Slime on tank question

JMorris271

New member
I have on my aquarium that is about 3 weeks in cycling, a coat of slime on the walls and spots of algae here and there. After testing 2 times after raising ammonia to 2 ppm, the level reads about .25 with an Api kit, I have a Red Sea kit as well but haven't tested with that yet.
What if anything can you tell me about this slime? Is it part of the process? I also see the beginnings of so filament algae.
Here are some shots of what I am seeing. You can see some swipe marks where I have scrubbed off some slime to check out what it was. It actually feels like slime coat on a fish.
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As far as the ammonia goes it is likely your ammonia level is actually at zero, API test kits are notorious for reading 0.25 when the ammonia is actually zero, I would retest with your Red Sea test kits. The slime actually looks like a combination of algae and diatoms, both are expected in new tanks as they mature. What are your nitrite levels at? If they are also zero your cycle is most likely complete and you should test for nitrates. Have you added ammonia more than once? You should only add ammonia once, do so more often will only leave you with higher nitrates at the end of the cycle which feeds the algae and diatoms.
 
I haven't checked the nitrites yet and recheck with the Red Sea asap. I was checking with the Api first to just get a ball park reading. Api is cheaper to use.
Yes,I did put ammonia in for a second reading.
 
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