algae bloom

[buttons buster]

My cousin came over here over thanksgiving, and when he returned home a few days later he had a huge cyano outbreak.
He doesn't have an account on here, so I'm posting this for him.


Ok so there is cyano all over the sand bed.
It is a 47 gallon glass tank.
it has really cheap lights not sure which type, but low wattage
He has 1 clown and three damsels.
The only corals that I know of are mushrooms.


What is the best course of action to take?

Would turning the lights off for two days work?
owuld just removing it straight out of the tank be the best option?
Would just letting it take it's course be the ideal route?


Thanks in advance

[mikellini]

Remove as much as you can by siphoning, removing about 50% of the water to do a water change. After the change is done, tell him to get another powerhead in there to increase flow across the sand bed. Turning off the lights might help a little, but only after the water change and removal. HTH

EDIT: Make sure he does regular water changes. 20% every 1-2 weeks will prevent 95% of algae problems (as long as the water you are using is good).