Red Slime on everything

I don't know my tds for my ro/di water

I originally had leds on the tank before I bought the t5 12,000k 260watt light for my tank 3 months ago

Do you buy your water or make it yourself? If you make it how old are the filters? Your water may not be as "pure" as you think, that is why a TDS reading is important.

Bought back? As in had them for a month had LEDs for a few months and now back to t5s for 3 months? Whats the history here? Also what are all the bulb combos in the fixture and quantity? When did the cyano appear in relation to fixture changes?
 
when i first started the hobby i also had a red slime outbreak. im not a fan of using any chemicals for removal but i was running out of options and used some kind of red slime removal (like ultralife red slime remover) and it was completely gone in a matter of 36 hours! didn't harm any fish or corals either :dance:
 
when i first started the hobby i also had a red slime outbreak. im not a fan of using any chemicals for removal but i was running out of options and used some kind of red slime removal (like ultralife red slime remover) and it was completely gone in a matter of 36 hours! didn't harm any fish or corals either :dance:

how long did the red slime stay away for
 
I make my own ro/di fitlers are about 4 months old I used to buy ro/di water

when my tank first started I had leds for the tank which lasted 3 months. then I upgraded to the t5 fixture.

heres my light fixture

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004OOMXFI/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Do you have a TDS meter on your RO system? I would HIGHLY recommend getting one if you do not have one already.

Are the bulbs on the link the same as what you are running?
 
Also try repositioning your power heads to aim at stagnant trouble areas where you are seeing little water movement and cyano buildup.
 
Do you have a TDS meter on your RO system? I would HIGHLY recommend getting one if you do not have one already.

Are the bulbs on the link the same as what you are running?

yes they are the stock bulbs that came with the light fixture

can I buy a tds meter at like homedepot or lowes
 
Also try repositioning your power heads to aim at stagnant trouble areas where you are seeing little water movement and cyano buildup.

when I do the 3 day blackout plan when I remove the redslime im going to reposition some rocks and the powerheads to get a better water movement.
 
well im going to buy the tds sensor but my current question is should I do the 3 day black out now or wait for the tds sensor to come in
 
well im going to buy the tds sensor but my current question is should I do the 3 day black out now or wait for the tds sensor to come in
 
Go ahead with the black out. You have the cyano now. That's a symptom. We will figure out how clean your ro is when your TDS meter arrives.

When you do the blackout, you'll need to cover the side of your tanks as well. The ambient light will affect the outcome otherwise.
 
Here's my 2-cents:

A) You may have rushed this tank a bit especially with the anemone in there.

B) Cyano is a very efficient bacteria that's been around since the beginning of time. It's survived ice, fire, drought and everything else up to this day. It will utilize any one of (or more than one at a time) several different means to take up or create food. So you're best to attack it from several angles at one time and then after the initial "attack" change your husbandry routine to keep it under control.

C) You probably want to add more powerheads in there to keep the tank rolling better. My own personal pref is to have a min of 15-20x tank turnover per hour for a FO or FOWLR tank and a min of 20x+ for a beginning reef tank. Some people can get away with less but it's really hard to have a well moving tank with rockwork and such with less than that. In the case of less than 15x use more smaller powerheads rather than fewer larger ones. FLOW is your friend :)

* - Cyano loves low/slow flow areas
* - Cyano that grows this quickly and this thoroughly is being FED well and also there is a strong probability of a water parameter issue (could be phosphates might be something else)


  • Do the suggested black out but find a way to cover the tank so even ambient room light is blocked out. Do allow for proper ventilation so don't wrap & tape the tank with black plastic at least not tightly. I've used cardboard, cloth, and even an old blanket to accomplish this task.
  • Just before the blackout do as suggested re:blowing off the rock but also use a net to scoop up any Cyano that is on the sandbed. The more you get out up front the better your blackout period will be.
  • Keep the tank dark for at least 3 days (my last treatment like this went 5 days and it was a heavily stocked tank with softies, LPS and SPS with absolutely no ill effects)
  • After blackout I always start my lights on a minimal light schedule and work up to a normal light schedule over the course of a week.
  • After blackout go through the tank again blowing off the rock and getting any Cyano up off the sand bed with a net and then do your large water change.
  • Introduce a good healthy bag of carbon in a high flow area (return from DT in sump for instance) for at least a week.
  • Increase the amount and frequency of your water change until the Cyano is gone completely. After that you can tweak your water change technique back some but don't be afraid do water changes more often or of higher amount.
 
Here's my 2-cents:

A) You may have rushed this tank a bit especially with the anemone in there.

B) Cyano is a very efficient bacteria that's been around since the beginning of time. It's survived ice, fire, drought and everything else up to this day. It will utilize any one of (or more than one at a time) several different means to take up or create food. So you're best to attack it from several angles at one time and then after the initial "attack" change your husbandry routine to keep it under control.

C) You probably want to add more powerheads in there to keep the tank rolling better. My own personal pref is to have a min of 15-20x tank turnover per hour for a FO or FOWLR tank and a min of 20x+ for a beginning reef tank. Some people can get away with less but it's really hard to have a well moving tank with rockwork and such with less than that. In the case of less than 15x use more smaller powerheads rather than fewer larger ones. FLOW is your friend :)

* - Cyano loves low/slow flow areas
* - Cyano that grows this quickly and this thoroughly is being FED well and also there is a strong probability of a water parameter issue (could be phosphates might be something else)


  • Do the suggested black out but find a way to cover the tank so even ambient room light is blocked out. Do allow for proper ventilation so don't wrap & tape the tank with black plastic at least not tightly. I've used cardboard, cloth, and even an old blanket to accomplish this task.
  • Just before the blackout do as suggested re:blowing off the rock but also use a net to scoop up any Cyano that is on the sandbed. The more you get out up front the better your blackout period will be.
  • Keep the tank dark for at least 3 days (my last treatment like this went 5 days and it was a heavily stocked tank with softies, LPS and SPS with absolutely no ill effects)
  • After blackout I always start my lights on a minimal light schedule and work up to a normal light schedule over the course of a week.
  • After blackout go through the tank again blowing off the rock and getting any Cyano up off the sand bed with a net and then do your large water change.
  • Introduce a good healthy bag of carbon in a high flow area (return from DT in sump for instance) for at least a week.
  • Increase the amount and frequency of your water change until the Cyano is gone completely. After that you can tweak your water change technique back some but don't be afraid do water changes more often or of higher amount.

Thanks for all the info
 
just to give everyone look at this thread that also has redslime algea(cyanobacteria) I am currently on my 3rd day of the blackout period and I looked at the tank this morning and I can defiantly see the difference. there is almost no red slime left in the tank. I plan later tonight to post a picture of the tank after the blackout period is over.

just want to thank all the people that helped me get rid off all the red slime
 
Run some carbon or do a water change. If you had a die off it can release it's toxins into the water. THey are fairly mild from what I understand but depending on how much you had......

Not sure why people recommend black outs for Cyano when all you need is a little siphoning, phosphate remover and a couple of weeks. During unfavorable conditions the cyano can create some sort of cysts that will survive anything and can lay dormant for years so when you turn your lights back on again....TADAA!
 
Run some carbon or do a water change. If you had a die off it can release it's toxins into the water. THey are fairly mild from what I understand but depending on how much you had......

Not sure why people recommend black outs for Cyano when all you need is a little siphoning, phosphate remover and a couple of weeks. During unfavorable conditions the cyano can create some sort of cysts that will survive anything and can lay dormant for years so when you turn your lights back on again....TADAA!

Black outs give you an additional hand in getting it dialed back and prevent further growth. Manual removal is a pre/post curser. Changes to water chemistry, feeding habits, and circulation are needed to address the core problem as stated earlier in this thread.
 
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