Algae/Bacteria problems

[Gboy66]

His stuff is terrible. It is covering corals and the sandbed. How do i get rid of it?? Is it dino..cyano..what?

 

[Crystal A]

First pic defiantly looks like cyano. All you can do is try to get rid of the nutrients that feed it. Less feedings and more water changes the only way I know how to do it.

 

[Gboy66]

Hmm...okay. Thanks.. Any other ideas? I was thinking a blackout of somthing

 

[Schism]

Hmm...okay. Thanks.. Any other ideas? I was thinking a blackout of somthing

Could be dino's. Ive never had a problem with them so unsure. A blackout unfortunately will not solve the problem in either case. Cyano does not rely on light as its a bacteria and dinos are very resilient. Ive heard of elevated ph of about 8.4 helping with solving dino problems however this is coupled with siphoning it out, water changes, an eliminating free and bound nitrate/phosphate.

Im gonna do some more research on dinos and ill let ya know what i find. Ive never read much about it.

Again not 100% thats what you have.

 

[Schism]

Heres a read on the subject of dino's.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/rhf/index.php

 

[Gboy66]

Thanks schism. Im not totally sure what i should do so far. Its odd, when the lights are off and its evening, the dino/cyano is practically gone

 

[Schism]

Thanks schism. Im not totally sure what i should do so far. Its odd, when the lights are off and its evening, the dino/cyano is practically gone

Yes from what i gather that can be one of the noticeable symptoms of dino's. Most will not with dinos a slimy substance where bubbles are trapped during the day and recede at night. This is co2 being produced and trapped.

They can be very hard to get rid of. Elevated ph has been found in many cases to help solve the problem along with reduced nutrient levels.

I would fight this to start by significantly reducing nutrients. This alone could solve the issue, if not i would then start looking into elevated ph to combat dinos.

 

[Gboy66]

Ok i think we have an ID then. How do i decrease the nutrients? Less water changes?

 

[Schism]

Ok i think we have an ID then. How do i decrease the nutrients? Less water changes?

More water changes. Need to eliminate any nitrate and phosphate. Running carbon and GFO would probably be of great benefit.

Maybe someone else who has battled this can chime in with any other advice.

 

[Gboy66]

Ok so one per week maybe? Ill try it.

I use carbon too. Maybe ill replace it!

Should i be blowing this stuff off corals when it covers/gets on them?

 

[Schism]

Ok so one per week maybe? Ill try it.

I use carbon too. Maybe ill replace it!

Should i be blowing this stuff off corals when it covers/gets on them?

Yeah atleast one a week. I would siphon it out instead of blowing it around. Yes replace your carbon if its old lol.

 

[Gboy66]

Yeah atleast one a week. I would siphon it out instead of blowing it around. Yes replace your carbon if its old lol.

Sounds good. I will be updating..

Much appreciated schism

 

[Gboy66]

This stuff is surrounding corals, choking them out, and even getting on fish. NOT good.

 

[Schism]

This stuff is surrounding corals, choking them out, and even getting on fish. NOT good.

Yeah thats not good, never heard of it getting on fish tho. Unless he just rubbed against some idk. Try and get as much off the corals as you can. I know its hard to do but it will help a little. Maybe looking into raising your ph might be best since its starting to take over corals....just a suggestion. I know 8.4 is recommended as a starting point

 

[Gboy66]

Yeah thats not good, never heard of it getting on fish tho. Unless he just rubbed against some idk. Try and get as much off the corals as you can. I know its hard to do but it will help a little. Maybe looking into raising your ph might be best since its starting to take over corals....just a suggestion. I know 8.4 is recommended as a starting point

Yeah, i think he rubbed against somthing..it is slowly comin off though.

How do i raise the ph though? How do you do that? A buffer?

 

[Schism]

Yeah, i think he rubbed against somthing..it is slowly comin off though.

How do i raise the ph though? How do you do that? A buffer?

Im not sure of the recommended way in this case but it can be done with buffer or kalk to some extent. I suggest you read up on it because ive never fought this battle and i dont wanna tell you something wrong that screws everything up lol.

 

[Gboy66]

Im not sure of the recommended way in this case but it can be done with buffer or kalk to some extent. I suggest you read up on it because ive never fought this battle and i dont wanna tell you something wrong that screws everything up lol.

Definitly. I have always heard messing with the ph isnt smart, but after reading, it seems necessary!

Sheesh i wish someone would chime in that has fought this battle and could give his/her methods

 

[Schism]

Yeah it seems to be the only helpful method besides nutrient reduction i have found. Perhaps posting for help in the general saltwater aquaria section will yield more responses.

Also if you would by chance have access to a microscope i would put some on a slide. Pretty much the only failsafe way to ID dino's from what i read. Often times they resemble cyano or hair algae with the naked eye.

 

[Gboy66]

Ive got this goin on a different forum too.

I wish i ha a microscope..:/ ill treat for dino and if that doesnt work, i guess continue with different methods.

Schism..found this. Figure we can both learn
lol.http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/how-i-beat-dinoflagellates-and-the-lessons-i-learned/

 

[melosu58]

In agree with dino also. I agree with more water changes and I would suggest that when you do them I would siphon it out and try to manually remove as much as possible. The frequent PWC`s should help remove the excessive nutrients and help to get rid of the rest.