Best treatment for cyano bacteria (red slime)

[reefpeeper]

So i have been fighting this for the last 2 or so months and cant seem to get a grip on it. I have tested my phosphate and nitrate and both are not high at all. I think nitrate was about 5 or less and phosphate was about .01. I have siphoned out the excess and also scrubbed the rocks in places then do a water change. Also have tried red slime remover and didnt seem to help. Does anybody have other things i can do to get rid of this stuff? I have had this in other thanks before but has always gone away.

 

[CastAway]

Tagging along.

(Fighting it myself)

 

[glweek]

me too. things work then then it comes back. at this point im slowly siphoning sand out with my water changes until there is none left. Im sure its coming from dirty sand and although i love the look of sand i don't love the look of a red slimy tank.

 

[twilliard]

This stuff can be a pain!
One thing to always remember its a bacteria.
Stay on top of dosing chemiclean, dont over do it but stay on top.
Get that skimmer cranking away! Its like pulling out bacterial flocks from carbon dosing.
Manual removal the best you can.
I dont change water in my system so I took a siphon hose down to my sump into a filter.
Let the skimmer pull out the chemiclean. Helps keeps tank balanced from multiple water changes.
Now its a bacteria and will live on for quite some time till you break it down to a point it doesnt come back.
I dose chemiclean once a week.

 

[DiverGirl82]

Sorry I'm no help but I'm following along because I have 1 patch that keeps going away and coming back. I moved my powerheads today to try to get more flow in that spot. Fingers crossed that does the trick.

 

[klesel]

Ya its a pain I found the thing works for me is water flow I got sps dominate of course they love the flow but do have frog spawn and favia and zoos they I have to be careful of flow but after alot of moving and re doing power heads and few corals iv got 95% of my red gunk gone this way .

 

[reefpeeper]

This stuff can be a pain!
One thing to always remember its a bacteria.
Stay on top of dosing chemiclean, dont over do it but stay on top.
Get that skimmer cranking away! Its like pulling out bacterial flocks from carbon dosing.
Manual removal the best you can.
I dont change water in my system so I took a siphon hose down to my sump into a filter.
Let the skimmer pull out the chemiclean. Helps keeps tank balanced from multiple water changes.
Now its a bacteria and will live on for quite some time till you break it down to a point it doesnt come back.
I dose chemiclean once a week.

When u dose the chemi clean do u use an airstone?

 

[reefpeeper]

me too. things work then then it comes back. at this point im slowly siphoning sand out with my water changes until there is none left. Im sure its coming from dirty sand and although i love the look of sand i don't love the look of a red slimy tank.

I suck some sand out also, but it is on the rocks also

 

[kevindo123]

You need to fire your clean up crew. Get a real clean up crew of hermit crabs (blue legged, and scarlets), snails that can barrel in the sand and stir it up. I remembered having a patch and the hermits were on it and eating the stuff.

 

[kevindo123]

My LFS got cyno-bateria and they used chemi clean to get rid of it. It was a new tank. They used carbon to help take out the chemiclean once the slimes goes away.

 

[kevindo123]

reefkeeper,

How deep is your sand bed? Does the slime grow first on the sand and then goes up to the rocks.

 

[twilliard]

When u dose the chemi clean do u use an airstone?

No I do not
I turn the skimmer down to 50% thats how I airate the water.
On my weekly dose I only use 10 drops for 80 gallons for bacterial maintenance
I dont use a cleanup crew in my tank

 

[reefpeeper]

reefkeeper,

How deep is your sand bed? Does the slime grow first on the sand and then goes up to the rocks.

About 1" or more sand bed. Slime just grows everywhere. I would say it is more like a mat than slime. Some spots are slime like

 

[250mixreef]

I,ve had bouts with cyano for 3 or more yrs. I tried reducing nutrients extra wc/ no wc /chems all with only temporary effects until I started dosing vinegar and peroxide it took about 6 months but I have not seen any cyano in 3 months approx

 

[Mike in CT]

Have you used chemiclean without success?

 

[Salty0331]

FWIW.....cyano comes in a few different variations, and there are many treatments. If I were u i woild try and find the root of the problem. Cyano thrives on high nutrients, inadquate lighting, and inadequate flow. If you highlight these areas and address accordingly you will be happier with the results and in the long term keep the cyano away.

 

[Salty0331]

What type of lighting is in use and what do you have in teerms of flow?

 

[250mixreef]

Chemi clean worked short term for me. cyano always returned even after a second treatment as suggested on the directions as I followed them perfectly.I addressed all of the other ways of dealing with it flow /low nutrients. I did not change my leds way to expensive for an uncertain outcome. I've always maintained t5 bulbs and it was still persistent. Cyano is bacteria so feeding other more desirable strains of bacteria and growing that population with carbon dosing I believe it's what's working for me I also believe that cyano may thrive at a lower oxygen level and I think the peroxide is helping with that . Of course this is just my opinion

 

[rygh]

I really have to question flow being related to Cyano.
The main reason - I have had Cyano growing just fine right on my powerheads.

I do not get the wispy strands of Cyano on powerheads like I do in low-flow zones.
But I certainly get a thin mushy red mat.

TIP on manual removal
** Use an airline hose for a siphon. ** Also put bucket on the floor.
Easy to direct right where you need it, max suction, and you can go a long time without using tons of water.

 

[d_adler]

I've used erythromycin on both outbreaks that I've had and both times its eliminated the cyano completely but if you have an issue else where. Like excess nutrients it will return. Figure out what's causing it before using chemical treatment