Quote:
Clownfish4me -
I understand that the chemical you used was successful, but how long has it been since you used it? Has any of the cyano returned? It is my understanding that, unless the causes of the cyano is not addressed, chemicals are simply a temporary solution.
|
it has been just about a year and a half since i had to treat for it, and it was in my 55 gal. that i upgraded last month to a 90. and it has not returned. i had it only the one time, i believe it came in on some
live rock and coral i bought. it was new to the tank at the time and although i had filtration and flow problems at the time. i do not think that was the cause for my particular outbreak but brought it in on the
lr and allowed it to spread rather quickly. my mistake was not taking care of it before it was out of control. i really did not know if it was bad or not at first, by the time i found out what it was i tried taking it out manually but never got it all so it would return. thats when i found out about the medicine. i followed the directions and after the four day cycle was over i did a 25% water change. never to be bothered with it since.
after reading what everyone else has suggested, leaves me to ask a few questions myself, as i didn't know of some of the "natural" cures for this algae, or how it affects it so here they go.
Quote:
|
1. Water Changes (which included manual removal of the cyano via syphon) to get the phosphates down to undetectable
|
i understand reducing the
phosphates by doing the water changes, reducing the
phosphates starves the algae of food, right? and is
phosphates the only "food" for algae or is there other things that will allow it to thrive?
Quote:
|
2. Increased water circualtion (powerheads - your new best friends)
|
i have only heard of this one recently, and i don't understand it. how does increased water flow help in getting rid of and help keep algae away? and does it help with other type algae's also? how do you know how much more flow your needing, or lacking? the reason i said i don't understand this one is because algae grows out of the filter returns and protein
skimmer as well as a power head i have in the tank and that is in direct forceful flow and it seems to grow better there. so thats why I'm not computing on this and need some help understanding.
Quote:
|
3. Reduced lighting duration (including letting the tank stay dark for a few days, if needed - it works!)
|
i know the algae is photosynthetic and needs light to grow, so i know cutting the light cycle helps, my question here is what damage or stress if any can can i expect my corals, clam and fish to go through? and are you suggesting 3-4-5 day's?
Quote:
|
4.Reduced feedings (they won't starve)
|
i understand this one. but i still have a question.
, does feeding live phyto to the corals help algae grow or sustain it? does algae absorb phyto? cleaning the thin green film algae off the glass with the a magnet allows it to mix with the water. do corals and maybe my clam eat this while its in the water? i know it allows it to grow back fast.( i think i'm still going through a mini cycle due to my tank upgrade 3 weeks ago.) the brown algae i first had has now turned green. how long should this last? will it go away on its own once the tank has finished cycling? (I'm working on some underlying problems i have now also).
Quote:
|
5. New light bulbs (if your's are old)
|
how does the old bulbs help the algae, or cause it? i know the older bulbs loose there effectiveness for corals, but how is it helping the algae? my newer bulb is only 7 month's old, the older bulb i had has blown and i now have a older bulb that was in the used hailed fixture when i bought it . i don't know how old it is. I'm using it as a back up until i can get another $50 bulb. i heard they are good for a year and that is when i try to change them out. i don't know all the differences in the different manufactures or what brand is most popular. or which ones last longer than others. and lastly, wouldn't new bulbs help the algae grow faster? yes i need help!
