Red Algae

[303travism]

I have been noticing a good amour of red algea growing only on one half of my tank it is on my protien skimmer side I have good flow on that side and if you divided my tank right down the middle it is only on one side and not a touch of it on the other I will add photos once Photobucket quits acting like a b!tch.

 

[asn-naso]

Is it slimy or hard? If you rub it with a toothbrush does it come off, or not?

 

[303travism]

Yep it comes right off

 

[asn-naso]

It's cyanobacteria. Increase the flow on that side of the tank, and lower your nitrates/phosphates.

Use a turkey blaster to blow it off the rocks, then try to grab it with the toothbrush, or syringe before it lands on another rock.

 

[303travism]

Ok thanks can it damage coral cause I might not be able to address the issue till fri-sat

 

[Off The Deep End]

Yes it can smother coral causing damage, on a side note the easiest way i have found to remove it without losing water is to siphon it out with a hose. Put a fish net below the outlet end of your hose this way when the water passes through the net it catches the cyano. I will usually do this over my sump so the water goes through the net right back into the sump. If you dont have a sump you can use a 5 gallon bucket and just return the water back to the tank when done. HTH

 

[303travism]

Ok thanks for the info I have been buying RO water from Kingsoopers and I was reading that it is double carbon filtered and not deionized could this be part of the problem?

 

[120greefman]

+1 on just siphoning it out. If you blast it with a turkey baster and let it go or miss some with the net it usually just starts growing where it lands. I just siphon mine out and if it does come back it takes some time but I always end up winning the battle. I have done 5 gallon water changes weekly for a month where I just siphoned out any cyano that kept growing and by the end of the month it finally stopped.

 

[Off The Deep End]

Ok thanks for the info I have been buying RO water from Kingsoopers and I was reading that it is double carbon filtered and not deionized could this be part of the problem?

I dont think there would be a problem as long as its RO but i could be wrong. Also clean up crew and less feeding is key! I added more CUC and cut feedings back to once a week and BOOM cyano gone in 3 days, haven't seen it since.

 

[asn-naso]

Very good points. I fought some with my BC8, and due to the size of the tank, a siphon wasn't very feasible. I also didn't have a sump.

If you do what off the deep end is talking about, you can use clean pantie-hose with a rubber band holding it onto your tube. It might make it easier for you.

 

[Off The Deep End]

If you do what off the deep end is talking about, you can use clean pantie-hose with a rubber band holding it onto your tube. It might make it easier for you.

+1

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

Flow is the key. What is your alkalinity at. Low alk can contribute to the cyano.