Red Slime ?

[nanchil]

I started my tank few months back with Marco rocks and live sand. The tank is up and running for few months. It went through the regular cycling process. I did dump a couple bottle of Bio Spira to speed up the cycling process. I am noticing red slime over the rocks ... Wondering is it normal for Marco rocks ... I am running GFO ... Might use red slime remover ... but would like to know if this is a extended cycling ? I am using David Saxby TQ1 Preset light schedule (HD AI 26)... Thanks

 

[glb]

Does it rub off easily? What are your tank parameters?

 

[nanchil]

Thanks ! Yes it rubs off easily... My reading are not that perfect ... Phosphate are not 0 but not high though ... Using Hana checkers it reads around .3 ... Yes I love to feed my fishes.

 

[Emerson]

This could be part of the "New Tank Uglies". I had an issue with cyano about 5 month into my last build. I finally got the upperhand when I started blasting it off with a turkey baster, than "catching" as much of the bits with a filter sock and/or fish net. I was also doing bi-weekly water changes and running GFO. It also helped me to cut my light period and feedings while I was battling. It took me about 8 weeks to finally win.

 

[nanchil]

Thanks ... Should I use the red slime remover ?

 

[Emerson]

I waited for a while to use the Slime Remover, just because I didn't want to add any extra chemicals to the tank unless I just had to. I finally did do two treatments, but after knocking it back a little, the cyano came right back after a couple days.
In the end, what worked for me was the physical removal of as much as possible, then dosing a little bit of Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2). This was my last resort, but worked. I'd wait a while to see if other methods work. These two videos helped me figure out whether I had cyano or something else, and how to tackle it:

 

[nanchil]

I waited for a while to use the Slime Remover, just because I didn't want to add any extra chemicals to the tank unless I just had to. I finally did do two treatments, but after knocking it back a little, the cyano came right back after a couple days.
In the end, what worked for me was the physical removal of as much as possible, then dosing a little bit of Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2). This was my last resort, but worked. I'd wait a while to see if other methods work. These two videos helped me figure out whether I had cyano or something else, and how to tackle it:

Thanks. That’s interesting. Will watch those videos. One thing I want to say is I don’t have any red slime on my sand bed though. Only on rocks.

 

[nanchil]

Thanks... very informative ...

 

[rhastareefer]

Honestly you want to address the cause of the issue not throw temporary solutions at it. Do you have good flow in the areas you're seeing the cyano? That alone could be your issue but how much are you feeding your fish (and how many are you feeding)? Dialing back your feeding and increasing flow are things that can be done consistently rather than throwing antibiotics or h2o2 at your tank every few months. Those antibiotics also kill good bacteria..

 

[nanchil]

Honestly you want to address the cause of the issue not throw temporary solutions at it. Do you have good flow in the areas you're seeing the cyano? That alone could be your issue but how much are you feeding your fish (and how many are you feeding)? Dialing back your feeding and increasing flow are things that can be done consistently rather than throwing antibiotics or h2o2 at your tank every few months. Those antibiotics also kill good bacteria..

Thanks. I am pretty sure its not flow. I have 2 MP40s running and have a good water movement. As you can see, these are like red Hair Alage in the rocks moves along the direction of the flow.... Yep I love to feed my fish and tend to feed more... If it is bacteria, I guess we should treat with antibiotics... Thanks though ...