Blue/Green Cyano Help

It was recommended that I post this here to get some insight and hopefully a recommendation.

The issue I am having is a blue/green cyano outbreak. It has been going on for about 6 weeks or more at this point. My nitrates and phosphates are both reading 0, api for phosphate and salifert for phosphates.

I have a 10% WCs routine which has been altered with 20% the last 2 weeks in an attempt to manually remove and lessen the nutrients available to it.

There is a lot more info about my situation in my original post here, but if you need specific information and don't want to read through the entire forum, I understand and will post any information here you would need.

Thank you.

 

I went back and looked at some of your pics from earlier. I'm not entirely convinced that it is blue/green cyano ( though I could easily be wrong about this). I also have something in my tank that I've considered blue/green. It exists in both high and low light conditions and is a very dark greenish/brownish color. The growth I saw in your previous postings was more of a bright green. I was unable to enlarge the pics enough to get a sense of whether it is matted or filamentous. A good closeup of some grown out would help.
I found out what I think may some keys to algea/cyano surviving. Most all types of algae and cyanobacteria require nitrates, phosphates, and carbon. You can most easily limit cyano/algae growth by limiting nitrates or phosphates. Additionally, Cyano may require some silicates and iron. As I'm sure you know by now, your water can test 0 for phosphates and nitrates but it still grows just fine. That is because cyano is very efficient at sequestering what it needs to survive. But that is where you can compete with it. Using some type of chemical filtration specifically for phosphates should give it enough competition that it wont thrive. I have my doubts the you can ever completely get rid of every cell of a particular microbe that has been introduced but it can be controlled. The chemical filtration, along with water movement, mechanical removal (either vacuuming or just getting it into the open), and skimming should be enough to at least corner it.
Also, you asked earlier about lights out period and the effect it may have on your corals. I don't know the answer to this directly, but I've seen numerous posts of others going for 3 days with lights out and no harm to the corals. Maybe others can chime in on this or any other flaws in my thinking.
Also, continuing my search for someone that may be able to help identify the particular microbe you are dealing with.
Edit: forgot to mention that low alk is also suspect in cyano growth.

 

In my experience the only effective way to control a cyano outbreak (or what else bacteria/algae) you have is by controlling the nutrients with bacteria. More than likely you have a skimmer and I guess a refugium. The refugium can't be working because it should be able to control the nutrients - are you trimming and harvesting on the regular basis?

Anyways, I recommend small additions of our Waste-Away on a daily basis - say 20% of the normal dosage which would be 10 ml (1/3 oz) per 50 gallons. These pelagic bacteria will remove the nutrients and organics (something your refugium can't do) out competing the cyano. Your skimmer would than remove the bacteria thereby exporting the nutrients.

 

I do have a skimmer and a refugium. The refugium has a little algae with a ball chaeto and a small piece of some type of red macro i got from reefcleaners.com. As far as the trimming and harversting, I guess I don't know about that bit of maintenance i should be doing. I will be reading up on what needs to be done there.

I am definately going to look into the Waste-Away and I am thinking of building an ATS to see how that goes as far as nutrient export as well.

Wit the Waste-Away, is this something I would always use or would I use this for a period of time and then scale back or stop using at some point?

 

OK so I finally received a bottle of the Waste-Away. You recommend 20% normal dosage but is the dosage for DT size or water volume of entire system? Do i dose 20% daily?

Also, the bottle says to turn off the skimmer for 12-24 hours with the normal directions, with the 20% would i still need to stop the skimmer?

 

Bump

 

Total water volume I would assume plus turn off skimmer

 

Here's an article I came across recently that may give some insight on the "bacteria cleaning up nutrients theory ".

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2011/3/aafeature