need help with red slime on my rock

M

mcazurin

Reefing newb
hey guys...i dont kno if its coraline algae on my rock....but its kinda RED and its slimy algae...how do i get rid of that?
 
It sounds like cyno or red slime algae to remove it take the rock out and scrub it with a clean brush in your old water when you do a water change. Now that will only remove and not keep it from coming. You need to find the source to completly get rid of it. Cyno is caused mainly from excess nitrates, phosphates, and lack of flow. Keep or start doing 10%weekly water changes if the cycle is over, feed frozen food, aim a powerhead tword the area and it should clear. Unless the exsess nutrients are coming in somewere else like overfeeding, high bio load, bad water such as tap or ro water that has bad filter membrains in them ect.....
 
i have currently been plauged with red slime. i have no nitrates and very low phosphates. less than .5ppm. i have been doing 10 gallon water changes weekly and removing every trace of the slime by hand with a turkey baster. i even left my lights off for three days and nothing seemed to be working. it would be back just as bad in 24 to 48 hours. then i read john's article in the helpful articles forum. and i think i found the fix to MY red slime problem. the article says that poor gas exchange can also feed cyano (red slime) by not venting off the nitrogen gas produced by the biological filter. of course! my tank was closed off with the glass top.:frustrat: even though i had the plastic hinges removed, leaving a nice gap in between the two halves. and i had many holes drilled in the plastic spacer in the back. this still wasn't enough. i took the front halves of the top off after doing just a 5 gallon water change 4 days ago. i still have a little cyano left but not 1/4 of what i did have. so the better gas exchange has helped tremendously. i'm hoping that after another water change or two it will all be gone. so, if nothing else helps and all water parameters are o.k. try ditching your'e top if you have one. it has definately helped my tank.
 
You might also want to put a powerhead down close to the bottom and point it up toward the surface to force the water up more.
 
I agree you should have a powerhead pointing to the top to get a good ripple to help oxygenate the water.
 
All great ideas. Make sure you are not putting in more nutrients than necessary in the tank. Overfeeding can contribute. I had an outbreak when I lost a fish on vacation and it rotted in the tank - adding too many nutrients for the bio-load to handle. There are multiple reasons for the problem. There is a product that can help, chemiclean, but it is only a band-aid and your cyano can build up an immunity to it after just a few uses.

It is best to maintain good water quality, control the amount of time your lights are on, change bulbs if they are more than 6 months old, have two powerheads at the top of the tank, on both ends facing each other, creating a vortex in the middle of the tank. Cyano cannot thrive when there is good oxygenation and movement in the tank. My problem went away by adding lots of current. Good Luck.

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
That's enough phosphates to give you algae problems. In fact, it's probably actually higher than what your test is reading since algae takes up phosphates from the water column very quickly. I'd work on getting your phosphates down and see if it makes a difference. You could try a phosphate reactor with RowaPhos or PhosBan or something like that, or just old fashioned water changes.
 
phosphates should be below .03 ppm in a reef tank. I agree with bifff.

Also are you using RO/DI for your top offs? High Iron levels can also promote unwanted algea growth.

Just some suggestions.
Brandon
 
I had a bout with red slime
I went to my LFS and purchased a product called CHEMICLEAN Red Slime Remover 19.99. It Worked very well But is scary to use, REDSLIME SUCKS and i have not seen a trace of it after my treatment 1 month and counting !

a Water change (20%) is needed and i'm not shure how it does with corals
My fish survived it well tho Keep a declorinated 5 gallon bucket of water made up for top offs if you use Tap It will reduce the risk
 
I have heard many stories of people using Chemiclean and it having negative effects on corals. If I were you I would deal with the problem by getting to the root of it -- water quality and movement, instead of relying on chemicals.
 
Chemi-Clean is supposed to be reef safe.Notice the word SUPPOSED.I used Chemi-Clean one time,and will never use it again.
I had one little frag of Blue Xenia in my 30.I had some cyno come up,so tryed the chemical.With in 24 hours my blue xenia was gone,melted,nothing but a bare rock where it had been.
 
First you must know that the red slime algae often seen is really a bacteria and it comes in several colors. Black, dark purple and super bright green are also colors with red being the most common. It is found in tanks with poor water quality, poor lighting, and/or poor circulation. Since any or all of these conditions can cause this soft, colorful coating to grow in your tank, you may have to correct more than one problem. The biggest reason is usually circulation. Re-direct your power heads or add another because cyano bacteria hates moving water.
If adjusting circulation, changing to new bulbs and doing water changes fail, then do the following. Siphon out as much cyano bacteria as possible. Add new, clean saltwater to replace what was siphoned out. Then because it is a bacteria, one method of removing it is by adding erythromycin. This is a strong antibiotic and must be used sparingly. One capsule or pill (200 mg) is enough to clear up a 55 gallon with a small outbreak. A 100 gallon tank with a very heavy amount of slime algae may need 4 capsules. Use your judgment. Open capsules and mix with saltwater because the capsule itself will not dissolve. Crush pills and mix with saltwater. (Do not add the recommended amount as per package instructions; it will kill all the good bacteria in your tank too.)Turn off ozone, protein skimmer air, and remove carbon and other absorbents, etc. Add erythromycin after the lights are off (or just turn them off). All of the algae (bacteria) should be dead by morning. If not, repeat the next night - again leave the lights off for the entire day. When it is gone, turn on the skimmer, do a 33-50% water change then add an alkalinity booster. Fresh carbon can be used for 3 days if you don't have a skimmer. Keep your particle filter clean - everyday or 2.
I have used this method with much success
 

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