Name this algea?!?

[GregAW]

SO does it go away on its own? Funny it's only in a couple of spots. Oh well, this week-end the display tank gets placed and ready for everything that's in the frag tank. My LFS is going to loan me their commercial RO/DI tank so I can get the water in and the tank running fast. If I ever thought I would have around 30,000 galls to fill I would get one of those and have it serviced when ever it needed it.

 

[ToeJam]

Yep good old Cyano in full blossom. Man and on a coral stalk. With good parameters it would disappear ...really. I put a cyano covered hammer in my tank and it just went poof over night just about. That was because my tanks conditions didn't allow it to grow.

You have to find that root cause and rid yourself of it. At the same time do some very extensive cleaning and large water change. What ever it takes to stunt it's spread.

The other thread on the forums I listed steps to take...and in bad cases even nuking the tank with Chemiclean. That stuff is perfectly fine and does work.
Before you use it ...do a very large water change ..very large +clean up.

That is because you have to remove carbon,ozone, and skimming till Chemiclean does its job....then do another 20% water change minimal.

If it only appears on coral...its also an indicator there is death and decay happening on the coral. Put some water in a container and use a turkey baster or anything you can squirt off the cyano layer with... Keep it from overcomming the good parts of the coral.. it will kill it if not.

 

[GregAW]

Thanks TJ, I'll give it a shot and see what happens. Where is that other thread?

 

[ToeJam]

Thanks TJ, I'll give it a shot and see what happens. Where is that other thread?

Diatoms is the subject its still active.

I mentioned general cyano clean up ..its very similar in attacking a algae problem. I also think that it requires more work actually to put down cyano.

I'm learning to deal with cyano on location base also... You can have a seemingly good water parameter but have cyano grow on substrate...i learned a while back that substrate can contain so much detritus that the cyano feeds on it from below vs water column... causing tank users to get stumped.

It depends on how bad your outbreak is ..location to really deal with it...
Check out my lengthy reply in there and if it seems to jive with your tanks situation cool...if it doesn't or you have questions go ahead and fire off questions.

The thing is in the end all it takes is very good parameters to have it die down and disappear. Remember cyano is always present just when it shows that slimy growth something has boosted its growth...cut that out and it will go back to normal state in the tank. Invisible but there.

The coral if that is the only thing showing cyano just clean it...relocate it ..it may be that the coral is dieing and you need to give it some TLC and keep it clean.

 

[Dan06]

I didn't know that Cyano is always present!! I love new information...haha!

ToeJam, I only have Cyano growing in my substrate. I knocked some loose by accident and it moved to a single rock, but I've cleaned that rock and it's never come back on that rock. The Cyano does not grow anywhere in the back of the tank on the substrate either. It only grows where fish poo/waste food/etc may land. I've actually yet to vacuum my gravel, I was afraid I would hurt the stability of the tank by doing so...but I may 'spot' vacuum and see what happens in that particular area tonight.

I feed with pellet foods & of the sea veggies.

 

[GregAW]

I'll try cleaning off the one coral that has it growing on it and see what happens. I have changed the water flow to see if it'll stir up the water better.