... (is it true wet skimming removes more phosphate)

 

[Herefishyfishy]

that is over a 24 hour period and is like that every day.... so what do you rekon..... (is it true wet skimming removes more phosphate)

OHMYGAWD, that much everyday? And only a pinch of flakes? Yes wet skimming is a safer bet than dry skimming especially if water changes are not a problem.

OK, The nutrient level of the tank is exceeding the filtration/rock. The skimmer is working at capacity. A better one would be great if you have the funds but I would definitely add some more water flow as the cyano seems to just be laying on the back and bottom.

I would get a sock filter on the return and blast everything off in the tank collecting it in the sock. Rinse it out a few times a day. Redo it a couple times a week. Pulling out all the cyano will lower the organic content some and help break the cycle.

 

[trido]

That little skimmer is working pretty darned hard. Thats alot of nice wet skimmate.
AFAIK skimming doesnt remove phosphates at all. Skimming wet is thought to remove more organic compounds than dry skimming but I dont beleive there are any studies on it.
Alot of reefers skim dry in order to keep their salinity from falling due to wet skimming.
Cyano, being a bacteria feeds on organic compounds in the water as well as nitrogen.
Hair algea and other green algeas feed on PO4. I doubt that PO4 is an issue here.

It may be that your skimmer is just fine and adding a larger skimmer wont help you in this case. You may simply have too many fish for the volume of water you have. I dont know.IMO you really shouldnt be pulling that much from a 120 in one day but I surely dont know everything. One thing I do know is that I have alot opinions.
I would start with a couple large WCs and keep up with the starvation feeding you are doing currently and see if that helps. When I say large, I mean near 100% in 24 hours if its possible. I wont hurt anything. You'd probably ber suprised. Your SPS will likely perk up. Mine did the one time I did it.
If the big WCs and lack of feeding dont help at least you know its not your skimmer.

 

[charlie h]

When you say a sock filter do you mean the same ones as you use to put the phosgaurd in if so i have plenty of these and will do straight away.

Also what do you think about puting some new substarte in at this stage......

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Filter sock in lieu of a netted bag. Not sure what you are currently using. If it can catch all the particulate matter, then great

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~filter_media_sock.html

I would advise against adding more substrate before handling the one issue first. Unless you are talking about adding established cured live rock; where more is better in most cases.


1.Blast it all and filter it out with a sock. Do not let it decompose in the sock back into the water system, rinse frequently.
2. Add one or more powerheads even if just borrowed. Don't point it into the sand as we want to take care of the existing nutrients and cyano first.
3. Do some larger water changes
4. repeat number 1.

 

[charlie h]

right i'll give all your points ago and i'll post the results of what i've done and how it's helping in a week. Thank you lot...

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Good luck Charlie, looking forward to seeing some good news

 

[charlie h]

me to......................

 

[mcvicker]

Are you using an RO/DI unit? How old are the filters and membrane? I would look at the top off water quality and make-up water quality. It doesn't take much for the level in the tank to build up. I recently had a similar problem that went away with new filters. Other than that all the other advice seems to cover the rest of the bases.
-chris

 

[Damsel13]

Love your tank. I am just curious you have 0 nitrates? cause my 55 gal. looks very similar right now and I have 80ppm nitrates.