Help!!Red Algae getting out of control...

[gordruls]

A friend of mine has some type of red algae taking over her tank. It's all over her rock and growing. It's color is kind of a fire engine red...Is this bad and if so How do you control it?

 

[speg]

It is prrrrrrobably cyano bacteria... also called red slime algae.
Usually when this stuff gets out of control its because something in the tank is not how it used to be/should be. Has your friend replaced their light bulbs like they should? A older bulb will slowly shift spectrums and end up creating light that this red bacteria enjoys.
Also a heavily fed/overfed tank usually gets problems with it as well. You should consider having your friend cut back feeding if they are feeding too much... at least until the problem is fixed. Water changes are always good to do too.. make sure the filters are all cleaned as well.
There is also some stuff on the market called like red slime away or something that can remove it... but if you dont fix the problems that are causing it.. it may end up returning later.. so its better to avoid buying that stuff and just fix the problem correctly.

 

[jester805]

I had it in my tank once and found out it was because I had my lights on for too long. I have them on timers and cut my time in half. The cyano was gone in 2 days.