What eats Cyanobacteria?

[vetta9]

Hey guys, its been a while since ive posted on Petfish, I have been pretty busy with my senior year and trying to work as much as possible to pay for college. Unfortunately, I haven't done the best with my tanks upkeep, but lately, Ive been getting back into the swing of things. Anyway, my corals are all growing again, and looking great, the only problem is cyanobacteria! I have been sucking as much of it up as I can in water changes, but as I'm sure you guessed, It all grows back within a few days. Besides the fact of it looking terrible in my tank, It has a tendency to cover up my star polyp colony and my zoa colony.  I have been working on reducing the lighting, and I have started to better watch the fish as they eat, so that I don't over feed, but the algae keeps growing!

I did some research today to see what kinds of tank inhabitants will help eat the algae, but I got a lot of mixed results. Some sites said that there is nothing that will eat the algae that I could put in my tank. I also read that a Yellow Tang will help eat the algae, but I only have a 40 gallon setup, and I wouldn't be able to put one in. I also read that "Nerite Snails" will help eat the algae, and that they are reef safe, so that is a good possibility. I am going to call my lfs today and see if the owner cant order me a few.

Mainly, I wanted to know what you guys think about controlling cyanobacteria, and if you knew of any other fish or invertebrates that will eat it.

Thanks for all the help, and sorry for such a long post, I tend to ramble 

[Perfectblue]

The main cause of most algae is excess nutrients in the form of NitrAtes and Phosphates. This can be from overfeeding, overstocking, poor filtration/water movement, etc.

What type of filtration and water movement does the tank have? Cyanobacteria thrives in low flow/poor aerated tanks so increasing the water movement and/or aeration will help prevent the algae. Upgrading the filtration could also help, you could add a protein skimmer, more live rock, or use media that will absorb NitrAtes and Phosphates.

Manually removing the algae works very well until you can figure out what the cause is. Siphoning the algae or using your hands will both work.

A few more details regarding your setup will help us determine what the cause might be.

[vetta9]

 I actually do have a fairly low amount of water circulation now that you mention it. and it seems to grow in the area with the least. I'll have to infest in a 2nd powerhead this weekend. Also, at the moment I just have a regular 55 gal penguin filter, I don't have the resources for a protein skimmer, but it would likely be in my tanks best interest to save for one huh? I'l continue to remove it manualy, and il be sure to buy another power head.

[jbmathwiz]

Check out this page. It has helped me with several algae problems in the past.

http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=13&Itemid=29

[Perfectblue]

  I don't have the resources for a protein skimmer, but it would likely be in my tanks best interest to save for one huh?

It depends on your setup and stocking. I really like protein skimmers, they provide many benefits.

The main thing you need to focus on is limiting the introduction of nutrients into the system. Keep up on maintenance, such as water changes, cleaning out filters/media, manual removal of cyano, etc. Increase the water movement in the tank and try to eliminate any dead spots which could become overrun will nuisance algae.

Good luck. Keep us updated and if you have any more questions just ask.