Help with Red Slime

rycin

New member
There has been a lot of dark red slime algae growing in my tank recently. They spread very rapidly and cover my green macro-algae, rocks & corals (especially my zooenthids & star-polyps). The star-polyps are especially affected because their base turned dark red & powdery.

I don't test for nutrinets but I've had my nanotank (20L) for about a yr-half, & have mentained pretty much the same feeding regime. So, I've not sure what might have trigger such outgrowth. Would appreciate any advice.
 
There has been a lot of dark red slime algae growing in my tank recently.
This sounds like cyano bacteria, or blue-green algae. Maroon is a typical color but not the only color. There are other slimy, snotty algaes, but yours sounds like cyano to me.

So, I've not sure what might have trigger such outgrowth.
The tank circumstances are currently conducive to cyano growth.

The following is what I do:
1. Harvest what I can. Siphon out the slime with a vinyl hose. I filter the siphoned water through a 10 micron sock and return it to the tank.
2. Elevate the tank's total alkalinity (TA) to 4.0-4.5 meq/L while slime algae is present. I normally use limewater to maintain Ca++ and alk. I use a 2-part buffer or sodium bicarbonate to (gradually!) raise the TA higher if I have slime algae in the tank. This will also tend to push your pH up. For reasons I don't understand, higher TA has a reputation for helping to reduce slime algaes.
3. Intoduce competing algaes that are easy to harvest.

There are many other suggestions you will hear to control cyano. One common one is to do large water exchanges. If you have detectable nitrates or phosphates in the water column, this is, IMO, probably a good suggestion. However, cyano will show up when nutrient levels are relatively low. Sometimes water exchanges seem to feed the cyano rather than slow it down.

Another common suggestion is to use a red-slime control chemical sold in the hobby. These will, basically, kill the red slime. This will release the nutrients bound in the slime algae back into the tank, which is a bad thing. Also, if circumstances in the tank remain favorable for it's growth, it will come back.

Another suggestion is to increase water flow and replace old light bulbs. I don't believe that either of these directly inhibits cyano. It may shift tank conditions to favor other algaes, though.

Another suggestion is to use phosphate absorbing media. Some cyanos are capable of fixing Nitrogen, which should give them the edge if phosphate is abundant, relative to nitrate, in the tank. At any rate reduction of phosphate in the water column is always a good thing. Dr Farley showed that some phosphate-absorbing media can release enough aluminum into the water to cause some corals to decline. You might want to read his article (search under "Randy Holmes Farley) on aluminum in the reef tank before you use this.
 
I had red slime in my 75G reef+fish tank for about two years, I have tried all sort of methods (and money) to get rid of them without much success. The red slimes covered the sand within a day after I siphoned them out. The glasses looked fuzzy with red films after two or three days without cleaning.

Things I tried that did not work:

1) Yellow head gobies- they sifted sand and cleaned the stuff great but they are impossible to keep. My first died within a span of 7 days. Second died within 10 days and my last pair died
within 5 days. I think others might have better success but I don't know if anybody is able to keep these beautiful fish for more than six month to a year.

2) Hermit crabs, sea cuccumber, star fish, sea urchin, astra snail - These creatures are marginally helpful (5%) when it comes to cleaning the red slime, maybe 5% at best.

3) Antibiotics - Yes, this stuff worked! Temporarily. The red slime disappeared in two to three days but they came right back.

4) Getting an "effective" skimmer per advice from some authors. This is an expensive suggestion since skimmers are not cheap. Unless your skimmer does not work at all, I would suggest trying a new skimmer as a last resort. I changed out my old skimmer to an Aqua-C skimmer (I think it is not the bad one out there) and there was no change in red slime reduction.


I tried the following and the red slimes have virtually been gone for about two months now:

1) Water change - I did 15% water change in 12 consecutive days (theoretically it is equivalent of 95% turn-over).

2) Put a small bag of Phosphate remover (I used Ken Marine Phosphate Sponge) in the over flow in a course of a week (put a fresh one in every two days). Each evening I stirred up the sand with the hope that all the phosphate carrying debris would get into the water column and removed by the Sponge. I did not see any negative effects on my corals ( I got mostly soft corals) but others have reported some temporary shrinking on one or two species of their corals.

3) Syphoned and scraped up the red slimes off the glasses and substrate for three weeks.

I also found that that water flows help eliminate red slimes from certain spots within the tank but I don't don't like this solution since additional power heads will tend to increase the tank's temperature. I only use power heads sufficiently for creating currents within the tank and not as a way to combat the red slimes.
 
I had red slime in my 75G reef+fish tank for about two years, I have tried all sort of methods (and money) to get rid of them without much success. The red slimes covered the sand within a day after I siphoned them out. The glasses looked fuzzy with red films after two or three days without cleaning.

Things I tried that did not work:

1) Yellow head gobies- they sifted sand and cleaned the stuff great but they are impossible to keep. My first died within a span of 7 days. Second died within 10 days and my last pair died
within 5 days. I think others might have better success but I don't know if anybody is able to keep these beautiful fish for more than six month to a year.

2) Hermit crabs, sea cuccumber, star fish, sea urchin, astra snail - These creatures are marginally helpful (5%) when it comes to cleaning the red slime, maybe 5% at best.

3) Antibiotics - Yes, this stuff worked! Temporarily. The red slime disappeared in two to three days but they came right back.

4) Getting an "effective" skimmer per advice from some authors. This is an expensive suggestion since skimmers are not cheap. Unless your skimmer does not work at all, I would suggest trying a new skimmer as a last resort. I changed out my old skimmer to an Aqua-C skimmer (I think it is not the bad one out there) and there was no change in red slime reduction.


I tried the following and the red slimes have virtually been gone for about two months now:

1) Water change - I did 15% water change in 12 consecutive days (theoretically it is equivalent of 95% turn-over).

2) Put a small bag of Phosphate remover (I used Ken Marine Phosphate Sponge) in the over flow in a course of a week (put a fresh one in every two days). Each evening I stirred up the sand with the hope that all the phosphate carrying debris would get into the water column and removed by the Sponge. I did not see any negative effects on my corals ( I got mostly soft corals) but others have reported some temporary shrinking on one or two species of their corals.

3) Syphoned and scraped up the red slimes off the glasses and substrate for three weeks.

I also found that that water flows help eliminate red slimes from certain spots within the tank but I don't don't like this solution since additional power heads will tend to increase the tank's temperature. I only use power heads sufficiently for creating currents within the tank and not as a way to combat the red slimes.
 
Hi Piercho & Thang Lu,

Thank-you for all your advice. I tried raising the ph of my tank with carbonate solution but the red slime just refused to go away.. Eventually, I found this antibiotic call "red slime remover" which is yellowish in colour. It's been tremendously effective for my tank. The red slime are gone for about 2 over months now... The only immediate side effect I notice was that some sponges on my live rocks have turned from black to whitish in colour. They seem to be still alive although I've no idea why they continue to retain the whitish colouration.

In general, my corals all seem happier after the antibiotics addition. The buttom polyps especially, have opened up more and even spread quite rapidly. Although, I must add that my skimmer broke down at about the same time when I added the antibiotics so the absence of skimming could have been responsible for that.

However, after the red slime were gone, green hair aglae began growing on my rocks. I found them quite nice initially as I've never have them before. Now, they're a nightmare. It's almost as bad as the red slime. They're everywhere. I'm not sure whether it's due to the antibiotics, the diabling of the skimmer or insufficient lights (as I've not replaced one of my PL tube which had burned about a month ago).

Any idea which could have been the cause the growth of this green hair algae?
 
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I am having this same problem but only in my refugium. It is only present in the chamber with the mud. I noticed it about 7 days ago and now it covers all 4 sides and most all of the small pieces of LR. I also have some Cheto in that chamber which I noticed last night that the Cheto was covered as well. It is a very dark red/maroon color and very slimy.

I have had the refugium installed now for 4 weeks and was told to leave the light on 7/24 for the first 3 months to promote growth. In my case would the lighting be causing this algea outbreak.

Also, as of now I am not seeing any of this algea in the main tank.
 
I have a 25 gallon refuge behind my tank , then flows to my 20
gal sump. In the refuge there is red slime along the edges , I did once had it in the tank about 6 months ago what a pain.
its only in the refuge now , I think I turn on and off the light to ofen , now I am leaveing it on 24/7 .
new fish
 
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