bertz_maru Posted July 19, 2003 Share Posted July 19, 2003 ok.. i have a 5.5 gal tank.. it has been up and running for almost a month. well when i put ls and lr rocks i began to cycle my tank.. well a few days has past then i started to get the red slime. (cyano) i did a search on this stuff here at NR... i found numbers of things on it... all the causes and all... well since then i started topping off with ro water, added a 10gal fuge, added macro, been doing 10% water change every week, added more hermits and more snails, i even stop my light cycle at one point, added carbon, changed my PC lights with brand new hellolights PC, bout to upgrade to a 70w mh, watching how much i feed my fish... hmmm... oh yeh and plus i have been taking it out with a turkey baster... but this stuff is crazy.. it doesnt go away... this is my first nano and im new to the hobby.. but this stuff makes me wanna quit the hobby... am i missing something? i know they have cyano killers but i dont have the money to buy it.. maybe someone here might have some left over to treat 20gals of water? or maybe im doing something wrong... ugh.. any one else having this problem? im asking for help at this point.... thanks :*( Link to comment
SaltyDawg Posted July 20, 2003 Share Posted July 20, 2003 Use Maracyn tablets if nothing else works. Marine tablets and fresh water maracyn tablets are the same thing as well. It is a fungus inhibitor for fish but also kills red slime algae. Link to comment
bertz_maru Posted July 20, 2003 Author Share Posted July 20, 2003 where can i order it online? send me a link please... Link to comment
MWehr76364 Posted July 21, 2003 Share Posted July 21, 2003 I used Chemi-Clean from Fosters and Smith. That stuff is awesome cleared it all up in 2hrs and i've never had a problem with it again. Im running a 6gal also and I highly recommend the stuff. Safe for everything including invertibrates and corals. Link to comment
Crakeur Posted July 21, 2003 Share Posted July 21, 2003 No-cya-no. magical removal too. however, the best way of removing the cyano is to syphon it out, adjust water flow so that there are less dead spots in the tank and see if that does the trick. reliance on chems is a bad thing in general (people too) but on a smaller scale it can cause major issues in much less time. Link to comment
Dave Scheiner Posted July 21, 2003 Share Posted July 21, 2003 I had a cyano outbreak in my nano that was 8 mo. old. I used 1 application of FW Maracyn. The Maracyn took out the cyano and didn't bother anything else in the aquarium. More importantly (I think) I added another power head. With the increased water flow the cyano hasn't returned. Link to comment
spoondigity Posted July 21, 2003 Share Posted July 21, 2003 Hmmmmm let me see here, yessir, low oxygen. Maybe give it a check. Or you could just increase flow. If that isn't it you are seriously screwed. Ultralife makes a good product for this but it does cost a few $. No more than $15-20 at most I would guess and it will last a long time on a 5.5. Otherwise, try dynamite. Link to comment
MrConclusion Posted July 24, 2003 Share Posted July 24, 2003 Maracyn works well at a massively-reduced dose of 1 tablet per 50 gallons. That's what my LFS uses to remove it from their retail system. Full dose Maracyn will kill off more other organisms, which may or may not have a serious effect. Link to comment
Dave Scheiner Posted July 24, 2003 Share Posted July 24, 2003 Good point MrConclusion. I used 1 tablet in my 29 g nano. For a 5.5 a much smaller amount would be advised. Link to comment
Gunfury Posted July 25, 2003 Share Posted July 25, 2003 I vote Chemi-clean. Never had a problem with it and combined with other preventitives will clear up cyanobacter in 48 hours or so. I have been told by my LFS to somewhat overdoes it in order to completely kill off the bacteria otherwise you might develop resistent strains. After about 72 hours I do a partial water change and I've yet to loose any livestock to it. I've heard you need to be careful with dosing Maracyn - you might kill benefical bacteria in your live rock/SB if you over dose your tank but it's just hearsay for me .... stumbled on this interesting link: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm Link to comment
sponger Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 I vote Chemi-clean too. once i added it i saw the red slime peeling off the rock in about an hour. i also tried everything else that they say your supposed to do like you. I didnt want to add any meds. to my take but the red slime just made me mad and i broke down and bought some chemi-clean. It works! Link to comment
Deimos Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 I vote to remove the CAUSE of algae, not the algae itself. If you don't solve the problem of WHERE its coming from..then you can't ever hope of keeping it away longterm. As far as chemical solutions go...the one that best mimics this approach would be Chemi-clean as it oxidizes all the decaying sludge in your tank VERY quickly (thats how it works)..the downside to this being low dissolved oxygen levels in the tank while its working that may affect fish if the tank is heavily stocked. Then again..if the tank is heavily stocked..that may be part of the problem..lol. It sounds as if you're doing well with helping your system try to cope with a high nutrient load (the 'fuge, etc)...but there are other biological ways of getting rid of cyano too. Conchs work well..although not extrememly well suited to nanos because of the size they can attain. One biological filter that I've found works wonders on removing organics is Tridacnid clams IF you have the lighting for them. They quite possibly could be the reason that many SPS tanks succeed...and I definately attribute the success of mine so far to the work of my Derasa and Hippopus. But my philosophy on nuisance algae is first to find the cause, second to try biological means of removal, and third and dead last..after you've tried EVERYTHING else...chemical removal..because chemicals tend to be more "band-aid" than anything else. HTH... Link to comment
SaltyDawg Posted July 30, 2003 Share Posted July 30, 2003 I used 1/2 tab. of maracyn for my 5.5 and it cleared it all up. I use 1 1/2 tab's for my 29 and it cleared it up there too. The packaging says 1 tab per 20g on mine though. I have neverr seen the 50 gal. tabs.? SO My vote is for Maracyn! It is 10 - 20 dollars cheaper then anything else on the market and work better as well. With chemi clean I have heard of cases where the algae is resistant to the dose the second time around. Maracyn has worked for me 3 times now in the same tank. I increased water flow but it still comes back. As well I do perform water changes regularly. It seems to be un detectable now for over 3 months after using the maracyn the last time. Link to comment
Kain Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 A few of you mention the usage of Maracyn as a solution to the cyano problem. What brand of Maracyn are you using? I currently have a cyano problem and have increased my water changes and still nothing. Link to comment
kickyourbrainintheface Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 i think the most important thing is to have more water flow, although dynamite may be what you end up using Link to comment
Nanu Nanu Posted August 30, 2003 Share Posted August 30, 2003 If you dont want to use any chemicals get a Fighting Conch it worked for me and it only cost me only $4 for it. I also got my powerhead to blow over the sand gently after getting most of the slime of of it. Link to comment
Jargon Posted September 15, 2003 Share Posted September 15, 2003 I've heard great things about Trochus snails and cyanobacteria. Link to comment
Jahkaya Posted September 15, 2003 Share Posted September 15, 2003 Bert: I can send you some tablets and some red slime remover. worked like a charm for me. Problem is you still have excess nutrients in your water that hair algea may love. Increase your flow and find out the source. Link to comment
bertz_maru Posted September 16, 2003 Author Share Posted September 16, 2003 thanks jah... youve been a good fellow reefer.. but i think i took care of the problem.. thank god.. oh yeh.. i sent you a PM.. thanks tho Link to comment
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