Cyano OVER TOOK MY TANK!!!!!!

[Sprout588]

Cyano has took over my tank and I am in need of desperate help on how to get rid of this problem!!! This problem started about 2 months ago, just a little bit here and there. But now... it's everywhere!!!! It's covered the top of my sand, it's on my live rocks, it's growing in between my zoas and polyps, all I see is brown!!! I cant take it anymore and I need help with the most fastest, effective way to get rid of it, PLEASE HELP!!!!!!! Its making me want to quit this hobby I just cant get rid of it. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sniperhank]

Cyano is a nutrient issue. Cut back feeding, do large water changes with ro/di water and siphon it out as you are doing so. Using a product like red slime remover might be necessary to start the process out if it is bad. You may also want to look into increasing the flow in the tank, as cyano likes low flow.
This isn't a fast fix, as there isn't one. Cyano will return every day when the lights come on until the nutrients are addressed.

 

[PB_Smith]

Cyano has took over my tank and I am in need of desperate help on how to get rid of this problem!!! This problem started about 2 months ago, just a little bit here and there. But now... it's everywhere!!!! It's covered the top of my sand, it's on my live rocks, it's growing in between my zoas and polyps, all I see is brown!!! I cant take it anymore and I need help with the most fastest, effective way to get rid of it, PLEASE HELP!!!!!!! Its making me want to quit this hobby I just cant get rid of it. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!

Is it like a brown dusting on everything, slimy reddish sheets or does it look like snot?

Cyano is usually red/purple, black or green and covers stuff in slimy sheets that also often have air bubbles trapped in the slime.

Diatoms are brown/golden and look more like dust covering stuff and will cover all surfaces in tank. Diatoms usually aren't a big issue, unsightly, but they usually die off as the silicates are used up.

Dinoflaggelates are brown and look like snot and can be rather problematic.

So a better description and maybe some pics of what is going would help.

 

[Adamski]

This hobby is all about keeping water rather than fish. If you can keep your nutrients down and your levels stable you'll succeed. I nearly fell in to the trap of overfeeding, it happens to all of us at some point. Do a couple of decent water changes a week for a few weeks and see how you get on


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[Reefing Madness]

Up your flow. Clean up your water, make sure your flow is at a minimum 10x your DT volume. In dead spots you will see this more than in high flow areas.

 

[carey]

All of the above are good answers to not getting cyano and how to slowly get rid of what you have.
For whatever reason, every single tank I have setup, which is by now 20 or more, has gotten a cyano outbreak in the beginning. No idea why lol. I use ro/di didnt overfeed but still, I get it. I use chemiclean, it's a chemical to get rid of what you have. You HAVE to follow the instruction to a tee though, but i will give it this, it works.
BUT if you don't correct what caused it I guarantee it will return. I've always had to dose chemiclean the first outbreak and it has never returned in that tank. Weird I know, but that's my experience with the stuff.
Some people are adamantly against using chemicals in their tanks, I was that way when I first started. But if used responsibly and infrequently I think they have their place.

Good luck.

 

[Anovack]

Red slime supplement, crank the protein skimmer up to a wet skim and stop feeding as much...do that for two weeks...just my two cents that had worked for me and my 30gal


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[hackteck]

ive used chemiclean in the past for red slime it worked wonders and never came back just follow the directions carefully

 

[Gregcoyote]

It's a balancing act, feed the fish so they are healthy and fat and tolerate a bit of algae or cyano, or starve the fish to help your filter to keep up with nutrient levels. Adding chemicals or antibiotics is the last thing I would personally do. That's just my opinion of course. Increase flow, optimize protein skimming and increase water exchanges using pure water. Remove what you can physically with a siphon and toothbrush. You'll get a handle on it.

What are your phosphate levels? Are you carbon dosing? Carbon dosing feeds bacteria and cyano is bacteria, so some say bio pellets or carbon dosing can stimulate cyano production. That's been my observation as well.


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[Breakthecycle2]

I am fighting this too, however, mine is like snot with bubbles on it. I really thought it was dino's until members of another forum, ID's my pics. Mine is very stringy with "tentacle" looking strands coming out of it straight up in the water. I panicked and used red slime remover last night. I have kept the lights off today and no feeding. Its still there, but not as much, I'm guessing because of the lights being off. My nitrates are undetectable along with phosphates. My tank is also about 7 weeks old.

 

[Gregcoyote]

It is super common to have cyano or some algae breakout this early in the tanks history. It's still "curing" IMO. Even with undetectable organics, the tank is still seasoning and the biology is still sorting itself out. Remove as much as you can and increase water exchanges is my best advice. Go slow on the use of chemicals to fight it.


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