cyano in the sump - refugium

[Olivier]

Hi everyone,
I read all the posted about Cyano but nobody mention about cyano in the sump-refugium. I currently have it in my sump-refugium area. I want to get rid of it. I scrub it off and it flow to return area and shoot up in the DT. would anyone suggest me on how to clean it off my sump? the sump is low so I can not do siphon. try turkey blast, not working so great since it didn't pickup all of those cyano.
Olivier

 

[Tazmaniancowboy]

Olivier, I just finished my refugium last night at midnight so I am curious also. I can tell you that it seems to be attracted by chaeto and halimeda? I have been housing these algaes in my 120 to keep them alive while I planned and plumbed the sump and they got smothered.

Many years back I had a friend who had a tank specifically for any algae or cyano that happened into it. It was nasty looking, but it stayed in one place and not in the display tank. Just starting to conquer cyano myself, I'm a little leary of housing it in the system. Would like to see the comments on this.

 

[JRWOHLER]

Flow with cheato will help, I have found that good flow through the cheato helps it thrive and aslo keeps the cyano to a minimum..have seen soome on the edges of my sump in warmer weather but that is it.

 

[Hawkeye]

i've had cyano in a hob refug. I tolerated it since it is exporting nutrients out. No different than the idea of using an algae turf scrubber - just a different species of algae. More flow thru the fug would cause it to eventually disappear as the nutrients won't have a change to accumulate in that area.

 

[Phyl]

If the nutrients are in your system, better the cyano in your sump than DT! I would tolerate it there until you did sufficient nutrient export to eliminate it all together. If your nutrients are low it might be the bulbs you're using over the sump may be making the most out of what little you have for turning into nuciense algae. Maybe check into the age of the bulbs over the fuge. But again... without the nutrients you wouldn't have algae, so I'd look into that first.

 

[Olivier]

latest update, I saw bubbles on the rock and use turkey blast to blow it out. in the process, i see the thin layer of red slime come off the rock. Well BAD NEWS, RED SLIME IN DT NOW OH SH$T. i HATE this .

resolution in mean time. apply RED SLIME and follow by 50% water change, then another 50% water change.
god. never end.

 

[Olivier]

Red Slime Army start to propagate from my Sump-refugium to my display tank now. I am loosing ground right now.

 

[reeferwanabe]

To me this is one of the benifits of having a fuge. leave it alone and like Phil said better in there than display. Thats where algae grows. Hey if you want another tank do another display.

 

[Hawkeye]

is there a reason why you have all the LR being exposed to a NO light and the cheato being stuck in the corner like that?

The other pic makes it look like your refug is filled to the brim with LR and a little bit of chaeto.

If it were me - unless you have a need to light your LR - i'd remove all of it and just have the fug chamber set up for cheato.

The way it's designed now- you are minimizing cheato growth - which theoretically if given the right environment should outcompete cyano.

 

[JRWOHLER]

+1 for what Hawkeye said. Anything you can do to block the light from getting out of your fuge area will help too.

 

[Olivier]

Hawkeye,
thank you very much for your help. I will remove those rock out of the fuge tonight. I put LR there just for the pods.
Olivier

 

[JRWOHLER]

I don't think he meant don't have LR but don't bunch the cheato in the corner.
I would personally spread the cheato out like a blanket on the top of the LR.
Here is pic of my cheato for you.

 

[Olivier]

JRWOHLER,
thank you for verifying this. I need to come up a newbie step by step to setup SW tank. with do and don't

 

[JRWOHLER]

Sure glad to help, you can see in the pictures I have a good growth of cheato. I have layers like an onion mud, sand, rubble, cheato....the flow is pretty even over the top of the fuge. One nice thing about the design on my sump is he used an non- transparent plastic for the dividers so the light in the fuge stays in the fuge.

 

[Hawkeye]

yeah - jrwohler is the king of cheato!. My fug doesn't have any lr or LS as I like to siphon any detritus that appears beneath my cheato.

But the method that JR posted is excellent as it will offer pod growth and nutrient export. I don't really care about pods so I just wanted the export.

amazing how clean your sump is jr - my sump is all ugly with purple coralline...can't see thru the side anymore!!! I wonder if that is because it is not enclosed like yours under the stand. oh well.

 

[JRWOHLER]

I have some coraline now but that is not an issue for me. I haven't taken any pics since I stole your T idea for my return. ;D

Also note I have gotten rid of the timer...well it is still hanging there but is unused.
Just so Bob doesn't have a cow. ;D

 

[Henrye718]

amazing how clean your sump is jr - my sump is all ugly with purple coralline...can't see thru the side anymore!!! I wonder if that is because it is not enclosed like yours under the stand. oh well.

Looks like the light he is using is the wrong temp to grow coraline. I use the same fixture and a 6500k compact fluorescent house bulb, coraline doesnt grow for me either.