Eliminate The Dreaded Cyanobacteria - Resolve and Prevent Cyano Algae Saltwater Coral Reef Aquarium

In this video I am going to take you through the journey of battling Cyanobacteria, commonly called Cyano or Red Slime Algae.

In the video I will talk through:
Why I got Cyano
5 Correction Methods
Prevention
What I Did to get rid of Cyano
Progress and Timeline

What is cyano?
It is a photosynthetic bacteria that behaves like an algae

Best Tip - Act quickly before it gets out of control!!!!
If you didn’t, don’t worry, you can still win the battle.

Why I ended up with Cyano:
Lack of Cycling Bacteria
2 Months No Water Changes
2 Months No Filter Cleaning
Diminished Clean Up Crew

5 Methods to Correct the Outbreak
1 - Physical Removal
2 - Good Bacteria Addition
3 - Balance Nutrients
4 - Targeted Clean Up Crew
5 - Chemical Treatment

Physical Removal
Syphon
Turkey Baster
Fish Net
Hand
*Note - Turkey Baster is my preferred method.

Good Bacteria Addition - add beneficial bacteria to outcompete the cyano for resources
There are 2 options:
1 - Bacterial Treatments: bacterial treatment goal is to treat the outbreak while adding good bacteria to sustain results.
I did not do this
2 - Add Bacteria Only - I did this
Microbe Lift Special Blend
Microbe Lift Nite Out II

Microbe Lift Special Blend - Special Blend is a specifically formulated consortium of bacteria designed to create a stable biological system
Beneficial Bacteria
Removes Odors
Clears Water
Reduces Maintenance
Features:
Breaks down organic waste
Improves growth and nutrient uptake in corals
All Natural Live Bacteria
Biologically reduces nitrates, breaks down excess proteins, and aids in the reduction of ammonia and nitrates
Unique Blend - mixture of spore-based and vegetation strains of bacteria

Microbe Lift Nite Out II - Nite Out II is a specifically formulated bacterial
Blend which rapidly starts and stabilizes the biological filter
Quickly and safely decreases ammonia and nitrite toxicity
The Nitrogen Cycle
Fish eat food
Fish waste turns to ammonia
Nite Out II converts ammonia to nitrite
Then nitrite to nitrate
Plants and algae use nitrates and fertilizer. This is where Special Blend comes in
Key Features
Instantly cycles aquariums
Reduce fish loss
Reduce ammonia and nitrites
Safe to use
Improves water quality

Balance nutrients - specifically Nitrate NO3 and Phosphate PO4
Increase Maintenance
Water Changes
Filter Maintenance
Keep Sand and Rock Scape Clean
Use 0 TDS Water (Total Dissolved Solids). If buying, ask them to test it in front of you. If making on own, you may want to test it yourself
Add absorber like Purigen to removed organic waste and aids in controlling ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates
Add absorber like ROWA Phos to to remove PO4 (Phosphate) and SiO2 (Silicate)
*Note: Silica is a contributor to diatoms, so you are helping to control 2 issues with 1 treatment
*Note: this alone may not solve your problem as Cyano can thrive with nitrate and phosphate at 0!!!

Targeted Clean Up Crew
Blue Leg Hermit Crab
Astrea Turbo Snail

Chemical Treatment - these will work to remove the existing Cyano but will not prevent it from returning and it will likely return as soon as the chemical is no longer present

Prevention
Maintain Balanced Nutrients
Good Flow Free of Dead Spots
Routine Water Changes
Maintain Clean Sand Bed and Rock Scape
Maintain Clean Filtration
Don’t Over Feed
Balanced CUC

What I did to get rid of Cyanobacteria

Day 1
Used fish net to remove cyano from sand bed
Added Microbe Lift Special Blend (120ml)
Added Microbe Lift Nite Out II (80ml)
Added 20 Astraea Turbo Snails
Added 8 Super Tongan Nassarius Snails
Added 1 Sand Sidting Starfish
Replaced Purigen Filter Media
Replaced ROWA Phos Filter Media
Stopped Feeding Reef Roids

Day 2
Turkey Baster Sand Bed

Day 4
Small Water Change (3 gallons)
Syphon Sand Bed

Day 5
Added 50 Blue Leg Hermit Crabs

Day 6
Turkey Baster Sand Bed

Day 8
Turkey Baster Sand Bed
Added Microbe Lift Special Blend (120ml)
Added Microbe Lift Nite Out II (80ml)

Day 10
Syphon Sand Bed
Small Water Change

Day 11
Turkey Baster Sand Bed

Day 15
Turkey Baster Sand Bed
Added Microbe Lift Special Blend (120ml)
Added Microbe Lift Nite Out II (80ml)

Day 16
Small Water Change

Day 20
Turkey Baster Sand Bed

Day 23
Added Microbe Lift Special Blend (90ml)
Added Microbe Lift Nite Out II (80ml)

Day 25
Turkey Baster Sand Bed

Day 30
Small Water Change
Syphon Sand Bed
Clean Filter

Day 37
Turkey Baster Sand Bed

Day 38
Small Water Change

Day 42
Turkey Baster Sand Bed

Day 45
Water Change
Syphon Sand Bed

Day 51
Small Water Change
Syphon Sand Bed

Day 57 - GONE

Moved to Routine Maintenance

Progress and Time Lapse
Day 1 Starting Treatment
Day 8
Day 17
Day 24
Day 38
Day 44
Day 50
Day 57
Day 64

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