red slime help

[Green Shat]

red slime is starting to take over my tank. Can anyone tell me the best way to get rid of it besides siphoning it out? thanks

[Tigahboy]

you mean like red sludgy cyano w/ a lot of little bubbly bubbles? Lots of skimming, feed sparingly, increase flow. I think the flow part is up there tho since they like to grow in lower flow spots...so while the tank may look like it's fine, chances are it doesn't have sufficient flow in certain areas.

 

But if you are not referring to cyano, call me a "monkey's uncle" and just ignore the post.

[FAC_WNY]

As always...treat the problem..not the symptoms. You've got a fuel source for it somewhere (a nitrogenous waste source and a phosphate source). Are you skimming and running carbon? Dosing Kalk? (skimming and carbon to reduce organics...kalk to precip phosphate). Using only RO water? If yes to all of the above..as a last resort..I've used Red Slime Remover (an antibiotic powder) in the past with some success. If you do use it..be advised that you have to siphon out the dead cyano before it can break down and fuel another outbreak.

 

Cheers,

Fred

[Green Shat]

thanks for all the helpful suggestions. It is the kind with the "bubbly bubbles." I'm going to increase my kalk drip some becuase I dont think i am adding enough. The only primary source of organic pollution right now should be my phytoplankton which i will also feed more sparingly (I dont have any fish yet, just corals). I have a very tiny sponge/floss filter going right now, and a refugium that happens to be empty becuase i am waiting for my microalgea to arrive from online. I also have a theory that i was using too much Kent Liquid Calcium supplement, far too much. Could too much of that stuff caused an algae bloom?

[waynefish]

I had been battling it also for the last few weeks. I set up an AC 300 with chaeto, but that didn't seem to help that much. I then got some phosban, put about 3 table spoons into two mesh bags (3 tablespoons in each bag) and put one in the AC300 and one close to my powerhead. One day later it turned stringy, and i siphoned it out. It's been about a week and no sign of it (knock on wood). I believe it came because I was over feeding my frozen cyclopeeze. I tested the cyclopeeze meltwater and it measured over 10ppm for phosphate. My kit only measures up to 10ppm, so there was probably even more. I also tested 1ml of Seachem Reef Plus and it had about 5ppm of phosphate in it, even though the label said no phosphate. I now spot feed Formula One pellets to my clown and fire shrimp. Also my tank is a 5.5 gallon, so i used about 1 tablespoon per gallon. As a note of caution I would gradually add the phosban one tablspoon at a time. I put all 6 tablespoons in and my briarium closed up for 2 days, but now it's fine.

 

I also read that you should really target the phosphate because cyano can bind its own nitrate. If you're wondering what could be causing it, get a phosphate test kit and test what you put into the tank. i hope that helps.

 

Wayne

[wolax39]

is this the red stuff that grows on the sand?