cyano (red slime)

jdhanover

New member
My 150g tank is finally up and running. I have the detrivore kit and a modest cleanup crew (skunk cleaner, 3 turbos, 10 astrea, 10 cerith, 10 red leg crabs) in there with half live rock and half base rock. Aiptasia problem is under control (Joes Juice and peppermint shrimp). Cleanup crew is working on the green fuzzy algae (pretty cool actually).

But there is red slime - I blow it off and catch the large pieces but wonder if I should hit it with a chemical or wait it out. No fish yet and am trying to be very slow and patient. Also some in the refugium (no cheato there yet)

So chemical or just keep scooping it out? If he latter does it ever go away?

FYI - the only light on there at the moment is a regular fluorexcent light with 2 bulbs (I think they were either 5700 or 10000, 40 Watts)

As always, thanks!
 
Uaually cyno is caused by too many nutrients in the tank and that in combination with lots of light will cause it fast. But it looks like you have 80 watts over 150 gal of normal output flourencents. So that is about 1/2 watt per gallon. If that is correct? then one, you shouldn't have too bad of a cyno prob, and two, you may have some serious issues wih trying to keep a reef tank happy.

Michael
 
First was your tank ever finished cycling before you added all this stuff? And also...your cleanup crew is nowwhere near what it will be for a 150, altho you dont wanna overdo it at first.

But what is your nitrates and phosphates at? those both feed it. Next, what about your flow?
 
also, before adding any sort of chemi clean or whatever...fix the real problem. Cyano isnt the real problem (well, yes it is, but i mean fix what caused it)

If its nitrates or phosphates, get rid of those. If you dont do anything about them but you add chemiclean, i see 2 things that might happen.

1) Nothing will happen, or
2) it will get rid of it, and then once you stop using the stuff its just gonna come back

I'm sure someones not had those results before tho, so it might get rid of it completely...but imo, its better to get rid of the source anyways, because thats important for other things as well.
 
All readings are fine (no ammonia, nitrates, etc though I can't test phosphates). Rock had been sitting in a tub that was very nutrient rich so my take from the responses above is to simply wait it out a little longer as that might have been the culprit?

Cleanup crew is small but this will be a FOWLR for the foreseeable future and I didn't want to add too much of a crew to start. Fish stocking will be slow too.

Going to add a couple more regular flourexents. Don't think I need to spend big money on lights for FOWLR, right? Also the tank is 6 feet long, 20" H, 24" D with a 4" DSB (shallower than many 125.. Amazingly the single light does a pretty good job.
 
If you're not gonna do reef right now, dont even get those extra regular fluorescents unless you actually want them so you can see the tnak better. Because they're not gonna do anything other than add light.

But I'd say wait it out. I know that margarita snails eat cyano because they tore mine apart, however they're not a tropical species and will die pretty quick in a tank with the temp that we run at. The only reason i have them is because they were sold as black turbos and i dont ahve anywhere to get rid of them now....so i'm thinkin of settin up a colder water seahorse tank and putting them in ther.
 
i've had my tank up and running for about a year now and it went through a red slime phase in the beginning. I added caulerpa to compete for nutrients and then it went through a green slime phase. I don't know if these are "cycling phases" but i don't have any problems with them anymore. Now i just have pretty purple and green coralline algae and occasionally i have to wipe the glass clean.
 
I agree. Let your tank do it's thing. Think of your reef as a true ecosysem. It is going through various stages of succesion. With time and nutrient competion it will go away. Not only caluerpa, but corals will also grab the nutrients.
 
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