red slime and green alge
- Thread starter llduce10
- Start date
little_fish
Moderator
nope, two very different creatures
Waddi
Shenanigans?
Water changes, cut back on feeding, maybe cut back on lighting times, or change bulbs depending on how long you have had them, and lastly, manually removal of the hair algae, just pluck as much out as possible
little_fish
Moderator
Hair algae and cyano both come from nutrient export problems. The most common issues are too many fish, over feeding and using tap water. The best solution to the hair algae issue is not overfeeding, dont feed foods high in nitrates and phosphates, dont have too many fish, good water flow, using RO/DI water and doing regular water changes.
Also having old bulbs can feed algae issues.
Also having old bulbs can feed algae issues.
Jr.Ramirez
Mystery Wrasse
Clean sand really good when doing water change & before adding med's.
little_fish
Moderator
I use Rod food, and if you havent been cleaning the sand since you set up your tank, dont start now. That will cause major issues.
Jr.Ramirez
Mystery Wrasse
little_fish, who does not clean it? Also why would it make issues if they start now. I would think getting as much as you could out before med's would be best. Used "Ultralife Red Slime Remover" in my 28G tank & it worked great.
little_fish
Moderator
I think most people dont clean the sand, and if you start cleaning after letting it sit, you can stir up all sorts of nasty stuff, which will lead to water quality issues. Which leads to bigger algae/cyano issues because they now have an even bigger food source.
I should add that most people who dont mess with the sand have a good sand CUC composed of nass snails. They will turn the top inch of the sand for you and get any leftover food that hits the bottom.
But if you do have cyano or algae growing on the sand bed, its ok to suck it up during a water change. Just dont get too into the sand bed if you havent been doing that since the tank was set up.
I should add that most people who dont mess with the sand have a good sand CUC composed of nass snails. They will turn the top inch of the sand for you and get any leftover food that hits the bottom.
But if you do have cyano or algae growing on the sand bed, its ok to suck it up during a water change. Just dont get too into the sand bed if you havent been doing that since the tank was set up.
Jr.Ramirez
Mystery Wrasse
So I clean my sand bed every 2 weeks when I do water changes. Good or bad?
little_fish
Moderator
good if you have always done so
Jr.Ramirez
Mystery Wrasse
By the way I vote for your black & white tiger pic. Love the baby tigers at the LA zoo but always to many people around to get a good pic with my good camera. Love animals & wish I could work with them, I do volunteer at my pet store when I can, but nothing like what you do. What is your favorite to work with?
Sorry for going off topic.
Sorry for going off topic.
little_fish
Moderator
No problem, my favorite is probably the rhinos but the big cats are a close second! Ive never been to the LA zoo, but its on my list of things to do! And its great that you volunteer, those shelter animals need all the help and love they can get!
little_fish
Moderator
Algae problems are usually caused by aquarium water with excess nutrients like phosphate, nitrates etc. You can try and siphon out what you can to remove the algae in the short term. In the long term you may have to examine how you care for your tank. There are some commercial dry foods also contain excess nutrients and other undesirable things like nitrates, phosphates etc so I strain/rinse my fresh/frozen foods before feeding my tank. You may want to consider feeding your fish less often. Also, changing your photo period, light bulbs more flow, using RO/DI water and a high quality salt with little if any NO3, phosphates etc like Tropic Marin may help too. Adding a phosphate remover and increasing flow in your tank may help too.
