Some advice needed - Cyano

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Hi Guys

Over the last 4 weeks or so my tank just does not seem to have that luster it used to have. I hope that makes sense but it just does not feel right. I have also started to get a small outbreak of Hair Algae that I need to scrub every 4 days or so, and then there is the Cyano. It is showing up all over the place and there are bubbles on nearly all the rocks in the tank. This stuff is even floating to the top of the tank and making like a film on the surface.

My params seem to be fine:
PH 8.5
kH 9
Ammonia 0mg/l
Nitrite < 0.1 mg/l
Mitrate 0 mg/l
Phos o mg/l
Calcium 520

- I have moved my light pendant up about 5cm.
- I have increased the flow from the return by driling bigger holes in the spray bar and letting the pump push as much as it can.
- I have added a new powerhead in the one back corner pushing 1200l/hour across the back of the tank. Moved one of the existing circ pumps to face the front of the tank and I cleaned both circ pumps which seemes to have increaded flow quite a lot.

- I harvested my calerpa out of the fuge (and unfortunatly let a lot of the crap get back into the main tank by mistake)

- I am curently running floss between the fuge and return to catch as much of the junk as I can.

I am worried about the crushed coral sand bed in both the fuge and main display.
My idea is to first redo the fuge so my question is, would it be ok to empty out the sump, clean it up and replace the crushed coral with play sand as more of a DSB. I will put the live rock back that is currently in the fuge.

Once I have done that, I would like to do similar for the mian display (after about a month or so). Move everything to a container, clean the tank and replace the crushed coral with play sand and then put everything back.

At the same time as I do the main display, I will put a power head with a spray bar at the bottom back as a sort of closed loop to create a circulation at the bottom behind the rock.

Possible or stupid idea?

Thanks,

Ross
 
i once created a underwater spray bar effect off a powerhead and also got cyano.
Wonder if its got something to do with the small laminar flow thats constantly the same.
 
can you post a pic?

as far as i know (but def may be wrong) but there is alot of danger in disturbinga sdb while still connected to the system, it leads to massive releases and spikes. But as I say i may well be wrong
 
I am worried about the crushed coral sand bed in both the fuge and main display.
My idea is to first redo the fuge so my question is, would it be ok to empty out the sump, clean it up and replace the crushed coral with play sand as more of a DSB. I will put the live rock back that is currently in the fuge.

Ross

In your size system you will probably kill every fish in there if you replace the c.coral well connected to the main system. You going need to disconnect before removing.

Also aeration will help stop Cyano.

Don't forget to seed the new DSB from the old.
 
Cyano bacteria has 2 MAIN causes:
- Lack of water flow
- too high phosphates/nitrates...

Firstly, you MUST find the cause of the high phosphates/nitrates..

The fact that you have to remove hair algae also shows that you have nutrient issues.....

The nutrients issues could be localized to your live rock/sand bed....

Use either a loose power-head, or a turkey baster - blow everywhere where you see cyano - you should see "dust" type particles clouding the water - this is hidden detritus.... which is the MOST likely cause of your nutrient issues, leading to issues with cyano bacteria.....

Also - cyano can ONLY start if there is little flow..... otherwise the water streams / currents blows the cyano seeds away, that it cannot "catch a grip".....

:)
 
Ok Guys still battling with this. Readings are still good but I read that the Cyano itself could be using so much of the nutrients that they do not show up in the test.

Anyway, I have upped my flow from roughly 6800 to about 8000 with new powerheads and better delivery from my return back to the system. My display is 110 L without displacment. I am running carbon and phos remover and I am using floss that I replace every 24 hours.

The funny is at about 6pm each evening the brown sh1t starts to disappear and then the next day it is back. MH goes out at 7pm and T5 at 8pm. Over the last two days I have tried the no lights thing but the cyano is still developing during the day.

I scrub my rocks every second day now and with the new powerheads I change their direction each evening to vary flow and blow debries off the rocks.

My only resort at the mo apart from changing my tank for one maybe with a better overflow (which is in my mind) is to use chemicals.

Below are a few images....

50D_0494.jpg


50D_0495.jpg


50D_0499.jpg

It has actually killed my Daisy Coral

50D_0504.jpg

In this image the strands you can see are at 45deg in the flow but are still there.

50D_0505.jpg


Thanks,

Ross
 
How often do you do a water change? I would suggest to siphon out the cyano when doing a WC, this prevents the spores from being blown all over the place and get a new home somewhere else. Don't loosen or blow it off in the water ;)
 
Ross - I still cannot see what water flow you have in your tank? Would you please mind letting me know? What pumps do you have in the tank? And what type pumps?

Reason why I am asking, I do not see you corralimorph mushrooms being "lifted up" by HUGE flow?
 
Bro build an algae scrubber worked wonders for my cyno. Cyno was actually the first thing that grew on my scrubber.
 
How often do you do a water change? I would suggest to siphon out the cyano when doing a WC, this prevents the spores from being blown all over the place and get a new home somewhere else. Don't loosen or blow it off in the water ;)

I do a 30% water change every week.
Never thought about siphoning it off, I normally blow it off and then do my water change.

Thanks will try that tomorrow......
 
Ross - I still cannot see what water flow you have in your tank? Would you please mind letting me know? What pumps do you have in the tank? And what type pumps?

Reason why I am asking, I do not see you corralimorph mushrooms being "lifted up" by HUGE flow?

I have a Seio 2400 returning water to the tank from the sump and have recently installed two SunSun JVP-101 in the tank. These are rated at 3000 l/h each.

I had two Seio M-620 (I think, they were 2400 l/h) in the tank before.
 
where there is a will there is a way. :yeahdude: mine takes up no space at all. take a pic of your sump and post it. i am sure someone will find a way to put one in. ;)
 
To me the most obvious question hasn`t been asked.....what salt are you using?

I have actually mentioned in this thread Marine Aquariums of South Africa - View Single Post - Real Ocean Salt that I think it might be the salt.

I use tropic marine Pro and it is at about the time I changed that I started having problems. Only recently read up that it could be the salt and only have one batch of the current stuff left that is mixed so will deff try a new brand.

I also don't think my overflow is efficient enough. I was watching particles last night and they circulate for ages and I do not see a lot going down the tubes. Am thinking of upgrading my spare Jebo tank and then switching my display to the Jebo. It is 15 to 20 l smaller but it is a bow front and a very nice looking tank. If I do this I will make sure my rocks are nice and clean when I swap them over and will go with a nice shallow fine sand on the bottom and the rocks on crate.
 
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