How To Rid Cyano And Other Pest Algaes - Page 4

Toutouche · #76 08/28/2003, 08:37 PM

Pierre-Michel, I'm going to be sending you a PM message soon.

Finding Nemo, you shouldn't blow it with a Turkey baster at all, the fact that you say you grab what you can with the net after squirting it, makes me shudder. What you are doing is actually helping it to spread. It is indeed a bacteria aand it will thrive wherever it lands. Trust me on this that however thorough you think you are with the net, there is a ton of it escaping you and if it lands somewhere else. it will spread there too, and it doesn't take much, only a microscopic amount is enough. The best thing to do is syphon it out. When I had this problem, I used a length or hard tube attached to a longer felxible tube and syphoned it out into a bucket to throw out. Whatever amount you can't reach with the tube to syphon out, leave it be. It will cause less damage just sitting there than if you blew it out and try as much as possible to not disturb whatever you don't syphon out. Try using better foods such as frozn types that have no gel binders in it ( Formula 1 and 2 use gel binders to hold the food together in a cube). This gel contributes to nutrients ONLY beneficial to bad nuisance algae. Also, spill out all the liquid whenever you thaw out your food to feed. Make sure your lights are in order as far as age is concerned, make sure you have adequate flow, is your skimmer a good quality type?

tim n heather · #77 09/08/2003, 10:25 PM

I need help!!! I am new to the hobby, and started having algae problems myself. As best I can tell, I have 3 differant kinds of algae. brown algae all of the glass of the tank, bright green algae growing in spots and now a red algae. From what I can tell, I need to do a water change which I will do, cut down on light usage and feed less, but how do I need to go about cleaning the glass without the risk of it getting loose and spreading everywhere else.

Eggfong · #78 09/10/2003, 02:16 PM

I've just hung up the phone after to talking to my local aquarium guru about my algae. He swears the answer rests firmly in margarita snails, less food and better circulation. Today is 9/10/03, there will be at least 30 new snails in my tank by tonight and I will post back in one month +/- to let all know if this worked or not. M.

kmk2307 · #79 09/10/2003, 03:45 PM

Hi Eggfong,

[welcome]

Maybe you should get a second opinion on your situation before you go out and spend a lot of money on snails. I have never had good luck with margarita snails. They slowly just die-off on me. What kind of algae do you have? Do you test your water for nitrates and phosphates? Do you use purified water (like RO) to mix your saltwater with? Just something to think about...

Kevin

Eggfong · #80 09/10/2003, 04:54 PM

Too late, snails in place. I have three different algae. I test frequently, each and every value seems to be well within acceptable levels. I don't do changes, really, just once and a while and not that often. The snails are munching down and I have 10 new mithrax crabs ordered. (sp. ?) Anyway, as soon as I can catch the evil Green Leaf Wrasse my crabs and snails should be safe... thanks for the reply. Mark.

Eggfong · #81 09/10/2003, 04:54 PM

Oh yes, how are you changing the climate?

rfoote · #82 09/10/2003, 05:11 PM

I've heard of some people having success with conchs cleaning the sandbed of cyano.

kmk2307 · #83 09/10/2003, 05:31 PM

I'm changing the climate, ask me how.

Kevin

stagefright13 · #84 10/28/2003, 09:36 PM

I had only a small patch of red slime hit my tank. I sucked it up when I do my weekly water changes. It seems not to hold too well to the rocks. Is kinda like a film. I have a peppermint shrimp and a lawnmower blenny. Maybe they helped I don't know but after I sucked it up I never saw any again and that was a month ago. I always use distilled water from store or my tap water purifier after I recharge it. I hope not to see it again. Actually I sucked it up a few times. I think the extra circulation I have now keeps all that stuff at bay. Remember we are trying to simulate the ocean. Everytime I go in the ocean it is surging with current. I am no expert just trying to simulate the ocean wich I love!

ant276 · #85 10/28/2003, 09:54 PM

Sorry was tagging along with this thread. I thought it was over but...

I did have a bout with cyano but it seemed to happen about the same time everyone else had it. The alge appeared at about 7 months old. It has never returned.

Tony

kakan · #86 04/22/2004, 02:18 PM

good tips

TheSNakE · #87 04/29/2004, 10:37 PM

900 mgs of erythromycin cleared my problem up for good. Hasn't been back for over a year. Hope I didn't jinx it now:-)

GatorReefman · #88 05/05/2004, 01:19 AM

I have had an ongoing red slime algae problem since about the second month of starting my new 55 gallon reef tank. It is 6 months old now. I know the area with the problem has very low current and I do alot of feedings since there are two tangs and two anemones in the tank. I have used RO water since week two. Any suggestions other than increasing the water flow to area?

kmk2307 · #89 05/05/2004, 03:29 AM

GatorReefman,

Do you test your phosphates? Does your skimmer seem to remove a lot of waste?

Kevin

GatorReefman · #90 05/05/2004, 10:48 PM

kmk,
I haven't tested for phosphates in a long time. I topoff daily with kalkwasser which should ppt out the phosphates.
Got a middle of the road in sump skimmer- aquaclear aquatics model from lfs. It skimmed within the first few hours( my prizm took days to start skimming). Have a few complaints- microbubbles, and collection cup is difficult to remove. john

stelow · #91 05/06/2004, 02:15 AM

Consistency and stability of a mature system is the key. So hang in there because everything gets easier as time passes. To high of bio-loads in new set-ups, with not enough removal of these elements, contribute to cyno and nuisance algae, usually something we all experience. I also have a 55 gallon it has been set up for three years and the only fish I have in the tank are a pair of blackfin dartfish. They are full grown at 5 inches a piece.

weimluv1 · #92 05/17/2004, 06:21 PM

I cycled my 37g. w/ live rock. It was doing fine until a few weeks later when diatom AND cyano blooms began ( i suspect the cyano was already on the LR). Deciding against the chemical short fixes, i just bought a hella of a lot of blue leg crabs (10), turbo snails(4)), nerith snails (10), and one 4" hermit. Within a few weeks (and three 25% water changes) i haven't had a problem with it.

At first i was, for some reason, really hesitant about putting small critters in my tank. I dunno, i just didn't like the look of them. But i often find myself watching them more than anything else in the tank! Having a clean up crew ( A LARGE CLEAN-UP crew) was my way of ridding my tank of algae.

kmk2307 · #93 05/23/2004, 04:44 PM

Hi weimluv1,

Did you mean nerite or cerith snails? Did they help a lot with the cyano? Are you familliar with CIMA (central illionis marine aquarists)? www.cimaonline.us

Thanks,
Kevin

weimluv1 · #94 05/23/2004, 11:41 PM

Yeah i just found CIMA, actually.

MY turbo snails do an awesome job on the live rock. the nerite and cerith snails do a good job on the glass, but you need a lot of them, like 1 per gallon. I think my doing a lot of water changes helped on the cyano, mostly.

donwatkins10 · #95 05/30/2004, 05:23 PM

The red stuff might be the coralline you 'want' to have. The brown stuff is typical of the early stages. Don't worry too much. Just keep the water changes going.

If your tank has been established for a year or more, you may have had some changes recently that have increased your bioload or changed the lighting. Maybe water paramaters have changed.

*** the solution to pollution is dilultion ***

greenfroggiespawn · #96 07/18/2004, 05:48 PM

i am having the same probs at times they are so thin, but during the day w/ lights out they explode !! and mostly in this area.

i have a 90, 2 fish, and small bioload imo.

i am thinking of doing the kalk thing, and water change, the thing is i've heard that stability is key, so im trying to do water changes (10% every 3 days or so).

quintonvl · #97 08/19/2004, 04:40 AM

chaps,

my apologies as a newbie for crashing in here but i have been cycling my 55g with live rock and have just got through the dreaded algae blooms.. i've got all the green and brown stuff and my usual suspects clean up crew was doing a good job.. got a bit of hair algae sprouting and mentioned it to a local guru who sourced a dolobella for me...

this thing zipped through all the the algae like a shark though sushi and he/she/it just about polishes the live rock as it does its thing... it is the most amazing algae cleaner i have ever seen and i have never even seen one for sale in any of the shops.. i have only have it in the tank for 18hours and it has done more than 20 snails, 24 hermits and a brittle star.. my only worry is what to do when the algae is all gone!!..

on top of it all the dolobella is so ugly it is cute - even has shreks ears.. this is the best kept algae control secret and i feel duty bound to sings its praises!!..

cheers

Quinton

rfoote · #98 08/20/2004, 08:29 AM

I have never heard of this nor am I able to find much information out about them other then being some type of slug. Can you get or provide some more information from your friend? Thanks!

js_abattoir · #99 08/20/2004, 02:19 PM

Here is an interesting article. Not too sure about the ink release though.

www.seaslugforum.net/dolaauri.htm

TimD · #**100** 08/20/2004, 07:40 PM

Been fighting a cyano outbreak for about 2 months now. I've been peeling it off the sand and rocks, sucking it out with a turkey baster, everything I can think of to get it out, and it always comes back within a day or two. Nitrates are zero, phosphates are zero. After reading through this thread I decided to give the Natural Reef Red Slime Remover a try. As hesitant as I was to add chemicals, I have to say I'm shocked and pleased.

Within 3 minutes of adding the recommended dose of the Red Slime Remover, the red coating on the sand started to fade. After about 10 minutes, there has been a significant reduction in the coloration and it looks like my sand is starting to look like sand again. I'll follow up later tonight (before the lights click off) and again tomorrow to say how well it's progressing. So far it seems like money well spent. I'll be checking my pH tomorrow, just to make sure that's okay, but I don't have any way of testing O2 levels. So far none of the fish or inverts seem to be freaking out, so hopefully it's as safe for livestock as it claims.