Diatoms? Or cyano pics

foundnemo11 · 01/24/2012, 02:57 PM

I went on vacation and somehow my big powerhead shut off and when I came back my tank was full of this. Only really on crushed coral. Some spots have hairlike strands. I have 3 large turbos 2 small, and a mix of about 8-10 others. I also have about 10 hermit crabs some large some small. My lfs said its probable diatoms and my CUC should get rid of it and almost all tanks get this. But my CUC doesnt seem to want anything to do with it. Also I noticed during the night it seems to go away a little after a few hours of darkness. I was thinking having a blackout, but i have a hammer coral and a condy anemone in the tank and dont really want to get them upset if its not going to do anything.

PLEASE HELP MY TANK WAS BEAUTIFUL NOW LOOKING UGLY

sporto0 · 01/24/2012, 03:16 PM

Cyano Bacteria. Ugly but basically harmless, feeds on high nutrients & a light source. Water changes & time (up to 2 months) and it will go away on it's own.

foundnemo11 · 01/24/2012, 03:20 PM

thats what i thought. What should I do. Just keep doing regular water changes? and pray for the best. Or should I get chemiclean or something to wipe it out?

sporto0 · 01/24/2012, 04:28 PM

I always just wait it out, chemiclean will work if used per directions, but Cyano could come back after treatment if the existing conditions persist, by keeping a regular maintenance schedule including 10-20% water changes, you can bring your nutrient levels down & keep them there.

Bosha · 01/24/2012, 04:31 PM

I would stay on top of water changes siphoning out as much cyano as possible, less light and less feeding if possible, and keep the protein skimmer and sump clean as well. Making sure you have proper flow throughout the tank will also help.

philosophile · 01/24/2012, 08:01 PM

Sk8r has a good post about how to deal with cyano without using chemicals. Do a search and find it and read it...

But I've used chemiclean before, with no problems. I was very careful to follow directions, and I actually underdosed by about half, and it cleared up the problem really quickly.

01/24/2012, 02:57 PM	#1
foundnemo11 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 839	Diatoms? Or cyano pics I went on vacation and somehow my big powerhead shut off and when I came back my tank was full of this. Only really on crushed coral. Some spots have hairlike strands. I have 3 large turbos 2 small, and a mix of about 8-10 others. I also have about 10 hermit crabs some large some small. My lfs said its probable diatoms and my CUC should get rid of it and almost all tanks get this. But my CUC doesnt seem to want anything to do with it. Also I noticed during the night it seems to go away a little after a few hours of darkness. I was thinking having a blackout, but i have a hammer coral and a condy anemone in the tank and dont really want to get them upset if its not going to do anything. PLEASE HELP MY TANK WAS BEAUTIFUL NOW LOOKING UGLY __________________ I am a compulsive liar, and a millionaire. Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef, mostly sps, bubble magnus skimmer nac5, Reefbreeders Photon48, hippo tang, kole tang, 2 clownfish, 3 chromis, 1 cleaner wrasse, 1 cleaner shrimp, crabs/snails

01/24/2012, 03:20 PM	#3
foundnemo11 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 839	thats what i thought. What should I do. Just keep doing regular water changes? and pray for the best. Or should I get chemiclean or something to wipe it out? __________________ I am a compulsive liar, and a millionaire. Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef, mostly sps, bubble magnus skimmer nac5, Reefbreeders Photon48, hippo tang, kole tang, 2 clownfish, 3 chromis, 1 cleaner wrasse, 1 cleaner shrimp, crabs/snails

01/24/2012, 04:31 PM	#5
Bosha Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: NorCal Posts: 58	I would stay on top of water changes siphoning out as much cyano as possible, less light and less feeding if possible, and keep the protein skimmer and sump clean as well. Making sure you have proper flow throughout the tank will also help. __________________ Girls aren't into fish and they're certainly not using the internet. This is a giant web of lies! http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2120606 Current Tank Info: 40g breeder - empty

01/24/2012, 08:01 PM	#6
philosophile Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 1,149	Sk8r has a good post about how to deal with cyano without using chemicals. Do a search and find it and read it... But I've used chemiclean before, with no problems. I was very careful to follow directions, and I actually underdosed by about half, and it cleared up the problem really quickly. __________________ 90 gallon mixed reef XPS1000SSS skimmer, 2 radions gen 1, tunze osmolator w/ kalk dispenser, 70 lbs pukani, mp40w x2; 1 tomini, 1 clown 2 mandarins. Vinegar dosing, and micro bubble scrubbing.

01/24/2012, 03:16 PM	#2
sporto0 Moved On Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. Posts: 2,924	Cyano Bacteria. Ugly but basically harmless, feeds on high nutrients & a light source. Water changes & time (up to 2 months) and it will go away on it's own.

01/24/2012, 04:28 PM	#4
sporto0 Moved On Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. Posts: 2,924	I always just wait it out, chemiclean will work if used per directions, but Cyano could come back after treatment if the existing conditions persist, by keeping a regular maintenance schedule including 10-20% water changes, you can bring your nutrient levels down & keep them there.