Older lightbulbs responsible for Cyano maybe?

[hairtrigger]

I need to replace my lightbulbs... but I have noticed a lot of cyano starting in my tank.
There doesnt seem to be any dead areas circulation wise, and I think all the nutrient deposits are taken care of.
My water paramaters are ideal, and I use good water. So, is it possible, that my PC lights, since they need replacement, have lost the good spectrum to the point that they are simply causing cyano outbreaks?

 

[nacl-h2o]

It can contribute to it, but there still must be some nutreints in there for it, of course it could be keeping the levels down through it's own growth.

 

[hairtrigger]

Hmmm, makes sense. Now, I am sure there are some nutrients, just not too many. There was a week when I didnt maintain my skimmer too often. I didnt turn it up, so it wasnt being very effective during that time, so there may have been a buildup.

 

[nerdy]

I don't think the lights have much to do with slime algae. It is sometimes caused by rapid fluctuations in temp. I used a product called antired and it was gone overnight.

 

[hairtrigger]

Mac, Nerdy... I have heard of these products, but am hesitant to add a chemical to my reef if it is not necessary.
What kind of response did you guys see with your corals? Did they tolerate it, shrink up, etc?
Did everythign work out well long term?
Would yall add this product again in an outbreak?
Do you know exactly what it does, the product?

 

[megabyte]

I had the same problem and purchased an antiboitic from my lfs and it went away after 3 days of treatment. The antibiotic where little white

[hr]
in a silver foil that you popped out. Not sure of the name. I can find out if you like..

 

[goldrush]

Those little

[hr]
are probably Maracyn (?sp.).It is a low level erthromycin (antibiotic). Works like a charm,no ill effects,but you should use it for 5 days to completely eliminate the harmful bacteria.Does no harm to beneficial bacteria. Of course,you need to address the cause,not the effect. Only after this is done would I recommend this treatment.

 

[nerdy]

Antired is totally coral and fish safe. I have a lot invested in my tank as well and it did not harm anything. All it takes is 2 dosages in one day and the next day the slime algae is gone.

 

[hairtrigger]

Ok, this sounds like a lot of work, but seems worth it to get rid of this crap. I will probably try and locate some after work. Do you know if all of these products require so much?
And yes, you are very right, about isolating the cause before treatment. I believe I might have done that already, thank God. I am just trying to get rid of what's there now, so it doesnt keep spreading.

 

[reef fool]

I just used it in my tank. Did not see any of my corals react in any odd way. I actually put it in when they were fully open and they all stayed that way.Red slime gone in 24 hrs.
My LFS recommended it. He is the same guy who swore he would not use any chems. in his reef system. But he also got sick of the red crap. I am not sure of his exact water volume of the system that he treated, but it is pretty big, His slime was also gone in 24 hrs. and not one coral was affected by it.
I tried "Erase" about 1 1/2 months ago and it killed all of my colerpa and my bubble has not recovered yet, so I wouldn't call that "reef safe"!

 

[reef fool]

Try to stay away from the normal antibiotics, as it may affect the good bacteria also. Red Slime Remover does not (so they say)

 

[hairtrigger]

Nice! Red slime remover huh? What do you do, just throw it in the tank? Not so literally of course.

 

[reef fool]

It comes in a small vial w/ it's own spoon. You add one spoonful per 15 gallons of system water. You mix it in a cup of your aquarium water first, then add it to your system. I put mine in the sump. I also turned off my skimmer and removed my carbon. I believe the carbon is a must, but the LFS guy said he left his skimmer running when he treated, just removed the carbon.
That red crap was killing my gorgonian in places, which btw, is in a high flow area. The next morning, less than 24 hrs, there wasn't any on it at all. It's been 2 days now and everything seems OK.

 

[reef fool]

If you can't find it anywhere, let me know. I will give you my LFS phone # or if you prefer, I can send you some.
E-Mail me at DFKovacs@hotmail.com

 

[hairtrigger]

Nice, thanks. I am going to check around here, and see if my next water change helps it. I might end up dropping you a line though. I appreciate that.

 

[reef fool]

Beware of the foam!!!
I don't know if you have a skimmer, but if you do, turn it off. Tried to start mine up again last night and it was foam and bubble city. The red slime remover definitely causes surface tension and the "Foam Monster"! Turned it on again today (3 days after treatment) and it was better. still a little foam and some bubbles, but not as bad. Red Slime non existent.

 

[hairtrigger]

Oh man, I am glad you told me that. I do have a skimmer, a Berlin. I am going to try and pick up some after work today. Does it say how long it erradicated the cyano for? I am hoping permanently. Let me know when yer skimmer gets back on track. I'll turn mine off. And then probably do a water change when the slime is gone, that way it will remove some of the excess redslimeremover. Make sense?

 

[reef fool]

Like I said, I turned the skimmer on after 3 days w/ a little foam, but not a problem. Still some bubbles coming out of the skimmer though. I assume that the cyano may return if the original cause isn't fixed. But there is no sign of that crap in my tank or the LFS guy's after treatment. Give it a shot. I was fighting an uphill battle with it before I tried this stuff. GOOD LUCK! Let me know if you can't find it.