Cyano killing algae

[Broder]

I'm having some algae issues at the moment. What's happened is that cyano is growing over the algae on the screens in my scrubber, thereby blocking out light and not allowing it to grow. I suspect that it's started due to temperature fluctuations, as all other parameters are stable. It's pushed up nitrate levels which were always 0, right up to 10ppm in the space of a week. I've reduced feeding and am scraping off the screens every other day or so without removing too much of the algae, but I'm not winning the battle and nitrate is climbing. Soon my sps colonies are going to start fading and then dieing.

Any help or suggestions to reduce the nitrate and cyano would be appreciated.

[SantaMonica]

The only times cyano ever grows on a screen is when the lighting is too weak. Are you bulbs within three months old?

Also make sure the flow has not slowly reduced (pump clogging, etc); remember you want a rush of water.

Gotta be the bulbs though.

[Broder]

The only times cyano ever grows on a screen is when the lighting is too weak. Are you bulbs within three months old?

Also make sure the flow has not slowly reduced (pump clogging, etc); remember you want a rush of water.

Gotta be the bulbs though.
It turns out that the problem was elsewhere. I was rinsing the screens in salt water after scraping which meant that I wasn't spraying the screens with a strong jet. This was allowing detritus to build up under the algae. I sprayed the screens with a fairly strong jet of fresh water and the water running off it was a murky brown. Since then there has been no regrowth of cyano.

[ocean rock]

glad you got it sorted ,