seahorsecrazy Posted December 10, 2007 Report Share Posted December 10, 2007 Not too sure what is happening, but I have set up a tropical marine tank and have a Kuda Seahorse. The tank keeps getting a red/brown slime-like algae in it and it covers the coral sand, artificial plants, pump, glass, etc. Really cant get rid of it. My girl gets a bit down if I cant get it out and I feel i am cleaning it too often and upsetting her with changing her water every couple of days! What do I do with it? Is there a particular filter that will get rid of it? I only have a small tank (32litre) with a basic filter with filter wool and noodles. Is there a basic filter that will take out finer particles and hopfully rid me of this slime? My girl is eating well and growing so she isnt overly stressed. Oh yeah, anyone got a small male Kuda that needs rehoming? Her flat mate died when I first set up the tank and she follows me all around the room and dances for me when I sit and watch her. She needs company... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted December 10, 2007 Report Share Posted December 10, 2007 Welcome to FNZAS! The red algae is called Cyno and occurs either when the tank is first set up or if there is too much nutrients. I assume you are feeding the seahorse frozen Mysis and Brine Shrimp? the Juices in these frozen packs has a lot of phosphate in them so be sure to defrost them and drain the juices out before feeding. Also look into getting a protein skimmer, as this will help alleviate your problems. What rock are you using in the tank? as if you have some decent coral rock and a protein skimmer you can do away with the filter wool and noodles, which are good at breaking down Ammonia to Nitrites, and Nitrites to Nitrates, but are no good at removing Nitrates from the system. Adding Phosphate remover to your tank would also be a good idea. Also, make sure you are using good quality water during water changes is pivotal. If you are using artificial sea-water you should really be using Reverse Osmosis water. Finally, replacing the fake plants with live macro algaes will help remove nutrients from the water too, provided you keep them well trimmed. So yeah there are many steps you can take to get rid of cyno algae from your system- Hope you didn't find that too confusing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsecrazy Posted December 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2007 Can this algae be harmful to my girl, or will it eventually go away? I have no coral rock, just coral sand, and Im not sure what live macro algaes are. The water in Kawerau is not purified and is only rarely chlorinated. Would cleaner shrimp be of any help? Read somewhere that they are good with algaes. Have rams horn snails in my cold water tank with my Banded Kokopu and they keep that clean is there anything similar and inexpensive? It has cost just over $700 to set this up with really nothing to show for it and Ive gotten way over budget already... She is loving her mysis shrimp. I started her on brine as I was told by the pet shop I got her from, but she seemd lifeless. Once she got her first sniff of mysis in the water she has totally changed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted December 11, 2007 Report Share Posted December 11, 2007 it will decrease, but it will not go away unless you do those things I said... Macro algaes for reef tanks are the equvelant of our seaweeds and the most commonly available one in the NZ hobby is Caulerpa. Here is a good article about them: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-01/sl/index.php. I think Astrea snails will eat cyano, you will probably need to find a hobbiest that has some they don't want anymore. The truth is that the Marine hobby is expensive and to run a successful tank (that is Healthy and free of excessive algae) you need to invest a decent sum of money. If you do not have the money requred for a decent protein skimmer I would suggest researching the 'ecosystem method'. I have a small 250L reef tank which has cost me over $3000, and most of my equipment is second hand. Admittedly alot of that is spent on expensive lifestock, but good equipment is vital for healthy lifestock. With regards to tap water, it is not the chlorine etc we are worried about in Marine systems it is everything else, such as Silicates, which don't matter much in Freshwater tanks but can cause algae growth in Marine systems. I suggest you read the sticky here if you haven't already. Cheers- David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted December 11, 2007 Report Share Posted December 11, 2007 David is right on the mark. The algae and cyanobacteria you have can grow because there is enough nutrient in the water to feed them. Therefore they will grow. To stop them growing you could lower the lighting till they cannot grow, but this may be unattractive. The only other way is to remove these nutrients from the tank that are acting as fertilizer for the algae and cyanobacteria. When you feed your seahorse nutrients are added to the tank, and these have to be removed on an ongoing basis. Some suggested ways are - 1. protein skimmer 2. Macro Algae. Macro algae is really just tropical seaweed that can grow in out tank, just like plants do in a fresh water tank. It consumes the same stuff that the bad algae does and can out compete it if you get a fast growing species. As the macro algae grows you remove chunks of it from the tank as required. 3. Phosphate reactor. This is sort of like a cannister, but it holds phosphate removing media. The algae and cyanobacteria have to have a certain amount of phosphate to grow, and if we can keep levels lower than that with the phosphate reactor, the algae will die. Of these methods the cheapest will be macro algae, you can buy a bunch at Hollywood Fish Farm for 5 bucks and that will get it started. While this will help it may not be 100% effective, but it doesn't cost much, plus your seahorse will like it it will be a bit like his natural environement. The protein skimmer and phosphate reactor will be more effective but also more expensive. Also most marine tank keepers do not use water straight from the tap, too much stuff in it that fertilizes algae. It should at a minimum be run through a deionising unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djsurfs Posted December 11, 2007 Report Share Posted December 11, 2007 Hi, Looks like you have already received quite a bit of good advice, but I thought I just quickly pop in and say Hi and add my 2 cents, FWIW Skimmers, DI, reactors, etc.etc. all great if you have the $ and space and are into plumbing and gadgets. But it can all be a bit daunting and I notice you have quite a small tank, so I know from personal experience, it is difficult to even find gear for that size. Don't worry, I started out exactly the same with a aquaone AR38 (32 litres, if my memory is correct) Algae problems are quite common with new tanks, even with experienced folk. The cyano won't hurt your SH. It can even grow on them, and will start to peel off, freaking you out because you will think their skin is peeling! It is OK.... BUT you do want to get your water quality under control. Have you been testing your water? It would pay to have a kit, and learn about it. You do not want your SH constantly subjected to spikes of ammonia an nitrITES. And You also don't want the NitrATES to build up too much, which is why we do regular maintenance water changes. Believe it or not, you don't even need sand; you can go bare-bottomed. ( excellent for observing how much gunk is laying around, including leftover food, and yes observing how much poos your SH is making, LOL!)But since you already have sand, I would leave it as is for now. You don't want to disturb it and create another ammonia spike/ cycle. But either way, you should add a nice size piece ( all least 3 fists) of very porous rock so that the good bacteria can colonize in all the nooks and cranny's. In addition, see if you can get a bit of macro. It doesn't have to be huge, it will suck up excess nitrates and grow! Get a little stainless tea strainer and thaw, rinse and drain your food. I do a combo of mysis and brine shrimp. try target feeding your horse, and train it to eat out of a dish. I use a little glass dish from a tea-lite, and squirt the food in there with a baster. In the little tank I had to turn off the filter for feeding time because the flow was too strong and blasted the food out of the dish. In their bigger home I have found a quiet spot in their favourite hitch that their dish retains most of the food.... After SH has finished eating, you can suck up any leftovers; later you will learn exactly how much you need to feed and there won't be much leftovers to deal with. I highly recommend checking out www.syngnathid.org for Seahorse specific information! They are based in Australia, but have worldwide members. Also, try www.seahorse.org , which has a wealth of info and helpful folk. Sorry, I'd add more but currently am having a drama as my big tank cracked full length last night!! and was just popping in.... Good luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsecrazy Posted December 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2007 Thank you all very much for your information. I see I may have taken on a task beyond my estimations. I am not sorry though, I am now looking forward to improving my tank with great interest. I have started to thaw and rinse my brine and mysis shrimp, and upon visiting a local with Kudas, and he showed me his feeding reigime along with his gorgeous colourful Kudas. I now have two beautiful baby kudas which I have introduced to my girl, and they all seem to be getting on really well. The smallest of which is about 4cm in length and still slightly out of proportion, but beautiful just the same. The tank is improving by adding a finer filter media following the filter wool and it seems to be slowing the growth of the red algae. I havent managed to get any live rock as yet, but I think when I do, I will go BB so the tank is easy to clean and monitor. Again, many thanks to you all. much appreciated. Paula. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camnbron Posted December 13, 2007 Report Share Posted December 13, 2007 PM'd ya about some rock to get you going Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsemad Posted December 16, 2007 Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 Hi seahorse crazy The guys here have given you heaps of good info. Keep in mind that kuda seahorse's require a min of 15 litres per seahorse. By adding two more seahorses you might be adding to the problem. Is it possible to take one back, i understand they are small now but they will grow quickly. See if you can feed the seahorses live brine shrimp. They love the chase and then you dont have excess food lying around. I used to feed my kuda's a couple of times a week on the brine shrimp and the love it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsecrazy Posted December 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Thanks again to all who have helped me. I have been given a rather large tank that will arrive just after Christmas - approx 1.5m long and nearly0.8m wide and high. Im really looking forward to it. All the pumps and filters are supposed to be with it also. YAY A big thank you to my friend in Whakatane who has helped with setting up live rock. Im amazed at what tiny creatures are part of this miniature ecosystem... I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and of course a safe New Year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djsurfs Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 :bounce: so, howz that new tank & your SH's going? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsecrazy Posted January 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2008 Hi DJ, they are doing great, the large tank never turned up, but they are really happy at the moment in their smaller one. The live rock has brought the nitrite levels to zero! Couldnt beleive it... Anyhow, my two babies are growing fast. Have photos on my phone, just need to get them off and post them for all. My smallest now seems to be more in proportion and eating like a trooper. The other two just play once fed, but she is constantly hunting around the live rock. I have a small glass dish that I am feeding them in now, and they are racing me to the dish at breakfast and demanding but I am only feeding small amounts twice a day. They have put on weight, and filled in their bellies. I am so happy to see them happy i their surroundings. Found lots of strange new creatures in my tank from the live rock, limpets, snails, tubeworms, coralites, and when I seperated the anenomes as not sure if they were harmful to sh or not, they multiplied and what looked like a jellyfish was in the tank with them. Could it hav been a baby anenome swimming? Anyhow, they are still seperate. They look a glassy brown with really long tentacles but only a few, not like many of the colourful ones I have seen with hundreds of tentacles. They tend to get extremely long and skinny when looking for food, but shorten and fatten once fed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Sounds Good! The anemones though sound like a pest anemone called aptaisia. They are a pest cos they breed so fast and take over, plus they have a sting. They can be killed with a product called Joes Juice, or even a turkey baster with boiling water can do it if you are thorough. It takes a long time and persistence to wipe them all out, but in a smallish tank you can do it, just spend 5 - 10 minutes every day killing them. Here is some stuff about aptaisia including pics http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/how-a ... aisia.html I liked this bit, i think part of the fascination with marine is that there are problems that have to be solved, but also the interesting things we discover as per your post Found lots of strange new creatures in my tank from the live rock, limpets, snails, tubeworms, coralites, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsecrazy Posted January 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Thanks Wasp, that is the creature alright, I will get straight onto 'pest destruction'. As that I have them in another tank, I hope that I can control them fast. I am however, watching my seahorse tank to make sure I hadnt missed any of the original little beasts. :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camnbron Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Awesome! Great to hear your tank is seahorse setup is running better now. Looking forward to the pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsecrazy Posted January 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Thanks for the help Cam, much appreciated. Welcome to call in anytime, you have my number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djsurfs Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 Oh, I missed yer update! Am so glad you separated out the rocks with aiptasia. The odd one is not going to do too much immediate harm, but you don't want them to flourish and constantly sting your SH's. They can be such as nuisance and might keep popping up for a while. Joes juice is good, if ya get them to fully injest it. At one point I got sick of chasing little sprouted babies and stalks that didn't quite get nuked and would grow back, that I resorted to breaking/ chipping off parts of LR ! :lol: sometimes even that didn't work! some of their stalks go way deep into the crevices, so you have to remove or kill the Entire thing. Glad to hear things are going well now. Too bad that bigger tank didn't show up... ah well, something to look forward to. Looking forward 2 da pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.