replace light bulb induces cynobaterica??

[mandarin man]

Hi,

I just replaced old RSM lights two weeks with new ones. I notice there is a small outbreak in the cynobacteria on sand and live rocks. Nitrate is less than 1ppm with ELOS test kit. 10-15% water change every week. I am not overfeeding, a mandarin goby, firefish, and two yashia gobies. Is it possible that changing lights could cause an outbreak in cyno?

[Aquattro]

You bet. I wouldn't worry about it just yet, keep everything clean, good flow and it should disappear.

[mandarin man]

Hi Brad,

Thanks for the quick reponse. I also suspected it is the new lights. How long the cyno going to last? Have you experienced this situation?

Huy

[Navarchus]

I would siphon out the Cyanobacteria
People have a tendency to forget that the light is a source of energy. When you change the light bulbs with new one you put more energy to your system and that my have some side effects. In tome it will go away but as I said I would shut down all water movement it the max and siphon it out as part of a water change.

In the future cutting down the lighting hours and gradually returning to the normal times will help the system acclimate to the change.

[Aquattro]

Hi Brad,

Thanks for the quick reponse. I also suspected it is the new lights. How long the cyno going to last? Have you experienced this situation?

Huy

It's likely due to a shift in the spectrum, as well as more energy, as mentioned above. You could siphon it, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. A reef tank is a dynamic enironment, and will blanace itself out as long as parameters are maintained. Your levels look fine, maybe test PO4 as well, but I bet it's gone in a week or two.

[Werbo]

Can someone post a picture of cyano? Not exactly sure what it looks like.

[Toxik]

Here is a link to look at.
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/diatomandslimemicroalgae/a/redslimealgae.htm

[apexi]

I also noticed the same thing when I upgraded my MH ballasts. Huge outbreak of the worst kind: dinoflagellates. Took a long 2 month battle to finally get rid of the stuff, much worse than cyano.

[mandarin man]

The cyno is getting worse today, a little patches every where and I am not happy at all. I have to do major clean up this weekend when doing water change.

I just recalled, before changing the light bulbs, I took out the ceramic bio and added in like 10pounds of uncured live rock. Is this the reason for the algae bloom? Need your input on this one...

[Navarchus]

I don’t know what the percentage of rocks you have add from the total weights of your rockery and if you cleaned them or cycled them but…..
Yep! That might be just it.
The introduction of dry rock to the system will cause the rise and build up of phosphate and nitrate (decomposing of dead animals in the rock into ammonia -> nitrite-> nitrate)
The cyano just loves these conditions.

[mandarin man]

I believe you are right. I don't understand that if it is the case then why cyno appears on the old rocks in the tank, not just the new ones? The question is just for my learning experience.

I tested nitrate with Salifer, it is 0.5ppm. I guess it is the end of the cycle. The cyno should clear up soon.

[banditpowdercoat]

Cyano loves Nitrates and posphates. It is usually allways in your tank. Just kept in check by the ecosystem ballance. Add something extra(the uncured liverock) and that c an throw the ballance over the edge. Same with changing the lights. Different PAR all of a suddden, can let it grow untill the ecosystem comes into ballance again

[Navarchus]

The cyano will spread in your tank in places where the water flow will “allow” it to grow….

[mandarin man]

Beside doing water change and clean up the cyno, I guess I just let the system balance out again.

My first impression was the since the ceramic biological filter created nitrate, I wanted to replace it with live rocks. And I always thought that my tank is now 5 months old, it should have enough "good" bacteria not to throw anything off balance even introducing new rocks. I was wrong.

I have another question. I placed rubbles at the back of the Red Sea Max where the RSM skimmer used to be; however, there is not much water flow there (very little water flow), this is because I took out the orginal RSM skimmer replaced it with the Tunze. Lived rock but minimum water flow. Do you see anything problem with it? Nitrate issues (dead spot)?

[Leah]

Yup changed my bulbs 4 out of 6 and my sand is red. Did a lights out for 3 days and a
large water change, no food and covered with a blanket and now I am slowly working up
to more light and food. Seems to have helped alot. Opps, won't do that again!
Thanks Dan

[mandarin man]

It really bothers me because I was not updating lights, I just replaced old to new light causing an outbreak in the cyno. And my snails (astrea and trochus) do not eat the cyno.

It must be the lights that causing this outbreak. Now I am testing nitrate and phosphate. My nitrate is .5ppm and phophate is almost zero (they have always been low even I introduced the new lived rocks).

So people change the bulbs. How do they avoid this outbreak? Cut back the light time...?

[Navarchus]

Look there are now two identical tanks!
Every tank will react in different manner to changes.
You should understand the principles of this delicate biotope and how it works.

I would say that there is a built-in paradox in our hobby. On one hand we say that one of the most important keys for successes is stability! On the other hand the one thing that you don’t have in your system in stability, since the aquarium always in change, coral grow, Carolina alga spreads, fish and corals in your system consume different elements and minerals that can change you water chemistry and so one…

In your tank you made two major changes in a short period of time, one is rock changing and the other is introducing new bulbs to your tank. In is never a good idea to make multiple changes in the aquarium in a short period of time.

One time I have changed light system and skimmer (into stronger ones) in the same week cussing a total bleaching in my system.

Last buy not least …I believe that cutting back light and siphoning out the cyano will do the trick.