Red and some Green cyano

[sen5241b]

Got red and some green cyano and a little hair algae. My 20G long has been damn near maintenance free for 2 years then some months back cyano just got worse and worse. Nothing changed! The pair of clowns did gradually get bigger though. The tank has the 2 clowns, 1 tail spot blenny, a shrimp and a very small green clown goby. No corals.

Nitrates 0
Phosphates 0
alk 4
Ph 8.4
72 watts of CFL half blue actinic and half white. The bulbs are old but I can't believe that old bulbs alone can make grow cyano cover half the tank.

How can this stuff even grow if the trates are zero?

 

[Bifferwine]

I think that if your bulbs are old, that's a very likely culprit. How old are they? They should be changed about once a year.

 

[Reef Nutz]

I think that if your bulbs are old, that's a very likely culprit. How old are they? They should be changed about once a year.

+1 gotta agree. with nothing else out of the ordinary. You'd be suprised what lights will do for you. CFL usually only good for 6-9 months believe it or not.

 

[little_fish]

You have zero trates because they are being used up by the cyano. And i agree, its probably the old bulbs. As bulbs age, the spectrum of light they put out changes, and the new wavelengths are more conducive to algae growth.

 

[sen5241b]

I forgot to mention that the clean up crew is inadequate. Down to one snail in the tank. I'll change the bulbs and add cuc.

 

[little_fish]

Sounds like a good plan

 

[Northstar24]

I think that if your bulbs are old, that's a very likely culprit. How old are they? They should be changed about once a year.

+1 Sarah. I had a bad cyano problem and when I swapped the lights over my tank the cyano dissapeared almost overnight after I spent 6 months fighting it

 

[Reef Nutz]

I forgot to mention that the clean up crew is inadequate. Down to one snail in the tank. I'll change the bulbs and add cuc.

I don't have any CUC in my tank.:shock:

 

[sen5241b]

I don't have any CUC in my tank.:shock:

If you are carefully dosing vodka then I would think you don't need a CUC. True?

 

[Reef Nutz]

If you are carefully dosing vodka then I would think you don't need a CUC. True?

I haven't had any CUC for a long time. And yes, even dosing vodka you would need it, usually carpet algea grows using carbon dosing. I have some, but not out of control.