Red Slime Help Needed

[b0bby1]

i have red slime all over my substrate, it seems there is little bubbles spread around on the bottom too. what is the best way to clean this mess up?
should i get more hermits crabs and other inverts?

 

[garnet13aj]

As far as I know there isn't any creatures that eat it
I don't know how old your system is, but almost every new system has a red slime phase, I just got over mine and let me tell you, it was ugly, but it's part of the process.
It could just be part of the process of setting up a new tank, it is important to have a lot of flow in your system and most people say that RO/DI water is a lot less likely to get red slime than tap water.
I had tap water in my system when my bloom happened. The best thing to do is figure out why the red slime is there and do what you can to fix it that way (more flow, RO/DI water, etc). Other than that just ride it out, it will go away (mine took about a month though!).
Most people suggest against using any medication though.
good luck.

 

[reefreak29]

like garnett said , increase your flow with power heads, when u do a water change siphon as much as u can , also cut back on feeding and cut your light down for a couple weeks

 

[b0bby1]

Is anybody sure that inverts don't eat it??

 

[reefreak29]

Originally Posted by b0bby1
Is anybody sure that inverts don't eat it??
nope

 

[michaeltx]

its a bacteria and I dont know of anything that eats it increased flow will help the problem though.
Mike

 

[sfoister]

The red/green cyano is actually considered the evolutionary link between bacteria and algae. That being said my mexican turbo snails are eating the hell out of my red slime. I also have some green slime on some of my rock and they're attacking that also. Try getting some turbos and drop them in the tank right on top of your slime, they will eat it.

 

[garnet13aj]

Huh, my turbos don't eat it, but you could get lucky so it's worth a try. It's more important though to figure out what is causing it and fix that problem. It could be a mixture of tap water and overfeeding that is leading to the problem. If a lot of food is left on the bottom of your tank after feeding I would feed less food less often, increase flow (food shouldn't just sink to the bottom), and start using RO/DI water if you aren't already.

 

[rbaldino]

Chemiclean worked for me.

 

[aztec reef]

water changes and getting rid of dead zones in tank will fix it.

 

[fbm]

Everything here with the exception of using chemicals is the best route. What fixed mine was switching to ro/di water and increased flow. However I have been thinking of cutting back some flow because I think the main cause was my water.

 

[shawnhardy]

I heard once that Urchins eat it...never confirmed it though

 

[mightymouse]

i added a skimmer. its almost comletely gone in about a week.