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6K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  Geoff 
#1 ·
I have this red wavy, slimy looking algae that grows in my sand. Any one have an idea what it might be and how to get rid of it? I've been told not to clean my sand and I wouldn't have to if this stuff wasn't growing on it, but that the only way to get rid of it. The messed up part is it keeps coming back. Please help.
 
#2 ·
It is cyano and if your tank is fairly new it is part of tanks cycle. How old is your tank? Also please provide us with you tank water parameters:

Specific Gravity or Salinity:
Ammonia:
Nitrites:
Nitrates:

What live stock you you have in there currently?

How much live rock and how deep is your sand bed or crushed coral?

What size is your tank?

Do you have a skimmer?

What kind of lighting do you have over the tank?

And last buy not least what kind of circulation do you have going in your tank, powerheads, return pump size and do you have a sump?

Earl
 
#4 ·
Use
Chemi-Clean....

You can order it from drsfostersmith.com....

I have used it on two occasions and it will wipe it out in two days. Then do a 20% water change to get out the chemical and everything will be ok! Just make sure your nitrates aren't up that is normally the main cause of the red cancer that is for sure...

Hope that helps
 
#6 ·
hmmm... interesting that Boyd enterprises does not list anywhere the active ingredients for this substance... I will try contacting their offices Monday morning after the Thanksgiving holiday...
 
#7 ·
I don't know what is in it but it worked for me. I have xenai, polyps, 2 torches, mushrooms galore and even a candy cane coral in my tank and it didn't effect them. BUT I don't have any sps to speak of. I have head that if you do not desolve it well it can burn corals. I think it is an arethromicne (sp)....At least that is what I have read on Reef Central

Do what you must but I don't think it will hurt your tank....
 
#8 ·
Thanks!

Salinity - .0125
Ammonia - 0
Nitrates - 0
Nitrites - 0
Calcium - 350-400 ppm
PH - 8.0
phosphates - 0

I have a 120gallon 48"x24"X24"

I am running a Berlin Turbo skimmer in a 30 gallon sump with a mag drive 9.5 return pump and 3 Maxi-Jet 1200's for circulation.
My lights are 4 N.O. bulbs which is not enough. I have 4.5" of live sand in the tank with about 70 lbs. of live rock and 4" of live sand and 20 lbs. of live rock in the sump. It's a real cool set-up but I don't have a digital camera to show you right now.

Note: All live rock and sand came straight from the beach and I haven't had any problems with them as far as diseases and parasites go. all of my fish are very healthy and I haven't had any of them die.
I get my salt water from the Waikiki Aquarium which pumps water straight from the ocean and filters it through their system for you.

Inhabitants:
1 Sailfin Tang
1 Purple Firefish
2 Bartlett's Anthias
1 Orange Skunk Clown
2 Monster sized Cleaner Shrimp
2 Peppermint Shrimp
75 various snails
about 100 tiny snails that appeared out of nowhere
2 feather dusters that have made about 200 little dusters
Green star Polyps
2 Different Zooanthids

I will be upgrading my lights to a MH/VHO mix in the near future before I get anymore corals.

Everything is good, just can't get rid of the evil slime ****.
 
#9 ·
Oh yeah, my tank is about a year old. I went through the cylcling already and my rocks are really nice with corraline algae all over them. They were brown when the tank was going through it's period. The ocean water does help the tank mature quickly. Does anyone else have access to ocean water?
 
#10 ·
Welcome to TRT!!!

:wavey:

ahh, the dreaded cyano!! here is a search i did in the algae archives for cyano. i know it it is a lot of reading, but i am sure you will get the info you want out of it. there are a lot of different ways to get rid of it, but if you do not find the source of it, then it will always come back in a month or two.

G~
 
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