red slime algae

[harleymike]

Getting a little red slimmy algae. Kinda stringy.
My hair algae has died off thoaugh.
All my tests are perfect. Phosphate is zero also.

Any thoauhgts, or just routine bloom.

Mike

 

[Salty Cracker]

What again are you using to test for phosphate? 

If phosphate is indeed 0 (or close to it), then I would have to guess that  a) it's not slime algae or b) it's your lighting.  Is it red?  Does it have bubbles in it?  Can you post a pic? 

 

[harleymike]

its a red stringy slime. I tested the phosphates at work using our boiler water testing equipment.
Gave me a zero.
3 weeks ago i hade .25 phophate and a bunch of hair algae grew. Now the hair is dying and im seeing this other stuff. But not a lot of it. Just enough too piss me off.

 

[TORX]

I'd this in a reef tank? Does there happen to be Frogspawn or Torch in the tank?

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[TORX]

As always, a picture is worth a thousand words

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[Salty Cracker]

Okay, is this used liverock? 

I just checked my journal, last year, on june 29  I had .26 ppm phosphates, running hi cap GFO AND rowaphos in 2 reactors, it took me exactly 1 month to get readings down to 0.00 however at that point, I noted that I had an algae outbreak.  I stopped using the GFO and ROWA completely.  On 15th of Aug my phosphate was back up to .21ppm.  I restarted GFO and added the bio pellets.  It dropped back down to ~.05 by Aug 28, and stayed at those levels until March of this year, when it finally started reading 0.00 all the time. 

So my hypothesis is in my case, that a) the quick change in PO4 levels allowed a strain of algae to take off, and it was very likely because the PO4 and other contaminants from months of using tap water in the tank, were leeching out of the substrate and rock, and in fact it took several months to come out completely. 

I figure almost everyone is using used liverock of some sort, even if it was dry.  ??

 

[harleymike]

ya, used liverock. I bouhght it and the sand out of an existing, established 5 year old tank. Also used some of the water.
I stopped useing tap water just recently.
Your probably right about the tap water then.

My po4 dropped over about a week and a bit.
Like i said. All my hair algae died reallyl quickly recently.
now this red stuff has showed up.

 

[Salty Cracker]

My guess would be PO4 and heavy metals \m/ in the rock.  Just keep with the GFO and have patience.  Make sure your makeup and top up water is 0TDS and it will come around.

 

[TORX]

Just for the record, my torch idea was related to them pooping, it has a reddish color and is slimy.

Tap water is most likely a good reason for it. 0tds with ro/di water is a good place to go next. Mind you, I have seen some great tanks that use tap water, the difference most likely is the city/municipality that one lives in

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[harleymike]

torch is that like candy cane  ???

 

[harleymike]

ok. sorry this is a newbie question. Cold it be anemone poop. I recently got a flame bta. I have been feeding him everyday.

 

[Duke]

ok. sorry this is a newbie question. Cold it be anemone poop. I recently got a flame bta. I have been feeding him everyday.

anemones do poop brown stringy stuff.. but it usually just dissolves away.. if it looks like this below its cyanobacteria which is probably due to your tank being new and the recent drop in p04 might have brought it on, some people don't ever see it and some have problems with it, its not always related to high nutrients, I know Darryl has mentioned he gets it from time and doses Coral Snow to combat it, I forget the reasoning but its working for him and probably would work for others also. I see it from time to time in my sump but that's about it, it should go away on its own with regular maintence and time and it tends to grow in low flow areas so even just adding some water movement can get help get rid of it.. If that's what it is of course..

 

[spyd]

I would slow down on your anemone feeding. They only need to be fed once a week really. Definitely post a pic if you can of the red slime. If it is the same as shown below, it can be a PITA to get rid of as it can be caused by a number of things: poor lighting / old bulbs, dead spots in your flow, nutrient build-up, etc.

 

[harleymike]

no not the same. I cant get a pic.
I should explain more i guese. It isnt on the rock, its on my back glass only, so far. Its stringy and dark red, or brownish. It is hanging off the dead hair algae.
Actually after looking again. There is a littel bit on rocks, but seems too be with dead hair algae.

maybe its something too do with the hair algae.
It doesnt look anyworse than yesterday, if anything its getting better maybe.

 

[Petercar (RIP Dec 2017)]

Mebbe a lights off for a couple days.  But turkey baste that red goop off the rock i always turkey baste my rock when theres any color off algae

 

[harleymike]

thnaks pete
I did some basting today. got alot of it gone.
I definetaly think its the hair alge dying or slimming over.
I 'll keep cleaning it.
All my tests are perfect.