Invert That Can Get Rid Of Cyanobateria

[Jun Hong]

I understand that most of the snails don't eat cyano. But is it really that we can't find any type of snail or other invert that get rid of cyano.

BTW, is sea cucumber or any sand-shifting goby works?

Pls share your experience!

[Jun Hong]

I have an idea to control the speading of cyano in the main tank but don't know it is workable? That is use cyano in refugium to control cyano in main tank!

Basically, I let the cyano speading on a big rock in the refugium. So it will compete for nutrient from cyano in the main tank. The rock full of cyano will be take out and wash away the cyano as a nutrient export. So we can save the money from buying expensive phosphate remover!

Any comment on this method!

[triggerfish]

i think your method is workable ... well at least for me!

you see, the cyano has been growing in my sump so far, kinda unsightly as they are all over the macroalage, sand ...

spoke to Hendry, ML, he encourages the growth of macroalage, ie leaving the lights on for 24 hrs if possible .. competing with the cyano growth ....

[bawater]

cyano & macroalgae are different things.

cyano is a bacteria form & spores are so tiny...you wouldn't see them. Maybe there is something in the main tank which is stopping any new plague of cyano, but believe me- if conditions favour it...it will spread there. (e.g overfeeding,fish death,coral death,detrius build up)

it seems the sea cucumber(donkey dung) does eat cyano(in thin patches)but if you have a thick coating of cyano most of the time you will see the cuke avoid eating those areas.It looks like it eats it but in fact it just eats the bacteria on the sand grains.....and cyano comes out at the other end. what goes in red comes out brownish/red(& cyano can regrow from this stage).

Use it to turn over the sand bed to prevent the build up of debris and sand clumping.

[Jun Hong]

After searching the web, I find that some hermit crab species will regularly eat Cyanobacteria species on an assured basis. Species like Dwarf Zebra Hermit Crab, Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab, sometimes called the Red Reef Hermit Crab or Electric Blue Hermit Crabs.

Anyone has these hermit crab species? Are they eat cyano? Are these species available in local LFS?

[Cookiemunster]

After searching the web, I find that some hermit crab species will regularly eat Cyanobacteria species on an assured basis. Species like Dwarf Zebra Hermit Crab, Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab, sometimes called the Red Reef Hermit Crab  or Electric Blue Hermit Crabs.

Anyone has these hermit crab species? Are they eat cyano? Are these species available in local LFS?

so far there is no known creature that eats cyano. Only rumours.

One particular method is to use kalkwasser to push ph to above 8.4 (around 8.5 and never more) for a week. It kills all cyano. However this would be quite stressful to your corals too. Try at own risk.

However I want to stress. Removing them is still not solving the root of the problem. They will still grow back. Get rid of your phosphates(use rhowaphos) and reduce feeding or bio load.

[bum]

my dwarf zebras don't eat cyano,

neither do the orange legged ones.

my nassarius snails stay clear,

so do trochus, astreas and turbos.

cyano must taste really bad.