Help!!! Cyanobacteria From HELL!!

anpetey · 03/31/2011, 11:01 PM

So I am at the end of cycling my 55 gallon tank. I actually got it for free so it come with rock, but the rock had been sitting for a long time so I'm fairly certain everything is dead on it, it also come with sand that had been sitting in about 3 inches of water for 6 months or so. I added a 20lb bag of arag-alive on top of the original sand, now 3 and a half weeks later the tank seems to be cycled (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, are all at zero), but I have a tank full of cyanobacteria (I also have hair algae, but I know that to be normal when cycling, as I have a year old 14 gallon bio cube) I have never had such a bad problem with cyano. To give you a good picture, it looks like someone dumped cocoa power on my rocks and sand. I've been reading about chem-clean and special blend, but I don't know if it will do the trick... it has covered almost every surface in the tank. I'm at a loss of what to do! There is no livestock of any kind in the tank so I don't mind using chemicals as long as I can put live stock in soon (ie. cleanup crew)...
Please help, any opinions or instructions are welcom!

Sisterlimonpot · 03/31/2011, 11:07 PM

From the sounds of it, I would recommend chemi-clean. It is relatively safe as long as you follow the instruction and do the waterchange afterwards.

Sisterlimonpot · 03/31/2011, 11:07 PM

oh and BTW

To Reef Central

anpetey · 04/01/2011, 11:21 AM

Thanks for the welcome!

Will the chemi-clean harm the good bacteria that my cycle has produced? Like will it give me a mini cyle? And how soon would I be able to put in a cleanup crew?

stingythingy45 · 04/01/2011, 11:25 AM

"it looks like someone dumped cocoa power on my rocks and sand"

Sounds like diatoms and not cyano.

anpetey · 04/01/2011, 11:32 AM

Are Diatoms easier to get rid of? And how do you tell between cyanobacteria and diatoms?

James404 · 04/01/2011, 11:39 AM

Did you use RODI to fill the tank? If so what was the TDS of the water? It does sound like diatoms to me as well, which can be a normal part of a tank cycling.

tspors · 04/01/2011, 11:42 AM

Ok Cool,
Your tank may have cycled yes. However, not ready for fish for a few months. I would first not worry if this is Cyano. I would let things go for a couple weeks more. Sounds like you have been at it now for 4 weeks. I would wait it out 2 weeks then add your CUC. Let them at it. I agree with one of the above statements. Might be Diatoms at this point it time.

jimmy_beaner · 04/01/2011, 11:47 AM

My tank dumped diatoms all over everything for a week or so and then they just stopped and went away. Give it a little time, get a CuC and let them take care of it.

philosophile · 04/01/2011, 11:56 AM

yeah diatoms are a natural part of a new tank cycle. you get brown stuff, then you'll get some green stuff. Throw in some snails so they can eat some of that stuff up. Don't go overboard on the snails though. You don't want more than what your tank will eventually be able to sustain.

seapug · 04/01/2011, 11:57 AM

what sort of filtration do you have on the tank?

anpetey · 04/01/2011, 12:05 PM

I just have a sump with a protein skimmer and lots of rock (but it is probably mostly dead), the tank itself is old but has been sitting in storage for a few month disassembled, before that it was running with no lights and just rock and sand, but I don't know how long it sat like that, I know it used to be a very nice setup, the guy I got it from used to have corals, inverts, and a few fish.

anpetey · 04/01/2011, 12:11 PM

I also should mention that I did have to use unconditioned tap water a few times to top off the tank because my evaporation rate is very high, I know this is a no no but I had no choice at the time. In my biocube I use conditioned tap water only for top off with no problem before (I use RO pre mixed saltwater from my LFS for wcs). So it is possible that could be the source? I am looking into getting a RO/DI unit but as I am a college student on a budget it might have to wait...

stingythingy45 · 04/01/2011, 12:48 PM

"So it is possible that could be the source? I am looking into getting a RO/DI unit but as I am a college student on a budget it might have to wait... "

Absolutely.
Tap water has all kinds of stuff,silicates,nitrates,phosphates and even chlorine.
I would begin to purchase water if possible.Some LFS offer ro water or you can even purchase water from some large chain stores.

DustinB · 04/01/2011, 01:29 PM

You can get an RO/DI setup fairly cheap, around $150 or so.

+1 on waiting before adding anything. Do some water changes with some clean RO/DI water. If everything was sitting in stagnant water for that long I would be very hesitant adding anything after only 3 weeks.

anpetey · 04/01/2011, 01:36 PM

So after looking at a sample under a microscope, it is in fact Diatoms, NOT Cyano. So it there a way to control them or will they go away soon? I wasnt planning on adding anything other than a cuc for about a month anyway, but I would like to add a cuc, is it still safe to add some hermit and snails to help clean up in the next few days? As of yesterday my ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are all zero, and I have been testing through out the cycle so I have watched them peak and drop as they should

DustinB · 04/01/2011, 03:14 PM

If after 2 weeks there has been no ammonia or nitrite I would say it's ok to add some snails and hermits. I'm not a big fan of hermits myself, they knock everything over and can sometimes cause problems. I would suggest some cerith snails and some asterina snails. Try to get a piece of rock with some bristle worms and micro brittle stars. All those combined will take care of just about anything aside from adding a shrimp or 2 later.

I wouldn't worry about the diatoms other than a cleanup crew, the snails will keep them down and a few weeks will get rid of them. I've never had diatoms in a new tank for more than about 4-6 weeks.

bertoni · 04/01/2011, 04:11 PM

Chemi-Clean has been known to crash tanks, and I wouldn't use it again. It tends to be a temporary fix, anyway, if there's an underlying problem.

Personally, I'd spend a few minutes every few days siphoning out whatever slime was easy to get, to export some nutrients, and wait for the tank to mature. Hopefully, RO/DI will help, too.

bnumair · 04/01/2011, 04:18 PM

i have used chemi clean before with good results, but check ur magnesium levels. usually when ur low on mag cyno seems to thrive the best.

JacknJill · 04/01/2011, 06:43 PM

try adding more flow to dead flow areas

03/31/2011, 11:01 PM	#1
anpetey Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 39	Help!!! Cyanobacteria From HELL!! So I am at the end of cycling my 55 gallon tank. I actually got it for free so it come with rock, but the rock had been sitting for a long time so I'm fairly certain everything is dead on it, it also come with sand that had been sitting in about 3 inches of water for 6 months or so. I added a 20lb bag of arag-alive on top of the original sand, now 3 and a half weeks later the tank seems to be cycled (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, are all at zero), but I have a tank full of cyanobacteria (I also have hair algae, but I know that to be normal when cycling, as I have a year old 14 gallon bio cube) I have never had such a bad problem with cyano. To give you a good picture, it looks like someone dumped cocoa power on my rocks and sand. I've been reading about chem-clean and special blend, but I don't know if it will do the trick... it has covered almost every surface in the tank. I'm at a loss of what to do! There is no livestock of any kind in the tank so I don't mind using chemicals as long as I can put live stock in soon (ie. cleanup crew)... Please help, any opinions or instructions are welcom!

03/31/2011, 11:07 PM	#2
Sisterlimonpot R.C. Fraternity President Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Litchfeild Park AZ Posts: 11,490 Blog Entries: 2	From the sounds of it, I would recommend chemi-clean. It is relatively safe as long as you follow the instruction and do the waterchange afterwards. __________________ Jimmy MASVC President Dishes are done man! Current Tank Info: 300 in progress

03/31/2011, 11:07 PM	#3
Sisterlimonpot R.C. Fraternity President Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Litchfeild Park AZ Posts: 11,490 Blog Entries: 2	oh and BTW *To Reef Central* __________________ Jimmy MASVC President Dishes are done man! Current Tank Info: 300 in progress

04/01/2011, 11:25 AM	#5
stingythingy45 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: MA Posts: 3,296	"it looks like someone dumped cocoa power on my rocks and sand" Sounds like diatoms and not cyano. __________________ Bob Current Tank Info: 90 gallon,mixed Reef,2-250 watt Optix 3 pendants(Phoenix 14K)2-54 watt T5 Super actnics ,ASM G-2 Gate/recirc mods,70 gal. basement sump,20L ref

04/01/2011, 11:39 AM	#7
James404 I <3 Acros Join Date: May 2010 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 2,523	Did you use RODI to fill the tank? If so what was the TDS of the water? It does sound like diatoms to me as well, which can be a normal part of a tank cycling. __________________ 80g Deep Blue Rimless - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2651295 225g Reef Savvy SPS Dominant - Retired http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1945361

04/01/2011, 11:21 AM	#4
anpetey Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 39	Thanks for the welcome! Will the chemi-clean harm the good bacteria that my cycle has produced? Like will it give me a mini cyle? And how soon would I be able to put in a cleanup crew?

04/01/2011, 11:32 AM	#6
anpetey Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 39	Are Diatoms easier to get rid of? And how do you tell between cyanobacteria and diatoms?

04/01/2011, 11:42 AM	#8
tspors Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Appleton, WI. USA Posts: 774	Ok Cool, Your tank may have cycled yes. However, not ready for fish for a few months. I would first not worry if this is Cyano. I would let things go for a couple weeks more. Sounds like you have been at it now for 4 weeks. I would wait it out 2 weeks then add your CUC. Let them at it. I agree with one of the above statements. Might be Diatoms at this point it time. __________________ Everything is Good with Moderation. Current Tank Info: 150 Gal Oceanic, 30g Sump, Gen-X PCX-150 2250 gph, Red Sea Clasic Turbo Skimmer, 18w Turbo Twist UV, Ocean Clear Filter w/live rock, Several Buckets,

04/01/2011, 11:47 AM	#9
jimmy_beaner Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Clive, IA Posts: 692	My tank dumped diatoms all over everything for a week or so and then they just stopped and went away. Give it a little time, get a CuC and let them take care of it.

04/01/2011, 11:56 AM	#10
philosophile Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 1,149	yeah diatoms are a natural part of a new tank cycle. you get brown stuff, then you'll get some green stuff. Throw in some snails so they can eat some of that stuff up. Don't go overboard on the snails though. You don't want more than what your tank will eventually be able to sustain. __________________ 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.

04/01/2011, 11:57 AM	#11
seapug Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: 4980 ft. Posts: 7,954 Blog Entries: 1	what sort of filtration do you have on the tank? __________________ insert clever saying here. Current Tank Info: 200 gallon custom Marineland DD peninsular tank. LPS dominated mixed reef. Previous 90 gallon mixed reef TOTM April 2009.

04/01/2011, 12:05 PM	#12
anpetey Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 39	I just have a sump with a protein skimmer and lots of rock (but it is probably mostly dead), the tank itself is old but has been sitting in storage for a few month disassembled, before that it was running with no lights and just rock and sand, but I don't know how long it sat like that, I know it used to be a very nice setup, the guy I got it from used to have corals, inverts, and a few fish.

04/01/2011, 12:11 PM	#13
anpetey Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 39	I also should mention that I did have to use unconditioned tap water a few times to top off the tank because my evaporation rate is very high, I know this is a no no but I had no choice at the time. In my biocube I use conditioned tap water only for top off with no problem before (I use RO pre mixed saltwater from my LFS for wcs). So it is possible that could be the source? I am looking into getting a RO/DI unit but as I am a college student on a budget it might have to wait...

04/01/2011, 12:48 PM	#14
stingythingy45 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: MA Posts: 3,296	"So it is possible that could be the source? I am looking into getting a RO/DI unit but as I am a college student on a budget it might have to wait... " Absolutely. Tap water has all kinds of stuff,silicates,nitrates,phosphates and even chlorine. I would begin to purchase water if possible.Some LFS offer ro water or you can even purchase water from some large chain stores. __________________ Bob Current Tank Info: 90 gallon,mixed Reef,2-250 watt Optix 3 pendants(Phoenix 14K)2-54 watt T5 Super actnics ,ASM G-2 Gate/recirc mods,70 gal. basement sump,20L ref

04/01/2011, 01:29 PM	#15
DustinB Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Texas Posts: 1,532	You can get an RO/DI setup fairly cheap, around $150 or so. +1 on waiting before adding anything. Do some water changes with some clean RO/DI water. If everything was sitting in stagnant water for that long I would be very hesitant adding anything after only 3 weeks.

04/01/2011, 01:36 PM	#16
anpetey Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 39	So after looking at a sample under a microscope, it is in fact Diatoms, NOT Cyano. So it there a way to control them or will they go away soon? I wasnt planning on adding anything other than a cuc for about a month anyway, but I would like to add a cuc, is it still safe to add some hermit and snails to help clean up in the next few days? As of yesterday my ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are all zero, and I have been testing through out the cycle so I have watched them peak and drop as they should

04/01/2011, 03:14 PM	#17
DustinB Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Texas Posts: 1,532	If after 2 weeks there has been no ammonia or nitrite I would say it's ok to add some snails and hermits. I'm not a big fan of hermits myself, they knock everything over and can sometimes cause problems. I would suggest some cerith snails and some asterina snails. Try to get a piece of rock with some bristle worms and micro brittle stars. All those combined will take care of just about anything aside from adding a shrimp or 2 later. I wouldn't worry about the diatoms other than a cleanup crew, the snails will keep them down and a few weeks will get rid of them. I've never had diatoms in a new tank for more than about 4-6 weeks.

04/01/2011, 04:11 PM	#18
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Chemi-Clean has been known to crash tanks, and I wouldn't use it again. It tends to be a temporary fix, anyway, if there's an underlying problem. Personally, I'd spend a few minutes every few days siphoning out whatever slime was easy to get, to export some nutrients, and wait for the tank to mature. Hopefully, RO/DI will help, too. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

04/01/2011, 04:18 PM	#19
bnumair Dr. Reef at ur service Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tulsa, Ok, USA Posts: 7,751 Blog Entries: 15	i have used chemi clean before with good results, but check ur magnesium levels. usually when ur low on mag cyno seems to thrive the best. __________________ Water Quality: NO3 0,Phos 0,Cal 440,Alk 7.5,Mag 1300 "Reef Fast, You Crash, Reef Slow, You Pass" Mike's Reef 3:16 Current Tank Info: 350g DT,95g sump, 50g Frag tank, 4800gph return 4x Sea swirls. 6x AI Vega Color. 200# Pukani rock, dual recirculating skimmer, Biopellet, GFO Carbon rx's, Cal rx. Closed loop. 1.5hp chiller, genesis renew. Apex & RKE

04/01/2011, 06:43 PM	#20
JacknJill Moved On Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: El Segundo Posts: 51	try adding more flow to dead flow areas

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