Red algae

[michika]

I'm just going to point it out that the tank in question is new, 6 months old I believe. This cyano bloom could be natrual and you may have to do nothing more then let time pass and keep up with good husbandry practice.

I too have recently set up a tank and I had a 2.5 month daily cyano cycle. It has finally started to pass without any changes to my current practices. Just something to think of of as you're considering the variety of response you've received.

[daplatapus]

+1 to the above. Every new tank has extra nutrients and time usually solves them. I had actually meant to mention that too but sometimes my brain works faster than my fingers. Thanks for pointing it out Michika

[typezero]

I agree with above. Red slime does come here and there for me but in the start it was bad. I only found a multi pronged approached worked for me.
Increase internal flow
Decrease nutrients (feeding)
More water changes
Decrease lighting temporarily
With manual stiring and turkey basting of sand and rock
And i also dosed micro bactor7 with kz coralsnow

It cleared up for me in about 2 weeks. I get it now and then but just small patches and its gone next day when i tweek my biopellets.

[tang daddy]

I've never tried coral snow so I can't comment, but mb7 can fuel the cyano and make it grow more rampant. That was the case for me when I added it but definately cut down on feeding and do more frequent waterchanges. Also you could add vinegar as a carbon source to outcompete the cyano. Just google vinegar dosing to see how. But if you do decide to do vinegar dosing start very slow as you don't want to crash your tank by overdosing....

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by tang daddy

I've never tried coral snow so I can't comment, but mb7 can fuel the cyano and make it grow more rampant. That was the case for me when I added it but definately cut down on feeding and do more frequent waterchanges. Also you could add vinegar as a carbon source to outcompete the cyano. Just google vinegar dosing to see how. But if you do decide to do vinegar dosing start very slow as you don't want to crash your tank by overdosing....

Don't know the specifics of what happened with your tank, but I think you have it backwards. Carbon dosing (vinegar, vodka or other) and bio-pellets can fuel cyano. MB7, on the other hand provides beneficial bacteria that out competes cyano.

The mistake some people make is start carbon dosing and bio pellets before MB7. Then they have major problems with cyano, and adding MB7 after that won't help immediately. That's when you have to get out the Chemiclean.

The correct way to do it is start MB7 dosing (heavy at first) at least 2 weeks prior to adding any type of carbon dosing. Best to read the instructions on MB7, and on bio-pellets to get a good understanding of how this works. If you do it right, works really great to keep your tank clean and clear, and no cyano. I took my tanks down from a high of 100 ppm nitrates and over 1.0 phosphates to zero, and no cyano problems. So I know it works.

But like others have said, it is a combination of things to consider, and it is still a relatively new tank. So best to go slow on anything, and monitor your progress with good testing.

[typezero]

Originally Posted by tang daddy

I've never tried coral snow so I can't comment, but mb7 can fuel the cyano and make it grow more rampant. That was the case for me when I added it but definately cut down on feeding and do more frequent waterchanges. Also you could add vinegar as a carbon source to outcompete the cyano. Just google vinegar dosing to see how. But if you do decide to do vinegar dosing start very slow as you don't want to crash your tank by overdosing....

You dose the coral snow with the micro bactor7. Add both them into some tank water and set aside for 20mins, after that dump it in the tank. Something about mixing them makes them work a lot better together, synergic-ally.

[tang daddy]

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

Don't know the specifics of what happened with your tank, but I think you have it backwards. Carbon dosing (vinegar, vodka or other) and bio-pellets can fuel cyano. MB7, on the other hand provides beneficial bacteria that out competes cyano.

The mistake some people make is start carbon dosing and bio pellets before MB7. Then they have major problems with cyano, and adding MB7 after that won't help immediately. That's when you have to get out the Chemiclean.

The correct way to do it is start MB7 dosing (heavy at first) at least 2 weeks prior to adding any type of carbon dosing. Best to read the instructions on MB7, and on bio-pellets to get a good understanding of how this works. If you do it right, works really great to keep your tank clean and clear, and no cyano. I took my tanks down from a high of 100 ppm nitrates and over 1.0 phosphates to zero, and no cyano problems. So I know it works.

But like others have said, it is a combination of things to consider, and it is still a relatively new tank. So best to go slow on anything, and monitor your progress with good testing.

Are you saying you had cyano and dosed mb7 and it went away?
If so could you share your tank specs, how much you dosed and weekly routine on tank maintanence. Also how long it took for the cyano to dissappear.

Just curious because it didn't seem to get better for me, more like worse.

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by tang daddy

Are you saying you had cyano and dosed mb7 and it went away?
If so could you share your tank specs, how much you dosed and weekly routine on tank maintanence. Also how long it took for the cyano to dissappear.

Just curious because it didn't seem to get better for me, more like worse.

No, please read my posts again. MB7 is a preventative, not a cure.

I inherited a 100g SW tank a few years (with a house we bought), that was full of everything bad, algae, cyano, aiptasia, you name it. Spent several hours every week, scrubbing rocks with a toothbrush, and pulling out algae and cyano, and vacuuming the gravel. I should have taken it down and started over. But it had some nice fish in it, and full of soft and lps corals. So, I decided to try and rehabilitate it. As I mentioned it had high phosphates and nitrates, so I decided to tackle the nitrates first.

I did a lot of research on RC and elsewhere, and decided to go the bio pellet route with MB7. I started slowly (very important) and it took several months before I was getting decidedly positive results. I then increased my bio pellets (and dosed MB7 as required), and took almost a full year before I finally achieved zero nitrates. Then I tackled the P04, which was still high, and took another 6 months or so before I got that down to zero with the help of GFO.

If I did it again, I am sure I could speed up the process. There was some trial and error, and it took me a while to confirm the positive effects of MB7. But what I learned, is to dose it heavily when adding more bio pellets and any sign of cyano (which does happen from time to time, esp when I get lax with the MB7).

My 100g tank has had zero nitrates for over a year now, and near zero phosphates for 8+ months. I added SPS late last year, and it is doing great, now requiring some major pruning and have frags available (anybody want some?). So am very happy with how the tank is now doing.

One day (maybe this fall) I should do a tank journal starting from 3 years ago. There is a lot more to the story, than I have time to post here. But I should mention that I have recently combined this tank and another 130g (that still had higher phosphates and nitrates) into one sump, so that was another little challenge. But it all worked out great, and now both tanks have zero N03, and near zero P04. And no Cyano...

[tang daddy]

Great story of success, so you used bio pellet and mb7 after you took over the tank and the cyano took almost 1 year to dissapate?

I am no new to the hobby, but just gave up on mb7 when I noticed it got worse... Which is why I am trying to get details.

I truly beleive that BP is the cause of cyano or reworded is what is keeping the cyano alive...

I've read mix reviews that coral snow and mb7 can get rid of cyano.

How much mb7 were you using daily for 100g of water?

Thanks for taking the time to reply, were all here to learn and share so it's great to get live feedback!

[tang daddy]

Also what lights do you run with your set up, old bulbs and exhausted rodi filters may fuel the cyano.... So I've heard.