Is cyano common in new tanks?

[tjm80]

I've cut my feedings back to once every 2 or 3 days, and not feeding as much when I do feed. I have noticed the red algae has cut back a lot but I still have the "blue green" algae on the sand bed, and a few dark strings coming off the rocks. And the stuff is all over the sand bed, and any underwater glass surface in my sump.

I'm thinking about taking all the sand out of my sump and just leaving the cheato in there and maybe pick up a phosban reactor at some point to go where the sand is now in the sump. Thoughts?

Also - most likely there isn't a need for increased circulation since some of the remaining "red" algae is on both of the Koralias...

 

[tjm80]

nm

 

[mr_X]

cyano can grow in high flow areas as well as low flow areas. reducing the nutrient levels are your best defense. yes, cyano is common in new tanks.

 

[Gti_Leo]

turbo snails an astarea snails do a bang up job of cleanign cyano from the glass and power heads, hermits are good at keepign the sand free of it as well as hair aglae

 

[tjm80]

Thanks guys, just trying to think of anything I can do before resorting to chemiclean or any type of additive. The stuff has already (nearly) killed one of my zoa frags. It had about 9 or 10 polyps when I got it, now it has 3 and they refuse to open.

 

[tjm80]

Just got home for my lunch break and on the way I stopped at petsmart and picked up a couple of media bags and a box of 3 Fluval phosphate trapping media. I opened one bag dumped it in the media bag and tied it to the end of the PVC (where the water drains into the sump from the overflow) and put another bag on top of the "screen" on the Mag 7 return pump. Lights are out. Hopefully it'll help. If not I'll look into a phosban reactor.

 

[mr_X]

no snails eat cyanobacteria.