How to get rid of Red Slime Algae

[Oneilwiz]

Hey reef keepers,

I am red slime algae issue going on in my tank and I don't know how to get rid of it and further prevent it from reoccurring.
My tank has been up since October

 

[skene]

siphon it out... and start doing waterchanges.

 

[rwells]

If that don't work try CHEMICLEAN.

 

[Oneilwiz]

I have tried water change and siphon already

 

[skene]

Well if you are doing water changes give some more information about your tank. What your normal WC schedule is like. You need to stay on top of water quality to get rid of cyano. You need to find out what is causing the bloom.

Don't even bother with chemicals to remove it... cause that is just a band aid and when it comes back then you are back at square one.

Water changes and flow to dead spots where cyano thrives is important.

 

[Awibrandy]

Going by your pic it doesn't appear you have a huge issue.

You stated you are doing water changes. Couple of questions.
1) Are you using tap water, or RO/DI water?
2) How often are you doing water change, and how much?
3) What size tank is it?
4) What did you fill the tank with? RO/DI or Tap?
5) What is the flow in your tank?
6) What do you feed, and how often?
7) What is your filtration like?
8) Are you running any reactors with a Phosphate Remover?
9) Do you have a fuge?
10) How many fish, size of fish are you keeping in this tank?

Yes, you can use chemicals to rid the tank of "Slime Algae", BUT only as a last resort! Say, you have done EVERYTHING possible to avoid it, yet it is still there.
Chemicals are not to be used lightly or as first resort.

I have used both "Red Slime Remover", and "ChemiClean" through out the years. Both were successful, but again only when all that could possibly be the cause was addressed.
If you jump to the chemicals without addressing the cause it will only continue to come back.
Wishing you all the best in this battle..

Have you run any test? For instance Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, Phosphates. What were the results of the test?

 

[basiab]

I have tried water change and siphon already

How many times?
There is no quick fix. It takes time. There are a lot of threads about this so read them. Kathy also has an interesting one that I have tried and did work.
Good luck.

 

[ruha456]

I had the same problem and I used chemiclean and water change and so far so good. But my outbreak was light and I reacted quick to it.

 

[Oneilwiz]

Going by your pic it doesn't appear you have a huge issue.

You stated you are doing water changes. Couple of questions.
1) Are you using tap water, or RO/DI water? R/O Water
2) How often are you doing water change, and how much? every 2 weeks
3) What size tank is it? 90 Gallon
4) What did you fill the tank with? RO/DI or Tap? fill with TAP
5) What is the flow in your tank?2 huge powerhead
6) What do you feed, and how often? brineshrimp and myesis shrimp with seaweed
7) What is your filtration like? I have a WD 100 Eshopp sump converted with filter socks and no BIO Balls with Chemipure Elite
8) Are you running any reactors with a Phosphate Remover? no
9) Do you have a fuge? no
10) How many fish, size of fish are you keeping in this tank? I have 10 fish 8 are very small and two medium size fish

 

[Awibrandy]

Going by your pic it doesn't appear you have a huge issue.

You stated you are doing water changes. Couple of questions.
1) Are you using tap water, or RO/DI water? R/O Water Excellent
2) How often are you doing water change, and how much? every 2 weeks I would bump it to 20% weekly with ro/di water
3) What size tank is it? 90 Gallon
4) What did you fill the tank with? RO/DI or Tap? fill with TAP This may very well be a big part of the problem. I did the similar when I first started in the hobby, followed by regular tap water after a few months cause I got tired of the Tap Water Filter taking for ever.
5) What is the flow in your tank?2 huge powerhead Doesn't really tell us much.
6) What do you feed, and how often? brineshrimp and myesis shrimp with seaweed Are you rinsing the mysis & brine shrimp thoroughly before putting it in the tank, and how much, how often?
7) What is your filtration like? I have a WD 100 Eshopp sump converted with filter socks and no BIO Balls with Chemipure Elite Good
8) Are you running any reactors with a Phosphate Remover? no Try to get a reactor, and run some GFO it will help a lot.
9) Do you have a fuge? no Some will say install one. I don't run a fuge.
10) How many fish, size of fish are you keeping in this tank? I have 10 fish 8 are very small and two medium size fish

I'm not the one to tell anyone they have to many fish, cause I have always kept lots of fish. But with that said you need to compensate when you choose to have a large bio-load with ways of removing the excess nutrient level that come with such.
I did start off wrong, but after many years of algae, red slime, and an inability of not being able to keep corals other then Kenya trees, and such. I started over with new sand, RO/DI water, reactors running GFO & GAC for a few years to remove all of the Phosphates that the rocks had sucked up I know have a mixed reef without algae, or red slime. It will take time for the phosphates the LR absorbed while stewing in tap water to be removed, but it can be done. Just keep up with the RO/DI water changes, and top off as well as run GFO in a reactor.
My recent tank does not show how well my tank was doing on account of Super Storm Sandy.
I am on my way back though.

Hope that helps....

 

[Oneilwiz]

thanks I will look into, as an update I still have the red slime have been changing 10 gallon of water every week, i am using Coral Pro salt mix. my Magnesium is still low which makes my calcium off

 

[Oneilwiz]

I'm not the one to tell anyone they have to many fish, cause I have always kept lots of fish. But with that said you need to compensate when you choose to have a large bio-load with ways of removing the excess nutrient level that come with such.
I did start off wrong, but after many years of algae, red slime, and an inability of not being able to keep corals other then Kenya trees, and such. I started over with new sand, RO/DI water, reactors running GFO & GAC for a few years to remove all of the Phosphates that the rocks had sucked up I know have a mixed reef without algae, or red slime. It will take time for the phosphates the LR absorbed while stewing in tap water to be removed, but it can be done. Just keep up with the RO/DI water changes, and top off as well as run GFO in a reactor.
My recent tank does not show how well my tank was doing on account of Super Storm Sandy.
I am on my way back though.

Hope that helps....

your tank setup rocks yo, sorry to heard what happen

 

[Oneilwiz]

Once again I am still battling with Red Slime Algae: Here is what I havedone so far;
? Used chemiclean then did 20% water change (RO/DIWater) with salt mix red sea coral pro.
? Remove slime manually, slime returned
What Ihave found out /not done so far:
? I am not putting excess nutrient by feeding as Ifeed only twice or once a day with brine shrimp (washed with fish water beforeputting in tank) or sea weed.
? I havenot added additional flow to the tank nor added a GFO or reactor.
? Confirmed RO/DI System filters are in top shapetested water for phos none found in RO/DI water
? PH, KH, Calcium, Magnesium all in correct range
Please help guys I have been on top of my water change but no luck....... getting fustrated..
Help

 

[garys reef]

Here we go again red slime is not an algae it is a bacteria u got it from a coral you bought i got it and tried everything that you have heard already what worked for me is cyano solution dose it and do a 20% water change i did it and haven't seen it since all corals and fish fine

 

[Dre]

Ever heard of a skimmer?

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

1. Increase water flow.
2. Do several small water changes over the period of the next 2 weeks.
3. Stop using things like chemi clean they are only a bandage to a larger problem.
4. Actively run carbon.
5. Run a good skimmer.
6. Post your water parameters.

 

[Oneilwiz]

1. Increase water flow.
2. Do several small water changes over the period of the next 2 weeks.
3. Stop using things like chemi clean they are only a bandage to a larger problem.
4. Actively run carbon.
5. Run a good skimmer.
6. Post your water parameters.

I am running chemi pure elite and I am running a very good skimmer Eshopps PSK 150

 

[Oneilwiz]

Ever heard of a skimmer?

I have a skimmer running

 

[cono]

Try special blend its beneficial bacteria that combats the food source of the red slime CYANO BACTERIA

 

[Awibrandy]

Thank you for the compliment!

What exactly are your parameters at? Please give values.

It takes time to deplete the P04 being released by the LR & sand. It did so 6 years ago with my tank which the LR had stewed in "Tap Water" for about 17 yrs. Please do not give up. The battle can be won if you are patient.

With most if not all "Red Slime Removers" it is stated in the directions that you may need to do two treatments.

Current state of my tank after several weeks of dealing with Cyano via several times per week water changes,and now weekly, running GFO through a reactor, dosing 1 gallon of Lanthanum Chloride at a value of 5ml of lanthanum to a gallon of ro/di water. Siphoned red & green slime out. Four #4 koralias running plus two return pumps - so plenty of flow. Three days of lights out, several weeks of 100% blue leds on, and 30% white leds on for four hours, feeding once per week. (NO FISH in the tank just corals & CUC)..

I also still see some "Cyano", but happy to report that it is diminishing. I have NOT yet used the "Chemi CLean" red slime remover. May do so this weekend or not. Still want to see if I can in fact get rid of it without chemicals.

Couple of should read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanobacteria

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/reefs-beginners/46961-cyanobacteria-primer.html

We can beat this!!!!