Red Slime

[stormystormy11]

I've tried EVERYTHING to clear this up..My water tests perfect, I've cut down on feeding, shut down lights earlier than usual, increased flow, uped the protein skimmer, even bought some zebra crabs that are supposed to like it..and nothing. Has anyone ever used a chemical treatment with out harming the corals or fish?

 

[stormystormy11]

oh..and I forgot to add I also replaced both 250 watt mh lights:)

 

[yote]

Just cutting back on the lights a little bit ain't gonna do squat for any kind of algae.
It takes a few days without light to make an impact.

With Cyano. Start by doing at least a 30% ( 50 would be better ) water change. Siphon out as much of the cyano as possible.
Then kill the lights for 3 to 4 days. Wont hurt the corals. They don't get full sun 365 days a year in the wild. But it will make a huge difference in the cyano.
The day you turn the lights back on, do another water change, siphoning out any remaining cyano.

You may have to repeat that cycle every little bit for a while, until you figure out whats fueling the stuff.

 

[Bifferwine]

Lots of people have used ChemiClean (red slime remover) with success. However, it is not uncommon to hear of livestock dying when it is used -- even though it says it's reef safe, I wouldn't trust that completely. Enough people have had problems when using it. Another problem is that slime algae tends to become resistant to it over time. The slime algae will go away the first time or two that you use it, but if you start using it more frequently, it won't impact the algae anymore and the problem seems to get worse.

 

[CanadianAce]

+1 Bifferwine! A friend of mine started to use ChemiClean everytime he saw Cyano.... Needless to say after the third or fourth time using it, it came back with a vengence. A year and a half later, the battle continues in his tank!

 

[Nonfamous]

I used it successfully. No harm to corals (softies) or fish. It worked for me. I have read where it wiped out a tank though. It was my last resort. I STRONGLY suggest a complete blackout for 4 days following yote's directions above. In the end, it was a combination of a blackout and chemiclean as well as the discovery of a hidden filter sponge, that was removed, that cleared my tank.