algae problem

[knotsack]

i have a 10 gallon sitting in my room,'bout 5 lbs of LR and 1 inch of LS. 2 damsels and a gold cbs. alomst everytime i look at the tank i see a redish algae growing on the glass and some over the sand in the back of the tank. even when i wipe it off it comes back. any ideas on how to rid of it? and i have a skilter 250 filter. <img src="graemlins//confused.gif" border="0" alt="[confused]" />

 

[twoods71]

Sounds like red slime / cyanobacteria. It can be killed quickly with an antibiotic product that can be found at many LFS.
A more natural method is to eliminate nutrients and taking other steps.
Check out the link below for more info.
<a href="https://www.saltwaterfish.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=12&t=009964" target="_blank">Algae info here</a>
Good Luck

 

[knotsack]

thank you

 

[karlas]

i think its one of the hardest to get rid of. how are your phosphates and nitrates? if they are high this could be causing your problem good luck

 

[dugan]

You could also switch to RO water if you're not currently using it. Helped me immensely.

Katie

 

[thetuch]

From your description, i think the problem you are having is actually Diatoms. I had a very similiar problem in my tank. Just a few questions. Is the algae slimy? Is it stringy? Do you use tap water? I ask these questions because Diatoms usually start out as spots and then will just start growing. It is also not uncommmon for them to grow on on the top surfaces of things. They come form high silica levels in the water. I solved the problem by cleaning what rocks were covered, then doing a water change and using store brand drinking water(69 cents a gallon). The crushed coral on the bottom which started to get covered was taken care of by the turbo snails. Good luck!!!