red algae?

[drakejo2002]

i have this red algae, i think that is what it is, on the bottom of my tank. what is this and how do i get rid of it. when i turn the lights out, it acts like it is dying but as soon as i turn the lights on it turns red again. help!!

[glampka]

Possibly cyano. If the stuff is soft & slimey - it's cyano. Siphon the stuff off, get some additional flow to the area, check your phosphate levels & if high get some Phosban or other phosphate removing media. Watch your feedings since uneaten food will contribute to phosphate levels.

[lcstorc]

I couple more tips in case it is cyano.
Rinse all food with RO water prior to feeding.
If your bulbs are old, replace them.
Check your water source before and after adding the salt. If you are not using RO/DI water (and sometimes even if you are) you may be adding phosphates there.
HTH

[AQTCJAK]

I would also dose with Boyd Enterprises Chemi-Clean to kill the bacteria if it is cyano

[Jen]

I just got over a cyano problem...not huge, but there. Mine was the same...gone overnight (or invisible) and bad by the end of the day. I added a bunch of reef hermits, cerith and nassarius snails, a sand sifter and cut back my feeding to once/day (was twice). It worked great, over about 2 weeks. No more red. Good luck!

[drakejo2002]

i use tap water then i condition it. will this cause that problem. also i only feed once a day.

[rlcline76]

I haven't seen cyano for awhile.
What everyone else said and about water sources, food, flow, parameters and
What kind of substrate do you have? How old is your tank?

[rlcline76]

Tap water will do it to ya. Some people can get by with using it, but they are few and far between.

[rbursek]

If you are useing tab water I am 99% sure that is your problem, more then likely phophates, do you test for them and if so what are they?

[lcstorc]

Tap water is very likely. Get a phosphate test and test the nsw. Many lfs sell ro water pretty inexpensively so you may want to go that route. RO systems aren't terribly expensive and will save you money in the long run.

[AnotherLousy1]

I agree with what everyone says, especially about the tap water. R/O is the way to go. I had a friend that started with tap water (has since switched to R/O) but he's still dealing with several issues, such as cyno, byropis, even some red/purple bubble algae.

I would also recommend if you go to R/O change bits at a time, say like 5-10%, that way it's not a total shock to your system.

I also use two products that help remove organics (Chemi-pure) and one that removes phosphates and silicates (Seagel)

Good luck and keep us posted!

[drakejo2002]

tested ph level and it was 8.4

[johnmaloney]

I don't think they meant ph, they meant phosphates. Phosphates are the only food cyano needs to live, get rid of it and it starves. Is it really cyano though? Is it powder like or is it a thick slimey mass?

[drakejo2002]

ok tested the phosphates, well i barely had any. like .5

[lcstorc]

With all of that algae you should be getting 0. Get some phosguard or rowaphos. If you have a reactor, great. If not run it in a net bag in a high flow area.