Dosing nitrates (KNO3) to combat cyano

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by syncro

Thanks Reef Pilot. I did try two weeks of full dose MB7. Cyano grew back even faster while dosing. Do you think I need to dose longer? The bottle is over a year old (though stored in the fridge and no expiry date listed) so maybe it isn't active now. The problem with MB7 is we don't know what bacteria is in it - what does the bacteria need to grow (carbon? nitrates? hamburgers?)

Two weeks and stopping won't do anything for you. You have to keep dosing MB7, heavy for a couple weeks, and then tapering off, as per directions. I dose 1 cap every 3 or 4 days for a 100g tank on a permanent basis.

But to initially get rid of the cyano, you need to use ChemiClean. After that, the beneficial bacteria from your MB7 dosing should be taking hold. Of course other parameters need to be good as well, like P04 and KH (higher is better). And you need lots of flow in your tank. If there is any detritus in your tank, use a toothbrush to clean your rocks, and a turkey baster.