View Full Version : cyanobacteria problems
Ok, fairly new to marine so bare with me.
We have a 20 gallon tall (about 25 gallons) with a coralife 135 watt compact flourescent with 10000K and actinic bulbs and glass top, Prizim skimmer, AC 150 with carbon, 2 powerheads and 150 watt heater.
The tank has live rock about 0.75 lb/gallon, coral sand and some soft corals and mushrooms. The fish are 2 clowns (occelaris), 2 firefish, 1 yellow clown goby, 2 green clown gobies and a whole bunch of hermit crabs and snails(turbo).
Our current w/c schedule is 35% once every 2 weeks. All levels test good, nitrate a tad high at 20(15 right after a w/c)
Since the start, we have been battling cyanobacteria. The previous setup was using an eclipse top.....we were told that we had excess nutrients so we got a glass top, a better light and a skimmer......this did little to help and the cyanobacteria thrived....often appeared only 2 days after a waterchange even after picking all the bits out. We don't think it is a water movement problem as the tank has strong water movement throughout.
Our next attempt to rid the tank of excess nutrients was by adding an AC 150 with carbon and changing the substrate from crushed coral to finer coral sand. So far, it is day 2, but i already see the cyanobacteria forming.
Any ideas here...what can we do...what is the problem.
Thanks
Cearbhaill
11-15-2004, 4:42 AM
Are you using reverse osmosis source water? That would help. Tapwater can contain suprising amounts of nitrates.
Also feed less, increase the circulation inside the tank, manually remove all that you can, keep your pH up in the 8.2+ range, make sure your alkalinity stays up, and crank the skimmer as high as it will go.
Is the Prizm actually producing skimmate- they aren't the most effective skimmers...
stephenray75
11-15-2004, 10:01 AM
I have been battling cyano for a while to. i bought a dragon gobie and the next morning it was almost all gone. Just a thought.
The skimmer seems to be working well. I will give the suggestions a try.
Thanks
Have a look at one that you know is working well, and then compare if yours is. How many days does it take to fill the cup, and does it stink. Prisms are hard to get running efficiently.
You have 7 small fish in a 20 gallon tank that I guess is less than a year old.. Basically while it has 'cycled' like a fresh tank, things take more time to settle down in salt, so stocking a new tank heavily often causes problems like this.
Keep going with the skimmer, go to 10 % changes once a week or more often and try a phosphate remover. Make sure your sand bed doesn't start to stick together too. Good luck. Make sure you're not overfeeding
Sregnar35
11-17-2004, 9:19 AM
Hey Wayne, my sand bed sticks together, its like a hard shell 2 days after I clean it all up, what is it, diatoms or cyano?
thanks for the added info wayne ;)
Unfortunately one of the amazing things about cyano is how little nutrient you need to produce astounding volumes of cyano. So it can be an uphill fight once it's established , especially as often it means nutrient is being leaked from the gunk in your substrate. So lots of gravel hoobering too, especially if you're using crush coral. But it sounds like you're on the right tep, though I'm not especially keen on the cannister, though sometimes this all just requires tlc and lots of hoovering. If you really are skimming properly make sure you stir the sand bed to get more gak into suspension for removal. Good luck
What do you mean your sand bed is going hard. Is it crusty, clear, hard? That's from CaCO3 precipitation I tihnk - you might try searching wetwebmedia.com with the word concrete or simialr. Are you adding lots of additives or something?
Sregnar35
11-19-2004, 9:18 AM
Not lots, maybe overdosing kalk though. Mine is hard and its brown too.
Hard and brown with organics, or just stuck together. Could well be the calk. What are your Ca and alkalinity like. Why are you adding kalk anyway? Do you need to?
Sregnar35
11-23-2004, 8:05 AM
It's hard in all areas of the sand, but some areas are brown too, like diatoms. I've been adding Kalk to promote coralline algae growth, but I've recently cut it back, and everything seems to be stabilizing.
Apone
11-23-2004, 12:15 PM
I agree with Wayne....use a phosphate remover.
I batteled cyano for a longtime, and nothing worked for me, until I started using Phosban by two little fishies.
stephenray75
11-23-2004, 2:48 PM
i used phospho ban and i still had cyano growth. as i stated before my gobie took care of my cyano.
skippy2
11-23-2004, 7:14 PM
I have had a cynao problem since the tank move a month ago. I am doing a 5 gl. wc every couple of days. I missed a few days and today it was starting to grow on the rocks. I waited to do a wc till tonite thinking that the longer the lights are on the worse it gets. The only problem with syphoning cynao out is I take too much sand along with it no matter how careful I am. I would imagine I get quite a few pods that way to. I did rescue a ceirth from the bottom of the bucket.
The lfs gave me what I believe is maracyn. He says just throw it in and keep an eye on the skimmer. He says I probably only have to do this once. I have never added any chemicals to my tank and am very hesitant. But I can't keep lugging change water up 10 steps to my apartment every couple of days. I could have one of my grandkids do it for me but that means taking them out dinner and a 10 mile ride back to their house. Would be pretty expensive water changes after awhile.lol.
I am in the process of ordering metal halides lights for the tank. Will that make the cyano worse?
skippy2
11-27-2004, 6:40 PM
I haven't added the maracyn yet. I don't dare. Do I turn off the skimmer when I add it or leave it on? Do I do a wc after a certain amount of time? I just handpicked a bunch of cyano off my rocks and sand. It's getting worse. I hope somebody is on the board that can help me tonight. TIA
TinaFishGirl
11-28-2004, 5:45 AM
Maracyn can throw your Ph and kill some of your bio so be carefull!!
About the hard sand..................
My fish guy said my hard sand is just from calcium. He said to just take my long handle algea scaper and poke it around to soften before my water changes. I got a sand sifter star and horseshoe crab and it seems it all went away. Same with my brown algea. Since I moved the water here is way high in nutrients and I couldn't believe the difference in algea. I got a RO and everything has calmed down now.
UPDATE:
Seems like changing the substrate and adding the AC with carbon has made a difference...much less cyano and less algae altogether.
I think I may have this under control afterall.
chelebell81
12-12-2004, 6:49 PM
I had the same problem with my tank and it all started when my Prizm skimmer decided to not skim. I didn't realize how much the Prizm didn't work until I got a good skimmer. I now have a CPR bakpak skimmer and it's amazing. Only about $130 from any site online (easiest to do a google search for the name and price them out) and I really love it. My problem hasn't gone away completely, but I'm doing water changes much less often. A lot of people love Prizms, but I've never had any luck with them. It won't completely eliminate your problem, but I really would try a different skimmer. It makes a world of a difference and you won't be wasting a ton of hard work to have the water turn junky in a few days.