hello im having a problem with red slime algae 55 gal reef tank been up and running for 4-5 months for the last month or two been getting it so i used chemi clean followed instructions changing etc a couple times but in a few days it just comes back all my water tests are fine i need help any comments or suggestions would be helpful thanks
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red slime algae
- Thread starter shimpies9r
- Start date
Oh man, my tank was COVERED with red slime just a couple weeks ago! I know where youre coming from!
Red slime, as I have come to understand it, is actually a bacteria. I asked my local saltwater guru what to do, and she gave me these weird aspirin-subsitute type pills. She said put em' in a net and let them dissolve into the water over a few hours (as long as it takes); after that, it took less than a couple days for the slime to turn to brown mush, and then get sucked up or blown around by stuff...
Well, when I remember the name of the little white aspirin-looking pills, Ill post it, but talk to your LFS about it; theyre the ones who helped me with it!
Hope that helps!
Red slime, as I have come to understand it, is actually a bacteria. I asked my local saltwater guru what to do, and she gave me these weird aspirin-subsitute type pills. She said put em' in a net and let them dissolve into the water over a few hours (as long as it takes); after that, it took less than a couple days for the slime to turn to brown mush, and then get sucked up or blown around by stuff...
Well, when I remember the name of the little white aspirin-looking pills, Ill post it, but talk to your LFS about it; theyre the ones who helped me with it!
Hope that helps!
When my tank was around that same age I had my cyano outbreak this is what worked well for me:I used boyds to but I treated it this way,First I used about 3/4 of the recomended dose and I cut back my lighting cycle by 70% for 2 days then on the 3rd day I did a 20% water change and netted and scraped what I could get off then treated it again right away the same amount and cut the light cycle again.Presto! 2 days later I went back to full lighting cycle and not a spot of red slime anywhere since then I never had another outbreak.I was told I probobaly introduced it to the tank on a piece of rock or something I added! I hope this helps.It seems to me the light is critical for stopping the cycle and killing it completly and I learned that by accident.
PS- For the second treatment I did not shut down my skimmer.
PS- For the second treatment I did not shut down my skimmer.
While technically true, that statement is a bit misleading. Cyanobacteria is on just about everything in your tank. Reproduction and mortality are normally in balance except when nutrients are just right and algae is limited by something else. Then it blooms in great sheets (which is what this thread is about).I was told I probobaly introduced it to the tank on a piece of rock or something I added!
The thing to take away is that cyanobacteria is still in every nook and cranny of your tank, but is currently in such small quantities and in hidden places so that you can't see it. If you let nutrients get out of whack in the future, it will bloom again and you'll look for another "fix" again.
But it's not accidentally added like a mantis shrimp or "completely cured" by removal. Cyanobacteria, diatoms, blue-green algae, etc. are always present in your tank. During the start-up of a tank, these bloom as the various bacteria and algal populations are finding equilibrium. If the tank remains healthy, you'll occasionally see very little evidence of their presence (except for the algae you have to scrape from your glass).
Regards,
Ross
Before using erythromycin (antibiotic) or any other chemical, please read this:
A little background on the sometimes nasty, but usually benificial "slime". It is one of natures pollution control mechanisms. It is always present as stated by rabagley (post just above this one).
Cyanobacteria (if you are a Zoologist) or blue-green algae (if you are a botanist), (Who's is it? The world may never know), is a prokaryotic (nucleus not bound by membrane) lifeform with chlorophyl. It has charictaristics of both an algae and a bacteria. It can feed like bacteria or it can photosynthesize like an algae.
There are many species of cyanobacteria in both fresh and saltwater, and everywhere inbetween. It can be found in the most unforgiving, inhospitable environments known to science (from the arctic to the boiling hot springs of Yellowstone National Park).
Within the cell walls are contained chlorophyl (green) and one or more of 3 different color pigments, c-phycocyanin (blue), c-allophycocyanin (blue), c-phycoerythrin (red). Your Red slime can appear blue-green at times, or even purple to black depending on what pigmentation is most pridominant at the time.
Some planktonic species can cause serious blooms, and even produce toxins. However, they are necessary for a properly ballanced ecosystem to function.
In the end, is it nasty looking.......yes, but it is a necessary part of the reef's ecosystem. If it gets out of control there is a reason. Get rid of the reason and you get rid of the bloom. If it is a new system It is going to go thru it to one extent or another (just be patient, its the name of the game). Older setups, reduce feeding, and do frequent water changes to get the system back under control. Is another species of algae (say... hair algae) dying off, or a diatom bloom, or dynoflagelate bloom dying off? Cyanobacteria will feed on any decaying organic matter. If you are impatient then consider using Boyd ChemiPure (have good water flow, and follow the instructions on the bottle and it won't hurt your animals) before using an antibiotic. Erythromycin is known to kill nitrifying bacteria and damage the biological filter (if used in high enough concentration to effectively kill the cyanobacteria). But like all antibiotics, bacteria can mutate and become immune to it. They can get used to ChemiClean as well.
Weigh all the possibilities before choosing a solution, and check to see if any of your animals are particularly sensitive to antibiotics.
Just thought people would appreciate "slime algae" more if they knew a little bit more about it.
Good luck.
A little background on the sometimes nasty, but usually benificial "slime". It is one of natures pollution control mechanisms. It is always present as stated by rabagley (post just above this one).
Cyanobacteria (if you are a Zoologist) or blue-green algae (if you are a botanist), (Who's is it? The world may never know), is a prokaryotic (nucleus not bound by membrane) lifeform with chlorophyl. It has charictaristics of both an algae and a bacteria. It can feed like bacteria or it can photosynthesize like an algae.
There are many species of cyanobacteria in both fresh and saltwater, and everywhere inbetween. It can be found in the most unforgiving, inhospitable environments known to science (from the arctic to the boiling hot springs of Yellowstone National Park).
Within the cell walls are contained chlorophyl (green) and one or more of 3 different color pigments, c-phycocyanin (blue), c-allophycocyanin (blue), c-phycoerythrin (red). Your Red slime can appear blue-green at times, or even purple to black depending on what pigmentation is most pridominant at the time.
Some planktonic species can cause serious blooms, and even produce toxins. However, they are necessary for a properly ballanced ecosystem to function.
In the end, is it nasty looking.......yes, but it is a necessary part of the reef's ecosystem. If it gets out of control there is a reason. Get rid of the reason and you get rid of the bloom. If it is a new system It is going to go thru it to one extent or another (just be patient, its the name of the game). Older setups, reduce feeding, and do frequent water changes to get the system back under control. Is another species of algae (say... hair algae) dying off, or a diatom bloom, or dynoflagelate bloom dying off? Cyanobacteria will feed on any decaying organic matter. If you are impatient then consider using Boyd ChemiPure (have good water flow, and follow the instructions on the bottle and it won't hurt your animals) before using an antibiotic. Erythromycin is known to kill nitrifying bacteria and damage the biological filter (if used in high enough concentration to effectively kill the cyanobacteria). But like all antibiotics, bacteria can mutate and become immune to it. They can get used to ChemiClean as well.
Weigh all the possibilities before choosing a solution, and check to see if any of your animals are particularly sensitive to antibiotics.
Just thought people would appreciate "slime algae" more if they knew a little bit more about it.
Good luck.
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