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Could cyano be a good thing?
Topic Started: Mar 19 2010, 06:45:26 AM (276 Views)
Post #1 Mar 19 2010, 06:45:26 AM	Suzy
Cyanobacteria. The scum of the aquarium world. The nasty red coating that covers the bottom, rocks and corals we love. Slimy, gross, and ugly, right? I am going to ask you to reconsider your view of this amazing almost alga. Cyanobacteria, cyano for short, is an "alga" that can be helpful to an aquarist if one considers a few things: *Cyano is able to consume excess nutrients rather quickly, nutrients that would otherwise feed nuisance (ier) alga that are not as easily removed by a skilled aquarist with a siphon tube. *Expanding on that concept, Cyano is very sweetly removed with a turkey baster, a siphon tube emptying into a filter sock, or a mechanical filter if blown into the water column. *Cyano is very easily controlled into an area where the aquarist wants it. If one is lucky enough to get it in a sump, thank the reef goddesses! But, if allowed a week or so to grow on a sand bed, it can suck up nutrients like no other and then be quickly removed before any company arrives to marvel at your tank. But, the biggest bonus of Cyano, IMO? Cyano is able to consume PO4 with only using nitrogen gas, no actual nitrate must be available! We all know elevated levels of PO4 (Phosphate) is detrimental to our tanks, and we have all bought expensive adsorbers to get the levels down, only to have them elevate again. I miss cyano....anyone here have some I can get a start of?	Seahorse Whisperer Posts: 3,047 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: June 28, 2008
"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny!
Post #2 Mar 19 2010, 10:43:31 AM	Larry H
That is an interesting concept Suzy. I actually hate the stuff, and it is hard to get rid of. If I ever get it back I will save you a bunch. I will try your methods of getting rid of it if I need to in the future.	breeding stock Posts: 442 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: July 26, 2008
Post #3 Mar 19 2010, 02:55:45 PM	Suzy
Just kidding. You can not give me some unless my tank can grow it itself. Cyano is one of the of the moment things. Alas, I cannot go back.....	Seahorse Whisperer Posts: 3,047 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: June 28, 2008
"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny!
Post #4 Mar 19 2010, 06:26:13 PM	fisher32
I like the way you think. I never thought about it before but mother nature works in ways we sometimes don't comprehend. It makes sense when we look at it from a different angle. I know we all try to stop it...but...to siphon it out to remove the nasties in our systems.... Cyno costs nothing..chemicals and additives will make our reefs pretty costly hobby. That would be a good study: Watch your PO4 with testing. Use no removers or additives. If your a cyno person like me. Siphon it out along with anything else cyno consumes. Test again...and look at the levels. You go girl!	breeding stock Posts: 137 Group: Members Member #84 Joined: December 29, 2008 Name Bob Kripfgans
Somthins fishy around here....and I like it that way!
Post #5 Mar 20 2010, 10:23:51 AM	Suzy
Yes! Mother nature has a very selective process. Organisms can only grow if they have available food and nutrients. As far as being a competitive alga, it's only way of competing with true alga is it's ability to fix nitrogen. In a well planned tank, with actively growing and consuming algae, preferably a non nuisance alga, cyano doesn't stand a chance in the competitive algal world. But, in a tank that has abundant phosphate and little other algae, it can run amok. If I wanted a tank with little algae, I would let the cyano grow in an area I didn't care about. It would consume not only the nitrate but also the phosphate, which can really discolor corals. I have seen many tanks with zero algae, and very colorful colors, and the maintenance would be more than I would care to spend! Rhowphos is expensive, not only in moola but in time. Has anyone here ever reactivated the crap? Makes your kitchen smell like crap...	Seahorse Whisperer Posts: 3,047 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: June 28, 2008
"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny!
Post #6 Mar 20 2010, 11:20:25 AM	Clint
I had a patch of Cyano once, It stayed put for a while but you could never remove all of it. It eventually started showing up in other parts of the tank, It cannot be confined, it is a bacteria and spreads easily through water. I'm all about nutrient export but I prefer macro I can control. Anything that grows and then removed will do the same thing. I few years ago I used silvertip Xenia, It was great I could pull tons of nitrogen and phospate out and I still had some cool movement in my tank. Cyano does meet my criteria for any kind of love.	breeding stock Posts: 377 Group: Members Member #69 Joined: November 22, 2008
Midvale (435) 213-6215
Post #7 Mar 21 2010, 04:24:59 AM	Suzy
I must have had a nicer kind! It has been a long time, but I remember it growing as thin sheets that were easily siphoned out. But, I guess as long as we have plenty of available nitrate, we can live without cyano.....	Seahorse Whisperer Posts: 3,047 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: June 28, 2008
"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny!
Post #8 Apr 2 2010, 05:04:54 PM	Amie
So what about hair algae, what keeps it alive in our tanks? Is it doing the same thing that cyano is doing?	stormy, stormy nights Posts: 2,362 Group: Admin Member #4 Joined: June 29, 2008
http://www.spawar.navy.mil/sandiego/technology/mammals/interns.html Tell them Adam sent you.
Post #9 Apr 3 2010, 06:46:18 AM	Suzy
No, hair algae is just like any other algae, it needs nitrate and phosphate to grow. Cyano can grow with just phosphate, by using the free nitrogen gas in the water. It can absorb a lot of PO4 quickly, and it can grow when other can't.	Seahorse Whisperer Posts: 3,047 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: June 28, 2008
"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny!
Post #10 Apr 5 2010, 03:13:55 PM	fisher32
BRYOPSIS.....it grows and grows with virtually nothing to feed it. I have been fighting it for months....nothing touches it. Except>>>>>mega magnesium. I have read many interesting posts on it.....hours of reading. For anyone who has it byopsis met it's match. I've used Kent's> pricey! Epson salt>cheap! There was a big debate on mag chloride or mag sulfate what was doing the trick. Looks like the mag sulfate is working for me.	breeding stock Posts: 137 Group: Members Member #84 Joined: December 29, 2008 Name Bob Kripfgans
Somthins fishy around here....and I like it that way!
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