Can an ATS outcompete cyano?

[crav]

My tank has been getting cyano on the substrate. I`ve tested nitrates (using sera test kit) and they`re indetectable. Another test showed up nitrates as aproximately 1,5 ppm. Can`t test phosphates right now.

Will the ATS end up ˜suffocating˜ cyano out of nutrients? Should I wait it out or try to treat cyano?

[SantaMonica]

Cyano and algae eat differently. Cyano takes nitrogen out of the water; it does not need to eat nitrate. So when there is more clean surface to grown on (because of less hair algae), it can still survive. But it does need phosphate. So if you keep scrubbing, powerfully, the cyano will fade too. Feeding liquid food will give it more phosphate. You also want rapid turnover from your tank to your scrubber, so that as soon as there is phosphate in the tank, it gets sent to the scrubber.

Also a good sand-sifting animal helps.

[crav]

Cyano and algae eat differently. Cyano takes nitrogen out of the water; it does not need to eat nitrate. So when there is more clean surface to grown on (because of less hair algae), it can still survive. But it does need phosphate. So if you keep scrubbing, powerfully, the cyano will fade too. Feeding liquid food will give it more phosphate. You also want rapid turnover from your tank to your scrubber, so that as soon as there is phosphate in the tank, it gets sent to the scrubber.

Also a good sand-sifting animal helps.

Should I use GFO (small amounts) to help accelerate the process then? I`ll stop feeding corals directly for now, and I`ve already got a high turnover on the scrubber (450 ~ 500 gph on a 12 inch wide ATS - my system is close to 55g).

[SantaMonica]

I would first try to stir up the sand with a sand sifting goby... that will also put more food particles in the water for the corals.