![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#1 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Posts: 2,971
|
my sand bed kept getting red slime ~~~ can i remove it ?
pls advice
my tank is a year old but no matter what i do it keeps getting red slime growing , can i remove it ? my no3 is 0.4 according to salifert |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#2 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Orange County CA
Posts: 3,819
|
Remove the slime by vacuuming it out. Add a phosban reactor to remove phosphates. Phosphates fuel red slime. Reduce feedings and do water changes more often.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#3 | |
Registered Member
![]() Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Carol Stream, IL
Posts: 23,162
|
Quote:
And too add, if you aren't, make sure you are using RO/DI water -- and make sure its TDS is 0.
__________________
Click my name and then "visit toddrtrex's homepage" for tank pictures Current Tank Info: 210g reef and 65g reef |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#4 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Posts: 2,971
|
phospate =0 , running rowa
using Distilled water |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#5 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Posts: 2,971
|
but still gettting it
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#6 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Palatine, Illinois
Posts: 475
|
You could use the Boyd's red slime remover, but do it at about half of the proposed amount and keep the lights off for 2 - 3 days. Your inverts are at risk w/ the slime remover - some people have had problems.
__________________
A little learning is a dangerous thing, but a lot of ignorance is just as bad. Bob Edwards Current Tank Info: 75 gl reef w/ 30 gl sump, Vertex In 100, 6 x 54w T5, 10 gl nano |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#7 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Downingtown, PA
Posts: 121
|
I had the same problem with my 90 gallon that had been running for a year. I use phosphate remover in a phosban reactor with carbon in a separate reactor and I use a good skimmer. I also use RO/DI water so I knew it was nothing I was doing wrong. It's cyanobacteria and can live and grow on even small amounts of phosphate. I came to the conclusion that it was using phosphates before the phosphate remover in the sump could get rid of it. No amount of vacuuming would get rid of it as It would grow right back very quickly. I ended up using Chemiclean but at only half the dose. After watching all the critters in my tank very carefully I gradually added more over a 3 day period to end up with 3/4 of the recommended dose. I let it go for a few more days with the animals showing no distress. The cyano however was nuked. I brought the skimmer and carbon back online and everything was fine. That was about a month ago and the tank looks great with no signs of cyano. Just go slowly when using a product that is supposed to target cyano and I wouldn't use a product that is an antibacterial (erythromycin) as that can kill beneficial bacteria also. Use a product that will raise redox and will oxidize the cyano which is what chemiclean is supposed to do.
__________________
The seagrass is always greener in the other tank. Current Tank Info: 90 gal w/ sps and soft corals |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#8 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MN
Posts: 885
|
If you're using a DSB, cyano can be a sign that anoxic zones are reaching the surface due to a lack of animals (primarily worms) stirring the sand. Once this occurs it tends to perpetuate itself because animals avoid the anoxic areas. Getting your nutrient levels down will reduce the bacterial growth that is depleting oxygen in the sand, and introducing some new sandbed animals will increase sand turnover/oxygenation. If you're not using a DSB, then you just need to work on exporting nutrients. Water changes, proper skimming, algae harvesting, carbon/GFO use, and proper feeding can all help reduce nutrient levels. I try to avoid chemical solutions personally, but some people have very good results with them.
__________________
Serenity now!!! |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#9 |
Don't Panic!
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Trenton, MO
Posts: 757
|
I removed my sand bed and replaced it with new and upgraded skimmer. That wasn't as bad as I thought, just lots of water got changed during the siphoning of sand. DSB is great, but only if properly maintained, I didn't properly maintain. I don't know about your husbandry skills, but mine were insufficient. HTH
__________________
DON'T PANIC! Current Tank Info: 30 Rimless |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
|