Cyano battle

[coolhandgoose]

So I've never had cyano until about a month ago. It started out fairly small and I thought it'd go away on it's own. Wow was I wrong. I came home the other day to find my zoas covered over with red slime and my top rock just covered with slime. It was also along my glass, heater, and power head!

I've had the lights off for the last couple of days, did a scrubbing of the rocks and did a 50% water change, hoping this will help.

I think what set this off was I was using a coralife 50/50 power compact light but it burnt out last month and didn't have time (read as lazy) to get a new one. So I put a slightly more wattage 24 watt power compact, let's say white, bulb in and since then the cyano has exploded.

So sometime this week I'm going to buy a new bulb.

Are there any other suggestions out there?

I'd hate to kill my zoa's due to cyano.

 

[darren0311]

there is a product that I used for Cyano that I had alot of success with, red slime control, plus I had an urchin in there and in a matter of days it was gone, you will see alot of foamy stuff in your sump but just leave it alone, follow the directions to the (T). it wont hurt your Corals at all.
hope this helps

 

[yote]

I'm not a big fan of the anti-bacterial stuff for cyano.Mainly because if you dont kill it all,it build up a resistance to the meds.
I'd do another big water change and siphon out as much cyano as possible.Then kill the lights completely for 3 or 4 days.The day you turn the lights back on,do another big water change.

 

[darren0311]

I totally agree with you Yote, That was my last option and it just happen to work, def try to siphone it out and do water changes first.

+1 to you Yote...

 

[coolhandgoose]

Okay I turned the lights on this morning to just to see how things are going. Most of it is gone except for a couple of stringy strands here and there. Do you think I should leave the lights on since the zoas aren't covered anymore and could probably use the light since they haven't opened in about a week.

 

[Bifferwine]

They cyano will probably come back throughout the day. I'd leave the light on for the zoas, but be prepared to suck more cyano out by the day's end!

 

[coolhandgoose]

Thanks, I've already got water prepared for another water change.

do you think the light change tirggered this?

 

[Bifferwine]

Probably. Algae outbreaks usually seem to coincide with changes in lighting. It should pass soon so hang in there!

 

[Melosu58]

Read this for cyano

Cyanobacteria, AKA Red Slime Algae

 

[coolhandgoose]

Okay so it appears that the cyano is gone off the rocks however my zoas still won't open and look like the have cyano on their outside. How can I get rid of this? This is as much as they open during the day :




Also my mushrooms are usually shriveled up and have this weird squiggly thing on them.


I have some plate coraline that is doing good but the shroom below it is not doing so good.


Any ideas greatly appreciated.

 

[motorcyclereefer]

The mushrooms will be ok. They were just stressed out a little but will return to their original form soon.

 

[Tristan]

do you have a cleaner crew? my hermit crabs and snails take care of that. and my black combtooth blenny

 

[yote]

Did you use anything like Chemi-clean or red slimer remover? Or just cut the lights and do water changes?

 

[coolhandgoose]

I just cut the lights and did a water change

 

[coolhandgoose]

I have 5 nassarius snails and one snail I don't know the name of. It's about 3 times larger than a nassarius and round.

 

[coolhandgoose]

Any suggestions?? The zoas still won't open and seem to have red on the outside..

 

[Bifferwine]

Can you bast them off with a turkey baster? Other than giving them time and trying to clean off the slime, there isn't much you can do.

 

[coolhandgoose]

Well I tried to scrub them a bit with a Q-tip but not much came off. Will it be detrimental for them if they don't open for the next little while?

I'll have to keep an eye on them to see if they start dying.

 

[yote]

They may just be pissed that the lights was out for a few days.
But still,use your turkey baster and blow that cyano off the zoas.It'll keep them from opening,and if they dont open,they aint getting energy and will die.

 

[parrotchute]

Do you have a refugium? That and making sure the ph was high and stable really helped me with my cyano problem.
The squiggly thing on the shrooms is their stomach, they turn inside out when irritated.