mvallee
Non-member
Battling Cyano for over 2 months and really starting to get me down. I have tried everything I have had suggested and read to do and now considering switching salts.
Back Story;
Tank is just over a year old and wanted to start adding SPS 3-4 months ago, they all browned out, most suggestions were around nutrient control because a lot of my close up pics of the dying coral had GHA on the plugs. Nitrates were about .45 .6 and phosphates .30 so took the tact of adding a GFO and Carbon reactor and limiting feedings. Got nutrients under control with Phos at a constant 0 on my Hanna checker nitrates between .1 and .15 but with the initial Drop I got a Diatom bloom that led to a Cyano plague that I just can not kick. 3 days lights out helped and maybe time to try that again, Cheato and my macro algaes have pretty much stopped growing but still looking healthy so not much for them to feed on, Lowered the light intensity on my reefbreeder LEDS and Ocean Revive LED's with no effect. Weekly water changes of 30 gallons not helping. I even rearranged one of my rock piles to minimize any dead spots and added extra power heads. In my 180G I have 3 jebao PH WP25, WP40 and WP60, The 40 and 60 are on a wave controller tied together to create a side to side wave. and two koralia PH an 850 and 1025 I think plus a 1150GPH return pump from my sump with very little head pressure and the Cyano seems to sway nicely in the added flow
.
I still spend 15-20 minutes blowing Cyano off rocks and corals every 2-3 days to keep tank looking decent and the back wall overflows are covered in the stuff so much effort and getting really disgusted.
Parameters have been good for the past 3+ weeks
PH 8.0 to 8.4 (night vs. day)
Cal 460
KH 9.5 to 9.9
MG 1450
SG 1.026 (refractometer)
My primary food is NLS flakes and Larry's reef frenzy.
I am now thinking about switching salts, currently using Red Sea Coral Pro, switched to this when I decided to try my hand at SPS from IORC and yes I am not slamming the salt I know it is good stuff but maybe the high levels of minerals and such of the salt without much in the way of SPS is contributing to the Cyano?????? Softies are doing really well but a constant battle with Cyano covering them, one of my brains has really not handled this well but my toadstools, Ricordea, Hammer, torch, mushrooms are doing good, I had a scrolling sponge that was really starting to take off before all this and is now pretty bleached looking and not sure it will pull through, Zoa's look good but the cyano does get on them and needs to blown off and one colony is not handling that too well with a section dying back. Fish are doing fantastic and my CUC is doing well though I think with the limited feeding my Blue throat trigger and hawks have been picking them off and not as many snails out and about so going to have to replenish them soon.
What do you think any chance salt could be contributing?
Back Story;
Tank is just over a year old and wanted to start adding SPS 3-4 months ago, they all browned out, most suggestions were around nutrient control because a lot of my close up pics of the dying coral had GHA on the plugs. Nitrates were about .45 .6 and phosphates .30 so took the tact of adding a GFO and Carbon reactor and limiting feedings. Got nutrients under control with Phos at a constant 0 on my Hanna checker nitrates between .1 and .15 but with the initial Drop I got a Diatom bloom that led to a Cyano plague that I just can not kick. 3 days lights out helped and maybe time to try that again, Cheato and my macro algaes have pretty much stopped growing but still looking healthy so not much for them to feed on, Lowered the light intensity on my reefbreeder LEDS and Ocean Revive LED's with no effect. Weekly water changes of 30 gallons not helping. I even rearranged one of my rock piles to minimize any dead spots and added extra power heads. In my 180G I have 3 jebao PH WP25, WP40 and WP60, The 40 and 60 are on a wave controller tied together to create a side to side wave. and two koralia PH an 850 and 1025 I think plus a 1150GPH return pump from my sump with very little head pressure and the Cyano seems to sway nicely in the added flow
. I still spend 15-20 minutes blowing Cyano off rocks and corals every 2-3 days to keep tank looking decent and the back wall overflows are covered in the stuff so much effort and getting really disgusted.
Parameters have been good for the past 3+ weeks
PH 8.0 to 8.4 (night vs. day)
Cal 460
KH 9.5 to 9.9
MG 1450
SG 1.026 (refractometer)
My primary food is NLS flakes and Larry's reef frenzy.
I am now thinking about switching salts, currently using Red Sea Coral Pro, switched to this when I decided to try my hand at SPS from IORC and yes I am not slamming the salt I know it is good stuff but maybe the high levels of minerals and such of the salt without much in the way of SPS is contributing to the Cyano?????? Softies are doing really well but a constant battle with Cyano covering them, one of my brains has really not handled this well but my toadstools, Ricordea, Hammer, torch, mushrooms are doing good, I had a scrolling sponge that was really starting to take off before all this and is now pretty bleached looking and not sure it will pull through, Zoa's look good but the cyano does get on them and needs to blown off and one colony is not handling that too well with a section dying back. Fish are doing fantastic and my CUC is doing well though I think with the limited feeding my Blue throat trigger and hawks have been picking them off and not as many snails out and about so going to have to replenish them soon.
What do you think any chance salt could be contributing?
