Cyano

[artoledo]

I got cyano all over my tank. It is on my rock, sand, return pipes and even on the glass. I dropped PHOSBAN in the reactor along with Purigen and would like to know how long would this last for. Im doing another water change tonight. My parameters are:

Nitrates = .5
Nitrates = .1
Amm= .10
PH = 7.9
Phos= (.1 or almost 0)

This is with a Hagen master test kit.

 

[Devilishturtles]

How is the water flow in your tank? How often do you do water changes and when was your last one? How long do your lights stay on? How often do you feed?

I have found in the past that manual removal is best, followed by frequent water changes, increased flow, and decreased lighting.

That said, are you sure you aren't just seeing diatoms? Sounds like your tank is still cycling?

 

[melosu58]

Im still trying to figure out why you have ammonia and nitrites. Are you overfeeding? Have you read our article on cyano?

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_cat.php?fldAuto=2/

 

[artoledo]

Well i had an emergency tank change that caused a spike in my levels. The water flow just improved in my tank. I recently installed a mag 9.5 and a Koralia 2 to go along with my Koralia 1. I feed every 2 to 3 days. I stop adding Marine Snow and Mysis. Im only using the pellets for now. There is diatom in my tank but there is a strong presence of Cyano.

 

[Hara]

until you fix the water quality, no amount of flow in the world is going to get rid of the cyano.

 

[roka64]

I agree and I haven't found flow to be much of a help unless it is directly pointing at it....even then, if you do this, it just floats to another place with less flow. It is best to treat with PWCs, reduced lighting and feeding....

 

[Ziggy953]

You should also check your source water. If you have an RO/DI system how long have you had the current filters? What is your TDS? If you do not have an RO/DI system where are you getting your fresh/salt water from?

Chances are the emergency tank move could have caused a lot of your problem and the best solution is to do frequent water changes as has been stated. You really should be doing that anyway, anytime you have to move your tank or disturb a lot of your sand bed it is always a good idea to have plenty of water mixed and ready for PWCs!

 

[artoledo]

Well i have changed a total of 50 gallons over the past week, and it seems to be getting better. I noticed that my parameters are almost back to normal.

Nitri= 0
Amm= 0
Nitrate.05
PH=8.1
Phos=0
dKH= 19 (down from 24)

My only thing is that i checked my Ro/Di water prior to mixing and my dKH is @ 0. After adding instant ocean it goes up to 13! Is this real?

 

[artoledo]

Anyone?

 

[Devilishturtles]

Well it makes sense. RO/DI water is pure water. It shouldn't have anything in it, and a neutral pH. Your dKH is a bit high, but it could also be because you just mixed and it should settle and aerate for a while to get a more accurate reading.

HTH

 

[melosu58]

My only thing is that i checked my Ro/Di water prior to mixing and my dKH is @ 0. After adding instant ocean it goes up to 13! Is this real?

SW is a buffer. That`s why frequent PWC`s will buffer your tank water.

 

[artoledo]

Well it makes sense. RO/DI water is pure water. It shouldn't have anything in it, and a neutral pH. Your dKH is a bit high, but it could also be because you just mixed and it should settle and aerate for a while to get a more accurate reading.

HTH

Well, it was sitting 3 days after mixing. I dont check right after mixing.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Okay, then your dKH is just a little high then. Not out of range at all, and I'm sure once you add it to your tank and it starts getting "consumed" the number will level out a little.

HTH

 

[artoledo]

I came to the conclusion that the instant ocean salt must be causing my cyano. I siphoned out the cyano last night, did a 25% water change and this morning it was worse than before. Im running Phosban in the Phosban Reactor and my parameters are as follows.

Nitrates=..05
Nitrites=0
Phos=0
Ph=8.1
dkH=19
Cal=480

Im going to Big Als tomorrow and I want to know what salt i should get and why? Please help me out here. Also, I am thinking of adding seltzer water to my tank to lower dkH. Look forward to your input.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

What are you dosing your tank with? Calcium levels of 480 and alk of 19 don't come naturally with Instant Ocean and RO/DI water.

 

[artoledo]

What are you dosing your tank with? Calcium levels of 480 and alk of 19 don't come naturally with Instant Ocean and RO/DI water.

Lol. Everyone has asked me the same question. I dont dose my tank. THat is what has perplexed me from the moment i started testing for alk. I was reading that Red Sea has an alk of 2.5 after mixing with RO/DI. ANy thoughts on this? I am getting ready to go to Big Als in 20 minutes.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

What are you dosing your tank with? Calcium levels of 480 and alk of 19 don't come naturally with Instant Ocean and RO/DI water.

Lol. Everyone has asked me the same question. I dont dose my tank. THat is what has perplexed me from the moment i started testing for alk. I was reading that Red Sea has an alk of 2.5 after mixing with RO/DI. ANy thoughts on this? I am getting ready to go to Big Als in 20 minutes.

The alkalinity isn't really why I said that. Using pure water (RO/DI), your Instant Ocean should mix up between 340-360ppm, from my experience. If you're using tap water (no RO/DI), then I can see your Ca levels being higher because you have the additional Ca that's in the water to start with. But you're using RO/DI water, right? And the fact that you tested your RO/DI water and you're getting 0 dkH for your alkalinity leads me to believe that your membranes and resin in your RO/DI are OK. So that extra Ca is coming from someplace, or your test is giving you bad results.

Regarding the alkalinity numbers you mentioned, you're mixing apples and oranges. The 2.5 number you quoted is in units of meq/liter, but the numbers you're getting from your test are dkH. Totally different beasts. To convert, 1 meq/liter is equal to 2.8 dkH. Soo... that 2.5 number you quoted for Red Sea is the same as 7 dkH. (Still a little low for a reef.)

Something is weird with your water, and personally I'd try to figure out what it is before changing things randomly. Salt mix doesn't "cause" cyano. Some salt mixes might inhibit the growth more than others, but the basic cause isn't the salt, from what I've read.

 

[artoledo]

What are you dosing your tank with? Calcium levels of 480 and alk of 19 don't come naturally with Instant Ocean and RO/DI water.

Lol. Everyone has asked me the same question. I dont dose my tank. THat is what has perplexed me from the moment i started testing for alk. I was reading that Red Sea has an alk of 2.5 after mixing with RO/DI. ANy thoughts on this? I am getting ready to go to Big Als in 20 minutes.

The alkalinity isn't really why I said that. Using pure water (RO/DI), your Instant Ocean should mix up between 340-360ppm, from my experience. If you're using tap water (no RO/DI), then I can see your Ca levels being higher because you have the additional Ca that's in the water to start with. But you're using RO/DI water, right? And the fact that you tested your RO/DI water and you're getting 0 dkH for your alkalinity leads me to believe that your membranes and resin in your RO/DI are OK. So that extra Ca is coming from someplace, or your test is giving you bad results.

Regarding the alkalinity numbers you mentioned, you're mixing apples and oranges. The 2.5 number you quoted is in units of meq/liter, but the numbers you're getting from your test are dkH. Totally different beasts. To convert, 1 meq/liter is equal to 2.8 dkH. Soo... that 2.5 number you quoted for Red Sea is the same as 7 dkH. (Still a little low for a reef.)

Something is weird with your water, and personally I'd try to figure out what it is before changing things randomly. Salt mix doesn't "cause" cyano. Some salt mixes might inhibit the growth more than others, but the basic cause isn't the salt, from what I've read.

Thanks for replying Kurt. I went to Big Als a little after my post and I bought the Red Sea Salt. I tested my RO/DI water before adding the salt and I got 0 dkH. NO2 & NO3 NH3 all 0. I added the Red Sea Salt and I got 5 dkH NO2 NO3 NH3 all 0. PH=8.4 . From what I am gathering so far Red Sea is far more stable than my IO Salt i was using. I dont know why I am getting those results with the IO. Maybe i got a bad batch to begin with? Either way, I am going to scrub the Cyano off of all my Rock 2morrow, do a 30% water change and rescape the tank. THen i will monitor the tank over the next week or so and see how it does. So far I am very happy with my purchase. I got a bucket of Red Sea Salt (250ga mix) for $45. BTW Nikki, I asked for you but they said you werent there. Maybe the next time i go i can finally meet you. Even my wife asked if you were there. Lol.

 

[Ziggy953]

I have to agree with Kurt on this there is something causing the odd readings. I think I would invest in some new test kits. They do have expiration dates. Get a couple of new test kits and see what your readings are. I switched away from IO because of continued Cyano also, but as Kurt said the salt mix alone isn't the issue.

 

[artoledo]

I have to agree with Kurt on this there is something causing the odd readings. I think I would invest in some new test kits. They do have expiration dates. Get a couple of new test kits and see what your readings are. I switched away from IO because of continued Cyano also, but as Kurt said the salt mix alone isn't the issue.

Well getting new test is out of the question because i just bought a new Hagen Master Test kit about a month ago, and i had a salifert master reef test kit that measures the same. Like i said, i might have just gotten a bad batch of IO. Either way, im done with IO.