RED SLIME EXPLOSION WHAT NOW????????
- Thread starter camel shrimp
- Start date
nothing eats it, you can siphoned it out when you do a water change, they say that over feeding can cause this, or something dead may be the problem, see if you can find what may have caused this bloom.
do a search on Red Slime, I'm sure there's a ton of info on it.
don't worry, it's easier to get rid of than Hair Algae.
do a search on Red Slime, I'm sure there's a ton of info on it.
don't worry, it's easier to get rid of than Hair Algae.
More information will help. Tank size, number of fish, feeding habits, water changes, age, RO water?, etc....
But, a few of things that may help. If you are using frozen food, stop for a couple of weeks. Use just flake food and feed in very small portions several times a day. Complete a 20% water change weekly. If you are adding supplements, stop. Add some carbon. If you can, increase water movement.
There are critter that will feed on red slime. But I prefer to find what is causing it and get that in control. Basically you have more nutrients/organics going into the system then coming out. This imbalance is being used or fed to the red slime (bacteria). Fix the imbalance and it will go away.
_________________
united states economy
But, a few of things that may help. If you are using frozen food, stop for a couple of weeks. Use just flake food and feed in very small portions several times a day. Complete a 20% water change weekly. If you are adding supplements, stop. Add some carbon. If you can, increase water movement.
There are critter that will feed on red slime. But I prefer to find what is causing it and get that in control. Basically you have more nutrients/organics going into the system then coming out. This imbalance is being used or fed to the red slime (bacteria). Fix the imbalance and it will go away.
_________________
united states economy
A few things I'd do:
1. Increase oxygen content of the water. Oxygen saturation is most easily accomplished by increasing water movement - particularly surface agitation that facillates gas exchange. Skimming is another way to saturate your water with O.
2. Limit your nutrient input, particularly phosphate and nitrate. Cyanobacteria (with some exceptions of nitrogen fixing species) needs a nitrogen source to conduct life process function. This means reduce your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate levels by
a. skimming out dissolved orgnanics before they break down into NH4, NO2, and NO3.
b. use R/O, DI, or distilled water to top off the evaporation and water changes. This will help remove all the aforementioned compounds, including phosphate.
c. reduce feedings. feed sparingly, targeting whatever your feeding effectively.
d. If anything is visibly decaying (coral, dead fish, macroalgae, etc.), remove it ASAP. Decaying matter frees trapped nitrogenous compounds that cyano can use.
e. Carbon will work in absorbing dissolved organics before they're broken down into available nutrients.
I'd also recommend you siphon out as much as you can of the cyano, without causing too much disturbance; do not stir up the substrate! Make sure to replace the water with fresh seawater or artificially mixed R/O water.
IME, dripping kalkwasswer works moderatley well against cyanobacteria. Not only does kalkwasser bind phosphate and precipitate it out of solution, i've also noticed raising pH and carbonate hardness retards cyano blooms. It's anecdotal, I know. But it always seems like the case for my tank.
Last point to make: wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap anytime you come in contact with cyanobacteria. Though most species are harmless, some are toxic. Toxicity depends on the species, and range from mild skin discomfort to hepatotoxins (liver) to neurotoxins (brain). It's just good practice to wash your hands well after you're done working on your tank.
1. Increase oxygen content of the water. Oxygen saturation is most easily accomplished by increasing water movement - particularly surface agitation that facillates gas exchange. Skimming is another way to saturate your water with O.
2. Limit your nutrient input, particularly phosphate and nitrate. Cyanobacteria (with some exceptions of nitrogen fixing species) needs a nitrogen source to conduct life process function. This means reduce your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate levels by
a. skimming out dissolved orgnanics before they break down into NH4, NO2, and NO3.
b. use R/O, DI, or distilled water to top off the evaporation and water changes. This will help remove all the aforementioned compounds, including phosphate.
c. reduce feedings. feed sparingly, targeting whatever your feeding effectively.
d. If anything is visibly decaying (coral, dead fish, macroalgae, etc.), remove it ASAP. Decaying matter frees trapped nitrogenous compounds that cyano can use.
e. Carbon will work in absorbing dissolved organics before they're broken down into available nutrients.
I'd also recommend you siphon out as much as you can of the cyano, without causing too much disturbance; do not stir up the substrate! Make sure to replace the water with fresh seawater or artificially mixed R/O water.
IME, dripping kalkwasswer works moderatley well against cyanobacteria. Not only does kalkwasser bind phosphate and precipitate it out of solution, i've also noticed raising pH and carbonate hardness retards cyano blooms. It's anecdotal, I know. But it always seems like the case for my tank.
Last point to make: wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap anytime you come in contact with cyanobacteria. Though most species are harmless, some are toxic. Toxicity depends on the species, and range from mild skin discomfort to hepatotoxins (liver) to neurotoxins (brain). It's just good practice to wash your hands well after you're done working on your tank.
BTW, nothing I know eats cyanobacteria (intentionally) since it has no nutritional value and some species can be toxic. However, another anecdotal suggestions (based on 2 or 3 experiences) is that adding an Amblygobius rainfordi (Rainford's Goby) kills existing cyanobacteria in the tank. It may have been all coincedences, but each time I introduced an A.rainfordi, cyano would dissappear in under a month. Problem is, A.rainfordi is not a super-hardy fish, and usually starve to death without lots of algae to munch on.
- Location
- Virginia
Here's what I've been told and or learned from experience about cyano:
1. Causes: it can be caused by extended photoperiods, elevated nutrients (especially phosphate) in your water, elevated temperatures, poor or old lighting, lack of water flow.
2. Solutions: elevate calcium levels, add a phosphate remover, run some carbon, increase water flow to where it is growing, replace your bulbs, make sure your photoperiod is not too long, bring your temperature down (which will also coincide with shorter photoperiods), add a slime remover such as erethromycin or a product that kills off red slime algae (I used red slime remover from ecolibrium "NO-CYA-NO" from that Pet Place).
Also, there are a few crabs that supposedly will eat it, and I have been told that queen conchs eat it as well, although I have never seen this happen.
1. Causes: it can be caused by extended photoperiods, elevated nutrients (especially phosphate) in your water, elevated temperatures, poor or old lighting, lack of water flow.
2. Solutions: elevate calcium levels, add a phosphate remover, run some carbon, increase water flow to where it is growing, replace your bulbs, make sure your photoperiod is not too long, bring your temperature down (which will also coincide with shorter photoperiods), add a slime remover such as erethromycin or a product that kills off red slime algae (I used red slime remover from ecolibrium "NO-CYA-NO" from that Pet Place).
Also, there are a few crabs that supposedly will eat it, and I have been told that queen conchs eat it as well, although I have never seen this happen.
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