While I'm at it...help with cyano?

Ok, it's been a bad couple weeks for my reef tank. Over the last 2 weeks I've had a horrible ich outbreak (damn powder blue!) that has basically wiped out my fish. I was able to get my last 2 fish (clown and wrasse) into a copper treated hospital tank. Clown died a couple days later.

So, while my DT is cycling out (with no fish) the ich, it seems like a good time to work on my cyano problem as well. I've read much on this topic and there is much debate. I finally decided to attempt the method outlined by Thiel, using Redox + Liquid. But, now I can't find where to purchase this solution.

A little about my tank:

90 reef gallon DT, 20 gallon sump, 5 years old, AquaC EV-180 skimmer, 3 Koralia 3's, Mag 9.5 return, GFO and Carbon reactors (added 3 weeks ago), 692 watts of light (actinics + 14K, 6 months old), large CUC of snails/hermits/emerald crab. No fuge, unfortunately. Water changes twice a month, totalling 20%. I've had to up the WC's lately for my hospital tank.

Parameters: CA 425, ALK 9.15, MG 1340, Nitrate 5.0, SG 1.024, Phos 0, Temp 77-78, lights MH on 9 hours Actinics on 12.

Theil seemed like he had it down, but I can't find the Redox + Liquid.

I've experimented a little with cutting the lights and manual removal, but the cyano returns after I bring them back up. I did replace my crushed coral with sand about 3 months ago (1.5-2 inches thick), could that be contributing?

Any thoughts?

 

Cyano feeds primarily on excess nutrients in your system. While your fish are out to get rid of the ich, you won't need to feed, and your cyano problem will die off as soon as it uses up all the nutrients.

What is your water source?

 

I use RODI.

I was kinda hoping that no fish/no feeding would help. So far, after 1 week, cyano is still going strong. Will more time help you think?

I'm going to clean my skimmer tomorrow. It's not producing much. I know it shouldn't have to work too hard without fish/food waste. It seems to have been decreasing skimmate for several months now.

 

Time will definitely help.

 

2 things will also help, turn down the light cycle a bit, realizing you have corals you can do a normal lights on cycle then a 24 hour off period without hurting the corals but starving the cyano which requires the light. The second is to take your skimmer completely apart and clean the intake venturi which has probably got a buch of crud blocking it and reducing it's efficiancy.

good luck

 

Now would be a good time to clean all of your equipment and remove whatever accumulated crud there is. Your corals should be quite happy with the change. You didn't list pH. If your pH isn't at 8.2 or 8.3 try to get it there.

 

I hate reading these thread, I always feel as if this could have been avoided. I am sorry that you have gone though, and continue to go through, such a mess.

I have never been one to pull fish to treat outside of a reef, I also never treated Crypto as I do not believe it will kill the fish. I have always found that you need to identify the cause and remedy it immediately, if the Crypto weakens the fish to a secondary infection than treat with a broad spectrum antibiotic.

Since you are battling it’s a fair guess that the water conditions stressed the powder blue and made him susceptible to Crypto. In my unqualified opinion, pulling the fish to a QT adds to the stress and exacerbates the problem .

Cyano – a large contributor is DOC’s that cause NO3 to elevate. You mentioned that your skimmer was not producing much, have you resolved this yet? This will be a key first step in your resolution. You do bi-monthly water changes totaling 20%, so that’s 10% every two weeks – you should step that up to 15% every week. A good cleanup crew with sand shifters will help keep the detritus in the column for your skimmer to do its thing, vs. accumulating on your sand.

How is your water flow? Do you have good gas exchange ? Many tanks build up CO2 and people have a problem identifying this.

Have you removed the cyano manually? I would suggest you get in there and siphon all you can out of the system. Then over the next week test your nitrates and see where you are at.

 

if you have no coral - i would turn the lights off for a few fays unitl its gone. I have a full reef, and even now every now and then i'll turn my lights off for 5 days.

 

Do you think that turning the lights off would kill off the cyano but not resolve the problem – thus, permitting the cyano to return ?

 

Well if you kill the lights for a day or two - the cyano will no doubt recede and look like its gone. But yeah your right it will probably return. However if you kill the lights for long enough, the cyano and all reminents of its spores should die off completely, and thus not return.

Killing the lights is a method used to get rid of dinoflagellets. A much more aggresive algae then cyano.