red slime remover

[hurtback]

my tank has come down with a very bad case of red slime. i have the red slime remover but lost the ' spoon ' that comes with it. can any one give me an example of how much remover to add?
i know this only takes care of the problem right now. once this red slime is gone i will be ' checking ' my levels to see whats causing this.
any help is greatly appreciated
thanks,
steve

 

[MadReefer]

Steve,
Either the bottle or box should state how many ml the spoon holds. You can then use a medicine cups to dose. I don't recall the dosage as its been a while since I used the remover.

Mark

 

[hurtback]

hi ya mark---the box only says 'Thouroughly mix 1 level spoonful for each 15 gallons with a small amount of water from the aquarium to be treated '---no where on the bottle or the box does it say how much is a ' level spoonful '
steve

 

[DaveK]

I don't recommend the use of the product. In my opinio it causes a lot more problems than it solves. Remove what red algae you can, and work on the causes. Then you will not have a read algae problem and you will not put the rest of your system st risk from the product.

 

[Hawkeye]

Steve -

red slime - aka cyanobacteria can be caused by several (or combination) of factors. Dr. Ron Shimek basically states that "The root cause of this sort of thing is strictly nutrient imbalance. In effect, your system's export of nutrients is inadequate to keep up with the additions. The excess has to go somewhere and it is going into these photosynthetic bacteria. "

What are the causes? Could be the water used, the amount of food being introduced, the age of the lights, inadequate skimmer/water changes, or just plain more poop in the tank than can be handled...or all of the above.

As a first step - you could just siphon the mats of red slime to immediately reduce these nutrients temporarily. Then consider getting to the root of the issue by testing the water, figuring out the last time you change the bulbs, perhaps introducing more wet skimming, etc.

 

[jazzsam]

I used the red slime mix and it worked great for me to kill it until I could fix the root cause.

 

[Hawkeye]

Steve -

I read up some more on this topic...so what I am sharing is pure "hearsay" since I didn't experience it firsthand...

Warning #1 - the usage of the product may kill the nitrifying bacteria in the tank ...which may result in an ammonia spike thereby causing great discomfort for tank in habitants.

Warning #2 - if the tank is relatively new - this may just be a "cycle" and will pass eventually and therefore suggest not to dose anything and wait it out.

Warning #3 - Killing off a large amount of cyano - the decomposition of the bac may also result in a mini-cycle - again impacting the tank in habitants.

Maybe dig around some more and then if you still think the product is the best solution - go for it! There are so many ways to do this hobby so I don't want to discourage you or say there is one absolutely no no or must...

Hope that made sense!

Ooops - i forgot to mention that increasing the rate of flow in the tank will do wonders against cyano...consider rather than buying the meds, to use the money as a down-payment/payment for a new Powerhead!