Pink Slime

[Dyanna]

I am having a problem with this pink slime algee, it has covered my gravle and has hit a few patches on my live rocks.
I will clean out my tank about 1/4 of the water it will look great for about 2 days then this pink slime comes back.

Does anyone have any idea what this is? I will take a picture of it as soon as I get home and download it on, hopefully someone can help me out.

 

[mmkeeper]

Welcome to rf. First thing you should do is give us your water parameter and an idea of you system hardware.

 

[returnofsid]

As was mentioned, we need as much information as possible about your system and your maintenance schedule, including lots of test results and what brand test kit you use.

With the little information you've given, I'd guess this is Cyano Bacteria. In my experience, the best way to combat Cyano is to increase flow in the areas affected and manually remove as much as possible by sucking it out during large water changes with good quality water. Increased flow by adding or re-positioning powerheads has done wonders to solve my Cyano problems.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

It looks pink but is called Cyanobacteria aka: blue green algae. Here is a recent thread that will help.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31920&highlight=cyanobacteria+blue+green

 

[Dyanna]

pic of my pink slime

here is one pic of the pink slime.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Dyanna , did your read the thread I linked you on how to deal with your cyanobacteria growth?

 

[Dyanna]

Thank you for forwarding me to that link. I am going to try to replace the skimmer tomorrow and try to lower my feeding amount. I already have my light set for 8 hours on a timer so I don't think that is the issue. How long should I wait with new skimmer to see results. Should I wait a few weeks before taking other measures?

 

[dailydriven911]

here is one pic of the pink slime.

g/l with the cyano. That is some of the thickest I have ever seen! Keep us posted with your results

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Vacuum out as much as you can before the other solutions.

 

[Dyanna]

thank you to all for all your help, i ended up vacuming up as much as i could. i looked into getting a better skimmer but i have a 24gallon nano cube with the built in filter, so there is not a whole lot of room, i do have a small skimmer which i am tucked in the back by the filter. i went to my local pet store and had asked them about differnt kinds of skimmers, they only had a few big ones. They guy suggested this powder - i was really hesitant, i love all the stuff in my tank and i dont want anything to die, but right there on the package it said it was safe for everything besides pink slime-cyano, plus it cost almost $20.00 i tought for a little while and broke down and bought it. it is called - chemiclean (red slime remover). you put a little tiny scoop in(depend on size) and then after 48 hours you vacuum it out.... My god i am amazed it looks so good and nothing happened to any thing in my tank. I have been testing my water every other day since i put the chemiclean in and nothing has shed back like i said amazed. Please see picture attached, again thank you to everyone.

 

[Holygral]

It is always not good to add chemicals to "fix" a problem. It is best to correct the situation that caused the problem. Suck out the cryano, cut back on feedings, water changes and additional/changed water flow. If you do not do that it will come back.

 

[trido]

g/l with the cyano. That is some of the thickest I have ever seen! Keep us posted with your results

Ditto! Ive never seen anything in a tank quite like it.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

They guy suggested this powder - i was really hesitant, i love all the stuff in my tank and i dont want anything to die, but right there on the package it said it was safe for everything besides pink slime-cyano, plus it cost almost $20.00

Most of these sold expensive "cures" are antibiotics to kill the cyanobacteria. They also kill beneficial bacteria and I recommend against them. Your tank will need to rebuild the colonys after the medication has broken down. Not a terrible thing, just do NOT add any fish for awhile as in some months. Perhaps ad a new piece of live rock in a few weeks to seed the reef rock. Good luck.

 

[dnjan]

Does the "pink slime" vary from morning to night (hardly there in the morning but lots at night), or is it close to the same all day? Really strange-looking stuff.

 

[aquarookie]

Ditto! Ive never seen anything in a tank quite like it.

It's not cyano: someone pours blackberry milkshakes into the tank when the owner is not loooking.

 

[dnjan]

To me, it looks a lot more like some of the encrusting sponges I've had in my tank. Hence the question I posted earlier about whether or not it changes much during the day.

 

[Dyanna]

believe me i was trying everything - to vacuum, water changes, new skimmer, water flow, even cutting way back on feeding - nothing was working. i would do a water change and it would grow back within 24 hours and get super thick with in 48 hours - my tank is limited i have about 2-3 inches of live gravel and about 15 - 20 pounds of live rock, about 5 snails - 2 herrmit crabs - one bubble pink tip anenome and one maroon clownfish.

Again thank you all for helping me and giving me ideas

 

[dnjan]

Did it grow back overnight, or during the day (or both?)? Most nuisance algaes need light to grow, and the "slimey ones" seem to recede overnight.