Cynobacteria in my reef

[Jeff V]

I'm starting to get more cynobacteria in my reef.  I fell behind on water changes, but I'm caught up.  Any suggestions on how to remove this from my reef?  I'm looking for something reef safe (obviously).  I recall reading that cyno is due to high nutrients in the water and high phosphates.  I was thinking about getting a phosphate filter pad to throw into my reefugium.

[HUNGER]

i would just keep doing watter changes and maybe add more flow

[ghurlag]

Let's go through a checklist:

1.  What's your water source (RO/DI)?
2.  Do you use any activated carbon?  If so, when's the last time it was changed?
3.  How nasty was the water you changed out?  Was it yellow? (been there )
4.  How often do you feed?
5.  Did you have a lot of hair algae or other vegetation that you completely removed? (these things would have been using up the excess nutrients - without them, the tank has to find something else to do with it)

Depending on how nutrient-rich your tank got, it may take awhile to get things back in order.  If the water was dirty enough, your water change could have increased light penetration enough to excite a few things.

Don't feel bad.  I am going through all this right now, too.  I went about 3 months without a water change, and had vegetation choking light out from the corals.  I have 1 SPS that looks like will require surgery for any of it to survive

[Blown76mav]

Let's go through a checklist:

1.  What's your water source (RO/DI)?
2.  Do you use any activated carbon?  If so, when's the last time it was changed?
3.  How nasty was the water you changed out?  Was it yellow? (been there )
4.  How often do you feed?
5.  Did you have a lot of hair algae or other vegetation that you completely removed? (these things would have been using up the excess nutrients - without them, the tank has to find something else to do with it)

Depending on how nutrient-rich your tank got, it may take awhile to get things back in order.  If the water was dirty enough, your water change could have increased light penetration enough to excite a few things.

Don't feel bad.  I am going through all this right now, too.  I went about 3 months without a water change, and had vegetation choking light out from the corals.  I have 1 SPS that looks like will require surgery for any of it to survive

Ummmmm why?  its a bacteria, it doesn't thrive on nutrients.  Turn the lights out for 3 days it will go away.

[ghurlag]

The bacteria is thriving on something.  What gave it ground in the first place?  And is what gave it ground going to persist as a problem.

...nevermind...  Turn off the lights...  just trying to help... but I DID find this:

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/diatomandslimemicroalgae/a/redslimealgae.htm

What Makes Slime Algae Grow and Solutions For Eliminating This Problem

Lighting: The use of improper bulbs, lack of maintenance, and extended lighting hours are contributors that can lead to all sorts of algae problems. While these organisms do well in the 665 to 680 nanometer (nm) wavelength range, they are quite active bewteen the 560 and 620 nm range as well.

Nutrients: Phosphates (PO 4 ), DOCs (Dissolved Organic Compounds), and nitrates (NO 3 ) are primary nutrient food sources for red and other slime algae.

Phosphates (PO 4 ) are commonly introduced into aquariums by means of using unfiltered fresh tap water, and through many aquarium products that may contain higher than normal concentrations of this element, such as sea salt mixes, activated carbon, KH buffers, foods, and many other sources. Also, for established reef tanks the long-term use of kalkwasser precipitates phosphates out of the water, and these phosphate based compounds can settle on and in the live rock and substrate.

and this: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/articles/articles/20/1/Cyanobacteria-AKA-Red-Slime-Algae-/Page1.html

What causes it?
...it is caused by excess organics in a system. This can be brought on by excess feeding, overstocking, lack of filtration, infrequent water changing or from the excess nutrients from cycling a new system. Also, because it is photosynthetic, long light cycles encourage growth.

like I said, I was just trying to help?  No need to jump my ass

[cyberwollf]

Ummmmm why?  its a bacteria, it doesn't thrive on nutrients.  Turn the lights out for 3 days it will go away.

So how many photosynthetic organisms do you know that ONLY rely on the sun?  Phosphates and nitrates are the building blocks of everything.  In excess it certainly promotes algea growth and under the right conditions (old lights, low flow, etc.) it certainly doesnt hurt bacteria blooms.  Yes turning the lights out will help, but if the bulbs are old or you he has a high dissolved nutrient system, it can be pain to rid.  It could also be some mini cycles of stuff since you just started picking back up on maintenance. 

Keep on your normal maintenance, try to scoop out what you can, and maybe a kick up the flow if you can.  It should eventually finish eating whatever its eating.  Need to check your light's age too, could have shifted into a spectrum more favorable for nuisance growth

Randy HF cites this in his nitrate article, but it wasnt a link...
Inorganic nitrogen utilization by assemblages of marine bacteria in seawater culture.     Horrigan, S. G.; Hagstroem, A.; Koike, I.; Azam, F.    Mar. Sci. Res. Cent.,  SUNY,  Stony Brook,  NY,  USA.    Marine Ecology:  Progress Series  (1988),  50(1-2),  147-50.

[Kenn]

Here is another good article on the subject...

http://www.reeftime.com/reef-articles/reef-health/cyanobacteria-red-slime-algae/48.htm

When I had it I just followed advice given by Joel I believe... I removed as much from the tank as I could and increased flow in the problem areas.

Worked for me

[starfishprime]

Manually siphoning out as much as you can, while increasing the flow is probably going to get the best results. Also i felt that having a skimmer really helped as well. Good luck, keep us posted and let us know what works!

[Blown76mav]

I love how in the articles the #1 reason for cynobacteria is

   1. Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic and contain Chloropyll A. They require a light source
   2. Cyanobacteria have the ability to produce cells called "akinetes" that store food reserves
   3. One species of Cyanobacteria resemble hair algae. (Lyngbya sp.)
   4. Some forms may bloom in nutrient-poor conditions
   5. Oscillatoria variety (red slime) usually bloom in nutrient rich environments
   6. Most species NOT palatable to many herbivores
   7. Increase Redox potential and elevated alkalinity help to limit Cyanobacteria growth

yes I see #5 down there but note the USUALLY.  I have had this rotten form of bacteria, with 0's across the board so there was no excess nutrient's.  Lights brand new, still had it.  Turned the lights out fixed and hasn't returned.  Didn't change feeding habits, light cycle, or flow and yet its gone.


Oh and Ghurlag if you think I was jumping your arse you need to go to the store and buy some thicker skin man.
       

[ghurlag]

Oh and Ghurlag if you think I was jumping your arse you need to go to the store and buy some thicker skin man.

It's cool - I've had my coffee now   You have to admit, though, "Ummmmm why?" isn't the most diplomatic way to start a reply. (Admittedly, my counter-reply wasn't any more diplomatic - so I apologize, Lonnie)

The reason I was asking about other parameters is that Jeff was obviously in a nutrient rich scenario, citing his original post.  If this particular strain does thrive on nutrients, turning the lights off will kill it out, but if the nutrient source isn't contained, it could come back. 

To your point about lighting, though, if the bulbs are old, and leaning more toward a yellow spectrum, cyano, and I believe hair algae (going off memory, not citing anything) are more likely.

[TechGuy]

So to summarize:

Turn off your lights, or cut them back.

Siphon it off.

Remove nutrients

Increasing flow in problem areas always worked for me

[cyberwollf]

   1. Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic and contain Chloropyll A. They require a light source
   

So do ALL plants, plankton, other photosynthetic organisms.  But you cant grow any of that stuff without nitrogen and phosphates.  Otherwise farming would be a breeze.  Granted, they generate their glucose from the sun's radiation, but it obviously takes more than photo radiation to live..

Just saying that its incorrect to assume that nutrient levels play no part here simply because they are just a bacteria.  Otherwise people's pristine tanks would be just as covered in cyano than those with high dissolved organic nutrients.