RED SLIME ALGAE PROBLEM!! HELP

[aussiefishy]

Hello Guys and Gals:

i have a problem with red slime algae growing on my sandbed. the story is i have a 50 gallon SPS (please see my tank spec at the member spec area under the thread "my first SPS tank") i recently installed a RO/DI unit and hooked it up to a floatvalve for evaporation. prior to that i changed ~33gallons of water with the RO water. the diatom problem i previously have are gone, probably due to the RO/DI. but it has been replaced with red slime.

i run a skimmer 24/7 and seagel (from seachem, which is part phosguard and reef carbon) they are new.

the light bulbs are 3-4 months old.... and waterflow is roughly1500-2000gph total, head pressure counted..(from 2X seio620 and a quiet one 6000 ~ 1300gph )

all corals are doing great... how can i correct this???

8O

 

[Tackett]

I dunno man, I have the same exact problem currently. I went for a while battling hair algae, untill I finally got it under control. A few months later, the red slime reared its ugly head for unknown reason. I think what we are calling "red slime" is actually cyanobacteria.

here is some good info on cyano:
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/cyanointro.html

I may be totally in left field in saying that though, someone else is free to correct me.

at any rate, the answer to your question is...I have no clue how to get rid of it. What I am doing, and all I can think to do is: 1. saving money for a bigger, better skimmer. (an aqua C180 is what I decided on) 2. Siphoning out the algae from the sandbed during water changes. 3. Taking a toothbrush to the rocks to get it off before water changes and prn.

Well, theres my .02 hope it helps. If ya figure it out, lemme know.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

I've got some in a couple patches on the sandbed in one of my tanks currently as well. And, oddly enough, it's growing in high flow areas.

ALaot of people recommend trying one of those red slime remover products. I've used the chemi-clean a few times with good results in other tanks, but in this particular tank, the cyano went away only to come back a couple of weeks later. From what I understand, sometimes that will happen. Figures...most quick fixes aren't really worth it in the long run.

At any rate, the best thing you can do is keep sucking it out with a turkey baster, direct more flow to the area, skim heavily, and don't overfeed the tank.

 

[Jolieve]

Tackett, try toothbrushing it off your rocks while siphoning during water changes. The less cyano you let loose into the system, the fewer problems you should have in allowing it to spread.

This takes two people (one to siphon, the other to brush), but it helped a lot in getting rid of cyano in my tank.

If these systems are less than a year old, blooms of cyano like this are not uncommon. Just siphon it out, and make sure you are changing carbon frequently if you are running it. It should die out on its own.

Good luck,
J.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with the above suggestions...just keep at it...the cyano will eventually disappear.