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baker.shawn

cyano oh no! :0

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by
baker.shawn
, 04-09-2011 at 02:39 PM (1617 Views)
so it appears I’m having a nutrient problem in my tank even though all levels are undetectable with salifert test kits.

the problem I’m having is I can’t figure out my source...i really don’t feed allot at all i feed 1 frozen rotifer cube midweek 2 hours after light out for all my coral that opens up at night and for my critters and i feed my fish and acans maybe twice a week but usually once (i know its crewl) they either get frozen brine or mysis depending on which i grab out of the freezer usually about 1 cube

Water changes are done +/-weekly sometimes every 2 weeks depending how busy I am with school and the GF. I use fresh IO salt and RO water @ 0-1 TDS (i don’t use DI because im to lazy to order it and my TDS is exceptionally good)

My skimmer is a vertex in 80 it is doing a rather good job, my total water volume is about 60gal and my tank is under stocked IMO so I think I’m fine there, I’m also running vertex BioBeads (probably more then I should) with a Phosban reactor almost half full flow is OKAY in it but it is slowing down I need to go from my MJ 800->1200 I just need to order it. I’m also running a second Phosban reactor full of carbon changed ever 1-2months

Flow in my tank is provided by a hydor1 @~400gph (running constantly) and a hydor 750 @750gph (only on when my MH is on) aswell as my mag5 return. The cyano is growing in lower flow zones along the glass so it can be that low flow is a contributing factor, I plan on replacing my hydor 1 with another hydor 750

My bulbs are approaching there last days at about 7 months but I don’t think this is a problem (we will see when i get my LEDs done!

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Other then low flow I cant wrap my head around the issue, anyone have ideas??

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Updated 04-09-2011 at 03:25 PM by melev

Categories
‎ Water Chemistry

Comments

  1. melev's Avatar
    It could be a result of the NP pellets. Is there a lot more of it in your tank, or just that little bit? Maybe it might be worth treating your tank to nuke it while you only have a little, volume-wise.

    I know I feed much more than that, and I'm using the exact same pellets in a NextReef reactor.
  2. baker.shawn's Avatar
    Melev- There is just that patch and a boarder along the glass around the 3 viewing panels of the tank just under the sand, im condiering treating the tank but id like to avoid the work...plus i havent had much sucess in the past with chemical treatments for cyano in my tanks

    Some other things I forgot to mention are: the abundance of pineapple sponges in my sump, predominantly in my NP reactor and in my skimmer. Also the side of the tank that has the small “patch” of cyano does face a window that gets the early sunrise almost straight on.
  3. melev's Avatar
    Then you should try putting up a barrier to avoid that for a week or so, and see if that helps. Fortunately, seasonal shifts will change the angle of the sun entering your home so this shouldn't be a permanent issue, right?

    It's odd that it is forming under your sandbed instead of on the surface.

    I too am seeing a lot of those little benign sponges in my sump area.
  4. baker.shawn's Avatar
    is it normal that after a water change there is growth? i did a 5gal change lastnight and this morning i swear the patch got bigger and the boarder got thicker :s im going to cover the one end of the tank in black bristol board and see if that helps.
  5. melev's Avatar
    It can. A water change may include something the bacteria needs to grow, feeding on the new source water or whatever is in the salt mix. Cyano bacteria is a normal occurrence in fresh, brackish and saltwater, but when it blooms (becomes visible) we immediately want to get rid of it. I would try siphoning out that area in question if your shade doesn't help.

    There's more than one way to fight cyano, including Three Days of Darkness. Let's see what happens with your first method.