diatoms/cyano???

[steelcity]

Having issues with keeping the glass clean. It seems like everyday I need to run my float on the glass. Everyother for sure. All the damn astrea snails are slacking. The majority have been siting on the rocks. Some hop on along with a turbo but they haven't been keeping up with it. It is brownish-green color thats dust like when I clean it and takes a good couple passes in each area. Tank has been up for about 7 weeks now. Feeding has been light.

10 gallon changes every weekend
T-5 lights. Daylights on for 6 hours a day and actinics for 9. Changed out old bulbs and new ones are ATI and KZ fiji purple.

Parameters
Salt 1.025
Nitrates 0
Nitrites 0
Ammonia 0
Phosphates .3
Ca 420
Mg 1200
Temp 79

What gives?

 

[Hiker4twenty]

Did you have an outbreak of diatoms since you set up your tank? Cyano is more like a reddish/brown/purple in color and will look stringy or even bubbly. It's a bitch to get rid of. I've been fighting the cyano battle for at least a month now. What kind of water are you using for water changes? Next time you do a water change, cut the lights out for 3-4 days, then do another water change the day you put the lights back on. That seemed to help me some, but it's still a battle.

 

[AdeptMrSniffles]

I don't think you need to worry about cyanobacteria. Cyano grows on the sand, and if not addressed will engulf corals... I've witnessed it. I have to clean my glass with my mag float everyday as well. You've stated that your tank is about 7 weeks old so your just in the beginning stages of your algae cycle. Just keep up with tank maintance and you'll pull through it just fine. It's unsightly I know but we've all been there/done that.

 

[steelcity]

I just don't really remember dealing with this when I started up my 16. All water changes are done with RO/DI. I guess it's not cyano since it's not red/purple in color. Also not stringy or bubbly.

 

[AdeptMrSniffles]

Maybe it was such a small quantity of water you didn't notice it.

 

[Ted]

sounds like what I have to do with my glass everyday. Once I can figure out a way to get a sump on my tank (no room in stand) I am going to try the algae scrubber. Supposedly it gets rid of all algae problems. It looks very interesting. https://www.livingreefs.com/mega-powerful-nitrate-and-phosphate-remover-diy-t16734.html

 

[Bifferwine]

Diatoms are totally normal in 99.9% of new tanks. And you are around 7 weeks in, so they are coming right on time! There really is not much you can do except be patient and wait it out. As your tank matures, you will get fewer diatoms less often until you won't get them at all anymore.

 

[qxcontinuum]

Hi i have the same problem. I have to cut off lights completely after 8 hours.

You must use a wipe or a sponge when cleaning because while scrapping off all the algae are going back in the tank.
wiping them off they are stick on the wipe or sponge.

I hope this helps

 

[qxcontinuum]

I have the ame problem. The brown ugly stuff won't go. The rocks were ugly and avoided by snails and sea urchins. So after many studies and talking with experts i've been advised to kill this bacteria at once in one shoot and then maintain the tank to avoid.
So i have used red slime remover. Some are saying to be an antibiotic some are saying to be an electrolyte that produces a lot of oxygen in the water which kills Cyano.
Been 30 hours since applying the first doze and my brown stuff is 80% gone.There is no trace of it.
Also have heard that it kills my biological filtration, well, i don't care , i can add anytime some biological bacteria.
I am looking now at the rocks and they do look really better than before.

P.S i must ad that cutting off lights will not remove cyano. Cyano is not an algae, it's a bacteria, as such it's not fed by light. Water changes and RO water as well activated carbon will help cutting down organic waste in your tank.
I still feed my fishies daily but i'll give them little pieces as much as they can eat in 10 seconds. Nothing is falling down the bottom. Feeding animals once at every 5 days it's absurde and i cannot understand it! :-(

 

[Bifferwine]

Cyano is a bacteria, but it is a photosynthetic bacteria. So yes, cutting the lights does work to combat cyano.

Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, blue-green bacteria or Cyanophyta, is a phylum of bacteria that obtain their energy through photosynthesis.

Cyanobacteria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Whatever their color, cyanobacteria are photosynthetic, and so can manufacture their own food. This has caused them to be dubbed "blue-green algae", though they have no relationship to any of the various eukayotic algae. The term "algae" merely refers to any aquatic organisms capable of photosynthesis, and so applies to several groups.

Life History and Ecology of Cyanobacteria

Sometimes I don't know where you get your information from.

 

[qxcontinuum]

i dunno i was reading that in absence of light this bacteria can fed with organic waste and it's not dying nor expanding. So you cannot get rid of it just by reducing light

 

[Melosu58]

Cyanobacteria, AKA Red Slime Algae