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12/11/2010, 11:07 PM | #1 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Lafayette, IN
Posts: 11
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New Reef Tank : Cyano Bacteria Problem
Hello All,
This is my first time posting a thread in this forum as well as my first reef tank. For the past 5 years, I have maintained a 300 G FOWLR tank for my parents and now have began my own 65 G Reef tank. I have had the system running now for about 4 months and have finally hit my first real problem. It seems that I am getting a fair amount of red cyanobacteria on the sand bed. I believe it came from the fuge/sump. A month ago, I put a clump of Caulerpa Mexicana macro in the fuge. The fuge was inundated with bubbles from the water return and they collected on the exposed macro. The top of the water then started to get a protein film and the macro ended up dying, turning the fuge into a swamp. Ever since this happened I have had cyanobacteria present in the fuge. It never went into the actual tank so I cleaned out the fuge, replaced the LR and the Macro in the fuge (Kept the same sand). I also purchased a protein skimmer and that has helped out with the protein film I was getting in the fuge/sump. This worked for a month but now the cyano is getting into the main tank. Its has also retaken the fuge. I'm really at a loss on what to do now, I checked my parameters and they are as follows: PH 8.3 SALINITY 1.022 KH 9.5 Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, Phosphate: All negligible (0's) Calcium 420 Tank Setup: 65 G, Marineland 100 Skimmer, 20 G Long Sump/Fuge, AquaticLife T5HO 2 x actinics / 2 x 10K bulbs, 2 x 700 Aqueon Powerheads, 150W hallogen light for fuge, Mag 7 Return, 80 Pounds LR. I also keep the tank lighted about 10 hours a day, 4 hours actinics only, and currently running carbon in the sump. I feed the tank once a day. Someone had suggested to use Chemi Clean on the tank and after a few treatments it will go away. Is there anything else I can do? and has anyone else had experience with this chemical? I have began siphoning out what I can but it does not seem to make a dent. I also have finals this week (should be studying for hydraulics and thermodynamics right now), so the quicker I can get the tank treated the better. Thanks -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Currently In the Tank: Coral Beauty, Falco Hawk Fish, Red Mandarin, Assortment of Zoanthids, Bubble Tip Anemone, Seriatopora Hystrix, Montipora Capricornis |
12/12/2010, 01:59 PM | #2 |
RC Mod
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To Reef Central Don't use ChemiClean on a new tank. If you've already done it, don't do it again, and keep your skimmer tuned and pulling everything you can. And don't neglect the post use water change! Your salinity is a bit low: raise it gradually to 1.025 and keep it there. If you don't have an autotopoff, you need one...otherwise it's crazy. Red slime is normal in a new tank, nothing to worry about. Turning out your lights for 3 days once a month won't hurt your corals, but it will get the cyano down fast. If you'll click on the blue number under my avatar and search the list, you'll find an article on algae, and it does cover red slime (not an algae, but often mistaken for one.) If that doesn't help enough, keep asking, and we're glad to help.
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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%. |
12/12/2010, 04:41 PM | #3 |
Reefaholic
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Carmel, IN
Posts: 5,135
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I would follow sk8rs advice. With a new tank my three questions to ask is:
- Do you have enough flow in the area where the red slime is? - What is the source of the nutrients? Go ahead and manually remove the red slime and keep away from any chemical 'fixes'.
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INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT |
12/12/2010, 05:08 PM | #4 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Lafayette, IN
Posts: 11
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I went ahead and removed the slime manually, but also added the ChemiClean really before giving anyone a chance to reply to my post. I regret it now after getting the feedback - I feel like I just threw a grenade in the tank! Now all I can do is monitor it closely (so far so good after 6 hours of exposure).
As for the flow and nutrients, I have good flow except for one area in the bottom left hand side of the tank, and of course that is where the heaviest amount of cyano is. I will be investing in another power head soon. I didn't have any cyano in my tank until this past week when I cleaned out the fuge. There had been some cyano in the fuge and when I cleaned it, it was sucked into the return pump (probably should have turned that off)... is this where the problem could have started? |
12/12/2010, 05:15 PM | #5 |
RC Mod
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PM sent. You're going to be all right, just follow those directions and keep your skimmer tuned to the nth degree once the directions say cut it on: it's what will help clean your water; ditto the water change. ChemiClean is antibiotic, and it'll hit the surface level of rock and sand bacteria, but not the depth, so it will be ok. Rough on a new tank, but just baby it and you'll get through just fine. I get the feeling you do read instructions, and this is what will help most. The instructions on this stuff are very important and having a skimmer is big.
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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%. |
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