weird red stuff on the substrate, need advice HELP! :)

[Charlie97L]

ok guys, i have some weird red bubbly stuff on the substrate, and it's definitely spreading... it was only about a 1"x2" patch the other day, now it's everywhere. i need some advice asap.

i'm not getting good skimmate no matter how i adjust it, it's an old tunze so it might not be working correctly. it's wet and yellow. but i don't have a high bioload particularly at this point, so its tough to tell if that's right.

my params are good, waiting on my phosphate and calcium test kits to get here, but this is out of control now. i top off with 0 TDS Ro water.

here are some pics... and on a side note my new pink/green torch and GSP that i put in on friday before the damn bubble outbreak.

[Charlie97L]

major uhoh... so i go down to just look at the bubble algae, and one of my powerheads decided to release suction cups and fall... i'm hanging them all tomorrow off the rim! ARGH.... soooo no more red stuff... *whimper*

i guess it's a waiting game now. anyone have any ideas what's going to happen? what i can do, etc?

[KimPossible]

aauuuuugggg......looks like the beginning of cyno.
look into your lighting, nitrogen, phosphates, and water flow.

[Witfull]

defifinately cynobacteria~

[BoomerD]

Yep, definitely a case of cyano in the making there. To help you combat it, we'll need lots more information from ya Charlie...
Water testing? We'll need to know nitrates, and phosphates, (if you test for those) as they are the 2 most common causes of cyano.
Water source? Are you using RO? RO/DI? Tap water? Most city water sources contain lots of nasty crap that we don't want in our tanks. RO/DI is the best for our uses, as it removes 98%+ of the bad stuff...
Bulbs...What kind, and how old? While the lights themselves usually don't cause cyano, as they age, their specrum changes, and can work with low levels of nutrients, to make things worse.
Flow? Cyano generally won't grow in places that have high flow rates. I said GENERALLY, because once it gets a good start, it may indeed grow in places that it might not otherwise be able to. You need to stop this in the early stages, rather than let it get out of control first...
Most of us will recommend a good phosphate removal media, like Phosban or RowaPhos, run properly in a reactor, to help absorb the phosphates from your water. Run correctly, and changed when needed, it can be a good tool in the fight against cyano.
Let's have some answers to the questions posed above, and we'll get to work...

[Charlie97L]

ok, my nitrates are unreadable on my kit... so it's probably phosphates... i'm using RODI water to top off, but for the first week i got it i think it was running like 3 TDS, now it's down to 0.

i'm waiting on my phosphate test kit, should be here tomorrow.

the bulbs, i have a 10K MH 250 w, and some old PCs, that are probably lending o the problem. i have a t5 setup that is currently sitting, waiting for the ballast to get repaired. i'm also ordering a 14K XM Bulb in the very near future, so i'll know that is new.

i was overfeeding for like a week i think, but most of the extra was getting into the water column and down into the sump, where the skimmer got it.

flow: i had flow issues, which was what i think was the problem. i had some crap PHs, and one broke, so i had a big dead spot in the tank. i noticed there's hardly any cyano on the half of the tank that was receiving the sump return. however, now i have finished my PH mods, and they are all working, and flow is a lot better.

also, i don't really need to siphon it off, as my rogue powerhead blew most of it off... we'll see if it returns in force.

[Witfull]

could also be decomposing matter in the sand...

[Charlie97L]

yeah... oh well, it's been blown all over the wide world of the tank at this point... i'll just have to keep checking and probably start running some phosban.

on a side note, will a yellow tang pretty much eat any type of hair/regular algae, or do they only go for the green stuff?

i'm going to do a water change tongiht, and give everything a good clean, as well. that never hurts.

[KimPossible]

I would start feeding less, manually remove the cyno....either with a net or a stirring stick to get it up during your water changes....weekly water changes right now will definately help.

Do you have good flow to all parts of your tank?
how old are your lights?

This challenge is definitely an exercise in patience. It'll take a while Charlie.

[Charlie97L]

my lights probably need replacing, but that's been addressed, i have new t5s and i'm ordering a new MH bulb next week.

my flow is pretty good... i'm still working on it. i think lack of flow definitely started the problem.

i will manually remove what i can, but the stupid powerhead blew it all everywhere... i'm not sure what i can do about that. nothing can be done i think. hopefully it won't be a huge problem.

i'm patient.

[Vanquish]

I've tried a product called Red Slime Remover and it's extremely effective in removing the cyanobacteria you're facing... It is a yellow powder and when added to the tank's water, the skimmer absolutely goes berserk... so prepare for very dry-skim and tune the water level in your skimmer to the lowest if possible... If the skimmer overflows, you have no choice but to off it, after 2-3days, the cyano clears up!! Like magic!! I haven't detected any side-effects after administering it twice to my old 90 gallon... I didn't lose any fish or corals and the product IMHO is really effective!

[KimPossible]

We just had a discussion going on about Red Slime Remover...read here...

[Vanquish]

Opps! My apologises... didn't see the other thread... just thought I share my experience...

[KimPossible]

noooo, I didn't mean it like that. Just wanted to post the link to it.

[Vanquish]

No worries!!