Red algae

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by 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!

Again, I didn't use MB7 to get rid of cyano. I initially used Chemiclean for that. MB7 is a preventative that is used in conjunction with bio pellets (and other carbon dosing).

When I first started, I under dosed MB7 at 1 cap a day (because wasn't sure how this stuff worked), but the instructions say for my size tank 4 cap fulls per day for the 1st 2 weeks. That's what I would recommend now. When I started the bio pellets, I gradually increased to about 2 cap fulls every few days, sometimes less when I was away, etc. Once the nitrates were down (and bio pellet consumption greatly reduced), I reduced the MB7 to about a cap full a week, and sometimes longer too. That's when I noticed the cyano reappearing. I then increased MB7 doses to 2 cap fulls a day for a few days (and manually got rid of the cyano with a toothbrush and turkey baster), and it would disappear again. I have never had to use Chemiclean again since the early days.

I now dose MB7 about 2 cap fulls every 3 days or so (if I am home) for 2 combined tanks (about 230g total), and it seems to be enough to maintain. What's interesting, too, is that I have not added any bio pellets to my reactor for over 9 months now. Before I would go through about 1000+ ml of pellets in a year. Now probably only need about 200 ml. Maybe my SPS is consuming more of those nutrients now.

I think the important thing to understand is not to expect immediate results with anything (except maybe Chemiclean). It is a whole bunch of things you have to do right, and sometimes you need to make some mistakes to learn. That's part of the fun with this hobby. If it was so easy, probably wouldn't even be doing this...

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by 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.

If you are asking me, I run Radion LED's, set as described in an earlier post. I used to have T5's with old bulbs when I started out, so that probably didn't help. I have a very good RODI system that auto tops off my sump with 0 TDS water.

[michika]

I just kind of wanted to say that Coral Snow made my cyano problem worse, and then it was further worsened by the flooding in Southern Ab this summer due to water restrictions and limitations (no water changes suck). Stopping the use of Coral Snow in my system lessened the thickness by at least half in 3 days, which in my case means that the Coral Snow was providing additional food source(s) to the cyano, which was counter productive.

I'd be hesitant to recommend adding anything into a new tank in terms of carbon dosing soley because the tank is still in the process of establishing itself and its bacteria cultures. The more you add, the more you have to test for and control and be aware of. Who is to say that carbon dosing would solve the cyano problem and not also create its own unique set of issues?

Additives/dosing are like medications and those endless pharma commercials - sometimes the side effects are just as bad if not worse. Use caution!