please please respond red slime cyano problem

[505titan]

hello to all i have a red slime cyano problem i no you all hear this all the time but how the heck do you get rid of this stuff.
NITRATE-20 to 40 if this is the cause how do i lower it. and i thought nitrate are good.
NITRIRE-0
AMMONIA-0
PH-8.4 to 8.8
salt 1.021
and yes i use bio balls. i feed my fish 1X a day light are on a fixed schedule. what can i do to fix this problem. if i build a refugium will this also help

 

[meowzer]

what do you feed? what do you have for flow? filtration? stock in tank?

 

[505titan]

brine shrimp, flakes,algae sheets, plankton,pellets,
overflow box that goes into a big filter that flows on some filter pads then a carbon pad then flows on bio balls
i have a 150g tank
starfish
3 shrimp
7 small fish
a crab
i clean my filter pads once a week

 

[meowzer]

So you have no cuc? no snails??? and feed junk....
LOL....
OK...first the foods you are feeding suck...try frozen mysis, emerald entree, marine cusine (rinsed)....flakes and pellets...IMO snacks
also what about flow? you have a 150G..do you have any powerheads?
you need to make some changes.....get some snails...etc...

 

[505titan]

yes i have 4 strong power heads that turn off at night
and 1 turbo snail that stays in one spot and yes he is alive
i feed my fish pellets most of the time if this is not good what should i feed them

 

[meowzer]

I just told you...lol
look one post up
why do you turn off your ph's at night?

 

[deejeff442]

yea meowser i am stalking you tonight

turn off powerheads thats a new one?
flakes will cause alot of phosphates.
i have been battling red slime for months in my reef tank.
i have a huge cuc and they dont touch the stuff.
i just keep sucking it up on water changes.
it will eventually die off.
there is deffinitly less now than there was a month ago.

 

[505titan]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3122152
I just told you...lol
look one post up
why do you turn off your ph's at night?
ok ok sorry i didnt see it i guess i just looked past it relax bud. i turn off my power heads at night because the flow is strong one time i saw my fish bumping in to rocks

 

[d-man]

you can use chemycleen but it's not the right way as I'm sure people will tell you soon

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by 505titan
http:///forum/post/3122167
ok ok sorry i didnt see it i guess i just looked past it relax bud. i turn off my power heads at night because the flow is strong one time i saw my fish bumping in to rocks
Would you happen to have a pic of your tank...showing the cyano, and also the position of the powerheads

 

[john & sherri]

1 quick question, Should power heads be kept on or not if they are attached to a UV sterilizer ?, We have heard both ways & now we are confused, We have been leave'n them on BUT we have to replace them more often, Says the LFS.....Thanks

 

[vince-1961]

Try to suck the cyano out of the tank as best you can. Then feed less. Also try some Phosguard to remove phosphates.

 

[deejeff442]

why would anyone turn off powerheads?
as for the uv really not following you on that one.
i also dont know why the lfs would tell you you have to replace ph's more often. either they work or they dont.maybe he meant to uv bulb then that is right .usually 6-12 months for the bulb.
most reefers including myself dont bother with a uv.
they do help keep the water clear.
but as for killing ich the ich is only in the water column for a short period of time .it is either on the fish or on the rock and sand .so killing only a small amount of the ich while in the water doesnt really solve the ich problem.

 

[flower]

Well I waited for everyone to comment...so here is my 2 cents...
You have a 150g tank and 1 snail?
You turn your power heads off at night?
The UV should be off at night, to prevent killing good critters that come out only at lights out. If the only power heads you have are attached to the UV, you need some to run independently at night, to keep uneaten food and anything else that settles on the rock and sand, suspended to be removed by the filter.
LFS was saying, as with anything…the more you use it the more often you will replace it…However power heads can last 5 years and beyond with continues use, so there is no reason to worry about over use..
So as I see it here is the conclusion:
You don’t have an adequate CUC, so food and waste goes uneaten. By turning off your power heads at night allows the stuff in the tank to settle….which feeds the bacteria called cyano.
The solution…

• keep the power heads on 24/7…
• get as much cyano out as possible by hand.
• Purchase a full scale CUC for a 150g tank…(look at reef packages on SWF.com for an idea of what you need) on the left of this page
• Do water changes.
  Rinse the food
  Run a phosphate remover in the filter.
  Since you have it…run the UV only during the day.

Along with the CUC. For a 150g tank, purchase about 4 cleaner shrimp, …they eat the Ich parasite, and also uneaten food. They will also pick any ich off your fish…the fish will go to them to be serviced, it’s great to watch.

 

[spanko]

Just want to make a clarification here. Flow itself does not cure cyano. The reason we talk about flow in the tank when a cyano question is because it grows on areas where nutrients have accumulated. On of the reasons for adequate flow in the tank is to keep nutrients suspended in the water column so that they can be eaten by fish and coral or removed by our filtration. Flow over cyano is not a cure for cyano.
This message has been brought to you by the Flow in the Tank coalition, a non-profit group assembled to spread the truth about Flow related subject.
And now;
Red Slime (Cyano Bacteria)
Cyano grows on top of nutrient rich areas of low flow. There are a number of things that need to be correct or possibly corrected to combat this without the use of chemical additives. The biggest thing is to get rid of the extra nutrients.
1.Evaluate your feeding. If you are feeding more than can be eaten in about 1-2 minutes it is too much and the remainder of it is falling to the rock and sand and becoming nutrient.
2.Evaluate your flow. If you have areas in the tank where there is little to no flow this can be corrected by adding power heads or repositioning the ones you already have. You don’t need to create sand storms just have water moving over the area to keep detritus suspended in the water column for removal by your filter – skimmer.
3.Evaluate your water changes. The solution to pollution is dilution! You want to continually remove unneeded nutrients as well as replace those things that are used by the system. 10% weekly is a good change schedule. Some do 20% every other week and some vary the schedule from there, but a good start is 10% per week.
4.Evaluate your lighting schedule. About 10 hours of daylight is all that is needed.
5.If you have a Cyano outbreak do the above 4 items and:
a.At water change time siphon off the Cyano first. It will come up easily almost like a blanket.
b.After siphoning stir the affected areas a little to suspend any detritus for the water change and filtering - skimming removal.
c.Use a turkey baster on the rockwork now and at every water change in the future to again suspend the detritus for removal by the water change and your filtering – skimming.
Keeping nutrient levels low to non-existent will help to avoid Cyano outbreaks and any algae outbreaks as well as keep your tank and you happy happy.
Hope that helps.

 

[505titan]

ok guy thanks i will look into all that

 

[isthatright]

got a question, i have what i think is the cyano in my 55 and when i clean my decorations some of the red algae doesn't come off easily. i have to scrub i hate it . i cut back on the light n it kinda slowed down but now its eveywhere , any advise?

 

[meowzer]

If it doesn't come off easy it's coraline ...which you want