Uh oh, didn't see this coming

[FishFrik]

About 1 or 2 week ago, i took my AC and Phosguard out of the bubble diffuser box and stopped using them b/c they keep clogging the box and I couldn't find any other place to put them. Everything was gonna well til' 2 days ago, cyano is forming here and there on my sand bed, glass and my skimmer's pump. So im asking How do u get rid of this?

Im gonna run some phosguard again tomorrow, do a 5G WC and try to syphon the cyano on the sandbed. is there anything else i could do?

TIA

 

[seaham358]

what type of water do you use

 

[FishFrik]

I top-off with RO water everyday. The RO unit is our drinking water source

 

[hackteck]

have you tested the ro water your unit produces for p04

 

[FishFrik]

Yes, 0 PO4, 0 NO3

i don't think my topoffs are the cause since i've been topping off with this water for 5 months and no cyano til now

 

[lando]

IF you are using RO alone without a DI stage you are not removing PO4 from the water. It may be a good idea to test your source water for NO3 and PO4.

 

[melosu58]

Also get some circulation where the cyno is with a powerhead after you vacuum it up and it will not allow it to resettle there.

 

[FishFrik]

I already tested the topoff water source. 0 NO3 and 0 PO4

I tried to syphon the slime out yesterday while doing WC but the slime is too heavy to be syphoned out T.T I used my hand to take out as much as i can and covered up the spots that i couldn't reach with sand. I also add a big chunk of phosguard yesterday lol. Hope it'll help with the phosphate problem. I also pointed my left PH to the back of the tank, hoping to increase flow around that area.

Does cyano feeds on nitrate?

Do i have to physically remove the slime? or If the PO4 is depleted, the slime will disappear?

Thanks alot for the replies guys

 

[Devilishturtles]

Do i have to physically remove the slime? or If the PO4 is depleted, the slime will disappear?

Physically remove it and increase water flow to those areas. Also, what do you feed and how much?

 

[FishFrik]

I feed daily with formula 1. I feed pellets after pellets to avoid sinking the pellets to the bottom. I stop feeding til my fish's stomach looks kinda full.

I can't physiscally remove "all" the slime. It keeps breaking into small pieces when i try to take it out. So lowering PO4 wouldn't make the slime to go away?

 

[hackteck]

whats the p04 in your tank?

 

[FishFrik]

I just tested 10 mins ago. Here are the results:

PO4: 0 (suprisingly). It was .2 a week ago
NO3: 3
Ca: 400
PH: 8.2
SG: 1.024

I don't know what's fueling the Cyano... I keep turning the sand over to cover up the cyano but only a few mins later... the cyano starts to form again

 

[melosu58]

I feed daily with formula 1. I feed pellets after pellets to avoid sinking the pellets to the bottom. I stop feeding til my fish's stomach looks kinda full.

Feed every other day and dont gauge by if their stomach is full. It should be as much as they can eat and be gone in a minute or two. I say this IME as I have not seen algea in the 8 years that I have been feeding every other day. Over feeding contributes to excess nutrients that fuel algea in your tank. Good Luck

 

[lando]

PO4: 0 (suprisingly). It was .2 a week ago

That is a step in the right direction. If your source water has no PO4 I would turn your attention to food. This is a very common way for PO4 to be introduced into the system. Now, even though you have a 0 PO4 reading in your tank does not mean you are free of it. If is very possible that your food is introducing a small amount of PO4 into your tank and the cyno is consuming what is available, therefore, giving you a 0 reading. It sounds like you are feeding way too much. As melosu58 mentioned, once every other day is just fine (even small feedings) and once every three days until things are back to normal is even better. Your fish will not starve.

Diet is a whole nother thread, but what tyep of pellets are your feeding?

 

[FishFrik]

Im using Formula one pellets. It says that they are slow sinking pellets on the label but they sink within a sec...

How can i know how much they can consume in 1 - 2 mins when the pellets sink immediately once they hit the water XD. I have to feed little by little so my fish wouldn't lose track of the food. It only takes my fish less than a min to get big bellies of pellets. I used to feed them til they just ignore any additional foods but i figured that if i feed them TOO much, they'll get lazy and don't swim around much lol

I think i'll try feeding one per 2 or 3 days til the cyano is gone. Right now... it's really starting to annoy me. I tried to remove as much slime out as possible and cover up the slime with sand (3rd try) but this thing seems to be unbeatable... Within a couple hours, the slime started to show up again! This time even a bigger patch...

 

[havefun]

If you use just the tubing (no vacuum piece on the end), it should suck it out.
Also, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it can feed off of itself.

 

[FishFrik]

Also, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it can feed off of itself.

0.0 what do u mean?

im using just a regular tube to syphon n yhe slime won't get suked out

EDITED: New update on the slime: The slime seems to be turning from dark red to light brown. What's going on? Or am i just fooling myself with the colors lol

 

[Devilishturtles]

I had a hard time getting some cyano out of my tank when I had some. I had to end up using a scoop to remove it carefully with my hands, and the put it into/onto the scoop to get it out.

I did a large 50-60% water change and added a powerhead and it was gone. Never seen it since.

Cyano can turn colors, may or may not be your eyes.

How many hours a day are your lights on? Cyano is photosynthetic, long light cycles will encourage it's growth as well.

 

[seaham358]

Post a pic or send me the pic to post.. Is the algae slimmy to the touch?

 

[FishFrik]

Yes it's slimy, dark red and forms a thin sheet on the sandbed. Do u really need to see a pic.? Im kinda lazy to post one but if u need to see it, i'll post one

My light cycle is in myinfo

I thought turning brown means that the cyano is dieing off lol. I was happy for a few hours there XD