Urgent Is this cyanobacteria

Not shore and is it dangerous i have all kinds of inverts, 2 clowns and a velvet damsal

 

yes, I think it is cyano

 

Oh yeah.

 

The algae isn't dangerous, it's the source that I would be concerned about.

 

Does appear to be cyano. It's not really *dangerous* as long as it doesn't grow over corals, etc. However, it is a sign that you have excess phosphates which you need to correct. Do you use RO/DI water?

 

its been set up for 3 to 4 months

 

do not have RO/DI like to get on but i don't have the mony yet.

 

Can you get RO/DI water from your LFS? You can use that, and just vacuum out the cyano when you do water changes. Also, make sure you're not over-feeding- most commercial processed foods contain a trace amount of phosphates, and the more uneaten food you have in your tank or filter, the more phosphates (as well as nitrates) you're going to get building up in your system.

 

you could probably even make the argument its good for the tank, because it takes up nutrients like a macro algae.

 

In that sense, yes. The same is true for any "nuisance" algae- it's feeding on the nutrients that would otherwise provoke health issues for your pets.

[SLIGHTLY OFF-TOPIC RANT]: One thing I despise about LFSes is when someone states that their nitrates, phosphates, etc are zero yet their tank is smothered in algae, rather than telling the truth- that the algae is taking up the nutrients, hence the zero reading- they will, instead, sell them a bottle of "snake oil" to kill the algae without even explaining what might happen to their tank if it works! One needs to address the source of the problem, not fight the symptoms. [END RANT]