cyano and Flow ?

Nassarius and Cerith Snails are very good detrivores. The hermits can help, but are not nearly as efficient IMO. I might add 10-20 of each, in addition to the other suggestions. I agree with the turkey baster. Siphon as much as you can out. For the rest, set your protein skimmer to wet skim and blow the cyano off the rocks with a turkey baster. The skimmer should help remove it. I wouldn't take rocks out though, that could disturb things and actually lead to more cyano, among other issues. .

 

I have one spot in the low flow area of my tank where a silver dollar size cyano spot shows up at the end of every day. By next morning it's gone again.

Florida Cerith snails and Nassarius snails work wonders. I've seen one snail come up from under the sand right underneath the algea spot. Looked like a surfacing submarine Few minutes later it was clean.

 

Thanks for the advice. I'll pick some of those snails up and start siphoning it. Happy reefing

 

hmm. I wonder...why..my nassarius snails dont seem like they touch the cyano in my tank. I have 7 in a 46 gallon. maybe add more? I have a very large clean up crew as it is though. btw to the person that suggested a turkey baster...what exactly do you do? do you suck in the cyano through baster? or use the baster to blow it in the water column?

 

I suck it up with the turkey baster and squirt the whole mess into a waste water bucket. You can give the Cyano a gentle blast to loosen it before sucking it up with the turkey baster.

 

I've never seen nassarius snails touch cyano. The do however eat the detritus which could otherwise feed the cyano. And they can help stir up the dead spots in you tank a bit and keep anything settled from remaining there indefinitely.

 

What about florida cerith? I think it's the large long cone shaped florida cerith that i saw coming up and eating the spot.

 

Nassarius Vibex snails do not eat any kind of algae whatsoever. They eat fish food and poop.

 

Yup. What is probably happening with Nassarius or Ceriths when they appear to be eating cyano, is they are eating what the cyano is eating. In the process, they are disturbing the area and the cyano is probably floating away in the water column. Where with any luck, it's then removed by the skimmer.

 

I've never had a nassarius eat poop LOL. They come up when there's food, eat the food, and go back under. The Florida ceriths never did anything with the cyano either. The turbos have though. The only place I still had any of any amount left was on the return flow, and one got on there last night & took care of that...all clean this morning.

Extra flow didn't help with cyano in my tank, it just eventually burned itself out after the 4th month with help from cutting the light cycle down & the turbos. It's all part of having a new tank.