whats this and how do i get rid of it

[birdy607]

hi i have the red algae sort of stuff on my sand i was wondering how to get rid of it it looks nasty its not diatom my tanks been cyled and i have corals and two clowns and a cleaner shrimp its in a 29g bio cube does anyone know what im talking about thank's!

 

[mile sq. reefer]

can't tell w/o a picture but it sounds like cyanobacteria. usually occurs wiith excess nutrients and high phosphate.
What type of water do u use for changes and top off?
How often do you change water and the amount?
What type of filtration do you use?

 

[birdy607]

yes i think thats what it is i use just a pad filter and no bio balls its a bio cube but i do do a 10% water change every week and i add purple up every week

 

[mile sq. reefer]

What type of make up water do you use, RO, DI. Test the water to make sure Phosphates are 0. Also look into a protein skimmer for nano sized aquariums.

 

[Ex-Reefer]

Birdy, I had a problem with cyano in my 29 gallon biocube about 4 weeks ago. At that time the tank was about 2 months old and the cyano came out of nowhere. I run chemipure under the drip-plate and purigen in the third chamber. I only have two fish and about 30 pounds of liverock. All of the water parameters were in check and there was no real explanation for the cyano. Anyways, I bought some chemi-clean (used it many times in the past on other tanks) and have not seen any sign of the cyano since.

One good piece of advice that I received when I posted my questions about the cyano was to make sure you clean the small filter pad located in the third chamber by the return pump. It was extremely dirty in my tank and a good place for debris to build up and cause issues. Hope that helps, just get some chemi-clean and it will take care of it.

 

[birdy607]

thanx and i use ro to top off and i buy my salt water from the store i buy all my other supplies and i do need to check my pad the third chamber today it seems to be better

 

[birdy607]

also i have had to snails die because of getting caught in the rock

 

[BridgetP]

the pad by the water pump should be cleaned every week with your water changes. This should take care of any build up, and not allow waste to decompose to a harmful point.