"second" opinion pls

yellowtail

yellowtail

Active Member
OK, now i am told (lfs - for the most part knowledgeable mgr) that my red slime problem is probably NITRITE. however, constant testing with FasTest always shows none. he said test kits don't measure nitrite accurately.
agree??
and secondly, would nitrite by a source of the red slime problem?
and thirdly, what would one do to eliminate nitrite?
THANKS anyone!
 
j-cal

j-cal

Member
Iam unsure if nitrite would be the main cause but i know it will certainly help. As far as testing goes, a lot of times problem organisms such as your cyanobacteria or algae use the problematic nutrients at a rate equal to that of it entering your system. the result is the problem testing at 0 but there being a large number of organisms using it....
Best way to kill cyano--feed less and keep yer tank dark for about 24-48 hours
 
nm reef

nm reef

Active Member
The nitrogen cycle used to establish your system should be able to eliminate nitrites...if you have adaquate filtration and avoid excessive introduction of ammonia. Bacteria within a well established system will easily convert waste to ammonia then to nitrite then to much less harmful nitrate.
Excessive nitrates may contribute to your cyano problems...but I seriously doubt that you have problems with nitrites.
I'd also suggest finding a more reliable test...FasTest may be quick and easy to use but I'd be concerned about their accuracy.
There are numerous ways to control/eliminate cyano...adaquate filtration/control of excess nutrients/circulation/insuring lighting is not excessive and within spectrum.....a search here on this forum for "cyano" or something related will yield numerous past threads on the topic.
...and if it were me I'd search for a more knowledgeable LFS....:yes:
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Red Slime aka Cyanobacter consumes Ammonia and/or Nitrite. Either is a source of nutrition. Cyanobacter has the ability to consume Nitrite very quickly. Typically Cuanobacter can keep Nitrite levels below detection limits unles there is a large spike and the population cannot multiply fast enough.
Most hobbiest level test kits for Ammonia and Nitrite are very accurate.
 
infalable

infalable

Member
I thought phosphates were also big cause of Cyano. When I had my proplem. reduced lighting and removal of phosphates seemed to be the correction.
 
yellowtail

yellowtail

Active Member

Originally posted by NM reef
I'd also suggest finding a more reliable test..
There are numerous ways to control/eliminate cyano...adaquate filtration/control of excess nutrients
what test do you recommend?
could you explain "control of excess nutrients" (which ones, from where) THANKS
used to use distilled, just started using RO/DI from lfs.
lfs also recommended a refug.
 
yellowtail

yellowtail

Active Member

Originally posted by J-Cal
Best way to kill cyano--feed less and keep yer tank dark for about 24-48 hours
started feeding 1x day a week ago - was feeding SMALL 2x day.
i have a hammer, mushrooms, zoos - will 24-48 hrs without light do them any damage?
bulbs only 4 months old, 2 pwrheads (40 gal), open top (egg crate), berlin sump 125-Sealife systems protein skimmer(rated up to 75 gal)
1 6-lined wrasse, 1 false percula clown, 1 gold midas blenny, 1 cleaner shrimp + 20 nass snails, 2 turbos, 5 astreas, 3 emerald crabs
THANKS for the posts and suggestions
 
j-cal

j-cal

Member
with those corals i wouldnt go lights out completely, id run maybe 6 hours a day until its gone. how large of a fish load do u have? how good is your pod scene? if u have good pod eaters/hunters and a good pod population id only feed maybe twice a week. my tank gets fed twice a week and is doing very well.
 
yellowtail

yellowtail

Active Member
do i rarely ever see pods but do i rarely look for them.my six line likes them but no there is not a big population
 
jimnlee

jimnlee

Member
You may want to try Algone. It got rid of my slime within a week and it's not been back. If you haven't heard of it, it's a "sponge" that fits into your filter and removes all the phosphates and high nitrates. I tried some of the other "phosphate absorbers" and didn't have much luck but I swear by this stuff now. I'm not sure if Saltwater.com carries it, but they have a website at www.algone.com if you want more info. Good luck
 
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