I'm going to win this battle, right?

[Craig7718]

I have been fighting hair algae for a month. I beat that. Now its the red slime cyano. I thought i was on top of it and getting it down. Yesterday I did a 15 gallon water change on my 90g. I tested the rodi water with salt before adding. Nitrates and phosphates were 0 . Salt and temp were equal.

Today the bubbles produced bythe cyano came out in full force. The slime looks like it is back better than before the change. My glass had green algae in a matter of hours today.

During my water change i stormed the tank and knocked off as much red slime as possible and syphoned all of the floating pieces.

Any suggestions, I am really geting frutrated with this tank rebuild.

 

[turnburn]

I fought that slime for quite some time myself. It would drive me nuts. I'd siphon it out and it would be back in a matter of hours! I thought doing a series of water changes would help, they didn't.

Finally, when I was ready to just give up, it quit! No joke, it quit completely from one day to the next.

Good luck.

 

[Craig7718]

so i should just tell the tank I am quiting, you win. I will try it. i am desperate

 

[TheJGMProject]

what type if lights are you running. I remember on my dad's tank that the bulb needed to be replaced because it was too old and the light was causing the cyano break out he had. After he changed the bulb, the cyano went away after 10 days or so. I'm sure some has a better explaination for this

 

[TheJGMProject]

what type if lights are you running? also, I remember on my dad's tank that the bulb needed to be replaced because it was too old and the light was causing the cyano break out he had. After he changed the bulb, the cyano went away after 7 days or so. I'm sure someone has a better explaination for this

 

[Craig7718]

i replaced all 4 VHOs about 2 months ago

 

[Anonymous]

How much flow do you have? What are you feeding? How often are you feeding?

 

[hndakd]

i had a huge outbreak of cyano... like it was actually breaking off and floating on the surface of my water. People will usually tell you that there is something feeding it ie overfeeding. I lowered my feedings and it didnt seem to help. after weeks of frustration and changing water and lights i talked to a local shop owner that told me about marycin. I dosed and in two days it was completely gone.

 

[Craig7718]

I thought that was an antibiotic for fish?

 

[bleedingthought]

I don't know about 'marycin' but cyano and hair algae are different and will react differently to things. IME, hair algae is much tougher to get rid of than hair algae.

 

[Craig7718]

I have my return line, plus 4 powerheads, what I have always ran for years. Seems good.

I feed Spectra Therma A by New Life Pellets at the most twice a day. I usually drop a few in , wait until it is all eaten and then a few more. Thats it. No more than I have ever fed.

Bleeding Thought, which is harder to get rid of...Hair or cyano, because I got through the hair already?

 

[bleedingthought]

I have my return line, plus 4 powerheads, what I have always ran for years. Seems good.

I feed Spectra Therma A by New Life Pellets at the most twice a day. I usually drop a few in , wait until it is all eaten and then a few more. Thats it. No more than I have ever fed.

Bleeding Thought, which is harder to get rid of...Hair or cyano, because I got through the hair already?

IMO cyano is easier to get rid of. For me, it usually has to do with flow. The more flow the less you are prone to it. Also, cyano is much easier to pull out of the tank. The first couple of months after my tank was first setup I had a pretty big outbreak of it and changing my flow around so it got everywhere in the tank, storming all of the cyano up with a turkeybaster while a filter sock was on my drain, and sucking up everything I could with a piece of tubing was what got rid of mine. You have to stay on top of it, though, so that it doesn't get out of control.

 

[bleedingthought]

Quick questions, what test kits are you using? How long are you running your lights for? What kind of water do you use for top-off and water changes? How much rock do you have in there? What do you think is the total amount of flow in there with those powerheads? And how long has the tank been setup?

 

[Craig7718]

Sailfert.
10:45 til 8:00 pm (VHO)
RO/DI
Not sure on the poundage of rock. But I have it from top to bottom with openings to swim out of, and places for corals.
As far as the power heads, I am not sure. I have 3 Maxi 900 and 1 1200. Plus the return.

Tanks was setup for 10 years before Katrina. Now it has been setup for about 9 months

 

[bleedingthought]

Ah, I remember now. Rock was out in the sun.

Well, try skipping a day between your feedings, lower your photoperiod to 6-7 hours a day, and keep blowing with a filter sock on the drain/sucking it out and see how that does for you. Your fish will be fine not eating every day (unless you have fish that need the food often, like anthias), and your lights are probably fine like that, but lower it to see how it works out and then go back to normal.

Don't give up yet. You won against hair algae, man! Cyano is a breeze!

 

[Craig7718]

I just got my order in from marine depot.

Should I continue with phos ban and some activated carbon in the sump?

 

[Anonymous]

Sailfert.
10:45 til 8:00 pm (VHO)
RO/DI
Not sure on the poundage of rock. But I have it from top to bottom with openings to swim out of, and places for corals.
As far as the power heads, I am not sure. I have 3 Maxi 900 and 1 1200. Plus the return.

Tanks was setup for 10 years before Katrina. Now it has been setup for about 9 months

Are the powerheads covering the whole of the tank or are there dead spots? You can get cyano even with Tunze Streams in a tank if you don't direct the flow well enough around all the corners and ensure it reaches the bottom of the tank.

 

[bleedingthought]

I just got my order in from marine depot.

Should I continue with phos ban and some activated carbon in the sump?

I would.

 

[spaulr]

You might also want to try cutting back your photo period from say 8-10 hours to 4-6 hours. That should help decrease the growth of all algaes in your tank. It helped me get get a handle on the hair algae that had infested my tank. When you think things are back under control gradually increase your photo period back to its original settings.

 

[Craig7718]

i have no dead spots that i see. There are powerheads on the bottom. Everything seems to be circulating.

I will cutr down on the lights.

Thanks