# Starting my Blackout....gonna miss my tank for 4 days...



## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

There has been a lot of discussion about blackouts lately. After much reading and much delaying; mine started at 9:00 pm tonight. I have what has been identified as cyanobacteria(probably butchered the spelling). I fist noticed it about 3 weeks ago. It was in my Rotala on, on my driftwood, and on my sand in spots. I vacuumed it up as much as i could and upped my ferts and it got better for a little while, but never has completely cleared up. Although I've vacuumed it several times and it's not as pronounced as before, I believe it is the time for a blackout. 

I've also got a toddler at home that is very very active...to say the least..lol. I cannot simply throw a blanket over it(he'll pull it off in about a second) so i've rigged up some garbage bags to block the light. I'll post some pictures of my ******* setup soon; probably on monday. 

I fed my fish a hearty meal tonight, then did a large water change (50%), careful to vacuum as much of the bacteria out of my plants and off my driftwood. Then i made my garbage bag setup and the funny thing was that the static electricity helped hold the bags to the tank(i still added some scotch tape to white-trash it up a little more). 

I hope i can stay strong for the 3 days...possibly 4...if that would be the best. 

@Angel...the pics are definitely coming soon, and i know you'll appreciate the "southern engineering"

I'm a little nervous about the blackout and not seeing my tank, my plants, my fish ;but i think the outcome will speak for itself.

All comments are welcome


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

:lol: oh man...when I seen this post I couldn't wait for the 2sec it takes to load wanting to see the pictures of the "southern engineering" and then............. no pictures 

I'm crossing my fingers that like for Hawkin or myself or others this will also cut your problem for good now.


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

I'm letting the anticipation build....lol...actually i forgot the camera at my wife's office. I'll go get it tomorrow and get some pics up before the super bowl.


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Disastrous....tssss.....man if I can't sleep tonight its gonna be YOUR fault and your's only!


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

Alright Natalie..lol..here are the pictures..let me know what ya'll think...

That's my son's sweet ride behind the tank...his lightning mcqueen powerwheels


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Haha...the pictures kind of make it look like you duct taped the tank to the wall.


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

lol...just keeping true to my roots..


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## brettxw (Mar 6, 2009)

Can I ask why you had to do that?


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

the blackout?...or the blackout using garbage bags and tape?


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

:thumbsup: dang that's even BETTER then I thought it would turn out....priceless...absolutely priceless...THANK YOU so much for sharing that I needed a good laugh just now:lol:


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

I'm glad you enjoyed the pics


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Absolutely!
Now I'm gonna cross my fingers for you and hope that after a few days you'll post the same success story then Hawkin or myself or anyone else too that would be very awesome then.


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

I hope so too. I had a lot/ most of the visible cyanbacteria vacuumed up. Mine was not nearly so pronounced as the one in the post we both commented on earlier. I think I'm going to do 3.5 days of total blackout. Then i can turn it on for a full day of light.

I saw you say on the other post that low nitrate can be a causing factor in the growth. My nitrates stay between 5-10 ppm, is that too low?

Also: could too much CO2 be a factor in the growth, even when dosing twice weekly with comprehesive supplement?

I do add co2 from my diy system during the day...at night i turn it off, it's off now for the blackout
I have 1.6 WPG from my 65k and 10k T5's.


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Here's a pretty poor shot of mine when it had first started last year (when I set the tank up) from there it went to this blueish-greenish goop that coated the whole gravel over the plants/ leaf's.....it was NSATY to say the least.
At the "nasty" point I then did a large w/c with a good gravel vac blocked it out for a few days compleatly, afterwards when i "lifted the curtains" the blueish-greenish goop had turned into what I could only describe as dust bunnies, I again did a large w/c with a hardcore gravel vac and its been gone for good since then.

Have to add, after that I ran my lights 5hrs on 4 off 5 on for a few weeks before I change that then to the full 10hrs/ day (because I had also had 4 other algae types going not just that lol)

IMO the nitrates you have there are fine, that's what I got in some the other tanks and they're doing just great.

I have pers not experienced that too HIGH CO2 can support its growth not had I found any article during my research that would suggest that; no or extremely low CO2 has a impact on certain algae yes.

Personally I find the light a little high in wattage, but if that's what works for you (as well as others) that's great. Its just simple: The more light the more nutrition and the more CO2 is needed - Less light less nutrition less CO2...So personally I find it easier to balance a tank with lower lights (well and the act I house Tetra's and other fish right now that pref dim tanks anyway so...)


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks Angel..i know with enough patience i'll find the perfect balance for my tank. As always you've been supportive and helpful.


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

You're welcome; keep me posted how this is going now


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

Well, my tank has been in total darkness for about 38 hours now, and i am having some major withdrawals...lol. It's snowing here, coming down pretty good. They're saying we're going to get 4-8 inches. But all the weather talk aside, i'm ready to see my tank again, alas, i'll have to settle for looking at pictures for a few more days.


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Just hang in there; its hard but hang in there  I think Hawkin had the same problem and sneak peaked after day 2 or so to check on things real quick (just through the curtain not turning lights on)


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

I couldn't just peek real quick...lol...it's gotta be "cold turkey" with me, like when i quit smoking; will be a year at the end of the month.


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

:welldone:hey congrats on the smoking; that's awesome!!! (Me being smoker myself and not even remotely close to quitting unfortunately)


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

That was me for a long time...then the price just went way up...and was no more smoking for this guy...lol


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Gosh I can only dream, I had the willpower to wake up and go "oh no today I quit"..... I have plenty willpower on anything else in life...but cig.....nop


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

Alright: it's hour number 63!!...and i made a liar out of myself, i took a quick peek a few minutes ago. I didn't see any fish, but i did see my tiger lotus STRETCHING UP TOWARD THE SURFACE. I think this confirms what you said about the low light being better for them, and my suspicion that i was "beating it down with light" I'm going to have to break down and buy a timer and really dial down my lights. I like the thought of the nap method 5 hours on 4 hours off. Do you use this method?


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

My dwarf Baby tears EXPLODED after the blackout.
As for lights; there's a 3pager I started here that may be interesting to you; I took the time last night (on page 3) and broke down the lumens matter http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/aquarium-plants/anyone-having-30-40-watt-55g-36847/

I have used the siesta approach; which I will now stop and use only 30w over the 55g as explained in the thread and see how that works over the next 2-3 weeks for me.


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## NC Frank (Aug 24, 2009)

Good luck with the algae issue. My only suggestion would have been to cut back on the feeding for a day or two prior to the blackout... but I would have felt bad for the little guys and overfed them myself prior to taping up the tank.


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

The Blackout is over, and a resounding SUCCESS!!! No signs of cyanobacteria anywhere!! All my fishes are alive and accounted for. All my plants look spectacular. Some even managed to have grown during the prolonged darkness. I kept it completely blacked out for a total of 72 hours. Then removed my garbage bags...lol..it was about 9p.m., and i left the lights off for another 15 hours till about noon. When i turned on the lights, i did a 50% water change. I don't know why i was worried. Also i noticed that in addition to the cyanobacteria being completely vanished, also some other algae was greatly reduced. Also i will have some pictures coming in the next 24 hours to post in the pictures and video forums. I feel the need to show-off my tank a little..lol..is that conceited?


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

I think from now on, i'm going to do a 24-36 hour blackout at least once every two weeks...just to experiment. Aslo on a side note, i'm leaving my co2 off for the next month to see how things go. I know you'll like that Natalie. . I'm doing it because i noticed a lot of oxygen bubbles on my plants, and i don't see that when i've been running the co2 for a few days


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Glad to hear its gone!
Keeping up a good water & filter maintenance now alongside a good feeding schedule will help prevent it from coming back. And yes the CO2 can influence certain algae types greatly; while some thrive for lack of CO2 others thrive during access co2 available.
Like I said on this forum a time or two: Its all about the BALANCE within all factors of the tank world


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