Red Slime Algae

supersmile · #1 04-07-2008, 06:09 PM

I am having a problem with red slime algae. I have been told by a LFS to use the Red Slime be gone medication. I have used that twice now and it seems that the red slime just returns in a matter of 2 weeks. I try to siphon out as much as I can but it still comes back. Does anyone have any other suggestions? This is driving me crazy. I have gotten my water all tested and everything is fine.

ElGuappo · #2 04-07-2008, 06:13 PM

Try a blackout. i did this and in under a week my cyno was gone. all i did was cut my lighting (photosynthetic period) down to 2 two hour periods for the day.

also flow can be an issue.

supersmile · #3 04-07-2008, 06:24 PM

So for a week did you turn the lights on at all??? Did the Cyano ever come back?

brizzo · #4 04-07-2008, 06:44 PM

How old are your bulbs? As your bulbs age, they produce more red light, which in turn algae thrives even more so on.

I used Poly Ox before, and it never came back

ElGuappo · #5 04-07-2008, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by supersmile

So for a week did you turn the lights on at all??? Did the Cyano ever come back?

I had the lights on from 9am to 11 am then again from 4pm to 6 pm. the only reason i had any light on it was for corals. i also fouund this didnt bother the fish. i had a standing lamp beside the tank for light 60 watt. i was deali8ng with algae issues since day one and the cyno was the last of it. i have been cyno free now for about 6 weeks since turning my lights back up to being on 12 hours a day. only thing is that i gradually uped the time that the lights were on. i left the 2 hour break in the middle untill the last step. thus keeping an interuption in photosyntisis. when upin the lights on time keep an eye on the red slime as it can come back in about 2 days.

Hope this helps. Any questions on this pm me.

PS the reason i went this route is because i dont like using chemicals as i have a fair amount of inverts in my tank,

banditpowdercoat · #6 04-07-2008, 07:01 PM

Just did a 3 day lights out in my tank, Cyano started to disapear in a matter of hrs. Alot of people do 3 days no lights every couple months. Doesnt hurt fish or corals. My torch still came out during the day.

Whatigot · #7 04-07-2008, 07:06 PM

I had a really bad Cyano outbreak in my new reef.
I just adjusted the flow so there was no dead spots at all and got pretty religious about siphoning off all detrius and Cyano and replacing it with clean ro/di water.
Took a week of care and about 70 gallons of water changes but as of this weekend there is barely any cyano and what is there is diminishing.

bv_reefer · #8 04-07-2008, 08:11 PM

had it once, and it was always in deadspots, added another power head, siphoned it out and used that blue vet red slime remover and never seen it since, my bulbs were about 8 months old at that point i believe, i'm pretty sure I've read alot of times that as you're bulbs age, there switching spectrum becomes more favourable for nuisance algae growth. makes sense i don't see a single strand of any algae under 20k's

Joe Reefer · #9 04-07-2008, 08:53 PM

I read in the zeovit guide, that if you dose coral snow and zeobak mixed together it will eliminate cyano.

supersmile · #10 04-07-2008, 09:39 PM

My bulbs are brand new......I just changed them about a month ago thinking that might have been the problem. I also added a power head. My tank is only 44 gallons and I have 1 powerhead. Do you think I need another powerhead? I am also battling really dirty sand. Even when I do a water change every 2-3 weeks. Do you think these 2 problems are related?