Red Slime Algae?

[bee505]

Is this red slime algae? The red is starting to spread all over my tank. What should I do about this? Is this bad?

http://i35.*******.com/2uggqko.jpg

[jdmcivicek9]

how much flow do you have?? also are you using RO/DI??how recent was your last waterchange??

[SaltyDr]

Ypu, that is the Red Death. Often present because of elevated phosphates. Increasing flow helps, but likely only by removing detrirus and nutrients associated with it. Look at a phosphate remover, such as GFO.

[bee505]

I'm running a mj1200 plus a koralia 1. The set up is a 24g aquapod. I started out with tap water. However, I have been using RO/DI water in all the water changes. I've been changing about 3.5 gallon of water every week for the past 2 weeks.

[tmz]

Yes that is cyanobacteria often called red slime algae. Here is a currnet post on it in another forum,fyi.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1514822

and this from it:

Cyanobacteria is everywhere there is moisture,light and carbon dioxide(CO2)from the green slime of polar bear coats to the chloroplasts(believed to be evolved from cyanobacteria) in zooxnthelae(the symbiotic algae in corals) .It is believed to be the first life form on the planet and the enabler of life on earth oxygenating the water and fixing nitrogen into organic compounds in a reverse denitrification process(cycle of life). The true primordial slime, it produces the sugar it needs to survive via photosynthesis and oxygenates the water in the process.It is the center of photosynthesis and performs a unique function in fixing free nitrogen from the atmosphere (air/water) into organic compounds needed by living things to form proteins.It can also smother corals and turn a tank into a slimy mess.

While it can create it's own nutrients by grabbing free nitrogen from the surrounding air and creating organic compounds. It will thrive in high nutrient conditions since it is opportunistic and it takes less energy to consume phosphate and nitrate that are available,particularly phosphate.

Controlling it in water means controlling the availability of phosphate, and to a lesser extent nitrate and insuring a lack of excess CO2.

It will wane without light as well but it the conditions it needs are unchanged it will be back when the lights go back on.

Techniques for controlling nutients and excess CO2 include:

Good gas exchage with the surrounding air via good flow particularly a healthy ripple at the surface of the water and a big bubbly skimmer.Of course this assumes that the air in your house is not high in CO2.

Limiting the input of nutrients and increasing the amount of nutrients you take out of your tank.
Feed well but don't overfeed . Use foods low in phosphate and high in protein. Rinse and thaw frozen foods to remove the packing water.
Skim aggressively to remove particulate matter before it breaks down.
Use granulated activated carbon to remove organics.
Use phosphate binding material such as granulated ferric oxide.
Clean any mechanical filtration media often.
Add a refugium with macroalgae and prune it regularly.
Prevent detritus accumulations on your rock and substrate with good flow and occasional puffing with a turkey baster to put the detritus in suspension or by siphoning it out.
Remove dead or dying organisms promptly.
Employ a deep sand bed.
Export as much of the cyanobacteria as you can via siphoning.

I am sure there are techniques I have overlooked in this brief summary. Bottom line clean out nutrients and clean them out some more and manage healthy gas exchange and it will recede.

Good luck

__________________
Tom
Hobby Experience: 40yrs+overall,6yrs reef,9tanks,largest is a 120g reef
Current Tanks: 500g system consisting of a 120g reef sps mixed,a 90g lps,a 90g sps dominant,a 30g breeder lps frag tank ,a 40g sps frag tank,a 20g refugium,a29g refugium, an 88gal sump with live rock and rubble. Calcium reactor and kalk doser , mh pc and vho
Interests: Marine aquariums,fishing,reading,Bill's football, Sabres' hockey

I would add use RO/DI water.