Red/Rust Colored Algae or Fungus

gcpowers · 06/28/2007, 09:07 PM

i've got this rust red colored algae or fugus starting to spread in a corner of my tank. Its kind of slimy and I see tiny air bubbles inside it. can anyone ID this? Is it dangerous? I see it starting to work its way up some clove polyp stalks.

Thanks,
Greg

Steveabg · 06/29/2007, 10:33 AM

Red slime, cyanobacteria. You don't want it. It will spread all over everything. It can be toxic to your fishes and corals.

I've been fighting it in my tank, and after several weeks of watching it do nothing but spread, the tables have turned and it's going away.

What has been working:

I changed out my carbon filter for Boyd's Chemi Pure filtration. It's supposed to help kill cyanobacteria, and in the short time I've had it in, I'd have to say it's living up to that claim.

I got airline tubing, and for several consecutive days, I used it to siphon out the red slime from my rocks and sand. Red slime comes off very easily, as it doesn't really attach itself to anything.

I also used to turkey baster to blast whatever I couldn't get off the rocks and sand with the siphon, with my filter and skimmer running, to try to get out whatever remained.

I can't say which step has been most effective, but compared to what was in my tank two weeks ago, I probably have 1/10th of the slime that I did have. I'm going to do those last two steps both days this weekend, and hopefully get rid of it completely.

GS-Rock · 06/29/2007, 01:26 PM

had red slime in my 15g, i dosed some limewater and kill it. well thats what worked for me, might not work for you, also beef up your cleam up crew, such as more turbo snails it might help

06/28/2007, 09:07 PM	#1
gcpowers Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Northern California Posts: 34	Red/Rust Colored Algae or Fungus i've got this rust red colored algae or fugus starting to spread in a corner of my tank. Its kind of slimy and I see tiny air bubbles inside it. can anyone ID this? Is it dangerous? I see it starting to work its way up some clove polyp stalks. Thanks, Greg

06/29/2007, 01:26 PM	#3
GS-Rock Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: lawton, ok Posts: 447	had red slime in my 15g, i dosed some limewater and kill it. well thats what worked for me, might not work for you, also beef up your cleam up crew, such as more turbo snails it might help __________________ soap is magical... Current Tank Info: 2 15g fw planted

06/29/2007, 10:33 AM	#2
Steveabg Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Los Feliz Posts: 495	Red slime, cyanobacteria. You don't want it. It will spread all over everything. It can be toxic to your fishes and corals. I've been fighting it in my tank, and after several weeks of watching it do nothing but spread, the tables have turned and it's going away. What has been working: I changed out my carbon filter for Boyd's Chemi Pure filtration. It's supposed to help kill cyanobacteria, and in the short time I've had it in, I'd have to say it's living up to that claim. I got airline tubing, and for several consecutive days, I used it to siphon out the red slime from my rocks and sand. Red slime comes off very easily, as it doesn't really attach itself to anything. I also used to turkey baster to blast whatever I couldn't get off the rocks and sand with the siphon, with my filter and skimmer running, to try to get out whatever remained. I can't say which step has been most effective, but compared to what was in my tank two weeks ago, I probably have 1/10th of the slime that I did have. I'm going to do those last two steps both days this weekend, and hopefully get rid of it completely.