My tank has been having some cyano problem after 2 years of doing great. I was thinking about doing bigger and more frequent water changes. Also I was wondering which one would be better to get rid of excess detritus, waching the sand with salt water and returning it back to the tank or replacing it with new sand.
Has anyone done sand changes in an established aquarium?
- Thread starter Matorral
- Start date
- Location
- Bergen County, NJ
Get a python and syphon the sand. that's what I do and it's crazy how much debris I take out each time I do water changes.
- Location
- Dingmans ferry PA
dont think your supposed to mess with the sand to much.i syphoned alot of my sand due to cyano not all just whever the cyano was growing started using SB which is kinda helping some still noticeing a patch here and there.then i started adding sand slowly week by week like 4 cups at a time.i had the ultimate cyano prob and just recently got it under control
- Location
- Forked River, New Jersey
sounds like this is the way to go.. i wouldnt replace or wash it..youd put you system into shock.. your sandbed is live and does alot of your biological filtration..
- Location
- Dingmans ferry PA
special blend
- Location
- Dingmans ferry PA
Cyano isnt as simple as testing for reg things we usually test for..there are things that cause cyano that is not tested for usually in this hobby.sometimes u need to take drastic measures to get it under control
Cyano is a bacteria that acts very much like algae does. It thrives in a nutrient-rich atmosphere...which would take the form of high nitrate/phosphate readings in testing for the most part, together with a long photo-period. It also generally prefers a low flow, so improving the water conditions by more frequent water changes using a good water source and also increasing the amount of water flow along with shortening the time that the lighting is on should reduce the intensity of cyano...or even eradicate the problem altogether. If the cyano is intense on the substrate and that's why cleansing it seems like a good idea, I think you might want to try adding a Diamond Goby or similar sand-sifting fish to keep your substrate nice and white.
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- Location
- Dingmans ferry PA
I changed all filters and membrane in my 5 stage ro/di.did 10 to 15 gallon water change weekly have a pistol shriml ,sand sifting starfish snails and hermits,great water flow stopped feeding for a monthcut my light cycle down to 7 hrs a day then shut them off for 3 and still nothing.borrowed a tds meter to check my ro/di and sucked up so much cyano you could have filled a volkswagon.my water tests came up perfect and i was still getting mats of cyano growing everyday not just in spots everywhere.there are certain elements in water we dont terst for that will also grow cyano that a tds meter wont pick up or any test kits that hobbiest use.
Duke...can you tell us which elements in water that we don't test for you understand would support an intense growth of cyano?
- Location
- long island
special blend is the way to go
- Location
- Dingmans ferry PA
silica causes all types of algae blooms and cyano problems.large quantities of silica a can also destroy the membrane in your ro/di to cause it to fail
duke, did you end up finding the actual root cause of your cyano? Im in the same boat iv got a good amount of cyano and my phos .03 and trate 0 are low. plus im running carbon to pick up anything else. im also running bare bottom. i just want this gone.
- Location
- Franklin Lakes, NJ
The silicates have to come from somewhere. If you're concerned about your RO membrane, you may want to install an inline TDS meter. Generally there's no need to test for silicates if you're using good salt and RO water.
- Location
- Dingmans ferry PA
not all ro/di take silicates out.and i dont think a tds meter will show up silica.and like i said i believe silica over 30 ppm will destroy the membrane
Silicates support a diatom growth, not a cyano growth. Silicates can be tested for with an easily obtainable silicate test kit. The cyano problem is most likely associated with an excess of phosphates which, when tested for, shows low but misleading levels because the cyano is consumiing it it all very efficiently. So, even though phosphates show good levels when the tests are done, I'd put one or two phosphate reactors with a good-quality phosphate removing medium in them on the tank. By the way, that would also remove silicates if there's a diatom problem.
- Location
- Dingmans ferry PA
yo 18 nyou want to know what i did.you can listen to everone else or take my advise.it is a drastic measure though.i did it cause it was either this or take my tank apart.i used a medicine called maracyn it erythromycinpeople recommended i dont use it cause it will kill off the good bacteria and there was going to be serious side effects.well i listened to the person that recommended it to me and it worked out beautifully and didnt harm a thing.i used 1 packer first day 2 packets the next and 3 the next and the fourth day it was gone.have bto shut the skimmer off cause it makes it go nuts.the 4th day when the cyano was gone i did a 10 gallon water change and turned skimmer on and turned it all the way down cause it will over fill it in a sec just kept letting it fill and emptied it over and over again till it stoppede.did a 5 gallon WC 2 days later and finally after 3 days the skimmer went back to normal.1 week later i did another WC of 5 gallons and 2 days later noticed a smalll bit of cyano.bought SB and havent seen it since.that was around 2 to 3 months ago.my tank now looks wonderful and i am so nglad i did what i did.by the way i have a total volume of water 70 gallons.
- Location
- Dingmans ferry PA
avi what are diatoms they are living organisms that will show up in silicated enriched enviroment.what happens when diatoms start to die off it becomes a nutrient for cyano to grow on.and yes there are test kits for silica but how many reefers check for it i know i dont and noone i know tests for it either.the die off from diatoms is so small if you dont have a great phos test kit it wont even show up.
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