Algae problems

[soarin']

I am pretty new to reefkeeping, so someone else may want to comment on this, but I had cyano starting to grow in my tank, and when I added DT's, the cyano went away. I think the DT's competed with the cyano for the nutrients, and then got eaten by the corals. (otherwise the nutrients would probably go back into the water when the DT's would die, but since that didn't happen to me I am sure something probably ate it. I think it stays alive for 3 days or so if not filtered out, so that gives plenty of time for something to eat it)

I have also read (when I was trying to figure out what to do about the cyano) about a guy who had really bad problems with cyano in his hardly-fed-at-all frag grow-out tank. He couldn't figure out why he was having the problems since the nutrient levels were very low, and tried everything to fix it, until he replaced one of the four lights with a higher-color-temperature light, and the cyano disappeared just under that bulb. He replaced the other four bulbs and the cyano disappeared from the tank. So maybe running the daylights for a much shorter period than your actinics until you get the cyano under control might help. Or checking the age of your actinics and replacing if necessary. I have heard of people having algae problems when the lights age as well.

So someone else may want to comment on that, but that's my two cents!

 

[dannybradley]

The issue with those apporaches is that there are many different strains of cyano. There is even one that will grow by getting all the nutrients it needs from the air that will even grow in what you think is a sterile r/o tank.

 

[ckwatson]

DannyBradley any more info on the type of cyano you are talking about because the problem I am having maybe what you are talking about the stuff is growing on my returns and power heads and on the glass where my fuge overflows into the return section of my sump? All of which would be getting a lot of air to them. not a whole lot on the rock or sand.