USCG CWO Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Okay long story short went to D.C. for training. Left instructions for wifey to top off aquarium everyday while I was gone, I don't have a ATO. She ran out of RO water and instead of running to WinCo she used Dasani bottled water (two cases worth). (flame) I have now been fighting Cyanobacteria for the week I have been back. I am pretty sure it is the phosphates from the bottled water. Test show slight color change from 0 on API test kit. I have a refugium with cheato on my system. Now my question is, I am moving everything from my 55 to my new 75 in the next two weeks or so. Will the bacteria follow me over if I just move the rock and livestock over and use new water and sand? I was planning to use some of the water I currently have to hopefully alleviate the new tank cycling. On the new system I will be running a better skimmer and 2 phosban reactors(phosban and carbon). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Can you hook up one of the phosban reactors now? Cyano is always present in some amount in all our tanks. It is only when we give it enough food to thrive does it take over. If you get rid of the food, it will die back. I would just wait it out, try to get it in your older tank, then keep it out of the new tank. Another thing that you can try is to turn all the lights off for three days. It has worked for some people, but not others. It may just knock it back enough that you don't need to wory about it once you make the move. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCG CWO Posted February 11, 2009 Author Share Posted February 11, 2009 The reactors are on order. I'll hook up one when I get them in. Until then I've added an extra power head for more flow, I'm cutting back on food and light, and conducting frequent water changes. Anything else I need to do. This crap is everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadReefer Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Can you add more light to you chaeto? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 +1 on adding light. IMO, would allow more growth leading to more help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Turn your main tank lights off for three days. The corals/fish will survive just fine. The cyano will get kicked back. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benny503 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I used to have problem with Cyano for awhile, I put in more powerhead, less light and still didn't work. I went to SEAHORSE and bought a small bottle (I forget the name but ISSAC sold it to me) I used just a tiny bit and haven't see cyano again..... Thanks SEAHORSE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chorse Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 We carry a product called red slime control. It should do the trick. Shane, next time you pop in bring a water sample for me to test. I will PM you tomorrow regarding the stuff we talked about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chorse Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Thanks Benny. How's the new shop going? I used to have problem with Cyano for awhile' date=' I put in more powerhead, less light and still didn't work. I went to SEAHORSE and bought a small bottle (I forget the name but ISSAC sold it to me) I used just a tiny bit and haven't see cyano again..... Thanks SEAHORSE.[/quote'] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadReefer Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I don't like adding (or buying) treatments for my reef. I had bad cyano once. I improved skimming and added another light to my refugium with chaeto and it went away. Before it went away I brushed it off the rock and sand from time to time so that it woudn't get to strong of a hold on things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benny503 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Its doing pretty good rigth now Issac, but traveling from grants pass and portland is suck. Thanks, for asking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chorse Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 The treatment involves a mild antibiotic that is very safe for your reef. The red slime could be due to water quality and/or not enough flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-3 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 One of the best temporary fixes for this is to turn your lights off for 48 hours. Then slowly bring back light a couple hours a day for a couple days adding a hour each day. Without light it cant grow. While doing this try to manually take out as much as you can with water changes and such. Try to pull as much as you can off the rocks. Your corals will be fine without light for two days. You can also add a powerhead if you feel there is not enough flow. There was a thread about this on RC with one of the worst infestations I have ever seen in my life. He followed the regime and it worked. I used it about 3 years ago when I setup my first saltwater tank and it worked great. But remember this is pretty much a patchover just like the meds are. Water quality and a phosban reactor will help greatly to keep this from coming back. [language filter] PHOSPHATES!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowpunk Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I picked up the same stuff Isaac is talking about from him. It worked great. I did a water change and got as much out as I could by suction, then added the Redslimecontrol then followed the directions. Didn't do any harm to any corals or fish at all. Get to seahorse and get it, you will be glad you did... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-3 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Is it the Red Sea stuff Issac? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowpunk Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Is it the Red Sea stuff Issac? I think it's blue vet IIRC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-3 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Ahh okay I never had any luck with the Red Sea stuff. Maybe it was the Chemi-clean stuff I was thinking of. It was too long ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCG CWO Posted February 11, 2009 Author Share Posted February 11, 2009 Thank you all for the advice. I have shut off the lights, and added another Koralia to the tank so now I am running a 1, 2, and a 3 in a 55 gallon. It is so turbulent in there that my clowns are surfing the breakers on the surface. (laugh) I have been blowing off the rocks with a turkey baster and doing water changes, but this stuff is like a algae mat and does not come up very easy. Over my rugium I have the Cheapy HD CFL light set opposite to my tank lights. I'll see if I can fit another one under my stand. I'll swing in Isaac and bring you a water sample, but I am pretty sure it's was the bottled water, crappy Coaralife skimmer, and overfeeding on my part. [language filter] PHOSPHATES!! Here! Here! Ryan. Shane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Add more current and keep it blowing strong near where your cyano is and that will also help. Yep...grow cheato. Thaw your frozen mysis and other prepared food on a paper towel to remove the phosphate juices. This has helped me big time since I started doing that. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadReefer Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Thaw your frozen mysis and other prepared food on a paper towel to remove the phosphate juices. Excellent point Jay! I read about this over and over and never did it thinking it couldn't mean much. But I think it really helps and I'll never go back to not doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Cyano is a pain. Everyone here has given great advice. The key is NO PHOSPHATES/NITRATES = NO ALGEA. I have seen a noticable difference in my tank since I switched out the RO membrane and the prefilters. I also switched to feed straight cyclopeeze and pe mysis. Furthermore, I mod'd the skimmer with a larger air hose and an open cell mesh on the Needle wheel. Next step is a reactor. All of this has worked better than the lights out and the chemi-clean. Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markdadof2 Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Kris, were your TDS readings high before changing your RO filters? I'm battling hair algae right now - two 5 gallon water changes (in a 14 gallon tank) per week is not putting a dent in it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Kris' date=' were your TDS readings high before changing your RO filters? I'm battling hair algae right now - two 5 gallon water changes (in a 14 gallon tank) per week is not putting a dent in it![/quote'] Mark, Hows it going? I haven't seen you for awhile, hope things are well for you and the family! As for the TDS readings...well, I don't have a meter, but my micro pre-filter was orange, my DI resin lasted about 2 weeks and my RO membrane was orange as well! As soon as I get my taxes back, I am buying a phosphate reactor... Speaking of which...who has one, what kind is it, what kind of substrate (reactor media) do you use? Kris 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I do. Two Little Fishes. Whatever GFO is cheapest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I have one of those portable meters but went 1 further to improve my water from my RO unit. I got one of these duel chamber DI resin chambers units to go after my 6 stage RO unit. It has a electronic meter that reads the water going from my RO unit into the duel chamber and then you flip a switch and it reads the water going from the whole thing into my 55 gallon drum. This way I can moniter the membranes life so I dont run water that has 15 or 20 tds straight into the di. The water going from the ro is 2 TDS right now and zero comming out. I paid about 75 bucks for this but now I never have to wonder if my membrane is working good and I know I am not wasteing resin with tainted water. Yep.....Ive had a pretty weird blue/green cyano that came on some ebay liverock a few years ago. This stuff took forever to kill off. It would slime and string up with bubbles all through it and cover everything in my tank with this brown foamy slime. I have pictures somewhere I should post. It was pretty gross looking. This is the addon chamber that I have for those intrested. It was expensive but then again...so was my fish, corals and everything else about my hobby so [language filter]. http://cgi.ebay.com/RO-DI-DUAL-REFILL-COLOR-CHANGE-DI-ADD-ON-W-HM-TDS-METER_W0QQitemZ250345239109QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item250345239109&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318 Krisswaters: Get the two little fishes reactor and use any of the iron oxide stuff. I use Phoslock and Rowa in mine. Useing 2 reactors with the first running quality carbon running into the second with the phoslock. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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