Phosban Reactors- combatting cyano

Spongebob20 · 08/19/2013, 08:58 AM

Hi guys,

So I've been having an ongoing battle with cyanobacteria for months now. Keeping the lights off helps, but I hate to keep doing a 4 hour a day light cycle since I want my corals to have good growth. It's also hard to keep nutrients low because I have to hand feed most of my corals meaty foods and my snowflake eel eats and poops ALOT. I'm having to do 10 gallon water changes every week to suck up all the cyano and keep it at bay, which I also don't like to do because I want to have my hands in the tank as little as possible for good coral growth. So, I've decided a phosban reactor is the best course of action. My questions are:

1. I don't have a sump and want to mount it under my tank inside the stand. To be honest I'm clueless on how to go about doing this, what pumps I need, where to put them etc.

2. What size phosban reactor should I buy and what media (and how much of it) should I put in the reactor?

If you guys have any other suggestions for combating cyano feel free to share.

My system parameters:
-75 gallon reef tank, 4 months old
-salinity 1.026, nitrate and nitrite 0
-aquatop canister filter (running gfo and carbon)
-aquaC remora hang on skimmer
-48inch T5 HO fixture (4 bulbs)
-2 powerheads (not sure what type, got them from a friend, but provide sufficient flow)

Sugar Magnolia · 08/19/2013, 09:20 AM

First, a question...are you using RODI water?

mikecc67548 · 08/19/2013, 10:09 AM

Question 2: What do your phosphates test out at?

Plus you already running GFO.

Lynxone · 08/19/2013, 10:20 AM

Question #3. What are the chances that you might consider changing from the canister filter to a sump in the stand? If you're trying to reduce manual maintenance and keep your hands out of the tank as much as possible, this might help. With a refugium in the sump growing macro algae, you might find less need for GFO as well.

Sk8r · 08/19/2013, 11:07 AM

Phosban IS gfo.

And gfo won't take out cyano, which is an animal--sorta.

Your lights are a question. Usually a persistent cyano problem boils down to lighting, either aging bulbs, or something interfering with the light.

Spongebob20 · 08/19/2013, 12:09 PM

Answer #1: Yes, I'm using RO/DI water
Answer #2: Phosphates reading out between 80-120 ppm (hard to judge exact color on the API test kit)
Answer #3: I'd love a sump, the obvious issues are getting a hole drilled in my tank now that it's already up and running, and the fact that I'm renting a house and can't risk a flood

I have some GFO in my canister filter, but from what I understand, a phosban reactor would allow me to use alot more GFO and much more effectively.

As far as lighting goes, I bought the T5s when I set the tank up, which was 4 months ago so it's not the bulbs. However, I have noticed a thin film on the top of the water, which as I understand is extra protein material my skimmer didn't pick up. Could this be related to my cyano problem?

Sugar Magnolia · 08/19/2013, 12:19 PM

How often are you cleaning your mechanical filtration? It should be removed and cleaned at least monthly, ideally, every two weeks. Trapped detritus can lead to elevated nitrates which can fuel cyano.

Also, what kind of substrate did you use in the tank?

Spongebob20 · 08/19/2013, 12:26 PM

I change the filter pads every 3 weeks or so, but nitrates are not an issue, they read out at 0. Had it double checked at the LFS. My substrate is fiji pink live sand, gets cleaned every week. I started with dried out live rock that had previously been in another tank but after the tank was taken down the owner just let the live rock dry out and die...added 20 lbs fresh live rock to re-seed it. I'm thinking the dried out live rock may be leaking phosphates...?

Sugar Magnolia · 08/19/2013, 12:51 PM

Just changing out the filter pads is not enough. You need to remove the canister and any other mechanical filtration from the tank and thoroughly clean the interior with a good spraying with hot water.

Yes, it's possible the old rock could very well be leaching phosphates into the system. If the previous owner used tap water in the tank that could be a problem.

pkane11384 · 08/19/2013, 06:23 PM

Flow and dead spots may have some effect on it as well. Can you post pictures of the effected areas?

Spongebob20 · 08/20/2013, 08:08 AM

Thanks for the tips guys, I will completely clean out my mechanical filtration when I get home from work today. Pkane, I will take some pics as well and post them. I suspect flow is an issue, however I'm conflicted because I have some low to medium flow corals and try and keep spots in the tank that are lower flow so I can put them there. Any advice on how to work around that?

Spongebob20 · 08/20/2013, 08:52 AM

So, I have some pics on my email of the tank. Maybe these will help. Keep in mind this was right after I cleaned the tank and sucked up all the cyano. So, I circled the areas where it usually crops up. Let me know what you guys think I can change in terms of flow and even coral placement

FTS
[IMG]

[/IMG]

FTS with areas of cyano circled.
[IMG]

[/IMG]

Left side close up
[IMG]

[/IMG]

Right side close up
[IMG]

[/IMG]

Sugar Magnolia · 08/20/2013, 08:55 AM

Try redirecting the flow from your powerheads so the front of the tank gets more of a direct flow.

Spongebob20 · 08/20/2013, 09:44 AM

would you recommend putting powerhead 1 against the back wall pointed towards the front of the tank. Or just tilt it so the flow hits the front glass?

Sugar Magnolia · 08/20/2013, 09:56 AM

The one on your left side would be perfect fixed to the back glass and pointed/angled towards the front glass. I just recently moved mine into that position.

Spongebob20 · 08/20/2013, 10:30 AM

Cool, thanks for the help

08/19/2013, 11:07 AM	#5
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Phosban IS gfo. And gfo won't take out cyano, which is an animal--sorta. Your lights are a question. Usually a persistent cyano problem boils down to lighting, either aging bulbs, or something interfering with the light. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

08/19/2013, 12:19 PM	#7
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	How often are you cleaning your mechanical filtration? It should be removed and cleaned at least monthly, ideally, every two weeks. Trapped detritus can lead to elevated nitrates which can fuel cyano. Also, what kind of substrate did you use in the tank? __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

08/19/2013, 12:26 PM	#8
Spongebob20 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 66	I change the filter pads every 3 weeks or so, but nitrates are not an issue, they read out at 0. Had it double checked at the LFS. My substrate is fiji pink live sand, gets cleaned every week. I started with dried out live rock that had previously been in another tank but after the tank was taken down the owner just let the live rock dry out and die...added 20 lbs fresh live rock to re-seed it. I'm thinking the dried out live rock may be leaking phosphates...? Last edited by Spongebob20; 08/19/2013 at 12:29 PM. Reason: edit: dry rock that had once been live rock in another tank

08/19/2013, 12:51 PM	#9
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	Just changing out the filter pads is not enough. You need to remove the canister and any other mechanical filtration from the tank and thoroughly clean the interior with a good spraying with hot water. Yes, it's possible the old rock could very well be leaching phosphates into the system. If the previous owner used tap water in the tank that could be a problem. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

08/19/2013, 06:23 PM	#10
pkane11384 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: New York Posts: 323	Flow and dead spots may have some effect on it as well. Can you post pictures of the effected areas? __________________ BioCube 29 -AquaticLife 115, MP10ES, BioCube UV Light, InTank Media Basket, MJ1200, CRP Nano Reactor, AI Sol Blue -Occ. Clown, Yellowtail Damsel, PJ Cardinal, Yellow Coris Wrasse -Corals: LPS Domin

08/19/2013, 08:58 AM	#1
Spongebob20 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 66	Phosban Reactors- combatting cyano Hi guys, So I've been having an ongoing battle with cyanobacteria for months now. Keeping the lights off helps, but I hate to keep doing a 4 hour a day light cycle since I want my corals to have good growth. It's also hard to keep nutrients low because I have to hand feed most of my corals meaty foods and my snowflake eel eats and poops ALOT. I'm having to do 10 gallon water changes every week to suck up all the cyano and keep it at bay, which I also don't like to do because I want to have my hands in the tank as little as possible for good coral growth. So, I've decided a phosban reactor is the best course of action. My questions are: 1. I don't have a sump and want to mount it under my tank inside the stand. To be honest I'm clueless on how to go about doing this, what pumps I need, where to put them etc. 2. What size phosban reactor should I buy and what media (and how much of it) should I put in the reactor? If you guys have any other suggestions for combating cyano feel free to share. My system parameters: -75 gallon reef tank, 4 months old -salinity 1.026, nitrate and nitrite 0 -aquatop canister filter (running gfo and carbon) -aquaC remora hang on skimmer -48inch T5 HO fixture (4 bulbs) -2 powerheads (not sure what type, got them from a friend, but provide sufficient flow)

08/19/2013, 09:20 AM	#2
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	First, a question...are you using RODI water? __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

08/19/2013, 10:09 AM	#3
mikecc67548 Registered Member. Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 472	Question 2: What do your phosphates test out at? Plus you already running GFO.

08/19/2013, 10:20 AM	#4
Lynxone Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 251	Question #3. What are the chances that you might consider changing from the canister filter to a sump in the stand? If you're trying to reduce manual maintenance and keep your hands out of the tank as much as possible, this might help. With a refugium in the sump growing macro algae, you might find less need for GFO as well.

08/19/2013, 12:09 PM	#6
Spongebob20 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 66	Answer #1: Yes, I'm using RO/DI water Answer #2: Phosphates reading out between 80-120 ppm (hard to judge exact color on the API test kit) Answer #3: I'd love a sump, the obvious issues are getting a hole drilled in my tank now that it's already up and running, and the fact that I'm renting a house and can't risk a flood I have some GFO in my canister filter, but from what I understand, a phosban reactor would allow me to use alot more GFO and much more effectively. As far as lighting goes, I bought the T5s when I set the tank up, which was 4 months ago so it's not the bulbs. However, I have noticed a thin film on the top of the water, which as I understand is extra protein material my skimmer didn't pick up. Could this be related to my cyano problem?

08/20/2013, 08:08 AM	#11
Spongebob20 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 66	Thanks for the tips guys, I will completely clean out my mechanical filtration when I get home from work today. Pkane, I will take some pics as well and post them. I suspect flow is an issue, however I'm conflicted because I have some low to medium flow corals and try and keep spots in the tank that are lower flow so I can put them there. Any advice on how to work around that?

08/20/2013, 08:52 AM	#12
Spongebob20 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 66	So, I have some pics on my email of the tank. Maybe these will help. Keep in mind this was right after I cleaned the tank and sucked up all the cyano. So, I circled the areas where it usually crops up. Let me know what you guys think I can change in terms of flow and even coral placement FTS [IMG][/IMG] FTS with areas of cyano circled. [IMG][/IMG] Left side close up [IMG][/IMG] Right side close up [IMG][/IMG]

08/20/2013, 08:55 AM	#13
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	Try redirecting the flow from your powerheads so the front of the tank gets more of a direct flow. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

08/20/2013, 09:44 AM	#14
Spongebob20 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 66	would you recommend putting powerhead 1 against the back wall pointed towards the front of the tank. Or just tilt it so the flow hits the front glass?

08/20/2013, 09:56 AM	#15
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	The one on your left side would be perfect fixed to the back glass and pointed/angled towards the front glass. I just recently moved mine into that position. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

08/20/2013, 10:30 AM	#16
Spongebob20 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 66	Cool, thanks for the help