Any home remedies for red slime

[Waxxiemann]

I'm kinda low on cash flow, (Christmas) and what better time for a huge red slime outbreak?!

I know I need to add more flow as well as a phosban reactor, but is there anything I can do in the meantime to reduce/remove the problem. I don't want to treat if at all possible but I am not ruling it out.

The outbreak did not start until I added metal halides a few weeks ago.

Help a brother out. I'm getting depressed just looking at my tank.

[sean48183]

Use Em tablets made by Aquarium pharmacueticals. Cost about $5 here in the states at most pet shops. Its Eurthromycan basically an antibiotic.

Step1 remove carbon and shut down skimmer.

Step2 put 1 tablet per 20g in tank and leave for 48 hours. So for your 90+40+20/20=7 tablets. Probably could even go a little less. I would put 4 tablets in your main tank and 1 in sump and 1 in fuge.

Step 3 after 48 hours do 25% water change and start skimmer slowly. Moniter your skimmer it will go crazy. Also add good healthy dose of carbon.

I have done this 3 times and never lost a critter. The slime crumbles away and literally disappears in short time. It also gives the algae in your fuge and all the sponges and bacteria and stuff like that a chance to build themselves up to eat the nutrients in your tank. Good luck to ya.

[dwculp]

Use a turkey baster or siphon and suck the cyano out, do a 25% water change, cut your lights down forf a couple of days and feed your tank very lightly.

[Waxxiemann]

ok, thanks guys. I'll do my best.

[addicted_2_reef]

FLOW!!!! I added more cheato and increased my flow from 18x to 32x it was gone in a week.

[evilsike]

alot of people seem to have good results with chemi clean, I as well. I did a 20% water change and skim on the wet side.

[Sk8r]

Before trying the bacteriocide chemicals, which can adversely impact rock and sand, just get some phosban, put it in a 50 cent women's kneehigh nylon and set it atop a thin sponge on your return pump: the sponge is so you don't get the nylon sucked into the intake.

It works nearly as well as a reactor.

Watch out for a ph drop if you use a lot of it. Monitor your ph.

This is much safer than any of the red slime removers, and will get both silicate and phosphate reduced, which will generally help water quality, including making it clearer.

Read the phosban instructions and follow them carefully regarding rinsing it. It is full of red powder you need to wash out gently in ro/di.