Long dark and stringy - cyano?

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tjm80

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
371
Location
Ridgeland, MS
Hi all, it's been a few weeks, but I have been battling what I believe to be cyano. I siphon it out with water changes and suck it up with a turkey baster and it's back within 24 hours.

I switched the lights off yesterday so they wouldn't go on when the timer said "go" and came home for lunch and it was actually worse than when the lights are on! I can't figure it out. It's done the same thing when the lights are out for longer than the normal time. My lights are on for 9 hours a day with 2 10,000K and 2 actinic blues.

The stringy stuff started out only on the sand, but overnight it has spread to my rocks.

The color of it is blue-green on the right side of my tank, and more of a dark red on the left side. I have 2 Koralia 750 gph powerheads on opposite sides of the tank. Flow isn't the issue because the strings are constantly "blowing" around in the water, and I can't find any dead spots.

I've also severely cut back on my feedings the past few weeks. Once every 2 or 3 days, and only what they eat in a minute with no food touching the sand.

Also running an eshopps psk 150 protein skimmer. My tank is 75 gallons with a 20L gallon sump. I've also got a small ball of chaeto in the sump as well.

I've done everything I have read to do in battling this stuff, but it's stubborn, and I really don't want to use any type of chemicals to get rid of it.

Oh - almost forgot - my tank is filled with RO/DI water, with water changes and top off being RO/DI as well. The unit is about 2-3 months old, and the first pre-filter is still as white as it was the day I got it. The DI resin is the copper color and hasn't turned black yet either.

Long winded post, I know. Thanks to those of you who read it all!
 
Also, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrate are at 0. I haven't bothered testing for phosphates because I've read too many posts on various forums that even if phosphate is the problem you may get a 0 reading because the cyano is consuming it all.
 
I had the same problem, first thing I did was check the RO/DI water I was getting from the LFS, it had nitrates in it! Now I mix my own. I also stopped feeding frozen foods and feed only a good flake food, and I don't over feed anymore. My lights are on for only 5- 6 hours, the mushrooms are fine with that. And I do more and larger water changes. Hope this helps with your problem. :)
 
I know you can add chemi-clean. It's a last resort for most but it works and is reef safe supposedly. My hermit crab also pick and eat on my cyano. I had a bad outbreak and I've pretty much got it under control with switching to RO water. Maybe take some of your RO water and test it for phosphates. Not your tank water, just the RO water your machine is making
 
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