What I used to "cure" red slime in my tank

GMGQ · #1 02-20-2007, 11:56 PM

You can easily substitute "maracyn" in this thread with "chemi-clean."

I heard chemi-clean is safer, as maracyn is an anti-biotic drug.

Johnny Reefer · #2 02-21-2007, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GMGQ

You can easily substitute "maracyn" in this thread with "chemi-clean."

I heard chemi-clean is safer, as maracyn is an anti-biotic drug.

But Chemi Clean isn't an end all once and for all cure, whereas the Maracyn, here in this thread, is touted as such. At least...that's the idea I'm getting.

Cheers,

GMGQ · #3 02-21-2007, 01:05 AM

I used Maracyn to treat cyano when my tank was a few months old. I've had cyano again since then. It's definitely not the cure all end all.

The only cure for cyano is to push for 0 nitrates, and have excellent flow in ALL areas of the tank. Low flow + nitrates is a breeding ground for cyano.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Reefer

But Chemi Clean isn't an end all once and for all cure, whereas the Maracyn, here in this thread, is touted as such. At least...that's the idea I'm getting.

Cheers,

Johnny Reefer · #4 02-21-2007, 01:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GMGQ

I used Maracyn to treat cyano when my tank was a few months old. I've had cyano again since then. .....

Good to know. Thanx. Second thoughts on trying it now.

Cheers,

GMGQ · #5 02-21-2007, 01:51 AM

Yeah, I mean by the sounds of it, he talks about dosing something that does kill the cyano. Then you do extensive water changes, so of course the cyano will disappear for a while.

But if you're overfeeding/underskimming, and you have dead zones in the tank, I guarantee you the cyano will come back sooner or later.

Having said that, I know a lot of veteran reefers who just dose chemi-clean every few months, as part of their quarterly maintenance. Like I mentioned, chemi-clean hasn't shown any adverse effects, so people aren't afraid to keep using it. Whereas the jury is still out on maracyn... Just like antibiotics in humans, the bacteria/virii eventually become immune to it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Reefer

Good to know. Thanx. Second thoughts on trying it now.

Cheers,

EmilyB · #6 02-21-2007, 04:14 AM

I'm not doing it for an end-all, my tank has been without major circulation since I lost the main pump several weeks ago. Hubby was having surgery and is now able to get back at replumbing. We hope to get some flow back in soon.

The cyano is stringy now after 24 hours.

Waxx · #7 02-22-2007, 10:43 PM

That's exactly it, you need a plan. You can't just use a treatment and expect the cyano never to return unless you change some aspect of your husbandry. Please note that I stress this in the origional as well as follow up posts.

I made some pretty big changes to my tank in combination to using a treatment and I think it was the SUM of all of these things that played a role in the cyano not returning. Going from 1500 GPH of flow up to 4500 GPH I'm sure has a very large part to do with it.

Currently, my PO4 and nitrates are testing 0. That's not to say that it won't ever come back but I can't see it happening (I'll be sure to let you guys know if it does) unless I do somthing drastic.

Please understand I'm not trying to argue either for or against using meds. Also, I am not trying to say that medecine A is better that medicine B for whatever reason. I'm not trying to "sell" you on anything because why would it matter to me?

All I'm saying here is that this is what I tried and this is what worked for me and I wanted to share my results, not start a debate or have to defend myself for making the choice that I did.

Waxx