Algae problem

[Matt Tx]

I am having a problem with what I think is red slime algae. I will attempt to post a picture. I have been trying to get rid of it with water changes every week or so but with in a day or two after the cleaning it is back. What are some possible solutions to getting rid of it? Is there anything that will eat it? Should I shut off my lights? Is this a serious helth problem for my other tank inhabitants or just unsightly? Thank you in advance for your advice.

[Frankie]

Are you using tap water to top off and mix your salt? That is a heavy layer there.

[Matt Tx]

ro water only

[Frankie]

Whens the last time you tested the TDS from it? If your getting it from a lfs I would recommend buying a TDS tester and checking it. It could also be from the food your feeding the fish. What are you feeding, how much and what food? Could you post all that you are testing for? How long has this tank been up, size, fish, salinity, do you have sump? refugium?

[brandon]

i had the same problem even with ro/di water. i did constant water changes got more power heads for flow. My problem was the phospate pads i had in my over flow box. once i removed those the red slime died really fast. do you have a sump?

[Matt Tx]

I have a 45G tall aquarium which has been up and running for approximatley 8months. I am running a cascade 700 canister filter and a rio 800 powerhead and a air pump with attached bubble bar. I have 40# live rock and a 3 to 4" sand bed. Livestock includes 1yellow tang, 2 Green chromis, and a striped damsel,1 cleaner shrimp, 1 flame scallop, 1 leather, 1 sebea anenome, 1flower pot,and some zoos and button poloyps and various crabs and snails. I am feeding Aquadine 1 small pinch a day. I do not have a sump. I have been testing my nitrate O,Nitrite 0, Amonia 0, Calcium 380ppm,PH 8.2, and alkalinity 214.8ppm.

[Frankie]

Great info Matt, thank you.
That is a good filter. They even make a zeolite pad for it to remove ammonia. Now if you are using the Cascade 700/1000 Bio-Sponge, your going to want that out.
The Cascade 700/1000 Bio-Floss i would remove also. All of these items will build up dituris causeing the nitrates to rise. You most likly have high nitrates in the water you just can't test for it because the cyano (that red slime on the sand) is feeding off of them. What salt are you useing btw?
I think you can get control over this pretty quickly if you remove those pads and keep doing water changes with a quality salt mix and good water. I would test the TDS of your RO right away.
BTW, what kind of lighting are you using?

[csmsss]

Originally Posted by Frankie

Whens the last time you tested the TDS from it? If your getting it from a lfs I would recommend buying a TDS tester and checking it. It could also be from the food your feeding the fish. What are you feeding, how much and what food? Could you post all that you are testing for? How long has this tank been up, size, fish, salinity, do you have sump? refugium?

+1. I have personal experience with an LFS that would, when their reservoir tank of R/O was low or empty, pawn off water that had only been run through a carbon block filter as R/O. Dirty, underhanded, unethical? You betcha. It also got customers out the door, and got their money. And how many customers think to test the water they are SURE is pristine R/O water for TDS? Pretty much none - after all, the whole idea of buying water from the LFS is so you don't have to worry about such things, right?

[johnmaloney]

is it that black? maybe noxious bacteria bloom. very prevalent in nature, not as much in reef tanks. if it is, (i am not positively identifying it, hard to tell with that pic), it is very unhealthy.