red slime
- Thread starter brent6969
- Start date
Im running my lights at 7 hrs a day. I was running them about 9 hrs a day but cut them back about a week ago. My phosphates are at 0 and nitrates at 10. I have a 55 gal tank runng one seio m620 powerhead.
The LFS told me to hold off on doing any water changes because my tank is stil fairly new. That why Im wondering to do one now or not. I havent done any yet because of what they have been telling me. I still keep a close eye on my water parameters anyways and they all seem good.
I talked to them today, I acually have two, one said to treat again and the other said to do lots of water changes. About 2-5 gal daily for about 2 weeks. Now Im really lost.
I talked with them about water movement they said I should have plenty for that size tank.
Ant suggestions on what I should do? Or anything I shoudnt be doing?
The LFS told me to hold off on doing any water changes because my tank is stil fairly new. That why Im wondering to do one now or not. I havent done any yet because of what they have been telling me. I still keep a close eye on my water parameters anyways and they all seem good.
I talked to them today, I acually have two, one said to treat again and the other said to do lots of water changes. About 2-5 gal daily for about 2 weeks. Now Im really lost.
I talked with them about water movement they said I should have plenty for that size tank.
Ant suggestions on what I should do? Or anything I shoudnt be doing?
well no if that powerhead is your only form of circulation that wouldnt be enough. I would recemmend you get atleast one more and put each powerhead at each end of the tank that way you get a cross motion with the water current. I really dont think that the red slime algae would be caused from high nutrients or from your lighting if you only have the lights on for 7 hours. Buy one more powerhead and add it and im sure with in a couple of weeks the red slime should begin to subside.
Is there anyway to tell if I am getting good water movement in the tank? If I get another powerhead, How will I know the best place to put it? I know opposite side of the tank, but is there any certain direction I should aim them to get the best circulation?
Sorry for all the questions, but thanks for the help!
Sorry for all the questions, but thanks for the help!
well a good hint as to if your getting good circulation is that your water will be clearer and you should begin to see a decline in that red slime algae. as for placement of the powerheads as i said simply place one on each side of the tank and angle them in towards the middle area of the tank that way they create a crossing motion in the water. It will help to give a more realistic feel for the carals also. If you go scuba diving or even watch a video of the coral reefs you will notice that the corals dont all blow the same way in the water. They have what looks like a "rocking motion". this is caused from the different current directions. also the reason this is good for corals is so the sun light will reach all sides and areas of the coral. most corals feed off lighting, Known as Photosynthetic. the pigment that you see in them is acually living single cell algae within their bodies. These single celled algaes need lighting to survive and this is what the corals feed off of. By creating a mock up of what the corals will have in the wild will be better for their health and coloring. also it will remove any dead spots in the tank for nutrients to settle in at to feed algaes you dont want. hope this helps. And feel free to ask questions anytime. Sorry if i seemed angry or annoyed before i really wasnt, i have just been sick as _____ (well you know).
Thanks for the info. I guess its off to the LFS for a powerhead. Again thanks for all the great info!
