Red slime all over !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Dr. Dai Phan

Aquarium Advice Freak
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Jun 13, 2008
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OMG OMG Red slime all over !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello all,

Yesterday I woke up and found the tank overgrown with red slime! The water chemistry is as perfect as it can be although there were two nights I left the lights (1134 Watts) MH on for too long (13 hours). I used the toothbrush to get them off but they are still there. What to do at this time as someone said I should use Red Slime to get rid of them? DP

125 gallon tank with PC/MH running at 10 hours/day.
Refugium with protein skimmer and media reactor (phos zorb)
Feeding twice a day with flakes/frozen food.
20 gallons PWC once every two weeks.
Coral feeding once a week.
PH=8.4
SG= 1.024
dKH= 7 ( in the process of getting to be higher).
Nitrate =4
Phosphate= 0

Since the outbreak two days ago I did 20 gallons PWC (on my regular day for routine maintenance), has not feed the fish and only allowed one hour of light.
 
Great article link melosu. Since my tank will be starting its cycle rather soon in a couple days, this link helped me be aware of what might happen.
 
Hello all,

Yesterday I woke up and found the tank overgrown with red slime! The water chemistry is as perfect as it can be although there were two nights I left the lights (1134 Watts) MH on for too long (13 hours). I used the toothbrush to get them off but they are still there. What to do at this time as someone said I should use Red Slime to get rid of them? DP

125 gallon tank with PC/MH running at 10 hours/day.
Refugium with protein skimmer and media reactor (phos zorb)
Feeding twice a day with flakes/frozen food.
20 gallons PWC once every two weeks.
Coral feeding once a week.
PH=8.4
SG= 1.024
dKH= 7 ( in the process of getting to be higher).
Nitrate =4
Phosphate= 0

Since the outbreak two days ago I did 20 gallons PWC (on my regular day for routine maintenance), has not feed the fish and only allowed one hour of light.

There is no need to feed this much, or even half this much. Not saying that is the only reason, but combination of lights running that long, and over feeding is going to be a huge issue. I would suggest cutting your feeding to once ever few days, and even then only feed what your fish eat. It is weird to think, but there are fish that can go a long long time without food. They do not need to eat every day, let alone twice a day. Also I would suggest backing down your lighting a bit. 8 hours at most, I run mine only in the evening for about 5 hours, and then moon lights for 3.

Also I would suggest putting your lights on timers. It will lessen the chance of them being left on to long. Also it creates a constant for your fish, more like a sunrise sunset that is healthy for them.

There are some really good red slime fighting chemicals out there that you can purchase as well.


Hope that helps and best of luck to you.
 
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I cut my feeding and bought some cyno bacteria killer called chemiclean which worked like a charm. follow the instructions on the box and it works perfectly.
 
Hi all,

I changed 20 gallons on Saturday after brushing off the slime and last night after brushing some more off, I replaced 30 gallons. That's 50 gallons PWC in 4 days but my goal is to minimize the food source for the slime. I also used Red Slime according to instructions. I only provide 2 hours of light per day and so far the corals are doing well except the Xenia where they went into sharp decline after Red Slime is introduced. If the slime is not resolved, I will add another dose tommorrow. Am I doing this right? DP
 
Hi all,

From the reviews online some claim it to work well while others said it kill EVERYTHING (corals, fish...) and it was the life's worst mistake. Any comments? DP
 
I used it and didnt have any fish die. i used it according to directions, waited until the next day, did a water change, reapplied chemical and it worked on the second dosage. then i gave it one last pwc when all the slime was gone.
 
I cut my feeding and bought some cyno bacteria killer called chemiclean which worked like a charm. follow the instructions on the box and it works perfectly.

chemicals are a short term solution. you must find out what caused the problem in the first place. over feeding or bad flow. fix this and it will not return. I am personally not a fan of adding ANY chemicals to my tank. Just some calcium and some trace elements
 
Hello all,

Yesterday I woke up and found the tank overgrown with red slime! The water chemistry is as perfect as it can be although there were two nights I left the lights (1134 Watts) MH on for too long (13 hours). I used the toothbrush to get them off but they are still there. What to do at this time as someone said I should use Red Slime to get rid of them? DP

125 gallon tank with PC/MH running at 10 hours/day.
Refugium with protein skimmer and media reactor (phos zorb)
Feeding twice a day with flakes/frozen food.
20 gallons PWC once every two weeks.
Coral feeding once a week.
PH=8.4
SG= 1.024
dKH= 7 ( in the process of getting to be higher).
Nitrate =4
Phosphate= 0

Since the outbreak two days ago I did 20 gallons PWC (on my regular day for routine maintenance), has not feed the fish and only allowed one hour of light.

I feed my little ones every three days and only about half a cube of brine. Try to cut down on the feeding.

Hope it goes well!
 
chemicals are a short term solution. you must find out what caused the problem in the first place. over feeding or bad flow. fix this and it will not return. I am personally not a fan of adding ANY chemicals to my tank. Just some calcium and some trace elements

I could not agree more.
 
It's all over... I am not cut out or saltwater... period.

Everything is dead with a horrible sulfur smell all over the house. My friend and I were quite humbled when we first walked in because we both bowed over! Now the stench is seeping into the street like a toxic cloud. 9000 bucks down the drain. It's all over... there is nothing left for me here but fond memories of the past. You all have been an awesome group and it has been my pleasure to know you all. Now where did I put my Jim Bean? DP
 
I'm pretty sure the root is cyan - "blue-green."

I ain't seeing no blue-green or else I let it grow to a lushy field of dream . Instead all I see is pure evil red slime.
 
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gzeiger is correct. There's no cyanide in cyanobacteria. Cyano can come in a rainbow of colors.

Sorry about your loss. Chemical solutions may work great for some, not so great for others. Most red slime removers are oxidizers, and kill the cyano by rapidly lowering your dissolved oxygen content in the tank. The problem is that everyones water parameters are not identical - what may work fine in one person's tank may crash another's. And even if it's been used in a tank successfully in the past, it doesn't mean it won't crash the tank the next time it's used. It's really a crap shoot...

I know saying this doesn't help you now, but thought maybe it might help others that are in your same position and find this thread in the future.
 
You've already spent most of your money in your hardware, and you've suffered a crash. You can cut your losses and start over again for a nominal fee; Nothing anywhere near what it costed you originally. Just think of this as an opportunity to come back stronger, and do everything that you had wanted to do in the first place.
 
Hi guys and gals,

Just kidding with my crash but I can't wait to get home to see how it is doing. Last night I had a nightmare that I dropped a bucket full of detergent into the tank! What to do then in that case? Will let you know how my tank turns out. Dai
 
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