Dealing with Cyanobacteria

[smidoid]

OK. I give up. (She won't listen about the lighting).

Is there a truly reef-safe chem treatment to destroy this pesky stuff. I'm working on the phosphate levels, using Rowaphos, but the light is a constant problem. Don't even go there...

Needs to be a chemical solution.

[Ninong]

First of all, consider what you are asking. You are asking for a chemical solution to cyanobacteria. I don't know if I would want to do that but that's up to you. Besides, it won't fix the problem. It will just make it go away temporarily.

I don't know what your lighting is but are you sure the lamps are not in need of replacement? Whatever it is, how old are the lamps and what color temperature are they?

The only permanent solution to cyanobacteria is to maintain good water flow over the problem areas, make sure your lighting is not ready for replacement, watch your nutrient levels, etc. You can siphon some of it out every day it that makes you feel better. You can blast it with a hand-held powerhead, too.

I wouldn't freak out over a little cyanobacteria. If it starts to overtake everything, then that's a different story. It's been around a lot longer than we have (3 billion years) and I'm sure it will still be around after we are long gone.

[BubbaWPB]

Chemi-clean is a good temporary fix while you are addressing the nutrient problem. If you don't fix the nutrient problem, it WILL come back. I resort to temporaty chemical treatments when the red slime starts growing on the corals (usually after someone cares for my tank and overfeeds). If it is just on the substrate, I siphon and water change and starve it out.

When considering red slime treatment, but sure to read what the label DOESN'T say... if it doesn't say "REEF SAFE" and "WON'T HARM NITRIFYING BACTERIA" it's probably not a good thing to add to a reef tank. Antibiotic based products (most commonly containing erythromycin) say they won't harm fish and invertebrates - and they won't. But they can deal your nitrifying bacteria a good blow and you can wind up with your tank cycling or having difficulty with pH being unstable.

Chemi-clean is effective, and it also clears up your water pretty well... just be forewarned that your skimmer will froth copiously for a day or two after treatment.

[smidoid]

I think Ninong might have pinned the problem there - I don't know how old the lamps are. (Time for a change, methinks! Like today!)

I'll give the chemi-clean a go too (thanks Bubba). I think the nutrient is coming from the tapwater I've been forced to use recently (phosphates, I would guess) and that just can't help!

I just need a "hand" to get it back under control without killing the tank. (As you say, wiping out ALL the bacteria is a zero-day option. I might as well change my name to GW Bush!)

Thanks

[Frogfish]

I have had very good success with erythromyacin. I tried everything I could to reduce the phosphates and nitrates but to no avail. Many people, who have not tried it, claim that it will also kill the beneficial bacteria, however in my case it did not.

I also know 3-4 other people who have used it with no problems.

I don't know what the tablet size is, but I used one per 50 gallons of water.

[My2heartboys]

The other thing you can try is going 2-3 days without running your lights.

Anne

[The R/C Man]

Just say NO to chemicals!!!

[smidoid]

Just say NO to chemicals!!!

I did... and it's gone. I turned the lights OFF and left them that way for a few days; ran the RowaPhos filter and stirred the whole lot up.

It's gone, gone, gone.

Course, it'll come back again and I lost a cleaner shrimp in the process, but I've put that down to coincidence: it was eating like a horse the day before.

[smidoid]

The other thing you can try is going 2-3 days without running your lights.

Anne

Works a treat! Mind you, you have to remove the "corpses!"

Interesting how it behaves rather like a liquidised sea-slug when you stir up the live stuff. It recovers the rock and sand in hours as if nothing had happended. Neat.