its back O_o but now its all over on my sand....

[mike3epanda]

I got cyanobacteria again.. but this time its also growing on my sand... I keep stirring it everyday so it looks better and so the bubbles go up.. what should I do?.. I bought 5 nassarius snails recently lfs said they help stir the sand up... any other good ideas?...


I feed once every two days.

As forwater flow, I have MJ 1200, powersweep (idk the model #), return pump (mag5), and my cascade 1500 in sump ( idk if that counts).

my Bioload should be good as I only have 2 ocellaris clown, 1 blue damsel, 3 hermits, 4 trochus snail, 3 turbo, 1 conch, BTA, and the nassarius...

I think that my turbos make more mess than my clowns




TIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Stirring isn't going to make it go away. Just like before, it's a nutrient issue. Your info says you're using RO/DI water at 0ppm TDS. Are you using it for everything... including top offs?

 

[melosu58]

I keep stirring it everyday so it looks better and so the bubbles go up.. what should I do?..

Whatever you do, dont stir it up. You are helping to spread it. My suggestion would be to siphon it up when you do your PWC`s. Most importantly we need to find the fuel source. Can you post water test results from your tank and PWC water. Top off water also. Let`s rule out the fact that there are nitrates and phosphates in the tank and that you are not adding any.

 

[mike3epanda]

o gosh.. I been stirring it so that those bubbles that get stuck in there is moved... and yes I use RO/DI water for everything... and tested my RO/DI water and got 0 nitrates and 0 nitrites so far.. haven't tested the ammonia yet.. I dont think I need too... I'ma do some tests and also do maybe a 10 gal PWC..

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Also... what is your current lighting cycle?

 

[mike3epanda]

not so sure but close to this:


starts in morning around 9:00-9:30 with the compact fluorescents,
then the metal halide turns on around 10:30, it turns off at around 7:30-8:30,about 15 minutes later compact fluorescent turns off... and I got the lunar on until 9:00...




I remember checking my nitrates and it was about 10-15 but I also found this little fact on the search engine.... hmmm I'm mixing up SW now... I got a little bit left of IO but I think Ima use the RC this time.. I've heard of ppl getting cyano using IO



here's the note:

One final interesting note is that because slime algae "consume" nitrates, often when aquarists perform nitrate tests, the readings come up as normal. Don't be deceived. If you were to remove the algae temporarily before putting into action any of the above solutions, in all likelihood you will see a rise in the nitrate levels in the aquarium. It's like a catch 22. The nitrates have actually been there all along, but unreadable as the algae is feeding on it, therefore the nitrates "appear" to be in check. This applies to many other forms of algae as well!

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Lighting cycle doesn't seem excessive. By the way... you can leave your lunars on 24/7 if you want with no ill effect. I started doing that a few months ago.

You're right about nitrate levels. Same thing goes for phosphates too... or anything that is used as "food" for algae. Your "real" levels are usually going to be higher than your measured levels. I think that's why they say to keep your levels as low as possible - zero preferably - because it's always going to be higher than you think.

I wouldn't think 10-15ppm would cause problems, but I'd do whatever it takes to get those levels down - especially with that BTA in there now. As melosu58 commented, suck out as much of the cyano as you can when you do your PWCs.

 

[mike3epanda]

ok I'm mixing SW now... will stir the sand bed again with the siphon hose when I do it.. try to get as much as I can.. also my problem is probably most likely my flow & my skimmer.. my mj 1200 just feels weak!.. but can't do anything for awhile..

 

[pinkie]

Like I told you last time you asked about cyano...

ChemiClean works really well to clean up your cyano in about a week. After you get rid of it, it may come back as red slime algae which means you are having a problem with phosphates and you will need to get rid of your phosphate problem. One of the more common sources of phosphates is using a cheap brand of GAC. Black Diamond is a good brand as is Seachem to use as your GAC. They have extremely low phosphate leaks. To eliminate your current phosphates there are various products you can get, some being filter pads, others being filter media.

Water changes will definitely help but it's like if you had a pool with a sewer pipe leaking sewage into your pool. You can do water changes to help decrease the sewage but what you really need to do is shut off the sewer pipe. Same thing with treatments. You can dump chemicals in to get rid of it but it's going to keep coming back until you find the source. Even though it is technically not an algae, you cure it in similar ways. Reduce excess food, reduce lighting, and in the case of cyano get rid of the phosphates in your tank.

The water flow from powerheads helps keep the cyano from being visible, but only by keeping it from settling. It doesn't actually remove it from your tank.

 

[roka64]

If I am reading it right, the lighting cycle is 12 hours? If so, you could probably run 8-10 hours. I run all my tanks at 8 hours. I agree, PWCs and excess nutrients will help to fuel the cyano and other algeas. If you have a sump/fuge, why not use some cheato or other nutrient exporting algea?

 

[mike3epanda]

yep you guys are right... after I did about 10 gal water change last night, its starting to grow again..I don't think its excess food so I will try to do 8 hours of lighting now.. I never really messed with the cycle timer before. came with the lighting so don't know how to do that.

 

[pinkie]

Reducing your lighting isn't going to make phosphate go away. It will help but it won't fix the problem, it will just be less visible or prevent it from spreading so fast.

 

[mike3epanda]

If I am reading it right, the lighting cycle is 12 hours? If so, you could probably run 8-10 hours. I run all my tanks at 8 hours. I agree, PWCs and excess nutrients will help to fuel the cyano and other algeas. If you have a sump/fuge, why not use some cheato or other nutrient exporting algea?

I would get some chaeto but I don't have lighting for my sump.. do they need any special lighting?.. or can a regular lamp be fine?

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

You say you're only feeding once every other day, but what exactly are your feeding habits? Frozen? Flake? Pellets? How much?

Also, how often are you doing your PWCs, and how much?

The whole idea of macroalgae still gets down to nutrient export. Seems like you need to get rid of the nutrients before they need exporting! With just two clowns and a damsel in your size tank, there's really no reason you shouldn't be able to get those nitrates way lower.

 

[mike3epanda]

I started feeding mysis shrimp.. been feeding bloodworms before.. I use about 1 cube every other day.. and so I don't need lighting for chaeto>?