Coraline/algae

PasadenaReefer

In Memoriam
On my live rock there is some red looking algae, its much reder and darker than coraline. And i looked up red algae and its a type of seaweed plant, i held a black light up to it and its red for sure but what could it be and is it harmful?
 
Is this one of your new rocks?

Is it really thick? or just a thin covering? It oculd be cyano.

did it develope since you got the rock, or was there some before you got it.

What is the temperature of your tank water? Make sure it is low limit, and turn back the lights to about 80% of the time you currently are running it.

(Assuming it is red slime)

some pictures may help.

Keep an eye to see if it spreads real quickly.

If it does, do not get excited, nothing terminal will happen quickly if it is cyano. You may have to treat your tank. I have some treatment left over from my ordeal.

But I do not want to treat your tank until we know for sure what it is.

Anyone else have any comments.

Bill
 
Cyano bacteria?! He said it looks like a seaweed plant. How does cyano look like a plant when its more of a film.


Sponges that either grow in your tanks, or are bought like this.
medium


weirdrdalgae330248.JPG


12.jpg


Cali-North-Live-Rock-Brady.jpg


live%20rock.jpg




MACRO ALGAES
288_1536u51MyahuZx5Q.jpg


red_macro_algae_148.jpg


There are hundred of possibilities. Any of these look like what you have?
 
That is why I asked the questions I asked.

I also know that he is a very new newbie. newer then me. I am still learning the differences between things, and would use the wrong terminology to describe things and events.

But my guess, above was followed by teh releative questions to help in determining the issue at hand.

Your answer was or seemed conclusive with no room for other possibilities.

Also, I have not yet done any reading on sponge, but I would have to find out if it is good, bad, or indifferent.

does it propogate quicklly, is it good for a small tank, as is the case with PR?

Things he will probably want to know, eitehr from some here or for him to research on the net or RC
 
I dont know what he has yet. I am still awaiting his reply to yours and my comments.

But cyano was not fun for me, and I eventually came through it, but it was difficult to explain to the livestock that there was a major storm cloud blocking the light for a week.

This was after I overdosed on the slime away. My tank was immune to it eventually, and I did several water changes ,major water changes...

killing the lights, adding fans to keep the temperature down and limiting the lights to about 8 hours , from 12 noon to 9 at night was the trick that worked for me.

I now watch the phosphates and temperature.

What he will need still depends on what he has.

It seems sponges are not a bad thing, so I am crossing my fingers for him..

Thanks

Bill
 
It is cyano because, i left out that i looked up red algae and it looks like seaweed but my red stuff is a film, covering the rock very thinly it is almost maroon looking. I dont have my camera or i would take a picture im pretty sure its from the 1st picture of my fish are deads pictures, If its this is it bad and any recomendations to killing it off?
 
Which pictures? the ones above, or the ones that he poste d link to?

And again, do not get excited. Remember, patience...

If it is cyano, and it is not like all over the tank yet, it will be easier.

I have some treatment for it that I can give you, or you can buy some for about twenty bucks, I think,

Dont go all wild with the stuff, like I did, because my slime got immune fromit.

If it is red slime/cyano, start by cutting back on the lights, reduce teh amount of time the lights are on.

Call me tomorrow if you can, to confirm if it is red slime so I can bring you the meds and discuss treatment options in more detail...

And dont get all excited, BREATHE IN BREATH OUT (repeat)

Bill
 
I find Turbo Snails eat cyano like it's going out of style. Get a few in there and your problems will be gone.

It is common to get a cyano bloom in a tank that is only a few months old. Assuming your water parameters are good, you do regular changes (10%/week or so), and you are not altering your lighting (change in light can lead to cyano bloom), it should go away by itself. Turbo snails will speed up the process.
 
well my lighting is on for different ammounts of times, Because iam either at work or got held up with something, I leave my lights on probably 10 hours a day. And it is only on 1 rock, it looks to me like it kinda took over the coraline because there are little spots here and there of the coraling on the red slime/coraline. i havent seen it spread on anything else and again i just noticed it 2-3 days ago. Just was curious about it, i have 2 snails and should i just let them be or should i put them on the rock? maybe if i place them they will start eating it.
 
You need to get a time for your lights. Your livestock reacts to lights and your light cycle should mimic a natural daytime environement. Or at the least an artificial one that you dictate, but that should be consistant.

Maybe have your lights come on at noon orone o'clock, then go off at 7 or 8 at night.

If you get home later and want to see your tank, then switch the lights to come on at 2 or three o'clock.

But if you have red slime the idea is to reduce the amount of light in steps.

The cyano grwos with nmoe light and starves in less light, you want to starve it to hell.

Also, light creates heat, so reducing light will reduce the heat. Cyanno love warm bath water.



BUT, we still need to make sure it is CYANO. It is still unknown, unless you want to say difinitevly that it is red slime, and then we can go from there.

Let us know...

Bill
 
The timing of the lights is not such a big deal. I meant changing bulbs or color temperature. That can lead to a temporary cyano outbreak while the ecosystem adjusts to the new light.
 
The "red stuff" on my rocks is definitely cyano unless cyano is scrapable i pulled the rock out and tried rubbing my finger nail over it and nothing really came off, but from the pictuers ive been looking at it is cyano, im headed to the pet store right now, gonna get a skimmer and talk about cyano. thanks
Austin
 
Back
Top