Would my metal halide cause this?

[jackets22]

I thought I was getting red coraline but I am getting (have) cyno bacteria. It is on the rock in the back of the tank and by the korrila powerhead (behind the flow output) So I am thinking that the cause of this is maybe not enough flow and I think the major culpurt is the MH 150w light. I have been keeping it on way to long I think. For instance today it was on when I left for work at 8:30 and was on till 10:30 tonight. The fixture is only a couple of months old so I am sure it isnt the bulb going bad.

So I am going to cut the lighting down to 6-8 hours a day. Put another powerhead in for more flow and blow off the rock with a turkey baster to get it off the rock.

Does this sound about right to you? Should I be doing anything different?

Thanks

[Blown 346]

Sounds good to me. The light isnt the problem. For lighting, no more than 12 hours a day.


The cyano is being fueled by either nitrates, phosphates, these levels are cause by detritus, uneaten food that rots away.

Increase your flow, get that stuff out of there.

[jackets22]

Hmmm... With the light not being the problem this has me concerned. I dont feel that I am over feeding. I have about 55 lbs of LR in a 39 gal. Hopefully it is a flow issue. Seems like it will be the easiest fix if the light would not be the cause.

[Blown 346]

Cyano will form where there is low flow, but it needs something to feed off to grow.

[Acillaton]

You will always have a cyano in your tank. Everybody has. Best way to ger rid of visible one is a fuge with a macroalgae such as cheato. I was trying to solve my cyano problem with 3days lights out, phosphate reactor...but nothing worked better than cheato. It did solve my problem in the week. So your light can help to cyano spread, but ther is a way to deal with it natural way.

[Mel-E-Mel]

Check your phosphates. Also check your top off water for phosphates.

[demonsp]

Could be from
Tanks age?
Low flow.Whats used for water movement?
Water source, though this usaully takes longer .
Amount of LR and LS?
Amount of stock and feeding amount and scedule.
It takes a balance from all these for best results.
Lighting has very little to do with it unless water quality is low or lights are new.

[tmz]

6 to 8 hours of halide is enough. More willl contribute to cyano. Increasing flow will also increase gas exchange and potentially reduce CO2. if you are running a calcium reactor be sure you are not dosing too much CO2.Blow off your rock and substrate once in a while (once or twice a week) with a turkey baster to avoid a buildup of detrius. Cyano can grow without nutrients since it only needs CO2 water and light to produce the sugar it needs to thrive. It unlike other organisms can convert athmospheric nitrogen into nutrients needed for proteins. It will however grab them up from nutrient s as well.Your plan sounds good.

[jackets22]

Thanks for the advice. I thought the light would be a big factor. But from this advice it sounds as if flow and possible overfeeding may be the reason. I wish I could put cheato in the sump but I dont have the room to run a sump of a refugum and light. So I need to cut back on the feeding and increase flow. I hope this will take care of it.

[tmz]

If you are using frozen foods be sure to thaw and rinse them to decant /remove the packing water. It is loaded with nutrients.

[littlefish72]

Cyano pops up around the 2 to 4 month stage of a new aquarium........it happens 10 times out of 10.......do some water changes, add a powerhead and if it still doesn't go away after two weeks add chemi-clean or some other red slime remover.......good luck

[Blown 346]

I myself dont like to use any type of additive to try and remedy any type fo problem. You can tackle it the natural way by fixing the cause of it yourself. By using a animal or meds you are only putting a band aid on the problem for the time being.

[jackets22]

I have had the tank up for just over 3 months. I feel that I have done everything right as much as I can since the begining. I bought lace rock from my LFS (25lbs or so) then about 40 lbs of premium cycled LR from them that was cycled then right to my tank. Week later a cuc and some spyro byra (live bacteria) and then some livestock and soft coral. I never had a cycle or amonia spike (yes I tested and tested) Never any diatoms other then an occasional glass cleaning with the mag float. Never any hair algeae.

Other then having salinity off (using hydormeter) and having a baby clown die (first of the livestock). I bought a refractometer then fixed salinity that day. Following day I added more livestork and I have not had any problems at all since. Of course I did this after I was sure the tank was not going to cycle. Which I would recommed buying cured live rock over any mail order anyday but that is another post.

I just blew off the cyno with a turkey baster the best I could and added a peguin 660 to the tank facing the cyno area (assuming that is the deadest spot in flow in the tank). Thanks for your input we will see how it goes!

[tmz]

Keep doing what you are doing. It will pass.
Chemi clean is not a bad last resort if your growth is heavy.. It does reduce the cyano without harming your tank and often if you coninue to maintain good water quaity after treatment the problem does not return Once cyano gets going it can sustain itself without nutrients since it can fix free nitrogen
(sort of a reverse denitrification) and create organic nitrrogenous material needed for proteins which makes it hard to get rid of once started. So sometimes a chemical oxidant like cheiclean is worth the effort.
You can never really get rid of it since it exists evrywhere on the planet. Even in the zooxanthelae and the roots of plants and polar bear coats. Anywhere there is mositure or water CO2 and light cyano can thrive and poduce it's own nutrients. Obviously it's easier for it to grab them out of the water or from detrius but if need be it will make its own.