My Glassboxreef

[Pife]

Originally Posted by plyle02

Well that is a lot of biological capacity, sorry Brandon, did not know the full grasp of your system. Perhaps bacteria additions would help bring balance, I have been a big user of many c-source programs, most successfully when doing both bacteria and carbon source. Just a thought, I love the scape, the system is beautiful, and your corals are beginning to take off. Your fish collection also is stellar! I suspect that things are going to take off, great job, and look forward to your progression

So I've added different bacteria blends over the years. Right now I'm doing biodigest and I don't think it's doing anything. I'm going to go back to what I had the best luck with and that is microbacter7. I ordered a gallon of it so I should have enough. Any bacteria that you like?

[plyle02]

Originally Posted by Pife

So I've added different bacteria blends over the years. Right now I'm doing biodigest and I don't think it's doing anything. I'm going to go back to what I had the best luck with and that is microbacter7. I ordered a gallon of it so I should have enough. Any bacteria that you like?

Hi Brandon,
I have used pretty much all of them, and prefer Aquaforest as I have had great success with their method. I use both the Pro Bio S(Daily), and Bio S(Weekly post water change). Pro Bio S is a denitrifying bacteria, and Bio S is a nitrifying bacteria. I also like Zeovit's Bak, I think it too is very concentrated, like AF. I have also used SunnyX method, Microbacter7 and vodka. I find it to be decent, but more diluted. I like knowing that refrigeration is required for storage, it tells me that there are live bacterias present. I have also used BioDigest, not a fan, never really saw the changes other programs bring.

For the cyano, if you want to wipe out, I see no harm in using Boyd's Chemi Clean Red Cyano remover, as it does not harm beneficial bacteria. After, I would begin use of which ever bacteria you choose to use, assuming you are going to dose carbon source. If not, there is really no need for bacteria dosing, as the system will regulate. I simply follow what the instructions say, always go on the less side of dosing anything, and keep a watchful eye on any looming algae. You can also look into Dr. Tim's Wasteaway, that stuff is pretty good too. Best of luck, either way, your tank will eventually move through this cycle, but looks like things are already moving positively. I am looking forward to seeing massive colonies perched on that cool scape

[Pife]

I'm about to add the chemi clean. I have carbon already loaded into a reactor and a water change made up and waiting. I am going to have two wooden air stones going in my sump.

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[reefmutt]

Originally Posted by Pife

I'm about to add the chemi clean. I have carbon already loaded into a reactor and a water change made up and waiting. I am going to have two wooden air stones going in my sump.

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Good luck. The stuff works great. Don’t jump the gun on the carbon and wc.. give the chemi clean a couple days to do its job..
And keep an eye on those air stones. Your sump will get real sudsy!

[Pife]

Originally Posted by reefmutt

Good luck. The stuff works great. Don’t jump the gun on the carbon and wc.. give the chemi clean a couple days to do its job..
And keep an eye on those air stones. Your sump will get real sudsy!

I hope my sump doesn't get too bubbly. I kinda dumped it in and went to work....

[Pife]

I didn't get much time to view my tank yesterday to see if the treatment is having any effects. My son turned 2 and we had a fish club meeting.

[codydemmel4]

I used chemi clean recently too, worked amazing. My skimmer however was overflowing for 1 week even with carbon and 2 20% water changes, finally is back to normal now.

[DiscusHeckel]

Does Chemiclean solve the cyano problem once and for all, or do you have to use it everytime cyano appear?

[Pife]

Originally Posted by DiscusHeckel

Does Chemiclean solve the cyano problem once and for all, or do you have to use it everytime cyano appear?

This isn't something I know the answer to. Cyano is a new beast for me as I've never had it too bad. It's always been in the lower flow areas and kept to itself.

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[Pife]

Originally Posted by codydemmel4

I used chemi clean recently too, worked amazing. My skimmer however was overflowing for 1 week even with carbon and 2 20% water changes, finally is back to normal now.

I'm wondering if I didn't dose enough. My skimmer is running all the way open and I have the overflow going right back to the tank. Where I have the air stones installed isn't creating too much foam either. I guess time will tell.

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[plyle02]

Originally Posted by Pife

I'm wondering if I didn't dose enough. My skimmer is running all the way open and I have the overflow going right back to the tank. Where I have the air stones installed isn't creating too much foam either. I guess time will tell.

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Hey Brandon,
I would not focus on the skimmer, the air stone will do it's job. As Matt mentioned, let it do it's thing for a couple of days. Keep an eye on Alk, make sure you tweak program, as corals may not have normal uptake. After 48 hours, I would do a larger than normal water change, change carbon and gfo. Start the skimmer, likely it will go nutz. That's fine, just tune it so that it does not overflow. Within hours, the skimmer should settle in. Cyano should be gone Best of luck man!

[Pife]

Thanks Perry, I'll do that. My corals are looking great with PE. I'd say 75 percent of the cyanobacteria is gone! Woot Woot! You can see the micro bubbles from the air stones.



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[samm]

Chemi clean is just a band aid , you need to take care of the issue that's causing it .

[Pife]

Originally Posted by samm

Chemi clean is just a band aid , you need to take care of the issue that's causing it .

You have shared a great insight! What is causing the cyanobacteria to proliferate in my system?

Alk 7.8
Calcium 425
Mag 1350
Nitrate 20
Po4. 02
Salinity 1.026
Temp 79


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[plyle02]

Originally Posted by Pife

You have shared a great insight! What is causing the cyanobacteria to proliferate in my system?

Alk 7.8
Calcium 425
Mag 1350
Nitrate 20
Po4. 02
Salinity 1.026
Temp 79


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Hi Brandon, this statement can be true, but also false. This time of year, we typically open windows, especially here in FL It can be that things in the air may find their way in to our homes to cause these blooms, and can be seasonal. It can also be that aersols or other things in the air are introduced to the tank. If you are not running GAC, I would do so, this could help in case something incidental occurs without your knowledge from a chemical standpoint. Things looking great, and realize that with Cyano, there sometimes is no answer, you can have perfect parameters, and still have this stuff. Cheers

[reefmutt]

Originally Posted by DiscusHeckel

Does Chemiclean solve the cyano problem once and for all, or do you have to use it everytime cyano appear?

Originally Posted by samm

Chemi clean is just a band aid , you need to take care of the issue that's causing it .

No matter what people say about nutrient balances and ratios, sometimes cyano just appears and sometimes it appears because of too much po4 or too much n or too little.. or a dirty ro unit.. or dirty air.. or too little flow.... I really don’t think that anyone could look at a system, do all the tests and predict it’s arrival..
But once cyano does appear, it has many effects in a system. For one, it can completely mislead the owner about nutrient issues by skewing test results when binding nutrients. And once it has bound all the nutrients, it can starve other algae and or coral. All while creating a comfy little home for itself.
The only time I ever get cyano is when my nutrients are dropping.. when they have been high, my system is at its most algae free it seems.. I have cyano now in my system.. only appeared once n got below 1ppm and p remained high.. now that I am dosing n and LC to help reduce p, I plan on dosing some chemi clean myself..
As I’ve said before, I have watched cyano appear in wonderfully balanced systems where nutrient are low and corals and cheato are thriving. When cyano appears, cheato often suffers and suddenly the whole system gets out of whack.. treating with cyano killing products when you have systems in place to take up nutrient slack, isn’t (I don’t think) doing a bandaid treatment. It’s altering the nutrient/element and micro faunal landscape to promote the health of the fuge and corals so that they can establish a balance instead of the cyano..
It’s pretty near impossible to set up a healthy fuge when cyano has taken hold because it is binding nutrients and probably minerals as well.. it’s often tough to do anything to rid a system without resorting to extreme nutrient stripping and lights out protocols which imo are way more detrimental to the system than adding a benign chemical to kill the cyano..
Brandon has a ton of biological media, an algae fuge and a good skimmer... there is a solid probability that once the cyano is killed off, his systems will be more effective at attaining a balance- cyano free..
This is the goal anyways and not always the outcome, I know..
Samm, sometimes (I know.. not always) treating with chemi clean or rsr IS treating the issue causing the cyano.. but not always.. it is most certainly not ALWAYS only a bandaid. But yes sometimes it is if no attempt is made to alter the system which caused caused the cyan in the first place.
Bulent, these products will not eradicate cyano from a system but they will kill it off, allowing a new regimen or filtration method or a maturing system to take over..
Sometimes it comes back, though..

[Pife]

Great stuff guys. My tank is already on the mends. My frag tank is looking good for the first time in months. I hope this was the silver bullet I needed it to be. Seemingly all cyano is gone and in the morning I'll run carbon and then start dialing my skimmer back in. It will have had 36 hours to work in my system. Everything in my system is looking better. Now I'll move onto removing the aiptasia that has taken over my frag tank. I have to scrape the acrylic because corraline is taking hold. I am kicking around the idea of changing out my frag tank for two separate smaller tank because I really miss my bubble tip nems.

[Wrangy]

It's so pretty I'm so glad to see the treatment has worked out so well! The tank looks unreal

[reefmutt]

Nice!
Now let’s hope it stays away!
The wcs will not only help with removing the product, it’ll also help with replenishing trace elements that the cheato will appreciate.

[Pife]

Sunday I changed 70 gallons of water and started carbon. Monday I started dialing my skimmer back and dosing microbacter7. Everything is looking great.

It also looks like my cheato is out competing the green hair algae that used to take over the top layer. I hope this trend continues.


My frag tank is actually starting to look like a tank again.

[Pife]

Chemi clean really helped big time. Colors are already coming back and bases are starting to spread. Top downs are the best.

[Jordan Kutun]

Where did you get your regal


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[Pife]

Originally Posted by Jordan Kutun

Where did you get your regal


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A local guy.

[FloformAustria]

really love the scape!! can't wait to see it growing in!!

[Nanook]

Looks much better!