red slime / cyno / hair algea / crap we don't want - Tri-Cities Reef Club Forum

leb · Moderator

RE: red slime / cyno / hair algea / crap we don't want

Jabber · Member

leb,
Yes,they are canister filters.
If I do sell it I will sell you one of the filters.
Marcia

leb · Moderator

on the main page about 3/4 the way down it says traders villiage.under that heading are three topics .pick one that suits what you have and post it.

are thoes cannister filters youhave? if so I would be interisted in one.

Jabber · Member

Where is Traders Village at on here? I have tried to find it.

Jabber · Member

To BC Swinney I have 2 under the tank filters and I have a layer of carbon,Phosphate balls,then some kind of things I forgot what they are called but it is for ammonia & nitrates they also have lights for algae but they don't work. I have the same problems w/my pond have the same kind of filters but algae keeps them stopped up.
How do I post something for sale on here?
Thanks,
Marcia

bucksdoe · Member

i would like to get some critters for my tank, what "friendly,easy" fish do u have n how much?

oldsalty · Veteran Member

There is a medication that will kill it in about 3 days. It won't solve the cause of the slime algea. It will drive your skimmer crazy, so you need to be at home for awhile after you treat it. It's called UltraLife Red Slime Remover. I have used this product and it will kill it. I get mine from ebay, $8.69 and it will treat up to 300 gal.

leb · Moderator

BC is giving you some good advice and I hope you dont give up but if you have to you have to. one of the titles under traders villiage is where to post for sale items if you list them please give good description

BCSWEENEY · Moderator

More than likley it is from the well water it is very good for fresh water but not so much for sal****er all the extra nutrients in it can cause algea problems. Or if you are getting excesssive sun light getting into the tank that can cause some bad algea blooms to. As far as the water changes go back off from them a little maybe just do them every two weeks or a larger one once a month save yourself some cost on that if you are not keeping alot of coral water changes are not as important. And if you are running carbon in all three filters pull the carbon out and put phosphate filters in to replace two of them petpartners use to keep them but if they dont have them aquatics in jc does, just cut them to fit. When i was running phosphate filters it cleared all my algea up algea feeds off of phosphates. If you decide you wanna try these couple things before you give up let me know i can run you 15 or 20 gallons of ro water to see if it helps. But i really think the phospahte filters will make a huge diffrence.

-- Edited by BCSWEENEY on Tuesday 19th of October 2010 04:54:02 AM

Jabber · Member

Red/brown algea, string algea and green algea. I have done water test my water is fine..I have well water so it is fresh water. My well is in a cave I have had it tested.Unlessit is something that is not showing up. I do have a high level of limestone in my water. My husband is trying to get me to sell it. If you know anyone that wants a 75 gallon sal****er tank w/fish,crab,shrimp,snails andother things I can't think of.

BCSWEENEY · Moderator

What kind of algea are you having problems with.

Jabber · Member

I have the same problem actually it is pretty bad in my tank I do weekly water changes. I have 2 under the tank filter big skimmer 3 above/behind tank filters and have plenty of movement in my tank. I still have the problem. HELP!!!! I am to the point of selling the tank and my fish. which I have grown attached to. My Husband is begging me to sell it because it's a money pit. If anyone is interested in buying it let me know.

divedog99 · Veteran Member

honestly I dont know where the silicates came from, I know I dont get them or have them anymore and I dont use the Kent sponge all the time, and my phosphates creep in from time to time but that comes from nearly anything.

I'd say I had gotten some from the culligan unit at Wal-Mart, but after seeing some of the tests and info Ive gotten on the DI chamber of RO/DI units even you guys stand that risk. Phosphates and ammonia more than silicates but the city and countyDOES add lots of CRAP to our water and say its to keep the water lines safe in winter! confused

the light myth is a pain but it sells lights here so I let them do it while explaining that the light its self didnt cause the problem BUT just like you said if your water isnt balanced or in the case of freshwater "clean" bad lights will facilitate the algal growth if not properly taken care of. (Of course their lights are often left on all the time or something stupid like that and its usually just straight up being lazy and not maintaining the system! Even the so called seasoned hobbyist can get lazy and burned out from time to time.)

izzy_real · Founder

I'm curious as to where you obtained silicates? Tap water? Filter water from Wal-Mart? Phosphates are a major cause of any algae trouble.

Red slime and dead spots are like bad bulbs and algae. The myth that algae grows because someone has bad bulbs trips me out. I've heard many "seasoned" hobbyists spout this at the top of their game when one's tank tests negative or extrememly low in phosphates, NH3/NH4, NO1 and NO2. If your water is in good shape and balanced, bad lights have no impact on algae.

However, back on topic, I assure you that dead spots are an issue nevertheless. Beeotch!

-- Edited by izzy_real at 20:13, 2008-03-20

tarvis · Veteran Member

I had it too one time and i used the phosphate sponge too seemed to clear up pretty easy with a few water changes

divedog99 · Veteran Member

I'm not so dedicated to the dead spot idea man i had it growing on a rock right in the middle of the flow one time, but the dead spots dont help matters any at all, when i was getting so much i had a slight build in phosphates and silicates and after i got them under control it seems to have went away.
i use kent phosphate sponge to eliminate both phos. and silicates

izzy_real · Founder

Cyano sucks!

I hate that crap. It usually means that you have a dead spot some where in your tank. By dead spot, I mean; not enough water motion. You can try and aim a power head in that general area, to help prevent detritus from building up and producing the red slime that you see. But as it develops, it's a good idea to use a turkey baister and suck it out of your tank, not just mix it up in the water column.

divedog99 · Veteran Member

What Is Red Slime Algae?

Red slime algae is actually not a "true" algae at all, but classified as a cyanobacteria. Often considered to be the evolutionary link between bacteria and algae, cyanobacteria are one of the oldest forms of life on earth and date back at least 3.5 billion years. These organisms produce oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis, and scientists believe that if it weren't for this microscopic organism, there would be no blue skies on Earth.

Commonly referred to as "red slime" algae, the name cyanobacteria literally means "blue-green" algae. Despite the naming, only about half of these organisms are actually blue-green in color. Most forms found in sal****er are other colors, ranging from blackish green to blue-green, from orange-yellow to reddish-brown, and often appear deep purple to fully black in color. Starting out as small patches, it spreads out from there as a mat of sheeting covering.

this was taken from http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/microalgae/a/aa092800.htm
dont know if it will help or not but it seems informative.

lucky · Veteran Member

Anybody have any problems with this stuff ? I am sure that everyone knows about overfeeding , skimming , etc.. . But how many continue to have problems ? Water changes , ro / di water , less feeding and still algea problems. Since algea also uses excess nutrients is their any evidence to suggest that some undesireable algea could help to filter the water in ways so to speak? Somebody enlighten me on my ignorance. Thanks
Danny