Pickles
meow
Thanks for ALL the support and help. What is Cyano?
I think I am not meant to be a hobbyist
- Thread starter Pickles
- Start date
Help Support Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum:
Cyanobacteria is a red slime algae, or green slime algae, though it's not a true algae. It's a bacteria that has a slime mat appearance, sometimes slimy hair...lol. It's best combated by increasing flow in the effected areas and less feeding.
Pickles
meow
Right now I have a green film that forms on the ends of my tank (on the glass). It cleans off easily with my magnet cleaner but comes back a few times a day. Does this sound like it could be cyano bacteria?
Possibly. As you scrape it off, suck it out of the tank. Otherwise, you aren't really removing it and it'll just return. Increase flow on that particular area.
Pickles
meow
when you say increase flow, do you mean add a powerhead or rearrange them? Wont doing that affect my corals?
Need more information about your tank and corals to answer that. Increasing flow will almost always help corals rather than hurt. There are some corals that like lower flow though. The effect of growing algae can eventually hurt your corals though. You can redirect powerheads to change flow or add power heads to add flow. What you want is a good, random flow. Powerheads put out linear or laminar flow, which means a straight stream of flow. That's not what you want. Arranging powerheads in a way that their flow collide with one another or with glass to break up the linear pattern helps create a more random flow.
Pickles
meow
My tank is 75 gallon with three maxi jet 1200 powerheads, a remora pro skimmer, 55 pounds of live rock, 15 snails of different types. I have a 48 inch coralife light. It has the actinic (sp?) light cycle and lunar lights. For fish, I have a royal gramma. I have a cleaner shrimp and a bangai cardinal. I have one power head on the side of the tank pointed straight donw the side. I have another power head on the same side about half way down in the middle. On that powerhead I have a thing that spins and is supposed to make a more wave like motion. The third power head is on the other side of the tank and it is angled so that it point to the front center. I have a xenia coral. Thats all I can think of.
IM sorry I opened a can-o-worms with the Cyano thing...
Cyano is pretty easily to distinguish as it looks like a maroon , dark brown, reddish brown Silky film... it will also contain bubbles forming on it like pimples.
You can tell by taking your hand and waving a flow of water on it...if it moves or sluffs away...its Cyano more than likely.
having thin films of green algae on your glass is normal .. that can be controlled by (phosban) ...the phosphates are the fertilizer of algae blooms.
Sorry for scaring you with the Cyanobacteria. Since you dont know what it is I do suggest learning about it so that you are aware of it and how to deal with it if it shows its face.
Search the Forums key word (cyanobacteria or Redslime)...
back on topic:
cheering you on to stick it out!
chend2
Achilles Reef Nugget
Can anyone in the Spokane area get him a better skimmer? The remora pro won't help the diatom algae issue.
Pickles
meow
Really?! What would help?....oh and I am a her!
Myteemouse
NOTHING
Lady, your not alone!
I lost a diamond goby to suicide"jumped out the tank!"
Two anemone's to not the right light!
One coral beauty to a non protected power head and a sally lightfoot to Idon't know what!
I've only been doing this for about 4-5 months!!
Stick it out !!!!
The payoffs in the end are worth it!
But if you think you can "set it and forget it" your saddly mistaken!!!
I lost a diamond goby to suicide"jumped out the tank!"
Two anemone's to not the right light!
One coral beauty to a non protected power head and a sally lightfoot to Idon't know what!
I've only been doing this for about 4-5 months!!
Stick it out !!!!
The payoffs in the end are worth it!
But if you think you can "set it and forget it" your saddly mistaken!!!
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Pickles
meow
Things are getting better...I think anyway. Can see how it can be an enjoyable hobby.
5150REEFER
Member
Stick it out pickles!!! the beginning the hard part once astablished it gets a little easier!!! whats your lighting schedule like???
Pickles
meow
I have the actinic (blue) lights on from 9-10am and 6-7pm. I have my daylight cycle from 10am-6pm (white and blue lights) and then the lunar lights run over night. Any suggestions or is this fine?
small alien
Well-known member
That lighting sounds pretty on target. How often do you do water changes? Try 20-25% once a week. Good luck. Try to think of it as "fun" to figure out your tank.
I'm in north Spokane also and have been in the hobby approx. 5 years. I recently purchased a used aquarium that had been running for about a year and decided to add a bunch of sand to it, which caused a huge diatom bloom. Having not experienced that for a while, it was very frusterating and ugly. My husband kept trying to convince me to resale the aquarium because it looked so bad and he didn't want the maintenance of another tank, but the brown algae eventually went away on its own. It took like a month and this tank was not "new", just new sand. I recently added a lot of used sand to another tank and it got a small diatom bloom too.
Once the aquarium matures, it becomes more stable, healthy and visually appealing (with maintenance and the right equipment of course). First starting out, my husband and I bought the cheapest equipment we could which worked ok for a fish only tank, but when we wanted to keep sps corals alive, we basically had to buy all new equipment and actually learn how to test our water parameters and keep an eye on what our water quality was like. I have lost all the corals in my tank once, about 80% a second time and have been through coral pests, ich, fish jumping out, etc.
The hobby is expensive and becomes addictive for some or expensive and extremely frusterating for others (long term). A new tank that hasn't matured yet can be frusterating for anyone. The key is patience and educating yourself.
As far as staying in the hobby, that's really up to you. If you're willing to learn how to keep a healthy aquarium, spend the money on it and have the patience it requires for the tank to mature, then it becomes a pleasure. If you don't maintenance your tank, don't learn about your water parameters, mix fish and other live stock that aren't compatible, fail to buy the right equipment, then it can be an ongoing headache as things will go wrong.
By the way, I noticed that you started this post over a month ago, do you still have the diatoms (brown algae) or did they go away?
Once the aquarium matures, it becomes more stable, healthy and visually appealing (with maintenance and the right equipment of course). First starting out, my husband and I bought the cheapest equipment we could which worked ok for a fish only tank, but when we wanted to keep sps corals alive, we basically had to buy all new equipment and actually learn how to test our water parameters and keep an eye on what our water quality was like. I have lost all the corals in my tank once, about 80% a second time and have been through coral pests, ich, fish jumping out, etc.
The hobby is expensive and becomes addictive for some or expensive and extremely frusterating for others (long term). A new tank that hasn't matured yet can be frusterating for anyone. The key is patience and educating yourself.
As far as staying in the hobby, that's really up to you. If you're willing to learn how to keep a healthy aquarium, spend the money on it and have the patience it requires for the tank to mature, then it becomes a pleasure. If you don't maintenance your tank, don't learn about your water parameters, mix fish and other live stock that aren't compatible, fail to buy the right equipment, then it can be an ongoing headache as things will go wrong.
By the way, I noticed that you started this post over a month ago, do you still have the diatoms (brown algae) or did they go away?
I've been following this thread and my hat's off to "reef frontiers" and those that replied.
Pickles what better way to spend your spare time then with a group of "reefers" that really care about someone that they do not even know,except through the "frontier" we call Reef Tanks.
I love it,
T.
Pickles what better way to spend your spare time then with a group of "reefers" that really care about someone that they do not even know,except through the "frontier" we call Reef Tanks.
I love it,
T.
Pickles
meow
I am really happy and thankful for all the help my "co-reefers" have offered. I am finally doing pretty good with everything. I understand fully about not buying cheap equipment and I am thankful I did not do that because it seems you just bu twice when you buy cheap. I am probably kind of a snob and always want the best of the best. Anyway, got through ich but did loose my first fish, one of the two I first purchased. Things seem to be looking up and I am really enjoying my tank. I now have some corals, crabs, snails and a couple of fish. I love to sit and watch the tank, there is something very peaceful about it. Thanks for all the help and support from everyone. Most everyone has been so thoughtful and helpful. Thanks you!
Pickles
meow
It has all gone away. Things are looking up and my tank is looking pretty good! Thanks!
