A short progression on my tank.

[tthemadd1]

I have had this 55 gal set up for some time.
My system is a 30 ga. refugium with some LR, Plants, and trouble fish. Incuding a protein skimmer. Some bio balls for extra filtration. I have about 100pds or LR in the tank itself with an average of three inches of CC and LS. This has worked out very well since I started using an R/O system. I have coralife light fixture with VHO bulbs. 2x actinic and 2x10000 k. This tank setup was alittle expensive but very good to me. I am looking to increase my coraline over the next year and then move on to some more expensive corals. Here are the photos.
It seems that I can get cheaper fish in NE Ohio than my brother so it tends to be the transfer tank. Enjoy the pics. You can see the decrease in Red Slime after a few months as well.
My past residents have included the following. (those marked with "*" are still in tank.)
Huma Huma
Percula Clown
*Tang
*Blue yellow tail Damsel
*Koran Angel
Cleaner Wrasse
*Two Convict Damsels
*Chocolate Chip Starfish
*Two Bristle Starfish
*Pencil Urchin
*Emerald crabs
*2 Serpent Starfish
Cleaner shrimp
*Banded Coral Shrimp
*Hermits Blue/Red leg
*Astrea Snails
*Mexican Turbos
Horseshoe Crab
*Bubble Tip Anenome
*Green Mushrooms
*Bubble Coral
*Leather Coral
Long Tenticle Anenome (maroon)
Condi's
Alot of these fish/inverts have moved in and out very quick. I now have a small ten gallon set up for these transients so they dont mess with my bioload.

 

[tthemadd1]

These are some pics of the 55gal after the cleanup of red slime.

 

[tthemadd1]

Here are some old pics with the slime. Nasty...

 

[angelofish]

Nice tank. Does your Tang eat the plants in your tank? What kind are they. Ive tried different kinds so far with no luck.If my Tang doest pick on them my hermit crabs do. :notsure:
Yikes!!! Just saw the slime pics.

 

[tthemadd1]

These are back to the new photos of the tank, refugium, and transient tank in progress. It is just a ten gallon that I will be using to transfer fish to Columus tanks. I am going to keep some snails, crabs to maintain the water.

 

[tthemadd1]

Here he is the main attraction. The coral Banded Shrimp Speedy. not really but there needs to be some kind of climax...

 

[tthemadd1]

Red Dragon

 

[schadiest1]

what steps did you take to clean up ur red slime algae?

 

[tthemadd1]

You can check some other threads for the technical info on how to clean up red slime.
Another important tip is to check for PH, hardness, calcium carbonate, and other levels.
LPS's will tell you that you need to keep an eye on you Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates.
You really have alot of other tests to do to maintain a healthy environment. Check the threads for other tests for water quality.
Red Slime is caused by bad water quality, high nutrient levels, high CO2 levels, and too much lighting.
I solved the problem by attacking at all fronts.
1. I cut my lighting down by turning off my actinic. I left it on for only two hours a day. This went on for about two months.
2. I installed a refugium to cycle light, plants at the opposite time as the DT.
Plants will release CO2 at night. To compensate for this I run my fuge on the opposite cycle.
3. I installed a R/O unit. I realized that the amount of minerals I was putting into the tank was unbelievable. After looking at my R/O filters I can see the level of minerals was really high.
4. I started feeding every other day. I did this for about two weeks. The tank has been setup for about two years and there were plenty of pods for them to eat. I found it really cool to watch my damsel clear the sand with his tail and then chow down on the pods lifted into the stream.
Looking back I believe that my personal problem was the type of water I was putting into the system. Even after distilling I found that I never had the problem at my last apartment. Nothing else had really changed except for the water.
Good Fishing,
Themaddhatter

 

[tthemadd1]

I have noticed that my tang will not eat any hearty plants. I have razor Calurpa in the tank now. My fuge has bubble and feather. He will devour those when I drop them in. I also have some ?Money Wart?. I remember it was some kind of wart. He doesnt eat them either. They are very thick skinned plants. Good Fishing

 

[schadiest1]

what type of salt do you use? i am using instant ocean and from what i was told that could be the cause of my red slime algae. i am starting to use tropic marin and maybe that will help clear up some of the red slime algae.

 

[tthemadd1]

I use the Instant Ocean. I know that isnt my problem. I really think that it was my water. Here is a pic of my r/o after a couple months of use. Pretty sick, I dont drink from the tap anymore. LOL By the way they started out white.... Seeing is believing

 

[schadiest1]

i know it's not my water, i had a 30 gallon up and running for over a year without a bit of red slime... and now in my 75, bam red slime all over the sand bed/LR

 

[tthemadd1]

What changed since you noticed the Red Slime. What are your parameters, Carbonate, Hardness, etc. Those will help in determining. I cant remember if you have a sump or fuge, You could also try a UV Sterilizer. You have to realize that even after I went through the steps listed above it was only after a month or two that the tank went back to normal. Until then it looked pretty bad.

 

[tthemadd1]

It also might just be your bioload. How long has the tank been up and running. Mine was up for a year before it went through that crappy phase... Do you have alot of aptasia, also a sign of bad water quality. (Not water quality from the tap but in the tank). Another good step would be to take your water to a LFS, preferably one with a knowledgable person who maintains their systems. Dont get sucked in by a salesperson. Go straight to the source. You can also get your water tested by the department of reclimation. They will test your water, just say that it is from your tap and then get their reaction when they tell you that there is salt in your tap water LOL.. might be funny....

 

[schadiest1]

tank has been up and running for a lil over 4 months now... the only thing standing out is nitrates, which i'm unsure of because one test tells me 0 and another tells me 40. I'm puting a HOB fuge on the tank wednesday.

 

[tthemadd1]

That would definately help. The Fuge I mean. Right now I went and bought a plant light from home depot. I bought a cheapo ballast and got plant bulbs. I am hoping they will help the calurpa grow faster. Ill keep people posted on the progress. You are really nearing the end of your setup cycle.
How much LR is in the tank and how long has it been in?
Do you have alot of fish in the tank?
If so how long have they been in?
What is your experience with Saltwater Tanks?
How are your Nitrites?
Ammonia?
Do you have plants?
I ask these questions because all of them can effect how long your cycle will last and can be a cause for your red slime explosion. When you add fish, LR, to the tank near the end of your cycle you really add a whole new level of polution to your tank. It all needs to be added slowly to maintain the bacteria load. If you have added alot of stuff to your tank over a short period all of the waste, die off(in the case of Live Rock) increases the amount of food for your Red Slime. It is a vicous cycle. Dont kill me if I am repeating myself. After a long Thread like this I have a hard time organizing what has been covered and what hasnt. I think your best bet is to have your water tested. It will save you money on the individual tests that need to be done. If you need a list of tests that should be done let me know. Good luck,
Themaddhatter

 

[schadiest1]

i'll try to answer all ur ?'s
nitrites - 0
ammonia - 0
80 lbs of LR since the start
60 lbs of LS
Been at the saltwater hobby for over a year now
7 fish - yellow tang, 2 false percs, clarkii, algae blenny, anthias, royal gramma
been with me for a couple months now
no plants right now, i have them ready for my fuge (my last fuge i had on leaked after 2 days)

 

[tthemadd1]

I think you just have to accept the fact that your water might be full of minerals. Most water sources are. I just got back from picking up the 50 gallon that was for sale here in Ohio and his tank had the same problem. He has great water for corals. They were thriving but he just got over a bad spot of red slime and now his tank is going through the green hair algae pahse. I laughed when he said he would clean his rocks. I have a huge tang and he is almost done with them. Check that water at the LFS and see what happens with the lights turned off for a few more hours a day. Good Luck
Themaddhatter

 

[schadiest1]

i have cut down on lighting. the only thing i don't get is that I am using the same water that i used in my 30 gallon tank, same IO salt. why no red slime in that tank? maybe it is bio load like u said. btw, thanks for all ur continued replies and much appreciated help.