Red Slime

[nuffspeed1]

Currently my tank is being overrun with red alge. I was advised by my local FS to gradually replace my water with RO water, which I'm now doing (About 5 gallons a day), as I have been using regular treated tap water. He also sold me a red slime remover by Ultra Life which I tried today. All water tests were good with the exception of the salt level which was a little high.(1.029)
I currently don't have any corral in the tank, just fish. As i'm trying to get the tank back to normal before I add any more corral to it.
If anybody has other suggestions or feed back on the steps being taken to treat the tank, please respond.

 

[seabry]

I also have a red algae problem, I have tried water changeing but it doen't seem to go away, I had a problem with my PO4 but it's 0 now, and yet it still grows

 

[ekclark]

If you do a search on this forum you will find a million posts about this problem. We all deal with it. Better movement of your water, tap water, older bulbs, and over feeing can all add to it. Do a search and you'll be set.

 

[elcid]

I have read in this forum that CHEMICLEAN works really well, I have the same problem but in my case is GREEN instead of RED.

 

[reef fool]

You need to find the cause. I too still had red slime after getting No3 and PO4 to 0ppm. It was even growing in moderate - high flow areas. Overfeeding was my problem. I found that after 0 PO4 and Near 0 NO3, the redslime was still thriving on the extra nutrients. My underachieving Bak Pak skimmer was also to blame IMO.
Red Slime Remover is the best for removal. No harm to reef or fish/inverts at all. Just turn off your skimmer for about 3-4 days and do a water change after 48 hours as recommended by the product. result = Red Slime Gone!
Finding and fixing the cause will asssure no return of red slime.

 

[nuffspeed1]

In regards to bulbs. How often should you change them.

 

[reef fool]

Originally posted by nuffspeed1
In regards to bulbs. How often should you change them.
It depends on what kind of lighting you have. Approx 6 months for VHO and 9-12 for PC. This is what I was told. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[banshee]

I just used Chemi-clean yesterday....no more red slime algae in my tank today. It works great.

 

[nuffspeed1]

Thanks for all your help

 

[justinx]

Every one of the chemicals that claim to be reef safe are NOT if you use a DSB. Since the "red slime" is actially a bacteria, the chemicals used to treat it are none-the-less, anti-biotics. And since a DSB operates with bacteria, it WILL be affected by these anti-biotics. In other words, it may have taken out the cyano, but it probably took out the DSB as well, or at least part of it. I would not endorse these products.
Secondly, as previously stated, you need to find the cause. Other wise your problem will return. I defeated this nuisance by
1. Lightening the bio-load
2. Decreasing feedings
3. Increase current
4. More frequent water changes
Went away entirely in a week and hasnt been back in over 6 months.

 

[something'sfishy]

I also have the same problem. I tried removing this red slime but when I woke-up the next morning, they grew again and occupied the same spots.

 

[goldrush]

I agree with Justin. Cyano is a bacteria.All the chemicals that work on it are low level antibiotics which have somewhat of a negative effect on your DSB. RO water,better ciculation(no dead spots), Fresh lighting,and less feeding are usually all you need. A refugium also works because it sucks up all the posphates and when you prune you macro algae you are in effect removing them.

 

[tiffster]

I had a horrible slime algae after my tank was set up for about six months. I almost dropped $100.00 on new bulbs but then the owner of the LFS store suggested that alkalinity/ buffering capacity may be out of wack..I started using Salifert KH +pH buffer and I haven't had a problem since! Hope I could help!

 

[rhomer]

I had this problem for a long time about 6 months, I tried everything, I cut the lighting from 8 hours a day to 2 hours a day, I had was turning my tank over 10 -15 times an hour in water flow, I tried chemi-clean (it would just return).
I changed from DI water to distilled water and RO water, I added a small refugium, and I replaced the pump in my skimmer. It took about 1 week before 90% of my cyno was gone. It took another few weeks for the remaining amount was gone.
I can't tell you which of those items had the greatest impact, but I'm guessing that any one of those items would have helped, but I might not have eliminated as fast or as effectively.