red slime

spetitti · 12/06/2007, 04:30 PM

Hello, can anyone hear me?
Help, I have a small 12 gal tank with about 40 watts of lights. In my tank are 2 fishes (clown and a dotty) and a coral cable shrimp. Also I have 5 small different corals. My problem is RED SLIME!! I have checked my water parimeters, nitrates none, amnonia none pH 8.2. I change my water every week, about a 20% change. This red slime keeps coming back. For example I changed my water yesterday, tanks looks good, this morning the slime is already growing on my sand soon it will be on the rocks and growing. During my water changes I scrub my rocks clean of slime and meticulously clean it out of my coral. What I am doing wrong? Please help. I'm ready to break down the whole tank and start fresh with a 20 gal tank. I appreciate any advice I receive, thank you, thank you, thank you!:

Drachs · 12/06/2007, 04:37 PM

You either have diatoms or Cyanobacteria (Red Slime algae). You need to add something to the tank that will eat this stuff. Hermit crabs and snails is what people usually use.

Also, this stuff usually can't grow without some source of phosphates. Most common suspect is using tap water to mix your salt water mix with or using tap water for topoffs, which you should never use. Always use reverse RO or distilled water.

Drachs · 12/06/2007, 04:38 PM

Oh, btw, how old is your tank?

spetitti · 12/06/2007, 04:46 PM

This tank is about 9 mo old. Always forgot to mention, I purchase all of my water from a salt water fish store, I buy salt water and when things are tight I but their RO water and mix my one.

Drachs · 12/06/2007, 04:56 PM

If your tank is 9 months old then you probably have red slime algae. If you get all your water from the fish store then your main source of phosphates is probably feeding.

The easiest solution is to get a few hermit crabs and snails to eat the algae. Cerith snails and Mexican hermit crabs both love to eat red slime algae.

Also, you can take things one step further if you have a sump, or are running a nanocube or something similar. I've seen people peel off the black backing off their pump area so light can get inside so that they can grow Chaetmorphia macroalgie. This macroalgie will consume the phosphates and help keep them from building to a high enough level to allow algae to grow in your main tank. It will also consume nitrates and ammonia. When the algae gets too big, you just cut some off and throw it away, thereby permanently removing the nitrates and phosphates locked up in the algae out of your tank.

Red slime algae page from garf: http://www.garf.org/redslime.html

spetitti · 12/06/2007, 06:24 PM

Thanks so much for all of the feedback, got some good ideas and solutions. Thanks again!

Duff Man · 12/06/2007, 07:47 PM

How's the flow in the tank? Any powerheads? Cyano hates flow. I had a problem like you and it disappeared shortly after putting in a powerhead pointed at the area.

stingythingy45 · 12/06/2007, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Duff Man
How's the flow in the tank? Any powerheads? Cyano hates flow. I had a problem like you and it disappeared shortly after putting in a powerhead pointed at the area.

I second this....

More flow is definitely the way to go.

12/06/2007, 04:30 PM	#1
spetitti Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Tucson, AZ USA Posts: 6	red slime Hello, can anyone hear me? Help, I have a small 12 gal tank with about 40 watts of lights. In my tank are 2 fishes (clown and a dotty) and a coral cable shrimp. Also I have 5 small different corals. My problem is RED SLIME!! I have checked my water parimeters, nitrates none, amnonia none pH 8.2. I change my water every week, about a 20% change. This red slime keeps coming back. For example I changed my water yesterday, tanks looks good, this morning the slime is already growing on my sand soon it will be on the rocks and growing. During my water changes I scrub my rocks clean of slime and meticulously clean it out of my coral. What I am doing wrong? Please help. I'm ready to break down the whole tank and start fresh with a 20 gal tank. I appreciate any advice I receive, thank you, thank you, thank you!: __________________ spetitti Current Tank Info: 12 Gal salt water; just set up no fish at this time

12/06/2007, 04:46 PM	#4
spetitti Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Tucson, AZ USA Posts: 6	This tank is about 9 mo old. Always forgot to mention, I purchase all of my water from a salt water fish store, I buy salt water and when things are tight I but their RO water and mix my one. __________________ spetitti Current Tank Info: 12 Gal salt water; just set up no fish at this time

12/06/2007, 06:24 PM	#6
spetitti Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Tucson, AZ USA Posts: 6	Thanks so much for all of the feedback, got some good ideas and solutions. Thanks again! __________________ spetitti Current Tank Info: 12 Gal salt water; just set up no fish at this time

12/06/2007, 04:37 PM	#2
Drachs Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: East Moline, IL Posts: 140	You either have diatoms or Cyanobacteria (Red Slime algae). You need to add something to the tank that will eat this stuff. Hermit crabs and snails is what people usually use. Also, this stuff usually can't grow without some source of phosphates. Most common suspect is using tap water to mix your salt water mix with or using tap water for topoffs, which you should never use. Always use reverse RO or distilled water.

12/06/2007, 04:38 PM	#3
Drachs Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: East Moline, IL Posts: 140	Oh, btw, how old is your tank?

12/06/2007, 04:56 PM	#5
Drachs Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: East Moline, IL Posts: 140	If your tank is 9 months old then you probably have red slime algae. If you get all your water from the fish store then your main source of phosphates is probably feeding. The easiest solution is to get a few hermit crabs and snails to eat the algae. Cerith snails and Mexican hermit crabs both love to eat red slime algae. Also, you can take things one step further if you have a sump, or are running a nanocube or something similar. I've seen people peel off the black backing off their pump area so light can get inside so that they can grow Chaetmorphia macroalgie. This macroalgie will consume the phosphates and help keep them from building to a high enough level to allow algae to grow in your main tank. It will also consume nitrates and ammonia. When the algae gets too big, you just cut some off and throw it away, thereby permanently removing the nitrates and phosphates locked up in the algae out of your tank. Red slime algae page from garf: http://www.garf.org/redslime.html

12/06/2007, 07:47 PM	#7
Duff Man Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Chicago's far NW burbs Posts: 629	How's the flow in the tank? Any powerheads? Cyano hates flow. I had a problem like you and it disappeared shortly after putting in a powerhead pointed at the area.