HELP!! red algae like substance
- Thread starter clown316
- Start date
ryanhayes9
Active Member
it is cyano algae... bad.
do you use r/o water?
how often do you feed?
what are your water parameters?
do you use r/o water?
how often do you feed?
what are your water parameters?
lazuruskfp
Member
sounds like cyanobacteria... I just started this year but I had a bout with that stuff when I first started up my tank.
The main way to get rid of that is examine a few things you might be doing to contribute to its growth:
1. How much water flow do you have around the areas where the cyano is forming?
2. How long are you leaving your day-time lights on during a typical day?
3. How often do you feed and what do you feed?
The last 2 more of a general rule of thumb for fighting algae as I've found. As for the water flow it was the largest contributer to my problem. If you do not have 10-20x gph flow per gallon of water in your tank you can consider increasing the number of powerheads in your tank, or you could reorient one of the powerheads to increase the flow in the affected areas. once you get that going the stuff should be removable pretty quickly via syphon/toothbrush/or just hands.
I found it was really helpful to remove all of the bacteria even after fixing the flow problem as it can really adhear to the surfaces of live rock and sand such that the flow can take quite a while to fix it on its own.
If none of this helps check the faq section of the boards I'm pretty sure there was a section on getting rid of troublesome algaes
The main way to get rid of that is examine a few things you might be doing to contribute to its growth:
1. How much water flow do you have around the areas where the cyano is forming?
2. How long are you leaving your day-time lights on during a typical day?
3. How often do you feed and what do you feed?
The last 2 more of a general rule of thumb for fighting algae as I've found. As for the water flow it was the largest contributer to my problem. If you do not have 10-20x gph flow per gallon of water in your tank you can consider increasing the number of powerheads in your tank, or you could reorient one of the powerheads to increase the flow in the affected areas. once you get that going the stuff should be removable pretty quickly via syphon/toothbrush/or just hands.
I found it was really helpful to remove all of the bacteria even after fixing the flow problem as it can really adhear to the surfaces of live rock and sand such that the flow can take quite a while to fix it on its own.
If none of this helps check the faq section of the boards I'm pretty sure there was a section on getting rid of troublesome algaes
clown316
Member
thanks guys... i am feeding my tang julian sprungs seaweed veggies... no flake... and i have been giving my xenia frozen coral food mix... once a day... and i have the 29 gallon bio cube... stock everything... lights... pump... and i know bout the whole tang police thing lol... w/e... hes a small guy and he loves the tank and i was advised by a professional that he would do great in my tank...
lazuruskfp
Member
RO water is reverse osmosis water frequently seen paired with the abreviation DI which has to do with ionization. This can be purchased from some large chain stores (wegmans near me sells it near me) or made through filtering (the way I do it). A typical filter will run you 100-350 dollars, but its worth it if you want to stay in the hobby for long.
The water you are adding every time you do water changes, fill the tank, top off ect has levels of iron, copper, and other harmful stuff in it usually depending on the water company you are serviced by.
RO/DI water filters hook up to your tap water faucet and filter the water to eliminate these trace elements (and believe me there is more than you think in your tap water). Using tap water isn't the end of the world (although it isn't great either), but RO/DI water will cause far less damage to your aquatic friends and help cut down on algae blooms.
Definitely look into a filter or find a place that sells RO or RO/DI water near you...
The water you are adding every time you do water changes, fill the tank, top off ect has levels of iron, copper, and other harmful stuff in it usually depending on the water company you are serviced by.
RO/DI water filters hook up to your tap water faucet and filter the water to eliminate these trace elements (and believe me there is more than you think in your tap water). Using tap water isn't the end of the world (although it isn't great either), but RO/DI water will cause far less damage to your aquatic friends and help cut down on algae blooms.
Definitely look into a filter or find a place that sells RO or RO/DI water near you...