Cyanobacteria Revive Program

Welcome to this training video on controlling nuisance algae in your Living Oceans aquarium.

This program is designed to help manage cyanobacteria, commonly seen as red, green, or dark algae mats growing across the sand, rocks, or reef structure.

Cyanobacteria can be caused by:

• elevated nutrient levels
• excess feeding
• a dying snail or coral
• excessive light exposure
• indirect sunlight
• incorrect light programming

In some cases, cyanobacteria can still appear even when water quality is good.

The goal of this program is to help rebalance the ecosystem and allow beneficial bacteria to outcompete nuisance algae.

Before You Begin

We recommend performing a water change before starting the treatment.

This is not essential, but it helps remove:

• excess nutrients
• organic waste
• cyanobacteria buildup

If necessary, remove the reef and gently clean affected surfaces before returning it to the aquarium.

This reduces the amount of algae that will die during treatment and helps minimise oxygen depletion.

Before dosing:

• remove the carbon media
• remove the phosphate remover media

Leave all biological filtration in place.

Do not remove the bio-media.

Discard the used carbon and phosphate remover media and replace them after the treatment is complete.

Dosing the Aquarium

For this program, we use ChemiClean.

The manufacturer recommends:

• 1 scoop per 40 litres (10 gallons)

For Living Oceans aquariums, we recommend a more conservative approach.

Dose approximately:

• 1 scoop per 80-litre aquarium

To prepare the treatment:

• collect one cup of aquarium water
• mix the treatment thoroughly into the water

Add the solution into the pump chamber so it circulates throughout the aquarium.

During Treatment

The treatment period runs for approximately 48 hours.

During this time, you should begin to see a reduction in nuisance algae.

Living Oceans also recommends an additional 48-hour blackout immediately after the treatment period.

To perform the blackout:

• unplug the aquarium light
• leave all other equipment running
• keep the aquarium dark for 48 hours

This helps slow algae growth and gives beneficial bacteria a greater opportunity to establish.

After Treatment

After the first 48 hours:

• replace the carbon media
• replace the phosphate remover media
• rinse the new media before installation

A water change is also recommended at this stage.

Once the 48-hour blackout is complete, continue to monitor the aquarium for another 5 to 7 days.

Most aquariums will show significant improvement during this period.

If necessary, the process can be repeated, but always use the recommended conservative dosage.

Important:

• Do not overdose the treatment.
• Excessive dosing may reduce oxygen levels and stress aquarium livestock.

When used correctly, this program is a simple and effective way to manage cyanobacteria and help restore balance within the ecosystem.

Thanks for watching.