[chad54827]

I have this hairy looking red algae on my substrate, and am i'm curious how to get rid of it. I have alot of astrea snails but was wondering if maybe turbo snails would work, or a sand sifting star, or goby.algepic1.jpg

[glampka]

Looks like beginning of red cyano. I haven't found anything that eats it.

[passinetti2007]

I'd give it a good vacuuming and perhaps add more sand afterwards.

[chad54827]

Ive tried vacuuming it and it just comes back, it has now covered alot of the substrate. My angel fish got marine velvet a week ago, and since unfortunatly i don't have a quarentine tank, i had to treat the problem in my main tank with chem-marine stop parasite. It worked great and got rid of the parasite but ever since then i've got this red hairy slimy looking algae on my substrate.

[RCBruce]

red alge, or "red slime" as it is known, is a result of high phosphates. Nothing eats it. You have to do water changes and get a phosphate lowering agent. I know water change has become a dirty word in this hobby, but that is the fastest way to lower the phosphates. You will see the alge die and peel away.
I found what I think is the best miracle cure for red slime. Get a product called "chemi-pure" and put it in your filter. Looks like carbon in a bag. I used to fight red slime alot untill I discovered this stuff. I have not had a red slime outbreak in the 6 months since I started using it!

[c-c]

(Good picture by the way) Does it only cover your substrate, or if left unchecked it grows on live rock? I had it too and in some instances, excess nutrient levels cause these blooms. (High nitrate levels as well as phosphates). Does it grow to a brown mucous slime covering most of the tank contents if left unchecked?? If so, you must physically remove it with a siphon, and do frequent water changes. How old is your tank? Some of this will clear up as your tank matures and you develop more bacteria in your live sand and rock.

[chad54827]

Thanks for the help so far. Yeah it does cover pretty much all the substrate if i leave it alone, but not the live rock too much, just little pieces that a quickly scrub off. I just did a ten gallon water change, and tried to siphon it out with medium success. I'm going to get my phosphates checked today and possibly buy a phosphate sponge if that is the problem. Thanks.