Anyone tried the sugar method to combact cyano?

[Eric]

Hi guys, notice some cyano and BGA on the newly introduced tonga branches. Have read up on the RC using sugar to promote bacterial growth and stave the cyano/BGA off the nutrients. I understand the water will turn cloudy due to the excess bacterial growth & cyano/BGA die off. Have anyone here tried this method before? How effective is it?

Need to find out when would be the appropriate time for the water change out and how this sugar method will impact on the corals (LPS & SPS)?

Eric

[ryz]

Think using sugar to make the bacteria multiply is only applicable to dead rocks or uncured rocks... cuz our biological filtration media by right should be saturated liao if it's mature

SO adding sugar might not be helping as the bacteria has no more place to colonise.. thus it might even have adverse effects such as aggravating the cyano situation by feeding it.

[tineng]

i tried the suger method, it helps in bring down the nutrient level...but make sure your skimmer is working and there is enough water movement and gas exchange.....for a couple of month, N02 and PO was very very low and have very clear water....

but a word of advise....it has been reported that prolong usage of sugar will result in mono culture of baterial....whelter this is good or bad i really don't know...

[Eric]

i tried the suger method, it helps in bring down the nutrient level...but make sure your skimmer is working and there is enough water movement and gas exchange.....for a couple of month, N02 and PO was very very low and have very clear water....

but a word of advise....it has been reported that prolong usage of sugar will result in mono culture of baterial....whelter this is good or bad i really don't know...

tineng, how long after you put in the sugar before you do a water change? Any side effects on your corals?

Eric

[weileong]

Adding sugar has the same effect as adding voka. Provides a carbon source for the bacterial to reduce NO3.

But becareful not to overdose else your ORP will crash.

[Achilles Tang]

There are far more natural and effective ways to reduce NO3 than to dose sugar or even AZ-NO3 on a regular & cheap basis.

If you want to reduce nutrients that feed cyanobacteria & blue/green algae... then attack the cause, not just attempt to solve the symptoms.

I also believe NO3 is not the main fuel of cyanobacteria.

[tineng]

Eric, i'm changing water 2 times every week.....but my is a 15g tank so water change is just 1 scoop...

i have also switch to vodka and it feels more 'expensive'...

AT, i also wan to try other more nature way....but having a 15g without sump tank does not give me much option....can't do DSB becuase it will fill up half my tank...the rocks are already half my tank volume but thats only about 8kg of rocks....can't try zeovit as i dun have place for the reactor so only left with sugar/vodka.....

for 3-4 months my SPS seems to be doing quite well and some even coloring up....but recently my SPS are RTN'ing 1 by 1 with some also showing serious bleaching....check my parameters No3, PO...eg are undectable...i can only think that it might be some sort of mono-culture thingy that is killing my SPS....

preying hard that my remaining SPS can survive till i get my new tank ready....

[Eric]

Just dose 5ml of volka into my 400L tank. First thing I notice is the sudden polyps opening of my seafan. Next is the skimmer foaming more. Lets see what happen after 12hrs.

Hope the experiment won't bring too much casualty...........

Aim is to bring down my nutrients to minimum, starve my cyano & BGA till they die off, do a 50% water change and start on a more discipline feeding regimen.

Eric

[firestream]

how about the suger dose ? anyone ?

[tineng]

Just dose 5ml of volka into my 400L tank. First thing I notice is the sudden polyps opening of my seafan. Next is the skimmer foaming more. Lets see what happen after 12hrs.

Hope the experiment won't bring too much casualty...........

Aim is to bring down my nutrients to minimum, starve my cyano & BGA till they die off, do a 50% water change and start on a more discipline feeding regimen.

Eric

feeding volka will not help if you don't control your feeding regimen...i use to feed very little...thinking that i have a matured system, i started increasing the feeding...ended up with detectable NO2 level...cyno didn't come back, but can see the SPS turning brown....once i cut back every go to normal....

also 1 word of advise....every feeding volka take time....you will need about a week or 2 to see if you can bring down NO2

[Eric]

how about the suger dose ? anyone ?

sugar dose is similar to volka dose

[firestream]

suger dose is same as volka ? so 5ml of fine suger for 400L ?

[weileong]

sugar is more pure compared to volka. Don't overdose start with smaller amount like 0.25ml/100 litres then slowly up the amount while you measure your PO4 & NO3. You'll reach your optimium amount when your PO4 and NO3 starts dropping.

[Eric]

latest update 17hrs after dosing 5ml volka...........

1)Skimmer is still foaming a lot, probably skimming the overloaded bacterial growing.

2)No sign of Cyano after lights ON which normally will appear

3)Blue Green Algaes on some of the tonga branches have partially turning white and disappearing........

4)No side effects on the corals and fishes yet. In fact the goniopora that refuse to open for the past 3 days started opening up this morning.

5)Sun corals did not open up last night

Damn..........this is faster than I thought..........hope my Macro skimmer can keep up with the die off.

This is a pic of the front portion of the tonga branch turning white while the rest behind the PH is still green. Lets see what will happen after 24hrs.

Eric

[Eric]

20hrs report.........

1)skimmer still skimming mad.

2)slime coating observe on the tank back wall & some of the BGA surfaces.

3)Sun corals have open up during fish feeding time.

4)No cyano observe on sandbed yet (Is this the end of the cyano problem?)

5)Blasto, yumas, bubbles, seafans, goniopora seems to be very happy and in feeding mode(tentacles extend)

6)One acro frag started to stn from tip down.

7)floss sponge filter getting brownish within 12hrs. (normally it take 2days to be dirty)..........will change them tomorrow morning.

Eric

[tineng]

hummm...funny, tried on 2 nano tanks before, the effects are not as drastic as what you have just describe....for me only 3 days onwards can see more skimming...then 1-2 week see white milky stuff forming (guess it was the bateria and had to cut dose by half)...only after 3-4 weeks then notice that NO3 and PO becomes nearly undetectable..

but then nano tank might be different....

[firestream]

I have cyano problem also after some changes in the sump :

so decided to add 2 tea spoon of sugar into the tank this morning just to try ..

Result:

1) 10 hrs later (after work) notice the skimmer was skimming mad

2) bubble openning bigger ..

[Eric]

45hrs later.......

1)Skimmer foaming more

2)Water turning cloudy

3)Blue green algae turning light green and brown..........looks like sign of dying

4)Still no sign of Cyano......hurray!

5)The film on the wall has disappear.......maybe due to my strong current

6)Corals and fishes still doing fine

Just change a new sponge filter.........the old one super dirty.

Eric

[Eric]

I have cyano problem also after some changes in the sump :

so decided to add 2 tea spoon of sugar into the tank this morning just to try ..

Result:

1) 10 hrs later (after work) notice the skimmer was skimming mad

2) bubble openning bigger ..

2 tablespoons of sugar is suicide..........you should start with small quantity, maybe 1/2 tablespoons to see the effect.

Eric

[giantbicycle]

2 tablespoons of sugar is suicide..........you should start with small quantity, maybe 1/2 tablespoons to see the effect.

Eric

excetly ,get ready for standby ...

[firestream]

sorry .. I mean teaspoons .

anyway .. drop to 1 teaspoons already.

3th days -

1) water is clear again

2) Skimmer still skimming mad

3) cyno still visiable... maybe I should try vodka ?

4) filterwood very dirty , changed last night.

Anyway, read more on the RC, they recommand to use raw sugar rather than normal white sugar.

[Eric]

69hrs update.........

1)Skimmer is skimming lesser now......

2)slight cyano starts reappearing

3)Rest of the BGA still the same

4)Corals and fishes is normal

5)Water has clear up

Today I add another 2ml of volka, change out my carbon filter............within 5mins the skimmer started foaming again. Will continue to monitor.......

Eric

[darksheep]

guys sorry but i'm new to this. are you adding voDka? or voLka(what is that?) cos throughout the thread it keeps on changing! sometimes VOLKA sometimes VODKA. if it is VOLKA then could somebody please explain what that is? Thanks!

[alanseah]

it's vodka..

and eric seeing the way u r doing thing... u r just asking for trouble..

1st u dont even have full understanding.. and u just happy happy pour whatever amount as u like...

the only thing u see is your skimmer forming only.. this is not what u should look out..

and for your info... cyano wont go away even u use vodka or zeovit.. where u reach n03 and p04...

with poor nutirent cyano can still survive.. and it will take strong current flow and months be4 u see result...

gd luck to u.. and hope u dont have a crash tank...which i believe a couple of your sps are already rtn right...

[zarkon]

Anyone just complete his/her 'O' or 'A' chemistry...

Trying yo recall back my 11 yrs ago chemistry equation.

Ethanol = C2H5OH

If Nitrate which is NO3

and add them up together, I think we'll get

6NO3 + 2C2H5OH = 3N2 + 4CO2 + 4H2 + 5O2 + 2H2O

... but both Ethanol and Nitrate are stable as it self.

Not sure if 'heat' is required to get the chain reaction going.

Anyway , the equation is base on my 11 years ago memory ..