Starting to see some cyano.. why??

[bavass]

cyano comes from excess phosphates you phosphates read 0 becuase the cyano is using it up. I would get a reactor and start running some GFO. The GFO will start to consume phosphates lowering nutrients in tank and kill of cyano

 

[reefrunner69]

I have also tested Wal-Mart distilled and have seen TDS. Ideally this is supposed to b zero. I have argued with others here at AA before about this. I have also tested other brands with the same results. The amount is negligible and shouldn't factor in the Cyano outbreak.

just to be clear are you talking about the bottled Walmart distilled water or the culigan station which will give you RO water? The culigan station tested at 7ppm the one time I tested it, but over several of the distilled water gallons it tested 0. If your talking about the same water I find the results interesting.

 

[00youknowit00]

cyano comes from excess phosphates you phosphates read 0 becuase the cyano is using it up. I would get a reactor and start running some GFO. The GFO will start to consume phosphates lowering nutrients in tank and kill of cyano

I'm already running that, and have been since this start of the tank..

 

[bavass]

are you running just in a bag or in a reactor? running in a bag is not as effective as in a reactor. Water will take the flow of least resistance which will be around the bag, in a reactor the water is forced through the GFO. I was running GFO in a reactor and I got to a point I couldn't get it any lower. I started running twice the amount and eventually switched to BRS High Capacity still ran double the recomended amount and changed it every 2 weeks. My phosphates have dropped to .01 on Hanna 736

 

[00youknowit00]

are you running just in a bag or in a reactor? running in a bag is not as effective as in a reactor. Water will take the flow of least resistance which will be around the bag, in a reactor the water is forced through the GFO. I was running GFO in a reactor and I got to a point I couldn't get it any lower. I started running twice the amount and eventually switched to BRS High Capacity still ran double the recomended amount and changed it every 2 weeks. My phosphates have dropped to .01 on Hanna 736

I'm running a delux BRS reactor with the MJ1200 and their GFO.

 

[bavass]

nice then I would try to add more than the recommended amount till the phosphates are down and cyano is gone. I was running a 1/2 cup then went to 3/4 and finanlly 1 cup of the high capacity GFO. This week I am going back down to 3/4 a cup.

 

[00youknowit00]

nice then I would try to add more than the recommended amount till the phosphates are down and cyano is gone. I was running a 1/2 cup then went to 3/4 and finanlly 1 cup of the high capacity GFO. This week I am going back down to 3/4 a cup.

Well on my API phosphate test its 0. Given I know its only hobby grade. Think I should still up it?

 

[Crabs]

just to be clear are you talking about the bottled Walmart distilled water or the culigan station which will give you RO water? The culigan station tested at 7ppm the one time I tested it, but over several of the distilled water gallons it tested 0. If your talking about the same water I find the results interesting.

I'm talking about distilled. Wal-Mart brand as well as a couple others. I'm talking readings such as .005 and less. But they r still showing. Whereas my RO/DI water shows nothing. I have been thru this before so don't argue the point. Maybe my TDS meter is better than most, I have no idea. Maybe the bottling process for distilled in my area sucks. I don't know. It's a fact. And Cyano shows up at times when there isn't any reason for it. That's also a fact.

 

[reefrunner69]

I'm talking about distilled. Wal-Mart brand as well as a couple others. I'm talking readings such as .005 and less. But they r still showing. Whereas my RO/DI water shows nothing. I have been thru this before so don't argue the point. Maybe my TDS meter is better than most, I have no idea. Maybe the bottling process for distilled in my area sucks. I don't know. It's a fact. And Cyano shows up at times when there isn't any reason for it. That's also a fact.

Please don't be so defensive, I was not questioning your results, just clarifying which water and stating I found the results interesting.

 

[bavass]

Well on my API phosphate test its 0. Given I know its only hobby grade. Think I should still up it?

Yes i would up it. The test kit is giving you a false reading its higher than you think and see, the cyano will consume it before you can test for it. I would get a better test kit for sure like a Hanna 736. The others are hard to read at lower levels its nice having a digital output. I would up it see what its like in a few days and change it every 2 weeks

 

[00youknowit00]

Yes i would up it. The test kit is giving you a false reading its higher than you think and see, the cyano will consume it before you can test for it. I would get a better test kit for sure like a Hanna 736. The others are hard to read at lower levels its nice having a digital output. I would up it see what its like in a few days and change it every 2 weeks

Well when I change the gfo ill up it. Ill think about the hanna checker, I dunno though. Ill see if I can get it to go away before I buy that.

 

[00youknowit00]

Got some ro/di from a friend. Just did a 4 gallon change. We'll see if I can tell a difference. Like if it stops spreading or slows or what.

 

[Rutrag]

If I remember correctly, phosphate kits only measure inorganic phosphates, while the vast majority of phosphate encountered in an aquarium environment are organic and don't show up on the kits at all. It is entirely possible to read 0 phosphates on a kit and have all kinds of cyano fertilizer in your tank. I think the route of upping the GFO used is the way to go because I understand this binds both organic and inorganic.

 

[Sniperhank]

Correct. Our kits do not test for organic phosphates.

 

[00youknowit00]

If I remember correctly, phosphate kits only measure inorganic phosphates, while the vast majority of phosphate encountered in an aquarium environment are organic and don't show up on the kits at all. It is entirely possible to read 0 phosphates on a kit and have all kinds of cyano fertilizer in your tank. I think the route of upping the GFO used is the way to go because I understand this binds both organic and inorganic.

Correct. Our kits do not test for organic phosphates.

Then ill up the gfo and see how it helps for sure.

 

[Crabs]

Please don't be so defensive, I was not questioning your results, just clarifying which water and stating I found the results interesting.

Sorry. I'm so use to arguing about this it's become 2nd nature.

 

[00youknowit00]

Im about to up the GFO to double, hope it helps.

 

[00youknowit00]

So how possible is it that the problem is that I'm using ro water not ro/di? I wanna suck some of this crud out but I used all the ro/di my friend gave me.

 

[00youknowit00]

Okay, I upped flow by adding my 600gph korilla on top of everything else. And I reduced the lights to: 10k's 6hrs, actinics 8hrs.

Did a 4gallon water change using only airline tubing to take the water out hahaha. Sucked out as much cyano as I possibly could. Looks so much better, I doubt for long though haha

 

[00youknowit00]

So i'm still battling it.. Its slowed down but definitely still here. Have a tds meter now and the water tests from 0-3ppm, which shouldn't cause this big of a problem.

I thought about it could be my bulbs, they're fishneedit bulbs, but they're not even 5 months old yet.. Could they be it?