I have had this red slime algae take over my take for about 2 months now.I have been removing it all the time and it just keeps coming back.It''s all over my sand, corals, and rock.I know everyone will say cut the nutrients but i dont really add alot of stuff to my tank.,.....Ive tried increasing movement, less light, less feeding of the tank.nothing works.My LFS even told me to stop feeding the fish for 3 days at a time but i'm not gonna even try that.I cut there feeding to once a day. and little bits.I wanna try that stuff that suppose to get get rid of it.What's it called?
HELP cyno has completly taken over
- Thread starter macDRE
- Start date
Paintbug
New member
do you have any nitrate and phosphate reading from your tank? not feeding your fish for 3 days is not going to kill them they will pick stuff off the LR. they can even go that long with nothing to eat.
the filter you have is just one of those tap water filters right? they get used up quickly. and dont do a good job. that could be were the problem is coming from.
cut back on the lights to about 6 hours a day for about a week. the cyano should start dieing off some in a few days. syphon it out as you do a water change. check your nitrates, and phosphates, even if you need to run to the LFS. use RO water to mix the salt with for the water change! you can use distilled water from the grocery store as well. but most LFS sell RO for just about the same price. this should get you going in the right direction.
the stuff you are looking to add to the tank is one of 2 products. Red Slime Remover or Chemi-Clean. i have used Chemi-Clean but it wont work if theres tons of cyano. i will just slow it down as a temporary fix.
the filter you have is just one of those tap water filters right? they get used up quickly. and dont do a good job. that could be were the problem is coming from.
cut back on the lights to about 6 hours a day for about a week. the cyano should start dieing off some in a few days. syphon it out as you do a water change. check your nitrates, and phosphates, even if you need to run to the LFS. use RO water to mix the salt with for the water change! you can use distilled water from the grocery store as well. but most LFS sell RO for just about the same price. this should get you going in the right direction.
the stuff you are looking to add to the tank is one of 2 products. Red Slime Remover or Chemi-Clean. i have used Chemi-Clean but it wont work if theres tons of cyano. i will just slow it down as a temporary fix.
chrisbenavides
New member
hey, I am kinda having the same trouble. So the fish can go 3 days without eating? Is this a bad thing for the fish?
What about 6 hours of light for the corals? I am using 260w of PC, so how much time should I have my lights on, and how about the moonlights?
Do moonlights help the algae? I have them on all night (about 9 hours). Good or bad? My PC lights are on basically 14 hours a day and the rest of the time the moonlights are on. Its never really dark in the tank. This is probably good for algae right?
THANKS!
- Chris
P.S. I have another thread going right now, if you wish to post there on my current issue of my algae problems. I appreciate this.
THANKS AGAIN!!!
What about 6 hours of light for the corals? I am using 260w of PC, so how much time should I have my lights on, and how about the moonlights?
Do moonlights help the algae? I have them on all night (about 9 hours). Good or bad? My PC lights are on basically 14 hours a day and the rest of the time the moonlights are on. Its never really dark in the tank. This is probably good for algae right?
THANKS!
- Chris
P.S. I have another thread going right now, if you wish to post there on my current issue of my algae problems. I appreciate this.
THANKS AGAIN!!!
doodoobrown
New member
phosphates!! find out what your reading is and what is causing them. sounds like the water you are adding based on what you have said so far. just like what i said in chris's post if the water you use has phosphates in it you are never gonna get it under control even if you pick it all out or siphon it, it will grow back until you fix the problem
PatMayo
New member
macDRE, If you spell out your current tank set up it will help. Filtration type, circulation, skimmer, substrate type etc.
Cyno can be caused by a lot of things. Once you get all the details out in the open it will be easier to trouble shoot.
Water from the LFS sometimes is not that good. Until you get a quality RO/DI system I would use distilled water from the grocery store.
Regards,
Pat
Cyno can be caused by a lot of things. Once you get all the details out in the open it will be easier to trouble shoot.
Water from the LFS sometimes is not that good. Until you get a quality RO/DI system I would use distilled water from the grocery store.
Regards,
Pat
Paintbug
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6496482#post6496482 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chrisbenavides
hey, I am kinda having the same trouble. So the fish can go 3 days without eating? Is this a bad thing for the fish?
What about 6 hours of light for the corals? I am using 260w of PC, so how much time should I have my lights on, and how about the moonlights?
Do moonlights help the algae? I have them on all night (about 9 hours). Good or bad? My PC lights are on basically 14 hours a day and the rest of the time the moonlights are on. Its never really dark in the tank. This is probably good for algae right?
THANKS!
- Chris
P.S. I have another thread going right now, if you wish to post there on my current issue of my algae problems. I appreciate this.
THANKS AGAIN!!!
the fish may stress a little if not fed for 3 days. nothing long term should happen if they were healthy to start.
when i said run the lights for 6 hours a day, i guess i should have added until the algae is under control. and light hungery corals like SPSs may be effected. just keep an eye on them. moonlights will not effect the algae.
the main source of food for algaes is phosphates, and nitrates. until you know the levels, and get them under control you wont stop the algae. you may get a 0 reading with a test kit. that doesnt always mean you dont have a problem. when you have a large algae problem, the nutrients are used up as fast as they are produced. that means you might not get a reading from a test kit. you have to starve the algae to get it to go away. thats why you stop feeding for a few days, cut back on the lights, and do water changes. once everything is cleared up, then you can start back with normal lighting schedule. and fishing the fish, just start feeding them less. if you have food in the tank after 3 min. from placing it in the tank, you are feeding to much.
im just coming out of a huge cyano bloom myself. i fought for months. i tried using Chemi-Clean, never had any phosphates, or nitrates, so i couldnt figure out the problem. about a month ago, i did some research, found some answers. i always noticed the algae would kinda melt away at night. i found were someone said to cut back the lights for 5-6 hours a day. so i did and by the time the cyano started coming back, the lights were out. i still had a problem with it but it was going away. i would syphon it up with my weekly water changes. after a couple of days i finally started getting a nitrate reading. 10ppm which to me is high. i also got a phosphate reading of 2ppm. now the nitrates are down to about 2ppm and phosphates are at 0. i still have a little cyano on the sand, but its under control. and should be gone completely in the next few weeks. my lights are back up to 8 hours a day as well. i have been back to feeding my fish regularly. and all is well
this has been my experience with it.
