Unwanted Algie

[hamsmith]

please help, i have had a reef tank for nearly two years without any problems. the lighting was standard T5 but my corrals were not growing very fast. i decided to invest in M/Halide. ever since i have had a very big problem with this redish brown very slimey very smelly algie type stuff. if you touch it it fragments into a dust. when it is left it forms strings hanging off everything even the sand. i have tried everything my local shop has told me without any sucess at all. i have purchased a protien skimmer i have cut feeding down to every three days, i have put in phosguard, i have done lots of water changes and cleaned everything but it always comes back with a vengance. i am really considering calling it a day even though i love my tank. please help!!! Neil

 

[Eversurf]

I think what you are talking about is called Cyano!

i found this link that might help you http/www.wetwebmedia.com/bgacont7.htm

Can you confirm that it is Cyano?

-Surf

 

[SkiFletch]

Definitely sounds like cyanobacteria to me. If you've done everything that you mentionb (low feeding, skimming, phosphate remover, and lots of water changes), you're pretty much into the "drastic" measures. One thing you haven't mentioned though is your input water source. Do you use tap? RO? Distilled? Something else?

If you are using an adequate wawter source with a confirmed low TDS, then you have 2 drastic options. First, a 3-day no lights period. Just like it sounds, unplug your light fixture for 3 days and cross your fingers. Corals will be ok with it, but often the cyano is not. And secondly, an antibiotic treatment like Red Slime Remover as a last-ditch effort.

 

[hamsmith]

I think what you are talking about is called Cyano!

i found this link that might help you http/www.wetwebmedia.com/bgacont7.htm

Can you confirm that it is Cyano?

-Surf

yes i think it is cyano i use R/O from my local shop so i expect it to be ok > I read the sites you sent me a link to but they all say the same. water quality is all they talk about. not what is a quick fix. i only have three small fish in a 300ltr tank and about 12 inverts and about the same corrals. all the rest of my tank has died. on my last water test all was ok. i have about 40kg of living rock and a top tray trickel filter. help?

 

[hamsmith]

Definitely sounds like cyanobacteria to me. If you've done everything that you mentionb (low feeding, skimming, phosphate remover, and lots of water changes), you're pretty much into the "drastic" measures. One thing you haven't mentioned though is your input water source. Do you use tap? RO? Distilled? Something else?

If you are using an adequate wawter source with a confirmed low TDS, then you have 2 drastic options. First, a 3-day no lights period. Just like it sounds, unplug your light fixture for 3 days and cross your fingers. Corals will be ok with it, but often the cyano is not. And secondly, an antibiotic treatment like Red Slime Remover as a last-ditch effort.

i am using R/O water from my local shop. forgive me if i sound thick but what is TDS. i put tropic marine pro reef salt to the water. i only have three small fish in a 300ltr tank i have about 12 inverts + snails i have 12 corrals and about 40kg of living rock with a top trickle filter. help

 

[SkiFletch]

TDS - Total Dissolved Solids. If your LFS is lazy (or too busy) and does not properly maintain their RO membrane (it needs regular flushing), it could be malfunctioning and allowing algae fuels to get through it. How well do you trust them?

 

[hamsmith]

TDS - Total Dissolved Solids. If your LFS is lazy (or too busy) and does not properly maintain their RO membrane (it needs regular flushing), it could be malfunctioning and allowing algae fuels to get through it. How well do you trust them?

well i have tried R/O from different suppliers to no avail it will look clearish for 12 hrs after the water change then back to normal everything covered completely and a good lot floating on the surface. would me purchasing a U/V steraliser do any good? other than that what else can i do?

 

[Eversurf]

I had some growing, but something in my tank ate it. What kind of snails do you have? I personally use tap water...I put some water treatment in it and I have very little problems.

Have you tried a 50% water change?

 

[AndyS]

Try increasing the amount of water you change every week, also try to remove ALL of the cyno when you do a water change, it helps to turn the powerheads off and scoop it out with a spoon, remove bits of sand that have clumped as a result of this. I have found that the more you remove the less the cyno comes back.

Failing that you could do a 100% water change, that should sort it.

 

[gigmeyer]

I've been wrestling with the same problem on a 4 month old Nano. At this point, I think it may be related to the R/O water and agree you should check the quality of the water you are getting from the lfs. I bought a small gravel syphon made for 10 gallon tanks and used just the hose to syphon off the cyano from the top of the sand and the rocks and it worked really well. After 2 16% water changes in 3 days, things look good so far, but I have UltraLife Red Slime remover on the way in case I need to resort to 'drastic' measures. Hang in there!

 

[norite]

What are your nitrate and phosphate readings? Test your tank and the RO water for both these.

 

[hamsmith]

What are your nitrate and phosphate readings? Test your tank and the RO water for both these.

My readings are PH 8.2---KH 9---Nitrite 0---Nitrate 0---Ammonium 0.01mg---ammonia 0.0269---Phosphate 0---Calcium 450--- Salt 0.023 i have no results on the R/O water but i suspect they will be ok.
What next attack it with a hammer!!

 

[SkiFletch]

Time for the drastic measures I listed before...

 

[hamsmith]

Time for the drastic measures I listed before...

where can i buy red slim remover
Oh thanks for all your help its nice to know there are people out there willing to help !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SkiFletch]

US or UK?