Another cyano outbreak. help - I wanna cry....

[DeMarcusR]

[I just upgraded my lighting last week from 72watts pc 50/50 to 202 watts pc. After a few days, I've noticed red slime which I'm assuming is cyano. I siphoned all of it off the bottom of the tank and did a 10% water change. It came back just 10 times worse. I did a 25% water change late last night. Back again but just two small spots. How do I get rid of it? I think I have adequate flow and my water params are okay and I skim for about 8 to 12 hours each day :very angry:
I'd rather not go the chemical route yet.. Dont have many corals yet; i'd just rather not start introducing random chemicals into my system.

Tank Specs:
40G hex
202watts PC run about 12hrs/day
Penguin 300gph powerhead
Skilter 250 bio mechanical filter and protein skimmer
25# live rock
1 neon green tree coral frag
2 clarki 2 green chromis 1 yellow tailed damsel

PLEASE HELP :cussing:]

 

[BigStun]

[what are your water parameters? What kind of water are you using and where are you getting it from? Get Chemi-clean and use as directed...two dosages will usually work.]

 

[DeMarcusR]

@BigStun wrote:

[not sure of exact params. I had fish paradise check (since I dont have test kits yet), they said water was okay. I use RO/DI water from my own kent marine system.
I'll save the chemi-clean as a last result. Where can I get it and how much will it run me?]

 

[Guest]

[

Why not 24 hrs?

Oh, Is this why you skim 8 -12 hrs? Too noisy & many bubbles in your display? I had one of those a long time ago. I recommend you get a better HOB skimmer like a CPR BakPak or Remora.]

 

[BigStun]

[you may wanna have your phosphates checked...how old is your rodi system and when is the last time you replaced the membranes? Chemi-clean runs around $10+ and is completely reef safe. I know you said you don't want to go the chemical route, but for cyano...chemiclean is the way to go.]

 

[DeMarcusR]

[@737mech wrote:

"Why not 24 hrs?"

24 hrs would drive me crazy. noise is a lil bit too much. I've considered buying a cork bubbler using that rather than the air induction built into the skilter

"Oh, Is this why you skim 8 -12 hrs? Too noisy & many bubbles in your display? I had one of those a long time ago. I recommend you get a better HOB skimmer like a CPR BakPak or Remora."

The noise and bubbles in display are the main reason i dont skim 24 hrs. I only skim in the middle of the night when the lights are off. I've tried skimming during the day but it seems like it performs better with the lights off. I'm definately in the market for a better HOB skimmer a little down the road if I can find one at a relatively good price (i'm on a tight budget right now. begenning of the year is a slow period in my industry)]

 

[DeMarcusR]

@BigStun wrote:

[My Ro/DI system is about 3 yrs old. I really haven't used it much until here recently. Membranes look cleaner than most i've seen but i'm sure its about time to change the membranes. I think I might break down and go buy the chemi-clean friday.]

 

[blide]

[1. Buy a quiet skimmer - Run it 24/7
2. More Powerheads - At least 2 medium (I would think a hex is hard to get water movement with just one powerhead)
3. Use Chemi Clean - It will not hurt you tank, ecspecially since you have no corals.
4. Do water changes.
5. Just run carbon in your hob filter - after chemi-clean

Thats how I beat red slime.... ]

 

[DeMarcusR]

@blide wrote:

[I was actually considering buying another powerhead, i was concerned with too much flow. ive got my current PH in on the back upper left corner and the filter on the right. Where should I put the new PH to avoid too much flow in one direction?]

 

[BigStun]

[I would think getting good flow in a hex would be fairly easy compared to a normal rectangular tank...you might have to redo the positioning of the powerheads, you just have to make sure you don't have any dead spots]

 

[DeMarcusR]

@BigStun wrote:

[Where would you recommend placing the PH? I personally dont think I have any dead spots but i'm far from an expert. (when I open the air valve thing on the PH, the bubbles flow to every part of the tank so, i'm assuming flow is great)]

 

[BigStun]

[i would have the powerheads pointed at the glass at an angle so that the water can bounce off of the glass and keep flowing throughout the tank.]

 

[blide]

[I took at look at the gallery on Reefcentral and most people with hex tanks have 2 powerheads pointing different directions.

To get rid of your current cyano problem your going to have do more than just add flow.]

 

[melev]

[You might be able to put a powerhead at the base of the tank, upside down. This will create current down low where the cyano is alive and multiplying. Maybe you can wedge it in the rockwork somehow to mask it slightly.

The membrane in your RO unit is not visible. It is good for 3 to 5 years, so you are getting near the end of its usefulness. The prefilters should be changed every 6 months, the DI at 12 months if you have one.

Chemi-Clean would fix this problem, but higher PO4 and lower flow down low in the tank will allow it to return.

You can modify the Skilter to run close to silently. Where the air is being sucked in now, remove the plastic muffler and put a wooden (DRY! ) airstone on the end. Or remove the venturi tube entirely, and insert a wooden airstone in the bubble tower, hooked up to an airpump. Let the air pump create the bubbles for skimming. Be sure to put a check valve in the tubing leading from the pump to the airstone, or mount the pump higher than the tank, or you will end up with water back-siphoning into the pump - ruining it.]

 

[DeMarcusR]

[Thanks mark.
Here are pics or my ro setup. not sure exactly what I need to replace. I actually purchased this thing in 2001 by accident and the online retailer wouldnt take it back so I was stuck with it...

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Exactly what needs to be replaced and about how much will it run me??]

 

[BrianC]

[Hermits, while I don't believe reports they eat it the certainly do pick at disturb it and like pigs wallow in it. Definetly the best way to kill cyano!]

 

[melev]

[You can shop around. From Left to Right:

Sediment filters run $5.
Carbon $10.
Color Changing DI cartridge $30.

If the TDS coming out of your Ro membrane is still nice and low (under 10ppm), then it is still good. You need a TDS meter and collect some water after the RO and before it goes through the DI.

My impression is that your filters are spent.]

 

[Jacob]

@BigStun wrote:

[Will the cyano die off from using chemi clean possibly create an ammonia spike? I need to use it myself but right now my ammonia and nitrite are at about .1-.2 each due to the introduction of a LARGE piece of live rock that was supposedly cured already but appearly wasn't. It didn't stink but that is the only thing I can think of that would be causing the spike. If chemiclean will also cause increased ammonia I will wait until this rock is done.]

 

[BigStun]

[I do not know what goes on chemically with cyano and chemi-clean, but unless it is a very large amount of cyano, I wouldn't think it would do much to your parameters...when you dose, you turn off your skimmer...and after dosing, you turn it back on. With a decent skimmer, most of the dead cyano should get skimmed fairly soon after turning your skimmer back on.]

 

[melev]

[I doubt it, Jacob. Something has to die to cause that. It sounds like the piece of LR you added contains the die-off that spiked your numbers.]