Red Slime Algae

[sandy]

Will a lawnmower blenny eat red slime algae? What will it eat when it eats all the algae? Would it leave enough algae for the 2 queen conches? lol
Someone said cerith snails, but my lfs does not have any . Just looked it up on Google Images and I have one small one, but it doesn't go to the red algae. It was a hitchiker on LR.
I don't want to add more fish... maybe a lawnmower blenny *if* it would be okay and *if* it would get along with the scooter blenny & sleeper goby.
What other options? I don't really want to blow it off the rocks, what a mess. It is not out of control yet... justgrowing and growing...

 

[nacl-h2o]

The best way to get rid of red slime, is not to find something that will eat it, but to eliminate the phosphates feeding the slim. First test your source water for phosphates. This is a common source of phosphates. And then if there not present do a couple of water changes. You may also try a phosphate remover. Refugiums and algae scrubbers also control phosphate if adding one is an option.HTH

 

[sandy]

algae scrubbers? What are algae scrubbers?
How about blowing it off the rock... letting the Fluval suck it up and then clean out the Fluval? Any problems with that?
Phosphates: Don't have a way to test them, but pretty certain that there is little if any. I tested the water from the water store I use... excellent water.

 

[sandy]

I'll get it tested this weekend. My overall water condition should improve b/c I loweered the bio load by one purple tang.
The algae is only on two of my 85lbs of rock. Not out of control. But it will get that way, yes?
Anyone got a good pic of this stuff so I can be sure?

 

[sandy]

Okay,well I took out the offending two pieces of rock. Quickly submerged them in buckets of change out (good) saltwater. Blew off the red algae with a powerhead and returned the rock to the tank. Everyone seems fine. Rocks are a bit let colorful now ... but didn't lose the real good stuff (Corraline all over the place).
Lower bio-load and good r/o di water should keep it away. If not I'll invest in the stuff to put in the tank. Anti-Red I think.

 

[wamp]

I have battled with this stuff and had no phopshates... I found that turning the skimmer up and water changes with RO/DI helped my problem. Turning up the flow also dramatecily reduced it. I removed some manually and then after adding flow and skimming more it went away pretty fast.
Description from a site:
Cyano = blue, also called blue green algae, but most species found in the aquarium are pinkish-red. Another common name for this nuisance algae is red-slime, because the algae cells form a carpet like mat with a slimy appearance. The mats come off easily by using a vacuum.
Cyanobacteria is a single celled algae and actually more a bacteria. This algae usually starts out on one spot (dark with low water flow) then vastly spreading throughout the tank. As all single celled algae can grow fast, this one is the fastest. In an optimal environment, this algae can double every 20 minutes.
The cause: high nutrients (nitrates) and bad lighting as well as a high organic content in the water.

 

[sandy]

Heavy sigh. If I gotta try to spend more money on that tank in the next month or so (ie: lighting, or those expensive replacement bulbs)... my partner is gonna KILL me.
Well, I'll find a way. They are worth it! I took on this hobby head on for better or worse. Most of it is WONDERFUL.
Meanwhile, I took care of the algae manually, water conditions should improve greatly with the removal of the Purple Tang, I've got 20 gallons perfect r/o water aging with instant ocean. Gotta go buy more salt too. I'll put in another powerhead... I *think* I have one outlet left.

 

[ohscc]

Live sand eliminated it for me.