slime algae remove chemical

[Shia]

I don't remember what thread it was or the name, but I don't remember the name of the chemical. Well the description was that this chemical was basically reef safe and removed slime algae in less than 5 days. If anyone could remember the name please email me.

[Aquaman]

several products fall into this catagory.

Ultra Life makes Red slime remover
Boyd enterprises makes Chemi pure

[MJB]

Several companies make a similar product.Ultralife makes one called, coincidentally, Ultralife Red Slime Remover. Comes in a powdered form. It does kill cyano and IME will not harm fish or inverts and seems to have minimal negative impact on other more desireable bacteria.HTH--MJB

[Shia]

how reef safe are these chemicals, also ultra life slime remover seems familiar.

[MJB]

The Ultralife product is very effective at killing cyano usually in 48 hrs. It is antibacterial in nature, so it works directly on cyano. There is some speculation that the bioligical filter MAY be negatively impacted. This has not been my experience and it does not, as far as I can tell, harm any fish or inverts. I don't think Chemi Pure contains antibiotics, but it is very effective at removing dissolved organics and pollutants so IMHO its effects are more indirect.HTH--MJB

[Shia]

I have many inverts and few corals I would really want to keep alive, which would you guys say is the safest for my tank?

[DEUCE BIGALO]

I used chemi-pure about a month ago after everyone saying how safe it is. Well I put it in and almost lost my shrooms. I did like 75% change the next two days to save them. They still arent 100% Also all my snail almost died. I didnt see them for like 3 weeks. Now one of my fish has gone blind which i am suspicious about. I also see a few dead pods floating around. I wouldnt do this again unless my tank was seriously getting choked. Good luck.

[Shia]

DEUCE BIGALO,
thanks for informing me. O.k now chemi pure is out. Have any of you tried ultra life, if so how well did it go and were there any side affects.

[TimberTDI]

I've have to chime in;<BR>I've always used chemi-pure. I've never had a problem with the stuff.

[fishpoo]

are we talking about the carbon/resin in a bag called Chemipure by Dick Boyd. i never thought that could hurt anything. it's just carbon with a small amount of other ion exchange goodies.

[DRT]

I believe most of these cures are composed of tetracycline which does kill bacteria. In my earlier days I did use this once out of sheer frustration with a tank that looked like a science experiment gone terribly bad. With some experience behind me I would not put any of those chemicals in a reef system again. The best cure IMHO is still agressive skimming, stop adding nutrients (food and any other chemicals), water changes and patience, this curse will pass. Having said that if you still are hell bent on adding this stuff it will make your skimmer go nuts so you have to turn it off. I would also make up enough water to do as big a water change as you can.

[MJB]

I agree that using antibiotics treats the symptoms rather than the disease however, IMO and IME there is little evidence that suggests fish and inverts are negatively impacted, and I believe that the impact to the biological filter, the other primary concern, is negligible. Do a search. I'm sure you will find plenty of testimonials about results. BTW, it will make your skimmer go crazy for a couple of days.--MJB

[stephane]

I have try chemie claen 3 week ago and it nearly kill my 6 years old leather in the center now he look like is dead he skin come apart some place I hope I could save him. I would never put this in my tank anymore, I have done this after 1 1/2 mont batle for
Dyno in a deseperate cause

Chemi Clean is not an antibiotic and supose to only oxidize the
algea or the coumponund that made them grow


http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=1940

[stephane]

maybe my storie could help you this a letter that I have send to
the expert forum:

I've had a saltwater aquarium for about 10 years and a reef aquarium for 6.
The tank was a 105G with 4x actinic VHOs and 2x 250W Iwasakis.
I never had any bad problem before and all went relatively well until this summer, June 2nd, when the basement of my house was completely destroyed by fire.
The aquarium was on the first floor, where there were no flames, only extensive dammage due to the smoke. Water and electicity supplies had to be cut.
I had to move the aquarium to my grand-dad's garage. He lives close to us. I bought a 130G (72x24x18") and moved everything in this new tank. During that time we, my wife, our 2 kids and myself, had to live in a hotel during 4 months, time for the house to be repaired. I nearly didn't take care of the aquarium for 6 months: no skimmer, no complement, no calcium, nothing during those 6 months, only a food cube per day that my grand-father gave.

When I could bring back the aquarium at home after 6 month of work, it was in perdition. All was in a catastrophic state. A layer of slimy algae was floating al all was covered by a brown algae.
I placed my old 105G tank next to my 120G in the garage. I filled the old tank with new water and directly transfered everything. I was just blowing on the live rock to get rid of the algae. 100% new water was used. The old water was so polluted that my arm became red and swolen, a terrible smell was around.

After a week I moved the 120G tank and filled it to bring all the content at home. I added as well 4" of Southdown sand ( I was using the bare-bottom Berlin method before that). Strangely and luckily I lost nothing except 2 Astreas and a fox coral that I had for 5 years, but it never adapted really well to my aquarium, it survived but never grew.

After 3 weeks I saw that the algae was slowly coming back. I changed my old wood stone-powered skimmer for an Aerofoamer that I made myself:
http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=372&pagenumber=3
To make sure that I would remove most of this algae from the water column and export it, I placed a sort of diatom cartridge, only larger, for Magnum filters, the model sold in swimming pool shops, placed in front of my return pump (3mdqxsc), and changed it every 2 days. I was blowing of the algae from the rocks every 3 days. After 3 weeks I couldn't see any progress in the situation.
I tested my water: no phosphates. Except that the output of my RO unit I noticed a very faint blue coloration of my Seatest Fasttest low range phosphate, below 0.1. I had to make the test on distilled water to be positive about the blue coloration.
I then ordered an new RO unit with DI. I still didn't received it. Just to make sure I do not use the old RO anymore, I do my water changes with distilled water ( I made a 50% change since then) after the ChemiClean treatment.

I decided to try the ChemiClean despite the fact that I am against any type of medecine. I was desperate because this algae is slowly killing my Astreas and corals. It is not only the problem of aestetics (if it was only that, I would be more patient).
ChemiClean did absolutly nothing after 2 doses. I added Caulerpa in my sump.
I have to place my Astreas close to the surface, far from the algae, otherwise the fall to the bottom, like paralized, and die. As soon as they touch this algae they retract in their shells as if they received an electric shock, try to extend for a few minutes and then stays there to die if I do nothing.
ChemiClean did absolutly nothing, even after 2 doses.

Now, after 2 months, 6x 25% water changes with my old RO, 50% with distilled water, there I am. Maybe it's my RO water, maybe it is something else. I ordered my new RO 2 weeks ago and still haven't received it. At this time I have lost 2 Astreas, a yellow leather, a pink SPS, a brown acro. I need a quick way to kill this algae to allow me time to re-establish a balance befor I lose everything.
Many tell me to wait, to do water changes and to grow Caulerpa, but I am afraid that I will lose everything before because of this algae or bacteria, because I believe that my problem may be "dinophagelate" (see attached picture). So the solution may be an antibiotic like Red Slime Remover. I think that my problem could be similar to AGU in this post on RC:
http://archive.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=58041
I do not really believe in an imbalance due to over-population, because I have only 1 yellow tang, 1 blue tang and a damsel that I nearly did not feed in the past month and a half to avoid making things worse. I will have to feed them one day because they are becoming thinner. Hopefuly the "tang police" will never receive this letter.

Thanks a lot to have the patience to help me, even if you must have hundred of others to help.

this the response from Eric

I'd explain to him that the tank, because of its long periodof
> neglect, is
> going through a cycle similar to what people get when they first start a
> tank. when you recover from damage,sometimes it takes longer
> than starting
> brand new. So, I would do weekly water changes of 25% for
> several months.
> Get a lot of herbviores - blennies, snails (not Astraea - maybe Trochus,
> Turbo, etc.) and let them get to work. Add calcium and
> bicrbonate, nothing
> else. Feed enough for the fish, but keep food low for several months. I
> think that will take care of whatever he has in time, but I just
> cannot tell
> if he has dinoflagellates or not, and really see no good evidence
> of it. The
> photos and the microscopy video are nice efforts, but don;t help much. A
> picture of the whole tank would be about the best thing I could
> ask for at
> this point...no close-ups.
>
> No red slime remover, etc. Just water chnages.
>
> Thanks Nico.... talk to you when I get back!
>
> Eric
>

Dr Ron have say about exacly the same so I decideed to go whith expert and I tink that i pay because now the algea seem to greatly get back


hope this will help

[BRG]

Shia,

Fishpoo is correct Chemi-pure is a carbon/resin. Some people use it instead of just carbon. It is not a slime remover.

Ultralife red slime remover will work fine, will not harm anything. I have used both of these products. Chemi-pure for removing DOC's and Ultralife red slime remover for removing red slime. They both work great.

Hope this is helpful.

BG

[Shia]

I am leaning towards ultra life. So far from the searches I have done and the comments made on this thread I have no noticed any extreme dramatic danger from using the slime remover.

[FMarini]

Hi:
most of the slime algae removers are erythomycin. As you know slime algase is a misnomer, the name for this disease is cyano or cyanobacter. hence the reason you use an antibiotic to eliminate it. But as mentioned this is a temporary cure, if your water quality is poor then the slime algae will be back.
stephane post points out a number of good solutions
frank

[Frick-n-Frags]

Those chemical additions/selective killers do not help stabilize a tank. IMO they create an even more goofed up imbalance. The conditions for slime are still there. Now you have just killed a bunch more life out and that creates even worse imbalances, more organics and large artificially empty niches to be filled by who knows what.

I think the reality that needs to be dealt with here is to stabilize your tank, not pour on the snake oils. You are just asking for an ongoing world of hurt. Cyano is just a fertilizerometer.

[joefish]

I'm fighting cyano now.I have icreased my skimmer,cut back on feedings,tried to increase water flow and added a little extra carbon.Am I figthing this right.OH yea I also syphone out the thicker mats on top once a week with the water change.Opps one more I've been adding Marc weiss Coral Vital DNA.
Any opinions on what I'm doing.
THANKS
JOEFISH
:blown:

[stephane]

I m not shure but I tink coral vital will fuel your algea more

and a lot of water change

[joefish]

The coral Vital DNA claims to help corals and coraline to out compete with the Cyano.I'm seeing more of the beloved pink stuff and less of the cyano.It's just taking soooooo long.I'm also new to reefing so I might be reaching.
Joefish,:wildone: :hammer:

[OJsreef]

Red slime remover will work fine. I've used it 3-4 times over the past 4 years without a problem. The last time I used it I was vary nervous because I had just gotten 5 baby maxes through mail order, well to keep it short I had it in my skimmerless system for three days before doing a water change and I still have my babies today.
The only thing you should keep in mind is it KILLS the red slime so you need to do water changes and return your skimmer to active duety to get rid of the die off so as not to foul your water.
Thanks:Oliver

[Kim D]

I used ultra life recently and was very happy with the results. I agree with the comments that you need to take care of the cause, but this gives you a chance to do it without an overgrowth of the cyano. I noticed no ill effects other than it dropping my ph as it said it could. I immediately buffered and all was well.