cyano ?

[Countzer0]

ok i have this nasty algae growing in my substrate ... its black and grows at first in patches and then grows to form a carpet of nasty algae. Its black and i have a small patch of dark red .... sorry no pics ... this is in my 55g tank that will have an octopus ... all it has in there is 5 mollies would some snails and blue leggs help or what can i do to get rid of this?

[Sir Knight]

Jason,
I would recommend some snails like small fighting conchs, Strombus alatus, Pacific spotted conch, Strombus maculatus.

Start be getting as much of the algae out of the tank as you can.

You need good nutrient export from your system, this means a good skimmer and maybe a refug.

Hope this helps

.

[Countzer0]

yeah the skimmer is the next item on the list of things to buy ... funds are running short and i don't want this to get out of hand .... if anyone knows of a bakpak 2 or a aqua C Remora for sale let me know ... i need a good HOB skimmer. but fo now i will try to track down some snails ...

[fishdoc11]

If you are not allready running carbon that might help also.
Chris

[reewik]

You are adding ro / di?

[Countzer0]

yeah .... hmm .... i was just letting it cycle so i havn't done any big water changes ect.... guess i need to

[kev-dog1]

I went thru a bout of cyano only a few weeks ago...I vac'd as much of it up as possible, did a major water change (30%) and cleaned all the powerheads and protien skimmer thoroughly. Cyano seems to accumulate in areas of low water movement, so I'd make sure you have ample flow in your tank and just keep removing it as necessary.

On another note, I noticed you intend to keep an octopus in this tank...they are known for their ability to escape thru the smallest of holes/cracks in the tank and hood. Perhaps a HOB skimmer is not the best method to consider. There's probably a forum or archived threads about keeping them that you could research.

hth,
kev

[danieljames]

Hey count..when i first started, i had the same type of stuff. I NEVER had any life forms of any kind touch the stuff ie:snails etc...its nasty. No pods..no nothin'. Probably tastes like a$$. Save your money and get the best skimmer you can. Its that simple. skim skim skim and watch your feedings if you do. Water movement and skimming has always cured any algae problem i have ever had.... My .02 cents......