When wanting to start a saltwater aquarium, first of all keep in mind that there is no one right way to do it. However, although your options are open and you can choose to set up a system anyway you like, it is recommended to take the time to research and learn all you can about saltwater aquarium keeping, prior to jumping in.

This is a wise decision because it will help you to be better prepared to start and care for your aquarium and the marinelife you decide to keep in it, BEFORE you go out and buy anything. It also helps you avoid a no-clue or shot-in-the-dark approach, which can be quite frustrating for a beginning saltwater hobbyist.

Here's What To Do:

1 ) Decide on what type of system you want.

• FO (Fish-Only) System: This is an aquarium that contains fish, and no live corals or rocks. Instead decorative items such as non-living rocks, shells, and dried, artificial or synthetic corals are placed in the aquarium with fish. Very often some "compatible" tank cleaning crustaceans or janitors such as algae and detritus eating true crabs, hermit crabs, and snails are included.

 

Tip: If you decide to start out with a fish-only system, it is not a bad idea to design and make filtration and equipment choices with the thought in mind that you may want to make the transition into the realm of reefkeeping in the future.
• FOWLR (Fish-Only With Live Rock) System: This type of aquarium usually consists of a combination of fish with some crustacean and invertebrate tank janitors that are compatible with one another as well as the life that grows on live rock, such as sessile invertebrates that may be present. No live corals are included.
• Reef Tank System: Incorporates the use of live rock, soft and/or stony corals, sessile invertebrates, some reef compatible janitorial type motile invertebrates and crustaceans, and usually only a few reef compatible fish, or even no fish at all. 
• 2 ) In our opinion one can never have too many saltwater aquarium keeping books for your reference library, but to begin with you should buy a few good starter books that are based around the type of system you going to be setting up. You should also purchase some specific or overall fish, invertebrate, and coral care/profile books.
  
  
• 3) Go over our equipment and components checklist of items for getting started, and from it make a list of everything you will need for the particular type of system you have decided to set up.
  
  4) This is the ideal time to plan out what livestock you want to have in your aquarium by making a species community list. Why? Because the decision you make when choosing some of the items you'll need for your system, such as the substrate material, factor into what will be best for the kinds of animals you are going to keep.
  
  5) Now do research on all the items on your list, make your selections, and put together a shopping list of all the items you need to buy.
  
  6 ) When you have everything ready, just follow our guideline of 10 Easy Aquarium Set Up Steps to get your new aquarium set up and running.
  
  

1. Moving Too Fast - "Patience" is a requirement with just about anything that you do with a saltwater aquarium. Far too many people report problems after they have put a tank together, because they are just moving too fast! Far too often we have read aquarists comments like, "I need test kits? What for and what kind"? And, this is after they have had a tank for some time. A high percentage of people do not take the time to read and study up on the hobby BEFORE getting started. One of the other top mistakes of moving too fast is "overloading" a tank with too much livestock and/or live rock all at once, especially when a tank has not fully cycled, or doing so within days of cycle completion. Even in well a established tank, adding too many critters too fast can cause a puzzling problem called new tank syndrome. Slow down!! Saltwater aquaria keeping is NOT a timed event, so take it easy and work on your patience skills!

 

2. Misdiagnosing Diseases & Over Medicating - When it comes to diagnosing diseases, saltwater ich is the biggest problem. It is easy to confuse Oodinium (Amyloodinium ocellatum - a.k.a. Marine Velvet or Coral Fish Disease) with White Spot Disease (Cryptocaryon irritans). They are similar, but two quite different types of saltwater ich, and each responds to different types of treatment. Using the wrong medication to treat these diseases can be fatal. It is important to learn how to properly diagnose and treat these parasites, as well as other diseases. The Fish Disease Trouble Shooter can help you make the right diagnosis. As far as using medications, way too often one or more remedies are just thrown at a problem without knowing what it is. We feel that medications should only be used when necessary, and whenever possible, only in a Quarantine Tank using a remedy that "targets" the problem you actually have.

 

3. Inadequate Filtration - Having sufficient biological filtration is the one of the keys to success in keeping a saltwater aquarium. There are a number of filtration methods to choose from, but not making the right filter selection for the bio-load planned for your tank can lead to a wide variety of problems. It is always better to have too much biological filtration, rather than too little.

 

4. Livestock Incompatibility - We receive email messages with statements such as "my wrasse ate my hermit crab", or "my tangs just won't get along" all too frequently. Purchasing livestock without researching whether or not they will peacefully reside with other tank mates can lead to dead or injured critters, as well as stress related diseases. Use common sense; learn about the compatibility of critters before putting them together!

 

5. Purchasing Livestock Without Knowing What They Are and How To Care For Them - It is amazing how many people select new additions for their tank without even knowing what they are and how to feed them. If an LFS sales person can't tell you about an animal in their store, especially its dietary requirements, as well as demonstrate that it is eating before you buy it, then run, don't walk to the nearest exit. Don't buy on impulse. Take the time to learn about an animal you want to buy, BEFORE doing so! The Fish Care by Species Index was designed to make this job a lot easier.

 

6. Purchasing Fish in Poor Health - One of the easiest things to do when selecting a critter is to determine whether or not it is healthy. In a simple phrase: most sick fish don't eat. Once again, always have your LFS sales person show you that a fish is eating before purchasing it. On your part, learn how to recognize the symptoms or outward signs of common illnesses so you know what to look for when inspecting livestock to buy.

7. Lack of Performing Routine Tank Maintenance Tasks - Well maintained tanks seldom experience high nitrate levels, bacterial outbreaks, or other common tank problems. Therefore, to avoid the common pitfalls that may stem from this area, we strongly advise following a regular maintenance routine.

1. Buy a tank- a no brainer right? If you are new to his hobby though, the shallower and the bigger the tank the easier. 

• Why shallower? The deeper the tank the more light you will need to penetrate to the bottom. The more light, the more heat, (and expense in your electric bill), which will mean you will need to get a chiller. Chillers themselves are expensive and consume lots of electricity. Save yourself the headache and start with a standard "long" tank.

• Why Bigger? If something goes wrong in the tank, the water conditions will change. In a larger tank these conditions will be dilluted over more gallons rather than less, and the impact to the tank's inhabitants will not be as severe.

2. Add a filter - Protein skimmers are popular, there are also good hang on the back filters.  We use exclusively Emperor hang on the back filters and find they do an excellent job for us. However, protein skimmers are far more popular in the hobby, and there a lot of perks to using them. Getting a filter system with a sump is the best way to go.

3. Add Sand - Many people will tell you that you should get live sand. We say save your money and get dry or "base" sand.  Base sand will save you a ton of money that you can use for corals and fish later on. By adding some live sand "seed", (which is a handful of live sand), and spreading it around your tank, the micro-organisms in the live sand will spread throughout your base sand and make it live. Whether you go with livesand or dry sand it should be rinsed to get some of the cloudiness out. With dry sand just throw it in a bucket add water, mix it up and the pour off the top of the water. Rinse and repeat until the cloudiness goes down. If you get livesand you will have to use saltwater for this.

4. Add Rock - Many people will also tell you to buy liverock. Again we disagree. There are tons of liverock in this hobby that are plagued with pests from bristle worms, byropsis, and aiptasia. The best way to handle these pests is to never let them in your tank in the first place. You can do this by buying dry base rock, and then placing it on top of your newly seeded sand. It won't need to be cured, and can be added directly to your tank. Make sure you get an aquarium safe type of rock, such as aragonite. Again you will save a ton of money.

    As a general rule 1.5 pound of rock should be added for each gallon of your tank, so if you have a 30 gallon tank you should have 45 pounds of rock. Good dry rock goes for less than $3 a pound usually, good liverock goes for at least twice this price. With shipped liverock you will also have to worry about curing the rock, and that comes with its own problems. Trust on this one, your budget will thank you.

    When you place the rock in your tank try to make sure you arrange it in a way that will be stable, and won't suffer from rockslides.  It also helps if it looks good.

5. Add Water - Get some aquarium salt, and add the right aomunt of water- mix in a bucket. It is usually easier, (and more accurate), to weigh the salt out rather than to fill a bunch of cups of it. Read the directions carefully on the bag, and try to get the specific gravity (salinity) at 78 degrees to be around 1.024. To measure the specific gravity you will need a hydrometer. We like the old fashioned floating kind, but there are better ones on the market as well. When you add the water, do so slowly so as not to disrupt too much sand.

6. Add Current - When the sand settles turn on the filter, and get the water current going. Check each area in the tank with your finger, (it is best if you have aquarium safe gloves on), to make sure their is water flow in every area. If need be get a powerhead or two to add current to all the places in your tank.

 7.  Wait through the cycle -  The nitrogen cycle that is. When organic material in your aquarium dissolves (Such as uneaten food, fish waste, etc...), it first turns into toxic ammonia. When it turns into ammonia a special kind of bacteria grows and devours it. If you are testing for ammonia during this time, (and you should be), you will see a steady ammonia increase and then a sudden drop off. The bacteria that consumes the ammonia will leave toxic nitrite as waste. Again, bacteria will form to consume the nitrite, and you will see a steady increase of nitrite, and then a sharp decline. Afterwards you will see a buildup of nitrate. Nitrate is consumed by anaerobic bacteria deep in your rock, and by mangroves and macro algae. The latter is far better per pound and by volume for removing nitrate. You can learn more about natural nitrate removal here. To start the cycle throw a piece of food quality shrimp into your aquarium and remove it as ammonia and nitrite drop to undetectable levels.

8. Water Change - Perform a 50% water change to help reduce the nitrates. When the nitrates are stable at under 10ppm, then you can add your first fish. Add fish slowly, the larger the fish the longer you will have to wait until you can add another one.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/11/aafeature1
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/12/aafeature1/view

Up until the last few years, if you asked under what conditions a coral would do best, 80% of the time the reply would be "good light with moderate current," 10% of the time, the reply would be "toward the bottom with little current," and 10% of the time, the reply would be "take your best shot." Fortunately, for the most part, these answers were correct in that most tanks used fluorescent lights of some type and the only types of corals being kept were soft corals, large polyped stony (LPS) corals, and mushroom anemones. The only precautions that we had to take in terms of coral aggression was to keep the soft corals far enough away from Hammer (Euphyllia ancora), and Elegance (Catalyphyllia jardinei) corals to keep them from being stung. Otherwise, not much thought was actually given to coral placement and its long-term effect on the animal's well being. Up until the last few years, if you asked under what conditions a coral would do best, 80% of the time the reply would be "good light with moderate current," 10% of the time, the reply would be "toward the bottom with little current," and 10% of the time, the reply would be "take your best shot." Fortunately, for the most part, these answers were correct in that most tanks used fluorescent lights of some type and the only types of corals being kept were soft corals, large polyped stony (LPS) corals, and mushroom anemones. The only precautions that we had to take in terms of coral aggression was to keep the soft corals far enough away from Hammer (Euphyllia ancora), and Elegance (Catalyphyllia jardinei) corals to keep them from being stung. Otherwise, not much thought was actually given to coral placement and its long-term effect on the animal's well being. Aggression

Today, more attention needs to be given to reducing aggression, since many of the newer species of corals that we are now keeping are much more aggressive. This aggression has also become more of a problem as a result of our being more successful at keeping corals in general. That is, as we have become more skilled at actually growing coral colonies, our corals are growing to larger sizes. As the size of these corals increases, so too does their proximity to each other, and as a result, more of their aggressive nature manifests itself. Thus, while their aggressiveness was hardly observable and not a problem when they were a small, three inch colony, their effect on neighboring corals becomes dramatically noticeable when they are twelve inches across.

 

Types of coral aggression

Corals have developed several specialized mechanisms for protection and competition with other corals. These include sweeper tentacles, mesenterial filaments, and terpenoid compounds (Ates, 1989).

Sweeper Tentacles: Sweeper tentacles are the most common defense mechanisms in the hard corals, and also occur in some soft corals. Specialized stinging cells called 'nematocysts' are present in these tentacles and can attack a competing coral and literally "burn" it to the point of either killing it or severely damaging it. The length of these sweeper tentacles is not correlated to the length of the normal coral polyp and may, in fact, be many times longer.

Mesenterial Filaments: In addition to sweeper tentacles, several hard coral species can produce mesenterial filaments (also termed mesenteric filaments) from their stomachs. Corals of the genera Favia, Favites, Scolymia, Pavona, and Cynarina all have this capacity (Chadwich, 1987). These filaments can kill or devour other coral polyps through a process similar to digestion. Some corals even have the capacity to produce both sweeper tentacles and mesenterial filaments, enabling them to fight a battle on several fronts (Wallace, 1984).

Terpenoid Compounds: The soft corals generally compete with the hard corals by releasing 'terpenoid' or 'sarcophine' compounds into the water to injure or impede the growth of neighboring corals, and then overgrow these impeded individuals in a process called "allelopathy" (Delbeek and Sprung, 1994). Like their name implies, these compounds are similar to turpentine in chemical structure and in most instances, are just as toxic. By releasing these compounds, the soft coral injures these neighboring stony corals and can thus grow above them, eventually blocking out the light that they are both dependent upon and thereby killing the underlying hard coral.



Use correct spacing

While a miniature reef does not contain the great diversity of life that an actual reef does, provisions should still be made to try and minimize the aggression among corals. This can be accomplished by providing adequate spacing and reducing tip over potential. When setting up a tank, adequate space, which is invertebrate free, should be given around each coral head.

Hard Corals: For LPS corals, this zone should be at least 15 cm in all directions, as sweeper tentacles have been reported to be at least this long (Sheppard, 1982). The distance between SPS corals does not need to be as great; a distance of 5-8 cm is usually sufficient. However, it should be noted that these are the fastest growing of all corals, so extra space should be allowed for this. For this reason, I suggest that a buffer zone of 30% of the coral colony's size be used when originally placing the corals in order to allow for growth. This may seem extreme and may initially make the tank look sparsely decorated. However, in a well-designed and maintained reef tank, this space will be almost completely filled within the first year simply from growth. If growth space is not provided, there will be a constant need to prune corals lest they burn and kill one another.

Soft Corals: For the most part, the space between soft corals does not need to be as great initially, since soft corals do not burn each other to the same degree as the hard corals do. Consideration in placing soft corals needs to take into account:

• A faster growing coral will overshadow a slower growing coral and eventually starve it out for light.
  
  

• These corals should be positioned so that their mucous and terpenoids do not come into direct contact with their neighbors. That is, these corals will do the least harm to other corals if the water movement in the tank is such that after the water moves across them it flows down an overflow and into a sump where the harmful compounds can be removed with either skimming or carbon.

Minimize tip over potential

Tip over potential is the likelihood that one coral will tip over and land on another coral, and as a result, burn or be burned by the other coral. The burned area becomes infected and consequently, the whole colony dies. Tip over is particularly troublesome for SPS corals, which usually arrive unattached to anything. Therefore, when placing these corals on a live rock structure, use a dab of waterproof epoxy to hold them in place until they encrust over the area themselves. An alternative is to use rubber bands or plastic cable ties to anchor the colonies in a less permanent manner.



Light preference

When placing a coral, consideration of its lighting and current requirements should be made long before it is placed in a particular location. This is because moving a coral, even a small distance once it has adapted to conditions at one spot, causes the coral to "re-adapt" to these new conditions. It has been my experience, that it takes at least one month and closer to two for a coral to adapt to new conditions and start to grow. Therefore, placement should be planned so as to not inhibit the coral's growth by constantly moving it from place to place.

There are multiple types of lighting systems that can be used for corals.



Metal halide lighting

In tanks utilizing metal halide lighting, I suggest using the same system as described above, with a few addendums. First, for those corals that contain a lot of zooxanthellae (the symbiotic algae that lives in the coral's tissues), as indicated by their coloration being dark green or dark brown, in addition to starting these corals low it may also be necessary to initially place some type of screening material (eggcrate, fiberglass mesh, etc.) above them. This is necessary to prevent these corals from suffering from oxygen shock due to the overproduction of oxygen from the zooxanthellae when initially placed under bright light (Delbeek and Sprung, 1994). This screening material needs to be above the corals for two to three weeks to gradually allow the corals to acclimate. Once this is removed, the corals can continue to be acclimated as described above. This screening technique is also useful for tanks that are shallow (16 inches deep or less) where it is difficult to move a coral farther away from the light. In addition, during this time, the light cycle should be dramatically shortened to further reduce the risk of shocking the corals. Cutting the light cycle in half for the first week, and then gradually adding an hour to it each week is a good way to reduce the risk of light shock

In terms of placing the corals once they have acclimated, the general rule is the brighter the color of the coral, the closer to the lights it should reside. Thus, bright pink Bird's Nest (Seriatopora hystrix) or Cactus (Pocillopora verrucosa) corals usually should be placed higher in the tank than their brown counterparts. The reason for this is that the brighter color indicates pigments in the tissue have been produced to protect the coral from ultraviolet (UV) light that is present in the shallower depths (Delbeek and Sprung, 1994). Once a coral has been acclimated to this bright light and begins to grow, the growth tips will usually be of a brighter color than the original colony itself.

This same pattern also holds for soft corals. Brightly colored soft coral colonies like Yellow Tonga Leather corals (Sarcophyton elegance), bright green Finger Leather corals (Sinularia sp.) and white Xenia colonies all seem to do better with brighter lighting than their brown or beige counterparts. If the lighting is inadequate for these brightly colored corals, these bright colors will gradually fade over time. Therefore, a good indicator of whether a coral is in the proper place and under adequate lighting is how its color compares with what it looked like when it originally arrived. If the lighting is better and the coral is acclimated properly, it is even possible to bring out the colors of a coral, so that over time, it may be more green or pink than when it was originally collected. This is the result of more UV light being present in our reef tanks than the coral was exposed to in the wild. Thus, to compensate for this, brighter pigmentation occurs.

Under metal halide lighting, many corals can remain at the bottom of the tank. Mushroom anemones (Actinodiscus sp.), Plate corals (Fungia sp.), Tongue corals (Herpolitha sp.), and Brain corals (Favia, Favites, Symphyllia, etc.) all do quite well in the lower depths of these tanks. In addition, Elegance (Catalyphyllia) and Bubble (Plerogyra) corals seem to do better under metal halide lighting when placed lower and to the far sides of my tank. In fact, in my tank, the Bubble coral resides under an overhanging Leather coral and is doing quite well.



Water movement

The last factor to be concerned with in terms of coral placement is water movement. Most corals have very little means for cleansing themselves, and rely on strong water movement around them to perform this task. That is why powerheads or some other source of water movement are so essential in a reef tank. Otherwise, detritus will settle on the corals and decay, which quickly leads to algae formation and the demise of the coral. However, not all corals require the same amount of water movement.

Strong Current Corals: Corals that do best with strong water movement usually come from areas where wave action is greatest. These corals usually have small polyps and are either bulky or encrusting in form (Veron, 1986). Corals such as Porites, Turbinaria, Symphyllia, Acropora paucifera, etc., fall into this category. These corals can take the strongest water movement in a reef tank, as they live on the outermost slopes of the reef.

Moderate Current Corals: The next group of corals requires moderate current, as they come from the lagoons and back reefs where the current is not as great, and in fact, may be limited to the changing of the tides. Nevertheless, if adequate water movement is not present, these corals will not thrive. Most of these corals have either large polyps or are fairly large polyped encrusting corals. Corals such as Star polyps (Clavularia sp.), Flowerpot (Goniopora sp.), Leather and Finger Leather (Sarcophyton and Lobophyton), and Plate (Fungia) corals fall into this category. The next group requires even more moderate water movement and includes Soft Finger Leather corals (Sinularia, Nepthea), Colt coral (Cladiella), Polyp rock (Zoanthid sp.), and Euphyllia and Elegance corals.

Low Current Corals: The last group still requires water movement, but it is only a trickle relative to what the first groups of corals should receive. This group includes Mushroom anemones (Actinodiscus sp.), Elephant Ear anemones (Rhodactis sp.), and Bubble corals (Plerogyra).

In many instances, the difference between success and failure with a particular coral specimen has often been the result of moving an animal several inches in relation to the water movement. Also, when I have had an animal that was not thriving, it was generally due to inadequate water movement rather than too strong of a current.



Conclusion

Besides the three aspects of coral placement described above, there are many other factors that need to be considered. My goal, however, was to provide general guidelines and factors to be considered rather than the actual requirements for every coral species. However, I would like to point out two rules that are generally true:

1. Corals hate to be moved and require time to acclimate to new conditions.
   
   
2. If a coral is not thriving in a location after two weeks, then chances are it will die unless you move it.
   
   

Sorry for the ambiguity, but the real message of this article is that only by observing your animals and experimenting will you find the optimum location to place your charges.

Many novice (and experienced) saltwater aquarists are a bit leery about starting a Reef Tank. Their requirements not being very well understood, corals used to be almost impossible to keep for any length of time in an aquarium. Over time and with many failed experiments along the way, the knowledge, products and information are now in place, so that many corals can now be successfully kept in small aquariums. Some corals are now considered "easy" (how far we have come) while many others are still deemed difficult to impossible for the average Reef Tank hobbyist.

A number of Soft Corals require less light and less rigid water quality standards than their Hard Coral (SPS & LPS) cousins, making them better candidates for converting a FO or FOWLR tank to a Reef Tank with corals. Here are some Soft Corals which are considered to be more forgiving and easier to grow successfully.

Click on the scientific names to see Corals which are considered easy to keep by many saltwater aquarium authorities and for access to species photos.

• Actinodiscus
  • Common Names:
    • Mushrooms, Mushroom Coral, Mushroom Anemones and Disc Anemones.
• Cladiella
  • Common Names:
    • Finger Leather Coral and Colt Coral.
• Pachyclavularia
  • Common Names:
    • Star Polyps, Green Star Polyps and Daisy Polyps.
• Palythoa
  • Common Names:
    • Sea Mat and Button Polyps.
• Protopalythoa
  • Common Names:
    • Sea Mat and Button Polyps.
• Sarcophyton
  • Common Names:
    • Toadstool Coral, Leather Coral, Mushroom Leather Coral and Trough Coral.
• Zoanthus
  • Common Names:
    • Zoanthid, Sea Mat and Button Polyps.

Some Hard (SPS & LPS) Corals are less demanding, requiring less light and/or lower water quality, making them easier to keep for the novice aquarists.

• Montipora
  • Common Names:
    • Velvet Coral, Velvet Finger Coral and Velvet Branch Coral.
• Pavona
  • Common Names:
    • Cactus Coral, Lettuce Coral, Star Column Coral, Leaf Coral and Bark Cloth Coral.
• Siderastrea
  • Common Names:
    • Starlet Coral, Lesser Starlet Coral and Pink Starlet Coral.

Now that you have chosen and purchased your new aquarium, stand/cabinet and hood, you will need to select a filtration system. With such a wide variety of filtration methods to choose from, filter selection can be mind boggling. So, how do you pick one? To make this decision there are two things to consider. Do you want a fish-only tank or a reef system? For someone that is just venturing into the world of saltwater aquatics, we feel it is a good idea to start out with a fish-only tank, but choose filtration based on that of a reef tank set up. This allows for an easy and less costly transition into a full reef system, if you desire to advance to this level in the future.

 

There are a few basic components that are required to run either of these systems. A sufficient biological base, the appropriate choice of animals, and not overpopulating or overfeeding the system. Biological filtration is undoubtedly the most important part of the aquarium. No matter what type of filter set up you choose, without a good biological filtration base your tank can quickly turn into a disaster. The biological filter is a living, breathing organism. It consumes oxygen and waste materials in your tank and excretes waste of its own. For more in depth information about this topic, refer to our resources on the Biological/Nitrogen Cycling Process.

As far as animals, most fish have the natural trait of grazing and eating all day long. For a reef system that has live rock, live sand, corals, macroalgae and other sessile inhabitants, by placing too many non-friendly reef fish species in it, in a very short period of time you may no longer have "live" rock. You'll just end up with decorative rocks, or a basic fish-only tank. This can be particularly true when placing fish from the Surgeon/Tang, Angelfish, and Butterflyfish families into a reef tank. In the wild these fish have an unlimited source of food to pick from, but in a closed system they can quickly wipe out your reef investment. For a reef tank you can include a few fish, but be sure to pick fish in sizes, numbers, and of character that will not interfere with your reef setting. Reef friendly invertebrates are a perfect contribution to this type of community as well.

I found this article about Cyanobacteria and thought that it had some good information
-Sean

If you do a brief search in Google1 or Wikipedia2, you’ll get the general overview of this photosynthetic algae-like bacteria, discovering that it has been around throughout history. Scientists have documented its existence in freshwater, brackish and marine water, and discovered it hidden in fossils as well. Often referred to as “blue-green algae,” it is non-motile because its cells do not contain cilia, yet has the ability to spread via filamentous branching that bud and form new colonies elsewhere. Each cell wall is made up of a thick gelatinous membrane that helps hold it all together in the sheets we often observe in our aquariums.

It feeds on nitrogen and carbon, using the photosynthetic period to produce oxygen as it thickens visibly into a dark red mass throughout the lighting period daily. At night, it seemingly shrinks back to mere wisps of itself, but re-surfaces again the next day. Hobbyists tend to refer to this as “red slime algae,” although it has also been described as appearing blue, dark brown, or green. It commonly spreads across the substrate in the home aquarium like an ugly blanket that can smother corals unfortunate to be in its path. It may feel slippery to the touch, lifting as a thickened patch as bubbles form within it. It may form on the rockwork and on some corals as well, especially on deadened tips lacking tissue. Knowing that this bacteria is actually a normal part of natural filtration, one might think it isn’t of great concern. Be that as it may, people are quick to seek help in removing this eyesore from their beautiful tanks, and have used many methods. The purpose of this article is to provide some solutions.

Is cyanobacteria harmful to the livestock? Some animals will avoid it, while others may die if they make contact with it. This primarily pertains to snails. Very few will seek it out, although reportedly seahares may consume it, as will Red Footed Snails. Since these aren’t guaranteed to resolve the bloom, hobbyists prefer a more direct approach.

The first response usually offered to eradicating cyanobacteria is to increase flow in the aquarium, reduce feedings, and check the age of the light bulbs in use. While this advice may help some, it isn’t the blanket cure for the majority of systems. Hobbyists with excellent husbandry skills may still encounter cyanobacteria from time to time. Could it be overfeeding, a lack of water changes, or dosing carbon-based products? Perhaps it was all of the above, but in reality what has happened is that everything fell perfectly into place to create a “cyano bloom” where previously one had not occurred. This type of bacteria was already in the system, waiting for the conditions to aggregate to the point that it could finally rear its ugliness as a reddish mass, much to the dismay of the hobbyist, seasoned or newly involved.

Siphoning out all that is visible is a good way to reduce its volume in the aquarium, but it won’t get rid of all of it. Brushing it off with a tank-only toothbrush may help, and keeping the protein skimmer working at peak efficiency is another good plan. Trapping any bits floating about in filter floss or a filter sock can help reduce its physical presence too.

For those that prefer a non-chemical solution, a simple method is to simply turn off the lights over the aquarium for three days3. If the reef tank is primarily made up of soft corals and fish, proceed without fear. If the tank contains large polyped stony corals (LPS), anemones, and clams, this method is still a safe choice. If the tank contains small polyped stony corals (SPS), there may be reason to pause to consider if the livestock can tolerate 72 hours without light. Several people, including this author, have left the lights off over their SPS-laden tank and were very pleased with the amazing results. What happens is the cyanobacteria is starved without a light source, and thus dies back sufficiently that when the lights turn on again, it is gone. An additional perk is that the water clarity will be incredible; all four walls of the aquarium are completely clean of algae, and the sand and rock will be cyano-free. The protein skimmer should be cleaned out daily, especially on the third day because that is when the die-off will be exported quite heavily.

By removing the light, photosynthesis could not occur and the bacterial bloom regresses. There is no need to wrap the tank in dark plastic (an excessive approach), just unplug the lights. When it is time to feed the aquarium, turn on a nearby light in that room so the fish can see the food added, then a few minutes later shut it off again. If sunlight is splashing across the aquarium each day, curtains or mini-blinds may be a worthwhile consideration.

If a chemical solution is preferred, two well-known products available in most fish stores are Boyd Enterprises Chemi-Clean (not Chemi-Pure) and Blue Life USA’s RedSlime Control. The chemical in either product is safe for livestock: fish, corals, clams, anemones, and inverts will appear completely unaffected throughout the entire treatment. Mix up the desired amount of the product in a cup of water, following the instructions carefully. The hobbyist turns off the protein skimmer for three to five days while the product is working in the water, slowly killing it (and possibly other bacteria) over time. It may be necesssary to add an airstone and air pump to maintain oxygen levels in the aquarium, especially in a system with low flow rates. After the cyanobacteria is no longer visible, a 25% water change is highly recommended, and the protein skimmer is turned on again. Expect the skimmer to overflow excessively the first twelve hours; the easiest solution is to empty the collection cup often, replacing that wasted water with more saltwater. On a larger tank (300g), it wouldn’t be surprising if the skimmer exported 14g of watery skimmate until it finally settled down and resumed skimming as it should.

One may wonder how they can avoid getting a cyano bloom in their display tank in the first place. As the months go by, minor changes in water chemistry may occur. New foods may be utilized, new brands of salt may be selected, pumps may not get the attention they deserve resulting in lesser flow in some zones of the display tank. Others may opt to dose their tank with vodka, vinegar, or sugar, with the desire to lower nitrate and phosphate with a known carbon source. Such changes often result in a brief (or not so brief) cyano bloom that may necessitate making adjustments to resolve that now-surfaced problem. The best way to avoid creating a problem is to make changes gradually and avoid knee-jerk reactions. If a person is dosing a carbon source and relying on the protein skimmer to maintain oxygen levels, it likely rules out the option to treat with Chemi-Clean since that product requires the skimmer to be left off. Instead, they may want to approach it non-chemically, or perhaps ramp down those daily carbon doses while they wait for the cyano bloom to die back. Being proactive is usually best, staying on top of tank maintenance and watching for any signs that are out of the ordinary. With that approach, one can spend more time enjoying their tank instead of fixing problems.

References:
(1)http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=...14be7db8b10649

(2)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanobacteria

(3)"No Lights for 3 Days Every Couple of Months Works Wonders!" - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1078532