How do I get rid of red slime algae?

[Will520]

My 29g tank has been set up a little over a year and I can't get rid of my red slime algae problem. My water parameters are good, nitrates are less than 1. I've taken water samples to 3 lfs and they can't figure out why I have a slime algae problem. I run a protein skimmer every day. it's the seaclone 100 if i remember correctly. I have a wet/dry filter with a 280gph pump and two hang on the back of the tank pumps so I don't think it's a lack of water flow.

Anyway, I need to get this stuff gone. It makes the tank look like crap and I clean it off and in 3 days its back everywhere. If anybody has any ideas, please let me know.
Thanks,
Will

 

[DAKOOP]

High phosphates.
Reduce feeding.
Water changes.
Possibly run a phosban reactor.

 

[Will520]

my phosphate level is 0.2. what does it need to be? and I do a 3 gallon water change every weekend and feed once a day.

 

[DAKOOP]

They make a chemical to clear it up but that scares the you know what out of me. I think it is called chemiclean. You could try that if you want to. I had the same problem. Hooked up a phosban reactor and it went away.

 

[Will520]

i try to steer clear of using chemical quick fixes as often as i can. i just don't want it to have any adverse side effects if you know what i mean haha. Do you know what company makes a good phosban reactor?

 

[DAKOOP]

Two Little Fishies

 

[Will520]

thanks, i really appreciate it. i just didn't know what to do. besides, it hurts something awful scraping every little nook and cranny with a toothbrush while trying to brush around everything i don't want dead.

 

[Will520]

oh, and about how much will one cost?

 

[xxxluisxxx]

i have the same kind of problem and i have a phosband reactor. but my problem is that i use conditioned tap water. i neen to get a R/O D/I system.

 

[Will520]

so does the conditioned tap water help the slime algae? i had been purifying tap water with canisters but i'm technically not allowed to do that any more because I let the water run over and messed up the floor... oops. So if I went back to purifying the water, would it help get rid of the slime algae?

 

[MMM33732]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12905322#post12905322 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DAKOOP
They make a chemical to clear it up but that scares the you know what out of me. I think it is called chemiclean. You could try that if you want to. I had the same problem. Hooked up a phosban reactor and it went away.

Theres one called "red slime remover" or something like that. I recently got a partime job at a LFS for the nice discount and decided to use it in one of their reef tanks that was having pretty bad red slime problems despite being completely overrun by caulerpa (so phosphates should be pretty low) Anyways, I followed the directions and within 3 days it was completely clear of the cyano. No ill effects were seem on any of the corals or inhabitants. Just thought I'd chime in.

 

[Will520]

really? no side effects? well that sounds like a miracle cure. i better check that out. thanks

 

[OliverM3]

forget about the redslime remover use an antibiotic.
Red slime is typically a bacteria use Mardel antibiotic in the recommended dose and it will kill it and never come back.

Had it in both of my tanks and in two weeks it was dead

Before:

After:

BTW this was June of 2004 and still no re-occurrence of red-slime.

 

[Will520]

what type of antibiotic do you recommend? how badly will the antibiotic kill off my bacteria in my wet/dry filter?

 

[OliverM3]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12907164#post12907164 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Will520
what type of antibiotic do you recommend? how badly will the antibiotic kill off my bacteria in my wet/dry filter?

Mardel the box has a blue tang on it.
it won't hurt benifical bacteria at all.
As long as you follow the recomended dosage.

 

[wrott]

If you really want to get rid of it, use Chemi-clean or Erythromycin or red slime remover(problem solve in 3 days).
If you want to wait it out, then plan on a few months long strategy, and lots of maintainence--and possible death if you give up.
And yeah, you need ro/di and change more water.

 

[BIGBIRD123]

Marine SAT or you can use FW Marycin tablets and add flow to the area. This has cleared it up for me overnight.

Steve

 

[Kannin]

All the chemicals in the world won't fix the problem because of the tap water. There must be phosphates in it and if the cyanobacteria wasn't using them up... they would probably test a lot higher.

I would start using RODI... most fish stores sell it for 50 cents a gallon. Add flow... it likes dead spots. Koralias are good. Add the phospate reactor from Two Little Fishies. It about 40 bucks plus a 20 pump. Reduce your light cycle until you get it under control. And vacuum it up twice a week. I figured out a way to vacuum it for as long as you want without draining the water. Clip a filter sock to the inside of your sump and syphon the slime into the sock. The water will drain into the sump and back into the tank. If you do all of this... you'll fix your problem in a few weeks.

 

[madadi]

use erythromicyn. my tank has been going for about a year and i had it for a while. macro algae never grew much in the fuge but i had plenty of red slime all over the display tank. once i added the antibiotic the slime died within 2 days. the macro algae in the fuge started to grow like crazy and it kept it from coming back. i think if you don't have enough algae in the fuge, the phosphates released by the dead slime will only make it come back. keep an eye on your skimmer when you use the antibiotic because the skimmer will go crazy. i didn't know this and it overflowed. i would not close the skimmer, just close the air valve a bit.

 

[tent-tacal]

i guarentee you will have some success with this method.i dont have a tank yet but 95% of my friends do and this is how they get rid of niusance alge,some of them dont even have to wipe the glass anymore...turn off your lights for 3 days.turn actinics on for the first day after the three days then go back to normal after that.do that every two months and u will have such an amazing astheticly pleasing tank and your livestock will love you for it.before you tare me a new ******** for suggesting this try it.if your a little worried just do two days of darkness.dont cover the tank with a sheet or anything and feed fish normally.always check your livestock during the process.