Biffy Finally Gets a Build Thread!

[tizapolgar]

Hey Biff - I'm glad I can finally chime in on this with what might be kinda helpful

First, the tank looks awesome! I'm jealous...I love my little 25 gallon reef, but there's just something about a big-ass reef tank that makes me happy.

So, as for the cyano - I also very much dislike putting anything in the tank unless I have to, so I battled cyano for months with water changes and hosing it out. I finally got fed up and bought this stuff called "Red Slime Remover," which in two doses over four days eliminated the problem. No problems with my fish or my corals. The only thing I noticed was that is seemed to cause a slight coralline die-off, but it was back within a couple of weeks.

Well worth it to get rid of that slimy shit...

[Alexander]

Biff, It looks like my tank did about 2 months ago. there are still small spots here and there I am battling. Damn AFT

[MikMcgyver]

Noob question here.. What exactly is cyano? type of algae? anything eat it?

[fishbait]

cyano is actually a bacteria, cyanobacteria. there's not much that eats it.

[tizapolgar]

Cyano is actually a bacteria that kinda looks like algae. Really, it looks more like a red slime that covers substrate, rocks, etc. It off-gasses carbon dioxide, often creating the bubbles that you see in Biff's pictures.

It's often indicative of a nutrient or phosphate overload in your tank...although, I've seen it pop up in water conditions that seem alright. And, it seems to be a normal stage of tank development in a new tank.

You can siphon it out relatively easily, but often this is just a "lipstick on a pig" approach - you need to find the source of the problem (Nitrates, phosphate, etc.) and correct that, or else the cyano bacteria will continue to pop up in ugly quantities.

There are products out there (that have been mentioned) that seem to do a pretty good job of killing it off, as well.

[Bifferwine]

Thanks for the info, Tiza. I think I'm just going to ride it out, since I only set up my tank about two weeks ago, I was expecting a cyano outbreak at about this point. Like Tiza said, it seems to be a regular occurrence for newly set up tanks.

I've never heard of that happening with the xenia, Yote. Weird!

[tizapolgar]

Originally Posted by Bifferwine

Thanks for the info, Tiza. I think I'm just going to ride it out, since I only set up my tank about two weeks ago, I was expecting a cyano outbreak at about this point. Like Tiza said, it seems to be a regular occurrence for newly set up tanks.

Yeah, I think you're probably right about waiting it out. But sometimes, it just gets so damn annoying!

Still...helluva tank, I can't wait to see more pics.

[Alexander]

yeah you pick it out and all of a sudden its back again. its a real biotch! never had it in my first tank. but both my bigger ones it came right out in. its really frustrating because like dr marco I also demand perfection with this hobby, and its not quite working out!

[Bifferwine]

Someone ripped all the fins off of one of my firefish! Like, ALL of the fins! And he had a big gash behind one of his gills and was bleeding. WTF is up with my fish lately?!?! I'm afraid I may have gotten a nasty hitch hiker in my new rock (you know, besides the majano and aiptasia ). No one has ever attacked my firefish before.

He was kinda flopping on the bottom of the tank... His firefish mate, by his side. I watched for a while as he was struggling for his life. Then the weirdest thing happened. His firefish mate took him in his mouth and pulled him off the substrate. He did this over and over again, like he was trying to say, "GET UP! GET UP! YOU CAN DO IT, YOU CAN SWIM!" Poor guy just kept flopping back down on the sand.

So I had to vodka him. I cried. It was so f*cking sad. I've never had to "put down" one of my fish before. But it was over quickly. I'll be okay.

[tizapolgar]

Aww man...sorry to hear it.

Any specific hitch hiker suspects, or is the culprit unknown at this point?