Rampet Red Slime

['Ric]

My main tank has had a patch of red slime or two, but nothing that has ever grown much or lasted long.

 

BUT, even though it shares the same water, slime has taken over a small 3g display refugeium I have as a satellite tank for my Mantis Shrimp and Upside-down Jellyfish. I got some anti-red-slime stuff, sucked out as much as I could with a turkey baster, treated the water, then did a 20% water change, all twice now.

 

It

[jason the filter freak]

Find something that eats the stuff

[treesprite]

Find something that eats the stuff

 

you asking for an invite to dinner?

[ErikS]

According to www.aquariumwatertesting.com

AWT is full of manure. I wouldn't trust anything that had to say or their water tests. Check RC's chemistry forum - you'll see enough threads.

 

Cyano = NO3 and/or PO4.............it's just that simple.

[newfish]

AWT is full of manure. I wouldn't trust anything that had to say or their water tests. Check RC's chemistry forum - you'll see enough threads.

 

Cyano = NO3 and/or PO4.............it's just that simple.

 

 

I used Chemi-Clean in my tank recently cause I had a bad case of red slime algae(Cyano). If that is what you have it worked pretty good for me and it is supposedly safe for everything. I did have to use more than the recommended dosage but not much. Staying clear so far.

One of the key points about this that I keep hearing is that if you dont fix what is causing the problem then its just going to come back after a while.

 

I was using regular tap water and I am pretty sure thats what caused it in my tank. I have started using RO/DI Water and a good skimmer and it seems to be staying clean so far.

 

Hope this helps

Josh

[zobey]

I have been having a similar problem in my 120g setup. Water changes and LOTS of flow really helped. I put in a maxijet 1200 with the sureflow upgrade making it 2000 gph! Every day now for the last week i have used another power head to blast the slime off the rocks and sand into the water column where the maxijet help to keep it in the water column so that much gets skimmed out.

 

This has really helped alot in just a week. I agree that the problem must be fixed in the first place or it will just keep happening. In my case i think much of it was due to overfeeding the tank. I have cut WAY back on feeding - that with water changes and a ton of flow have really helped the problem.

 

I would not have thought that flow alone would help so much, but the thing is if there is enough flow to keep it from attaching to rock and sand, then it won't grow as easily - that simple. Of coarse water chemistry plays a huge role as well - keep an eye on levels of NO3 and PO4.

[ctenophore]

Does the small tank have an immature sandbed, or a lack of microfauna? I've seen many tanks that have extremely low nutrient (NO3, PO4) levels yet still grow cyano like crazy. Basically, cyano is opportunistic, growing wherever it can. Algae of different kinds will eventually outcompete it. It's kind of like a forest after a fire. Cyanobacteria and diatom algae are the first to colonize bare space, since they grow fast in a variety of water conditions. Once secondary plants and animals move in (coralline, pods, etc) the cyano can't grow any more. The problem with some tanks is that they get stuck in the primary phase, usually due to a lack of microfauna, perhaps from fish predation or lack of food.

 

I've also seen cyano blooms occur when a carbon source is added, such as vinegar in kalk, vodka, or sugar dosing. I seem to remember learning that cyano can use hydrocarbons as a food source, as they are bacteria and not a true algae. This would allow them to grow in (relative) absence of nitrogen or phosphorous.

 

The molybdenum thing is a crock. Of course they'll tell you it's something only they can test for; it helps sell their monthly service.

 

Hope this helps.

Justin

[ErikS]

This would allow them to grow in (relative) absence of nitrogen or phosphorous.

Yep, they take far less than most other life forms............one reason being that they can bind nitrogen from the air = tough to make go away sometimes.

['Ric]

Good points, all.

 

I haven't tested my Phosphate myself in a while, so I'll double check that.

 

The flow in the small tank is very low compared to the main tank.

 

Sandbed in the small tank was laced with mature sand, and I've had it going for a while. The Mantis Shrimp has stirred it up A LOT since I added him recently. Maybe that triggered something.

 

I take it that there's nothing that eats it that the Mantis wouldn't eat, right?

 

'Ric

[bprinehart]

Good points, all.

 

I haven't tested my Phosphate myself in a while, so I'll double check that.

 

The flow in the small tank is very low compared to the main tank.

 

Sandbed in the small tank was laced with mature sand, and I've had it going for a while. The Mantis Shrimp has stirred it up A LOT since I added him recently. Maybe that triggered something.

 

I take it that there's nothing that eats it that the Mantis wouldn't eat, right?

 

'Ric

 

How old is the tank Ric? I found with my other tanks, that the cyano was just a part of the maturation cycle and eventually cleared up on its own, though the additional flow did help keep it from spreading.

[Nitro Junkie]

How old is the tank Ric? I found with my other tanks, that the cyano was just a part of the maturation cycle and eventually cleared up on its own, though the additional flow did help keep it from spreading.

 

Thats how it went in my 75, after some more flow and time it passed (maybe a month or so)