My cyano seems to be under control at the moment, have done a couple of water changes (nitrates are through the roof at the moment) made my own fish food with the mincer and over feed (dummy)

anyway I slightly increased Vodka dose went from just once a day to twice a day and increased my Alk to 12.50 matched the calcium at 450 because I read that if your nitrates are high raising the above helps the corals with their needed up take.

Don't know if it was the rise in Alk but hay presto the cyano has gone.

Also I have noticed I mainly get it where I have touched the rocks with my hands.

and increased my Alk to 12.50 matched the calcium at 450

Very good idea.

Don't know if it was the rise in Alk but hay presto the cyano has gone.

It's related. You can skew the balance of power to different types of bacteria by altering C:N: P ratios. Meaning that the cyanos are disadvantaged, while other no so "visible" bacteria are advantaged.

Layton

by altering C:N: P ratios

what is that? explain?

carbon:nitrogen:phosperous ratio

100:5:1 if i remember

Yip, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous ratio (106:16:1). Known as the Redfield ratio. Redfield did research in the 60's on the ratio of these elements in phytoplakton, and their relation to seawater levels and primary production.

Often in aquaria nitrogen and phosphorous are available well in excess of carbon. Alkalinity is one of the biggest, and one of the most efficient sources of carbon.

This is my experience also. Too much PO4 in relation

to NO3. The plants strips the NO3, which becomes

limiting to the plants which stops the PO4-uptake

and the Cyanobacteria have everything it need because

it can use N2 (gas). Total domination.

The main reason to why Cyanobacteria can be confusing

is that there exists quite a few different Cyanobacteria and

some of these will forms colonies (sheets) where some of

the cells develops to heterocysts - N2 (gas) fixating cells.

This phenomenon is actually used by rice paddies in Asia

to get a natural fertilizer (dead Cyanobacteria).

Keeping the Redfield-N: P-ratio is really effective

against Cyanobacateria:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~buddendo/aquarium ... ld_eng.htm

Therefore the old-school tip "just leave it be and it

will dissapear" works - dead Cyanobacteria pushes

the N: P-ratio to the Redfield-ratio as they accumulate

and percipitates in the gravel.

A neat trick would be to bury the slime in the gravel instead

of vacuuming it out, where the slime dies and pushes

the N: P-ratio to the Redfield-ratio.

Layton

interesting, cheers

I have also been battling cyano. Based on the article in the sticky post, I am going to change my bulbs.

Also, beware of anything that claims overnight effect. Guys like Fenner and Calfo say that nothing good ever happens quickly in a reef tank.

Good luck and let me know what works for you.

soon be here cant wait to give it a try

OK have sorted the problem to much nori in the tank fish have been just ripping it off the clip not been eating it so its clean up time i will give the product ago just to have a play and to clean up any left overs will play with caution

I had something similar in a tank that I was setting as a trigger tank, except mine was a grey black colour. Had a niger trigger and a spotted toby living in there quite happily. Then introduced a pair of clowns. That nite everything was sweet, next morning tank had crashed!!!! Went all grey and murky, trigger and toby had gone to god and the clowns were gasping at the top of the tank!

Saved the clowns by putting them in my reef tank after a recovery period. Disassembled the trigger tank for another time and will just concentrate on my reef tank for the while. :-?

Lucky thing was that I nearly spent $275 on a clown trigger but bought the clowns instead!!!!!

High nutrients(doc) = red slim

Ha Ha! You have a way with words Reef

Summarises all those pages of science perfectly

well just added red slime remover to tank

oh boy lets see what happens

hmmm may effect PH and Oxygen Levels

after 15mins my skimmer has gone