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#1
01/03/2007, 08:41 PM
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Red Slime Algae
Can anyone help us determine what is causing a red slime algae outbreak in our 3 1/2 year old 180 gallon reef tank? It is not bad, but we can't figure out how to get rid of it, or what might be causing it. There is some small patches on the sand, and on alot of the empty snail shells on the sand are covered with it. We are getting a lot of oxygen bubbles along with it, and a cup coral is dying from algae growth and bubbles. Thanks!
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#2
01/03/2007, 08:49 PM
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Low flow, over feeding, non-ro/di water, are what I think of. If I'd just found a tank with that problem I'd
1) Blow the algae off the cup corals with a turkey baster 2) Test the water's parameters (nitrite, nitrates and phosphate) 3) Increase the flow. |
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#3
01/03/2007, 09:06 PM
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Sounds like you have a dinoflagellate problem, yuk! My tank has just gone through that problem. You can do water changes and turkey baste until the cows come home, but that won't fix the problem IMO. Finally I turned off the lights and cut back on the feeding. My lights (30 gallon tank, 4 39 watt T5's) were off for 3 days. Then I started the lights back on slow, I have been increasing both ends of the times by 30 minutes each day, so 1st day lights on 11:00 AM off 11:30 AM - lights on 8:30 PM off 9:00 PM, day two lights on 11:30 AM off 12:00 PM - lights on 8:00 PM lights off 9:00 PM and so on and so on. Feed the tank lightly even the during the days that the lights are off. Dinoflagellates (bubbles trapped in algae, followed by red slime algae)are hard to rid, good luck, BTW it has worked great on my tank.
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Dan 90 gallon brace-less trim-less external over flow |
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#4
01/03/2007, 09:26 PM
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Do you routinely clean your pumps and/or powerheads? IME, low flow can be a huge factor with red slime.
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#5
01/03/2007, 09:36 PM
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Also lamps older than a year can be considered a factor...
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#6
01/04/2007, 11:55 AM
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Thanks for all the responses. All of our water tests including phosphate are fine. The feeding amount has not been changed for a year and a half. The lights are less than a year old. We recently cleaned pumps, etc. We use R.O water and the membrane was recently changed in it as well as filters. We have been turkey basting the bubbles off of corals, etc. but they come right back. So, I guess I'll have to try and reduce the light cycle and cut back some on the food amount and see if that works. Thanks everyone!
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#7
01/04/2007, 10:12 PM
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When you turkey bast, suck it out instead of just blowing it off the rock into the tank.... remove those nutrients. I bet if you increase the flow, especially in that one spot with a powerhead the problem will go away.
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#8
01/05/2007, 03:02 PM
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We have sucked some of the slime off, but adding an additional powerhead we hadn't thought of. Good idea, thanks!
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#11
01/05/2007, 07:35 PM
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Sounds like a dinoflagellate/cino problem. I would start with the black out like dtaylor123 said. Also no water changes, Wet skim, add filter soak, run carbon, raise PH to 8.3, and reduce feedings. Use air tubing to siphon out algae and use turkey baster to clean the rocks. How are you snails and Zoa's doing?
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