*sigh* still have cyano...help!

[Tynan Rasmus]

OH! and someone recently told me about a little known cure...Sugar.
I beleive he said Pat told him about it. ask pat about using sugar for cyano.
This person, who's name is escaping me..i just bought my leather from him, had a bad cyano problem adn tried everythign. pat told him about the sugar and it was gone within a week (i think) and hasnt returned in months.

Yep, that would have been me, and it worked wonders for sure! It was about 2 weeks before it was completely gone, started noticably going in the first week.

[RoxyDog]

ya, my actinics are only a month or so old. 

[Severum]

What is the science behind dosing sugar (or vodka)? The bacteria consumes it and grows rapidly and suffocates the cyano?

[Shrimpy]

What is the science behind dosing sugar (or vodka)? The bacteria consumes it and grows rapidly and suffocates the cyano?

yeah kind of, from what I understand the sugar makes the bacteria grow and then the bacteria consumes the nitrates and whatever else the cyano is feeding on. There's lots of info on it elsewhere, but that is the jist of it. Lots of people report a "bacteria bloom" where your tank will get cloudy, but this lasts only a short time. Also reported is very thick and disgusting skimmate and phrases like "My skimmer is going nuts!" lol I never noticed any skimmate difference, but I did have the cloudy tank which lasted a day or two.

[gvv]

After reading this thread and others in the RC, I decided to try yesterday on my office tank - I have pretty much cyano in the refuge section and not in the main one. Love to experiment...
Today my water looks like milk. Cyano is still fine (if you may say so). According to what I read, this sometimes happens. It may affect SPS, but I have only softies there so, we will see.

Regards

[speckledmind]

The recommended dosage is 1 teaspoon sugar for every 100 gallons on a daily basis. 

Interesting thread, guess what just appeared in my tank, yep, Cyano 

If I crank up the flow anymore in my tank, the sand will go flying everywhere, so I guess I will follow suit with this sugar treat and see what happens.

[RoxyDog]

good luck!  my cyano is lessened but not gone with dose #2 (which I increased a bit).  my water has stayed clear so far.  I *must* have enough flow in the tank with the 3 powerheads, so I hope it won't come back!

[Alchemist]

Are you sure the sugar doesn't just cause a bacterial bloom which then competes with the cyano for nutrients.  The bacterial bloom would be your milky water.

[Vallely4]

Do alotta new tanks gets cyano? 
I dont have alot of flow in my tank.... but dont see any sign yet of red cyano algae

Is it just more common with sand beds, mines a barebottom -im curious

[Alchemist]

Do alotta new tanks gets cyano? 
I dont have alot of flow in my tank.... but dont see any sign yet of red cyano algae

Is it just more common with sand beds, mines a barebottom -im curious

Your tank is relatively new.....you'll get some soon.

[speckledmind]

Are you sure the sugar doesn't just cause a bacterial bloom which then competes with the cyano for nutrients.  The bacterial bloom would be your milky water.

I'm kind of leaning toward this possibility right now.

I will be doing some more research on Cyano, and see what I can come up with, in other words, I will research it to death to find the In's and outs lol

I know one thing.
The lack of flow / water movement was mentioned as being a possible cause, I can eliminate this possibility in my tank.

[Julie]

http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/water/algcyano_e.htm

Interesting reading...

[Shrimpy]

I know one thing.
The lack of flow / water movement was mentioned as being a possible cause, I can eliminate this possibility in my tank.

I found that lack of flow is what caused it in my nano. Increasing the flow won't get rid of it, but it will help keep it from returning.

[RoxyDog]

I found that lack of flow is what caused it in my nano. Increasing the flow won't get rid of it, but it will help keep it from returning.

that's good to know.  a couple of my corals seem to be unhappy, but nothing too bad.

[speckledmind]

WoW 
Cyano sure grows fast 
When I posted yesterday, it was the size of a Toony, I took a break from work to feed my fish a couple of minutes ago, and it's now the size of $5 paper money 

Time for the second dose of Sugar I guess.

[RoxyDog]

well, it's gone I think?     some of my corals are NOT happy though, so time for a water change today or tomorrow, and no more sugar.  let's see if the cyano just comes right back or not.

[gvv]

Day 3:
Water crystal clear, corals look like nothing happen, cyano still there as if I didn't do anything...
Continue dosing.

[SuperT]

I'm curious about something....are any of you skimming (because technically the idea is to cause a bacterial bloom that will consume the excess protein (starving the cyno) and then you skim off that extra protein before it resettles in the tank)?

Terry

[Shrimpy]

I'm curious about something....are any of you skimming (because technically the idea is to cause a bacterial bloom that will consume the excess protein (starving the cyno) and then you skim off that extra protein before it resettles in the tank)?

Terry

I was thinking the same thing. From what I've read I think you need a skimmer for this to work. 

[RoxyDog]

no skimmer here...I assumed a water change would take out the extra gunk?