Coraline or slime
- Thread starter whiterose
- Start date
krishj39
Active Member
To expand on guy's reply, the red slime algae can take over your tank and is found when tank conditions aren't good (sounds like you might have a new tank, and so going through a phase of red slime algae is very normal). Coraline algae is desired because it give the tank a nice natural pink color, however it may have to scraped off of areas of the glass you still want to see through 
. Coraline algae is very hard, while the red slime is exactly that--slimey. Back the the red slime algae: it is called cyano-bacteria. So, it really isn't an algae (or plant) at all, but actually bacteria. However, this kind of bacteria is unique because it uses sunlight for energy, which makes it sort of a cross between an animal and a plant. If you didn't know, corals don't actually need sunlight to live. What they need is to feed off of the algae that lives inside of them. Of course, the algae that lives inside of them DOES need sunlight. So, if the coral doesn't get the right lighting, the algae in it dies off and the coral can't feed off of the algae. I believe cyano-bacteria is the only animal (not plant) that directly converts light into energy, however there may be a few others I am unaware of.
. Coraline algae is very hard, while the red slime is exactly that--slimey. Back the the red slime algae: it is called cyano-bacteria. So, it really isn't an algae (or plant) at all, but actually bacteria. However, this kind of bacteria is unique because it uses sunlight for energy, which makes it sort of a cross between an animal and a plant. If you didn't know, corals don't actually need sunlight to live. What they need is to feed off of the algae that lives inside of them. Of course, the algae that lives inside of them DOES need sunlight. So, if the coral doesn't get the right lighting, the algae in it dies off and the coral can't feed off of the algae. I believe cyano-bacteria is the only animal (not plant) that directly converts light into energy, however there may be a few others I am unaware of.
whiterose
Member
Originally posted by krishj39
To expand on guy's reply, the red slime algae can take over your tank and is found when tank conditions aren't good (sounds like you might have a new tank, and so going through a phase of red slime algae is very normal). Coraline algae is desired because it give the tank a nice natural pink color, however it may have to scraped off of areas of the glass you still want to see through
. Coraline algae is very hard, while the red slime is exactly that--slimey. Back the the red slime algae: it is called cyano-bacteria. So, it really isn't an algae (or plant) at all, but actually bacteria. However, this kind of bacteria is unique because it uses sunlight for energy, which makes it sort of a cross between an animal and a plant. If you didn't know, corals don't actually need sunlight to live. What they need is to feed off of the algae that lives inside of them. Of course, the algae that lives inside of them DOES need sunlight. So, if the coral doesn't get the right lighting, the algae in it dies off and the coral can't feed off of the algae. I believe cyano-bacteria is the only animal (not plant) that directly converts light into energy, however there may be a few others I am unaware of. So, the harder type is desired and the slimmy stuff is not! THe slimmy is what I have and it's all over. I worry about chocking my cup coral. How do I get rid of the slime.
spsfreak100
Active Member
Red slime is actually a bacterium, which is properly reffered to as Cyano bacteria
Cyano Bacteria is commonly caused by a high phosphate level, high nutrient level, low oxygen level or high biological level. Elevated phosphates can easily trigger unwanted outbreaks of this bacteria. High nutrient levels in the water also play a role in the Bacteria growth. A low Flow rate also helps the bacteria spread very easily, without being blasted off the rocks and/or substrate. Cyanobacteria also has a very hard time staying alive in oxygen rich water with good flow. Cyano must reach anaerobic levels to live.
The best method of removel is to always use Reverse Osmosis (RO, or possibly RO/DI) water and possibly a phosphate sponge. This will eliminate any harmfull chemicals going into your water column and causing a problem. A phosphate test kit would really come in handy to see if your tank has phosphate.
More information on your tank setup should really help, esspecially your flow rate and tank demensions. Also, when did you start up the tank, when did the cyano bacteria start? Did you do any changes in anything prior to the outbreak?
Graham
Cyano Bacteria is commonly caused by a high phosphate level, high nutrient level, low oxygen level or high biological level. Elevated phosphates can easily trigger unwanted outbreaks of this bacteria. High nutrient levels in the water also play a role in the Bacteria growth. A low Flow rate also helps the bacteria spread very easily, without being blasted off the rocks and/or substrate. Cyanobacteria also has a very hard time staying alive in oxygen rich water with good flow. Cyano must reach anaerobic levels to live.
The best method of removel is to always use Reverse Osmosis (RO, or possibly RO/DI) water and possibly a phosphate sponge. This will eliminate any harmfull chemicals going into your water column and causing a problem. A phosphate test kit would really come in handy to see if your tank has phosphate.
More information on your tank setup should really help, esspecially your flow rate and tank demensions. Also, when did you start up the tank, when did the cyano bacteria start? Did you do any changes in anything prior to the outbreak?
Graham
S
slofish
Guest
When i ran into red slime, i got "Chemi Clean" from my LFS. It worked like a charm. They told me to put the powder into the tank, turn off the skimmer after 10 mins and leave it off for another 24 hours. Make sure you leave all your other pumps/ circulators ON. After 24 hours the slime was already receeding and beginning to thin out. All the slime didnt clear out until about 2 or 3 days after applying the Chemi Clean. You should be able to get this at your LFS or online.