C'est Cyano?

QuiGonJay · 01/08/2015, 07:43 PM

Thoughts on whether this might be cyano? Tank is 5 months old. First pic is the side of the tank - the red stuff is staying below the sand (gets a bit of light from a window about 7 feet away - even though I keep the blinds down). The other picks are a bit hard to make out but it's growing on rocks and top of sand - reddish and slimy looking with wispy tendrils going up.

I'm thinking cyano, but but looking for some experts opinions so I can ID and research some ways to eliminate.

Thanks!

Sk8r · 01/08/2015, 08:49 PM

Yes. Lights out 3 days (room light only) with 4th day only blues. Then back to normal. Once every 4 weeks. SKimmer will help extract dead stuff. It's normal for a new tank, but it's an opportunity to get rid of some stuff by way of the skimmer.

QuiGonJay · 01/08/2015, 09:10 PM

Thanks. So it just becomes a monthly thing or will it eventually sort itself out?

DieselJunkie · 01/09/2015, 11:41 AM

I personally wouldn't light out yet.

In all of my tanks during the first 8 months are so I would get little random pop ups of either cyano, GHA, or diatoms. I always fed light, had a way oversized SRO skimmer, ran GFO and carbon.

IMO, while the tank is finding balance, keep manually removing it, get in there with a tooth brush and a siphon. Kill the powerheads so it isn't blowing the mess everywhere and the siphon catches most of it.

If you can't keep up with it manually, lights out will kill it, but chances are, it is coming back once light comes back and the nutrients are still available.

Pife · 01/09/2015, 03:14 PM

It will eventually go away with proper husbandry.

Dan_P · 01/09/2015, 06:34 PM

You have cyanobacteria.

It would be a great experiment if you would do the lights out for three days.

Whether you need to repeat the lights out procedure monthly will depend on how quickly your system's microbe community grows to out compete future cyanobacteria growth. Over stocking may make the cyanobacteria worse. Dosing the aquarium with Dr. Tim's might be a way to boost the system's bacterial community but I have not seen this approach used much to remedy cyanobacteria growth.

QuiGonJay · 01/10/2015, 01:33 PM

Trying the lights out and manually removing. In a tight spot but can suck up with a turkey baster. Keeping up with water changes as well. My duncan frag really hates the lights out though, he looks so sad.

QuiGonJay · 01/10/2015, 01:35 PM

Stock level is 2 occelaris, 3 pajama cardinals, 2 pep shrimp and a cuc. 45 gallon tank. No more livestock until I sort this out, and maybe one small addition. I only stock captive bred fish though so it's not like I'm tempted by too many choices.

01/08/2015, 08:49 PM	#2
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Yes. Lights out 3 days (room light only) with 4th day only blues. Then back to normal. Once every 4 weeks. SKimmer will help extract dead stuff. It's normal for a new tank, but it's an opportunity to get rid of some stuff by way of the skimmer. __________________ 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%.

01/09/2015, 03:14 PM	#5
Pife Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 7,408	It will eventually go away with proper husbandry. __________________ Brandon I'm not saying let's get rid of all the stupid people.* I'm just saying let's remove all the warning labels and let the problem work itself out. Current Tank Info: 150g DT plumbed to an 80g frag tank and 220g sump in the basement. ~6-MP40s ~ 12 ATI powered t5s ~ Reefbrites and Radions supplementing ~ Custom GEO Skimmer ~ GEO CA Reactor 6x24~ Iwaki 70 Return ~

01/08/2015, 09:10 PM	#3
QuiGonJay Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 327	Thanks. So it just becomes a monthly thing or will it eventually sort itself out?

01/09/2015, 11:41 AM	#4
DieselJunkie Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Northwest Indiana Posts: 125	I personally wouldn't light out yet. In all of my tanks during the first 8 months are so I would get little random pop ups of either cyano, GHA, or diatoms. I always fed light, had a way oversized SRO skimmer, ran GFO and carbon. IMO, while the tank is finding balance, keep manually removing it, get in there with a tooth brush and a siphon. Kill the powerheads so it isn't blowing the mess everywhere and the siphon catches most of it. If you can't keep up with it manually, lights out will kill it, but chances are, it is coming back once light comes back and the nutrients are still available.

01/09/2015, 06:34 PM	#6
Dan_P Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 1,432	You have cyanobacteria. It would be a great experiment if you would do the lights out for three days. Whether you need to repeat the lights out procedure monthly will depend on how quickly your system's microbe community grows to out compete future cyanobacteria growth. Over stocking may make the cyanobacteria worse. Dosing the aquarium with Dr. Tim's might be a way to boost the system's bacterial community but I have not seen this approach used much to remedy cyanobacteria growth.

01/10/2015, 01:33 PM	#7
QuiGonJay Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 327	Trying the lights out and manually removing. In a tight spot but can suck up with a turkey baster. Keeping up with water changes as well. My duncan frag really hates the lights out though, he looks so sad.

01/10/2015, 01:35 PM	#8
QuiGonJay Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 327	Stock level is 2 occelaris, 3 pajama cardinals, 2 pep shrimp and a cuc. 45 gallon tank. No more livestock until I sort this out, and maybe one small addition. I only stock captive bred fish though so it's not like I'm tempted by too many choices.