Chemiclean red slime remover?

[jezzeaepi]

Hows it going all. I am having problems with various slime and turf like algaes in my tank and was considering using chemiclean to help with the process. The algae pretty much covers everything =\ Its nasty lookin. At the same time my phosphates and nitrates are barely detecable, and my tank inhabitants are prone to starving if I decrease feeding at all, so I am actually trying to increase feeding.

Has anyone used this before? do you have any recomendations? Any horror stories? Keep in mind I am talking about the chemiclean brand redslime remover, and not the other brands. It is my undesrtanding that chemiclean is an oxidizer that kills just the algae, vs the other brands that can potentially mess with your denitrifying bacteria levels.


Peace,
Jesse

 

[DonW]

It causes oxygen deprivation, so if your ph is not fairly high naturally I would avoid it.

Don

 

[Jan]

how can you be certain that it won't kill your denitrifying bacteria? I thought all those products worked the same way?

What salt are you using? I'm reading multiple posts in two different forums by people using Seachem Reef Salt and saying that they had cyano; when they changed salts, it went away.

 

[DonW]

how can you be certain that it won't kill your denitrifying bacteria? I thought all those products worked the same way?

What salt are you using? I'm reading multiple posts in two different forums by people using Seachem Reef Salt and saying that they had cyano; when they changed salts, it went away.

Not really chemiclean is not an antibiotic. It will however kill an already oxygen deprived system. I would go after the cause or you will be forever battling it.

Don

 

[krisfal]

I have used this and had no problems, but as Don stated you have to go after the cause or it comes right back, it wiped out the cyano in 24 hours but it was back within a week! So you may as well address the root cause of the problem instead of risking any complications.

 

[jezzeaepi]

I believe I have addressed the issue. My flow had been reduced by a fair margin by some really nasty pumps that hadnt been cleaned in a few months. This caused a lot of dead zones to appear and allowed the algae to really take hold. Now I have a bunch of nutrients bound up in various forms of algae that are constantly growing and dieing in my tank. If I could somehow kill off this algae, and remove the nutrients sink in my tank consists of the algae itself, then I m sure I wont see as much of a resurgance.

 

[DonW]

I believe I have addressed the issue. My flow had been reduced by a fair margin by some really nasty pumps that hadnt been cleaned in a few months. This caused a lot of dead zones to appear and allowed the algae to really take hold. Now I have a bunch of nutrients bound up in various forms of algae that are constantly growing and dieing in my tank. If I could somehow kill off this algae, and remove the nutrients sink in my tank consists of the algae itself, then I m sure I wont see as much of a resurgance.

Keep in mind its really only going to help with bacterial "algaes" like cyano. The greens and turfs will just have to go away on their own.

Don

 

[surf_buddy]

I believe I have addressed the issue. My flow had been reduced by a fair margin by some really nasty pumps that hadnt been cleaned in a few months. This caused a lot of dead zones to appear and allowed the algae to really take hold. Now I have a bunch of nutrients bound up in various forms of algae that are constantly growing and dieing in my tank. If I could somehow kill off this algae, and remove the nutrients sink in my tank consists of the algae itself, then I m sure I wont see as much of a resurgance.

I had a lot of issues with cyano and I finally got rid of it with increased flow, 30% water changes each month while removing all the cyano I could, and I added a refrigum with lots a chaeto. I beleive that the chaeto has benefitted my system the most since it competes for the same nutrients as the cyano. If you're in Seattle area I'd be happy to give you some chaeto.

 

[krisfal]

I would siphon out the red slime as I believe it has a lot of nutrients locked up in it. Killing it with the Chemiclean might actually release them? I ended up adding some live rock, increasing flow and doing multiple water changes in the late afternoon (after the cyano growth was high for the day, it seems to receed at night) and have now got it under control.

 

[dlove18]

I' not gonna say use it. but I used it in my nano.

the only thing in there are some star polyps and zoas a couple hermits and snails. I followed the instructions and used it for about 10 days. my cyano problem is gone. it's been about 8 weeks and there is no sign of it at all. it couldn't see that it created any problems. my pod population is still going strong. I also have some little clear anemones and small feather dusters that all made it through the treatment. I have no idea what it would do to other life or a big tank. but it solved my problem.

thanks,

dan

 

[RockyHeap]

Cyano is a bacteria, and I've treated my 135 gallon reef in the past with Maracyn 2, which is a common anti-bacteria agent to treat issues like this.

 

[MikeS]

The best bet is to solve the underlying problem rather than just treat the symptoms by killing the cyano. As stated above, it's an oxidizer, and in a system with a lot of nutrients it can cause a catastrophic oxygen depletion type crash, killing livestock, good bacteria, ect. I'd avoid any medications or chemicals for the purpose of killing cyano at all costs...

MikeS

 

[jezzeaepi]

I am really not sure exactly what type of algae it is. It is brown, and grows in stringy mats. Its more matty in low flow areas, and in high flow areas it grows these stringy apendages. It blows off pretty easily with a turkey baster.

I know part of my problem is a lack of LR in the tank... hopefully ill be able to remedy that sometime in the enxt decade /sigh..

On a side note, cirolanid isopods WILLL NOT STARVE TO DEATH in any system. Just to let you guys know.. I want to stop the perpetuation of this hurtfull myth =P Mine seem to thrive fine on detritus. Good luck removing every peace of detritus from a system!

I am now gonig the trapping route for my isopods. Maybe one day I can trap em all! Well thats what I am hoping. The starving method does not work.