red sand

[TekCat]

My tank is fairly new. I noticed that some of my sand is turning in red
color. Does anyone know that it is? And if it is bad, how could I remedy
this situation.
Thanks in advance,
TekCat

[Roy]

Soiunds like your have cyano algae, or commonly called the red slime.
Its usually caused by improper water flow in areaas, as it will build
up quicker in dead or very low flow areas and its fueld by excessive
nutrients mainly phosphates.....Reduce your feedings and do a partial
water change to dilute the nutrients thats available for it to use.
Flake foods are perhaps the worst food when it comes to adding
phosphates in the tank, and also use RODI water for best results.

You can also buy a phospate sponge or bag of granular stuff in most
lfs, that does a good job of removing excessive nutrients such as
nitrogen and phospates, but usually its caused by a slip up on proper
maintenance or feeding.....Its not uncommon for a new tank to get it,
so to remove it, shut off any filtration, and water flow, and use an
piece of airline tube to syphon it out. Then turn on the filtration
again when you have it syphoned out.


n Sun, 11 Dec 2005 06:56:41 GMT, "TekCat" >
wrote:
My tank is fairly new. I noticed that some of my sand is turning in
red
color. Does anyone know that it is? And if it is bad, how could I
remedy
this situation.
Thanks in advance,
TekCat


--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....

[TekCat]

Yep, I used flake food :(((((( formula two.
Phosphate sponge, do I drop it in sump and have it free floating?

"Roy" > wrote in message
...
> Soiunds like your have cyano algae, or commonly called the red slime.
> Its usually caused by improper water flow in areaas, as it will build
> up quicker in dead or very low flow areas and its fueld by excessive
> nutrients mainly phosphates.....Reduce your feedings and do a partial
> water change to dilute the nutrients thats available for it to use.
> Flake foods are perhaps the worst food when it comes to adding
> phosphates in the tank, and also use RODI water for best results.
>
> You can also buy a phospate sponge or bag of granular stuff in most
> lfs, that does a good job of removing excessive nutrients such as
> nitrogen and phospates, but usually its caused by a slip up on proper
> maintenance or feeding.....Its not uncommon for a new tank to get it,
> so to remove it, shut off any filtration, and water flow, and use an
> piece of airline tube to syphon it out. Then turn on the filtration
> again when you have it syphoned out.
>
>
> n Sun, 11 Dec 2005 06:56:41 GMT, "TekCat" >
> wrote:
> My tank is fairly new. I noticed that some of my sand is turning in
> red
> color. Does anyone know that it is? And if it is bad, how could I
> remedy
> this situation.
> Thanks in advance,
> TekCat
>
>
> --
> \\\|///
> ( @ @ )
> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>
>
> oooO
> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
> \ ( ( )
> \_) ) /
> (_/
> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....

[Roy]

The sponges can be just submerged in the water anywhere but for best
results its best to have water flow through them, so if its possible
put it as the last stage of any filtration so you do not get a load of
other debri built up on the sponge.......

I had always been told, do not feed flake food.as it causes problems,
and I had always been on the assumption, yea right, food is food, but
like I said ever since I started to pay attention to feeds and their
contents besides the nutritional end of the labeling, and started with
frozen and pelletized feeds, red slime algae is a thing of the
past.....but its still definately possible to get it if you do not pay
attention to the amounts of feed used. While its nice to ensure your
little buddies have a full belly its not a real necessity.odds are in
the wild they will never be completely filled either, so I now tend to
feed to the point they do not loose any body mass but certainly not
enough to make em put on weight either...guess you could call it a
maintenance feeding, as its enough to sustain them, and keep em
healthy without any extra, much like they do with horses.

On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 05:47:52 GMT, "TekCat" >
wrote:
Yep, I used flake food :(((((( formula two.
Phosphate sponge, do I drop it in sump and have it free floating?

"Roy" > wrote in message
...
> Soiunds like your have cyano algae, or commonly called the red slime.
> Its usually caused by improper water flow in areaas, as it will build
> up quicker in dead or very low flow areas and its fueld by excessive
> nutrients mainly phosphates.....Reduce your feedings and do a partial
> water change to dilute the nutrients thats available for it to use.
> Flake foods are perhaps the worst food when it comes to adding
> phosphates in the tank, and also use RODI water for best results.
>
> You can also buy a phospate sponge or bag of granular stuff in most
> lfs, that does a good job of removing excessive nutrients such as
> nitrogen and phospates, but usually its caused by a slip up on proper
> maintenance or feeding.....Its not uncommon for a new tank to get it,
> so to remove it, shut off any filtration, and water flow, and use an
> piece of airline tube to syphon it out. Then turn on the filtration
> again when you have it syphoned out.
>
>
> n Sun, 11 Dec 2005 06:56:41 GMT, "TekCat" >
> wrote:
> My tank is fairly new. I noticed that some of my sand is turning in
> red
> color. Does anyone know that it is? And if it is bad, how could I
> remedy
> this situation.
> Thanks in advance,
> TekCat
>
>
> --
> \\\|///
> ( @ @ )
> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>
>
> oooO
> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
> \ ( ( )
> \_) ) /
> (_/
> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....


--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....

[Peter Pan]

If you're impatient and want the Cuno Algae gone practically over night, go
to your local LFS and get Chemi Clean. Works wonders and it reef safe.
"Roy" > wrote in message
...
> The sponges can be just submerged in the water anywhere but for best
> results its best to have water flow through them, so if its possible
> put it as the last stage of any filtration so you do not get a load of
> other debri built up on the sponge.......
>
> I had always been told, do not feed flake food.as it causes problems,
> and I had always been on the assumption, yea right, food is food, but
> like I said ever since I started to pay attention to feeds and their
> contents besides the nutritional end of the labeling, and started with
> frozen and pelletized feeds, red slime algae is a thing of the
> past.....but its still definately possible to get it if you do not pay
> attention to the amounts of feed used. While its nice to ensure your
> little buddies have a full belly its not a real necessity.odds are in
> the wild they will never be completely filled either, so I now tend to
> feed to the point they do not loose any body mass but certainly not
> enough to make em put on weight either...guess you could call it a
> maintenance feeding, as its enough to sustain them, and keep em
> healthy without any extra, much like they do with horses.
>
> On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 05:47:52 GMT, "TekCat" >
> wrote:
> Yep, I used flake food :(((((( formula two.
> Phosphate sponge, do I drop it in sump and have it free floating?
>
> "Roy" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Soiunds like your have cyano algae, or commonly called the red slime.
>> Its usually caused by improper water flow in areaas, as it will build
>> up quicker in dead or very low flow areas and its fueld by excessive
>> nutrients mainly phosphates.....Reduce your feedings and do a partial
>> water change to dilute the nutrients thats available for it to use.
>> Flake foods are perhaps the worst food when it comes to adding
>> phosphates in the tank, and also use RODI water for best results.
>>
>> You can also buy a phospate sponge or bag of granular stuff in most
>> lfs, that does a good job of removing excessive nutrients such as
>> nitrogen and phospates, but usually its caused by a slip up on proper
>> maintenance or feeding.....Its not uncommon for a new tank to get it,
>> so to remove it, shut off any filtration, and water flow, and use an
>> piece of airline tube to syphon it out. Then turn on the filtration
>> again when you have it syphoned out.
>>
>>
>> n Sun, 11 Dec 2005 06:56:41 GMT, "TekCat" >
>> wrote:
>> My tank is fairly new. I noticed that some of my sand is turning in
>> red
>> color. Does anyone know that it is? And if it is bad, how could I
>> remedy
>> this situation.
>> Thanks in advance,
>> TekCat
>>
>>
>> --
>> \\\|///
>> ( @ @ )
>> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>>
>>
>> oooO
>> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
>> \ ( ( )
>> \_) ) /
>> (_/
>> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....
>
>
> --
> \\\|///
> ( @ @ )
> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>
>
> oooO
> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
> \ ( ( )
> \_) ) /
> (_/
> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....

[Susan]

What kind of food do you feed the fish if not flake food?

Thanks,
Susan :)
"Roy" > wrote in message
...
> The sponges can be just submerged in the water anywhere but for best
> results its best to have water flow through them, so if its possible
> put it as the last stage of any filtration so you do not get a load of
> other debri built up on the sponge.......
>
> I had always been told, do not feed flake food.as it causes problems,
> and I had always been on the assumption, yea right, food is food, but
> like I said ever since I started to pay attention to feeds and their
> contents besides the nutritional end of the labeling, and started with
> frozen and pelletized feeds, red slime algae is a thing of the
> past.....but its still definately possible to get it if you do not pay
> attention to the amounts of feed used. While its nice to ensure your
> little buddies have a full belly its not a real necessity.odds are in
> the wild they will never be completely filled either, so I now tend to
> feed to the point they do not loose any body mass but certainly not
> enough to make em put on weight either...guess you could call it a
> maintenance feeding, as its enough to sustain them, and keep em
> healthy without any extra, much like they do with horses.
>
> On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 05:47:52 GMT, "TekCat" >
> wrote:
> Yep, I used flake food :(((((( formula two.
> Phosphate sponge, do I drop it in sump and have it free floating?
>
> "Roy" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Soiunds like your have cyano algae, or commonly called the red slime.
>> Its usually caused by improper water flow in areaas, as it will build
>> up quicker in dead or very low flow areas and its fueld by excessive
>> nutrients mainly phosphates.....Reduce your feedings and do a partial
>> water change to dilute the nutrients thats available for it to use.
>> Flake foods are perhaps the worst food when it comes to adding
>> phosphates in the tank, and also use RODI water for best results.
>>
>> You can also buy a phospate sponge or bag of granular stuff in most
>> lfs, that does a good job of removing excessive nutrients such as
>> nitrogen and phospates, but usually its caused by a slip up on proper
>> maintenance or feeding.....Its not uncommon for a new tank to get it,
>> so to remove it, shut off any filtration, and water flow, and use an
>> piece of airline tube to syphon it out. Then turn on the filtration
>> again when you have it syphoned out.
>>
>>
>> n Sun, 11 Dec 2005 06:56:41 GMT, "TekCat" >
>> wrote:
>> My tank is fairly new. I noticed that some of my sand is turning in
>> red
>> color. Does anyone know that it is? And if it is bad, how could I
>> remedy
>> this situation.
>> Thanks in advance,
>> TekCat
>>
>>
>> --
>> \\\|///
>> ( @ @ )
>> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>>
>>
>> oooO
>> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
>> \ ( ( )
>> \_) ) /
>> (_/
>> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....
>
>
> --
> \\\|///
> ( @ @ )
> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>
>
> oooO
> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
> \ ( ( )
> \_) ) /
> (_/
> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....

[Roy]

I feed pelletized feed on occasion, but aminly feed frozen food that I
buy at the LFS here that they make...It has all kinds of natural stuff
in it, and no matter how much you feed there is not enough phosphates
in it to make a problem. It has krill, mussles, clams, squid, shrimp,
2 or three kinds of fish, nori algae and garlic.....I also feed
chopped fresh raw shrimp on occasion as well. Most all factory
prepared foods have phosphates, but flake seems to be the worst of the
feeds in regards to junk that makes algae grow....One thing a lot of
prepared foods be it flake or pellet has and thats a binder which
holds it all together.....which also gets into ther system over
time.....I know its only a small tiny amount but over time this stuff
adds up. I know when I fed flake my skimmer would get all kinds of
scummy buildup in the cup, now its not anywhere near as bad, yet I
have added a heap more corals..

On Thu, 15 Dec 2005 15:39:38 GMT, "Susan" >
wrote:
What kind of food do you feed the fish if not flake food?

Thanks,
Susan :)
"Roy" > wrote in message
...
> The sponges can be just submerged in the water anywhere but for best
> results its best to have water flow through them, so if its possible
> put it as the last stage of any filtration so you do not get a load of
> other debri built up on the sponge.......
>
> I had always been told, do not feed flake food.as it causes problems,
> and I had always been on the assumption, yea right, food is food, but
> like I said ever since I started to pay attention to feeds and their
> contents besides the nutritional end of the labeling, and started with
> frozen and pelletized feeds, red slime algae is a thing of the
> past.....but its still definately possible to get it if you do not pay
> attention to the amounts of feed used. While its nice to ensure your
> little buddies have a full belly its not a real necessity.odds are in
> the wild they will never be completely filled either, so I now tend to
> feed to the point they do not loose any body mass but certainly not
> enough to make em put on weight either...guess you could call it a
> maintenance feeding, as its enough to sustain them, and keep em
> healthy without any extra, much like they do with horses.
>
> On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 05:47:52 GMT, "TekCat" >
> wrote:
> Yep, I used flake food :(((((( formula two.
> Phosphate sponge, do I drop it in sump and have it free floating?
>
> "Roy" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Soiunds like your have cyano algae, or commonly called the red slime.
>> Its usually caused by improper water flow in areaas, as it will build
>> up quicker in dead or very low flow areas and its fueld by excessive
>> nutrients mainly phosphates.....Reduce your feedings and do a partial
>> water change to dilute the nutrients thats available for it to use.
>> Flake foods are perhaps the worst food when it comes to adding
>> phosphates in the tank, and also use RODI water for best results.
>>
>> You can also buy a phospate sponge or bag of granular stuff in most
>> lfs, that does a good job of removing excessive nutrients such as
>> nitrogen and phospates, but usually its caused by a slip up on proper
>> maintenance or feeding.....Its not uncommon for a new tank to get it,
>> so to remove it, shut off any filtration, and water flow, and use an
>> piece of airline tube to syphon it out. Then turn on the filtration
>> again when you have it syphoned out.
>>
>>
>> n Sun, 11 Dec 2005 06:56:41 GMT, "TekCat" >
>> wrote:
>> My tank is fairly new. I noticed that some of my sand is turning in
>> red
>> color. Does anyone know that it is? And if it is bad, how could I
>> remedy
>> this situation.
>> Thanks in advance,
>> TekCat
>>
>>
>> --
>> \\\|///
>> ( @ @ )
>> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>>
>>
>> oooO
>> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
>> \ ( ( )
>> \_) ) /
>> (_/
>> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....
>
>
> --
> \\\|///
> ( @ @ )
> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>
>
> oooO
> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
> \ ( ( )
> \_) ) /
> (_/
> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....


--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....

[Susan]

I wonder how Prime Reef frozen would be? I believe it's made by Ocean
Nutrition.

Susan :)
"Roy" > wrote in message
...
>I feed pelletized feed on occasion, but aminly feed frozen food that I
> buy at the LFS here that they make...It has all kinds of natural stuff
> in it, and no matter how much you feed there is not enough phosphates
> in it to make a problem. It has krill, mussles, clams, squid, shrimp,
> 2 or three kinds of fish, nori algae and garlic.....I also feed
> chopped fresh raw shrimp on occasion as well. Most all factory
> prepared foods have phosphates, but flake seems to be the worst of the
> feeds in regards to junk that makes algae grow....One thing a lot of
> prepared foods be it flake or pellet has and thats a binder which
> holds it all together.....which also gets into ther system over
> time.....I know its only a small tiny amount but over time this stuff
> adds up. I know when I fed flake my skimmer would get all kinds of
> scummy buildup in the cup, now its not anywhere near as bad, yet I
> have added a heap more corals..
>
> On Thu, 15 Dec 2005 15:39:38 GMT, "Susan" >
> wrote:
> What kind of food do you feed the fish if not flake food?
>
> Thanks,
> Susan :)
> "Roy" > wrote in message
> ...
>> The sponges can be just submerged in the water anywhere but for best
>> results its best to have water flow through them, so if its possible
>> put it as the last stage of any filtration so you do not get a load of
>> other debri built up on the sponge.......
>>
>> I had always been told, do not feed flake food.as it causes problems,
>> and I had always been on the assumption, yea right, food is food, but
>> like I said ever since I started to pay attention to feeds and their
>> contents besides the nutritional end of the labeling, and started with
>> frozen and pelletized feeds, red slime algae is a thing of the
>> past.....but its still definately possible to get it if you do not pay
>> attention to the amounts of feed used. While its nice to ensure your
>> little buddies have a full belly its not a real necessity.odds are in
>> the wild they will never be completely filled either, so I now tend to
>> feed to the point they do not loose any body mass but certainly not
>> enough to make em put on weight either...guess you could call it a
>> maintenance feeding, as its enough to sustain them, and keep em
>> healthy without any extra, much like they do with horses.
>>
>> On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 05:47:52 GMT, "TekCat" >
>> wrote:
>> Yep, I used flake food :(((((( formula two.
>> Phosphate sponge, do I drop it in sump and have it free floating?
>>
>> "Roy" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Soiunds like your have cyano algae, or commonly called the red slime.
>>> Its usually caused by improper water flow in areaas, as it will build
>>> up quicker in dead or very low flow areas and its fueld by excessive
>>> nutrients mainly phosphates.....Reduce your feedings and do a partial
>>> water change to dilute the nutrients thats available for it to use.
>>> Flake foods are perhaps the worst food when it comes to adding
>>> phosphates in the tank, and also use RODI water for best results.
>>>
>>> You can also buy a phospate sponge or bag of granular stuff in most
>>> lfs, that does a good job of removing excessive nutrients such as
>>> nitrogen and phospates, but usually its caused by a slip up on proper
>>> maintenance or feeding.....Its not uncommon for a new tank to get it,
>>> so to remove it, shut off any filtration, and water flow, and use an
>>> piece of airline tube to syphon it out. Then turn on the filtration
>>> again when you have it syphoned out.
>>>
>>>
>>> n Sun, 11 Dec 2005 06:56:41 GMT, "TekCat" >
>>> wrote:
>>> My tank is fairly new. I noticed that some of my sand is turning in
>>> red
>>> color. Does anyone know that it is? And if it is bad, how could I
>>> remedy
>>> this situation.
>>> Thanks in advance,
>>> TekCat
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> \\\|///
>>> ( @ @ )
>>> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>>>
>>>
>>> oooO
>>> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
>>> \ ( ( )
>>> \_) ) /
>>> (_/
>>> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....
>>
>>
>> --
>> \\\|///
>> ( @ @ )
>> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>>
>>
>> oooO
>> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
>> \ ( ( )
>> \_) ) /
>> (_/
>> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....
>
>
> --
> \\\|///
> ( @ @ )
> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>
>
> oooO
> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
> \ ( ( )
> \_) ) /
> (_/
> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....

[Roy]

Dunno.....but from what I have been told by a few folks at MACNA (sp?)
was that if you use commerically prepared frozen foods, its important
to keep them sealed and air tight so no frost gets on the food. Once
thawed they suggested to blot off any moisture or liquids, and only
place the meaty portion in the water. They said that the process of
freezing any water that may have been added during manufacture of the
food usually has phospate and other nutrients in it....I can see their
point as it can build up and it sure does not take much phospate to
get cyano started....Where the actual pieces of fish etc even though
they may contain water in the flesh itself does not have any
significant amount of anything to add to the nutrient chain algae
needs. I know the food the local store here makes, adds no water of
any kind, and they press as much water out of the mix as they can and
when frozen it has little to no frost buildup if kept in a sealed
ziiplock with the bag flatened and rolled to eliminate any air.....May
be overkill, I dunno.....Also been told the finer stuff you get when
you use homebrew type frozen foods with no water added is the fines
can also be beneficial to some corals etc.....

Why not make your own, its easy and cheap and you can get a heap of
food that will freeze and stay frsh for a long long time....would be
making my own all the time as well but theirs is just too cheap to buy
for me not having to fool with it anymore.....Just go buy a cou0ple of
shrimp, oysters, clams mussles squid, cheap cut of fish etc all
readily available at the local market, add some garlic and some nori
algae sheets and run it through a food processor or blender..... I
fyou have that egg crate lighting grid, use a iece of it and place it
in a caseroll dish or on a cookie tray or plate, and fill it up with
the processed food, and fill up the little 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 inch cubes
in the eggcrate. Once frozen the cubes pop right out of the grate, and
pack em up in a ziplock baggie or tupperware container. Makes for
easy feeding by just being able to grab a cube or two.

All the frozen foods i have seen around here is pretty pricey, but the
lfs is like $5.00 for a 10 x 10 inch baggie about 1/2"
thick.........and it lasts a long time as all I feed is about a
fingernail size.

On Fri, 16 Dec 2005 01:12:55 GMT, "Susan" >
wrote:
I wonder how Prime Reef frozen would be? I believe it's made by Ocean
Nutrition.

Susan :)
"Roy" > wrote in message
...
>I feed pelletized feed on occasion, but aminly feed frozen food that I
> buy at the LFS here that they make...It has all kinds of natural stuff
> in it, and no matter how much you feed there is not enough phosphates
> in it to make a problem. It has krill, mussles, clams, squid, shrimp,
> 2 or three kinds of fish, nori algae and garlic.....I also feed
> chopped fresh raw shrimp on occasion as well. Most all factory
> prepared foods have phosphates, but flake seems to be the worst of the
> feeds in regards to junk that makes algae grow....One thing a lot of
> prepared foods be it flake or pellet has and thats a binder which
> holds it all together.....which also gets into ther system over
> time.....I know its only a small tiny amount but over time this stuff
> adds up. I know when I fed flake my skimmer would get all kinds of
> scummy buildup in the cup, now its not anywhere near as bad, yet I
> have added a heap more corals..
>
> On Thu, 15 Dec 2005 15:39:38 GMT, "Susan" >
> wrote:
> What kind of food do you feed the fish if not flake food?
>
> Thanks,
> Susan :)
> "Roy" > wrote in message
> ...
>> The sponges can be just submerged in the water anywhere but for best
>> results its best to have water flow through them, so if its possible
>> put it as the last stage of any filtration so you do not get a load of
>> other debri built up on the sponge.......
>>
>> I had always been told, do not feed flake food.as it causes problems,
>> and I had always been on the assumption, yea right, food is food, but
>> like I said ever since I started to pay attention to feeds and their
>> contents besides the nutritional end of the labeling, and started with
>> frozen and pelletized feeds, red slime algae is a thing of the
>> past.....but its still definately possible to get it if you do not pay
>> attention to the amounts of feed used. While its nice to ensure your
>> little buddies have a full belly its not a real necessity.odds are in
>> the wild they will never be completely filled either, so I now tend to
>> feed to the point they do not loose any body mass but certainly not
>> enough to make em put on weight either...guess you could call it a
>> maintenance feeding, as its enough to sustain them, and keep em
>> healthy without any extra, much like they do with horses.
>>
>> On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 05:47:52 GMT, "TekCat" >
>> wrote:
>> Yep, I used flake food :(((((( formula two.
>> Phosphate sponge, do I drop it in sump and have it free floating?
>>
>> "Roy" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Soiunds like your have cyano algae, or commonly called the red slime.
>>> Its usually caused by improper water flow in areaas, as it will build
>>> up quicker in dead or very low flow areas and its fueld by excessive
>>> nutrients mainly phosphates.....Reduce your feedings and do a partial
>>> water change to dilute the nutrients thats available for it to use.
>>> Flake foods are perhaps the worst food when it comes to adding
>>> phosphates in the tank, and also use RODI water for best results.
>>>
>>> You can also buy a phospate sponge or bag of granular stuff in most
>>> lfs, that does a good job of removing excessive nutrients such as
>>> nitrogen and phospates, but usually its caused by a slip up on proper
>>> maintenance or feeding.....Its not uncommon for a new tank to get it,
>>> so to remove it, shut off any filtration, and water flow, and use an
>>> piece of airline tube to syphon it out. Then turn on the filtration
>>> again when you have it syphoned out.
>>>
>>>
>>> n Sun, 11 Dec 2005 06:56:41 GMT, "TekCat" >
>>> wrote:
>>> My tank is fairly new. I noticed that some of my sand is turning in
>>> red
>>> color. Does anyone know that it is? And if it is bad, how could I
>>> remedy
>>> this situation.
>>> Thanks in advance,
>>> TekCat
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> \\\|///
>>> ( @ @ )
>>> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>>>
>>>
>>> oooO
>>> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
>>> \ ( ( )
>>> \_) ) /
>>> (_/
>>> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....
>>
>>
>> --
>> \\\|///
>> ( @ @ )
>> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>>
>>
>> oooO
>> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
>> \ ( ( )
>> \_) ) /
>> (_/
>> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....
>
>
> --
> \\\|///
> ( @ @ )
> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>
>
> oooO
> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
> \ ( ( )
> \_) ) /
> (_/
> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....


--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....

[Susan]

Thanks Roy! That's very helpful info. I may start making up my own. So
much of the commercial frozen food I buy is all frosted over. I often
wonder how long it's set around.

Thanks again,
Susan
"Roy" > wrote in message
...
> Dunno.....but from what I have been told by a few folks at MACNA (sp?)
> was that if you use commerically prepared frozen foods, its important
> to keep them sealed and air tight so no frost gets on the food. Once
> thawed they suggested to blot off any moisture or liquids, and only
> place the meaty portion in the water. They said that the process of
> freezing any water that may have been added during manufacture of the
> food usually has phospate and other nutrients in it....I can see their
> point as it can build up and it sure does not take much phospate to
> get cyano started....Where the actual pieces of fish etc even though
> they may contain water in the flesh itself does not have any
> significant amount of anything to add to the nutrient chain algae
> needs. I know the food the local store here makes, adds no water of
> any kind, and they press as much water out of the mix as they can and
> when frozen it has little to no frost buildup if kept in a sealed
> ziiplock with the bag flatened and rolled to eliminate any air.....May
> be overkill, I dunno.....Also been told the finer stuff you get when
> you use homebrew type frozen foods with no water added is the fines
> can also be beneficial to some corals etc.....
>
> Why not make your own, its easy and cheap and you can get a heap of
> food that will freeze and stay frsh for a long long time....would be
> making my own all the time as well but theirs is just too cheap to buy
> for me not having to fool with it anymore.....Just go buy a cou0ple of
> shrimp, oysters, clams mussles squid, cheap cut of fish etc all
> readily available at the local market, add some garlic and some nori
> algae sheets and run it through a food processor or blender..... I
> fyou have that egg crate lighting grid, use a iece of it and place it
> in a caseroll dish or on a cookie tray or plate, and fill it up with
> the processed food, and fill up the little 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 inch cubes
> in the eggcrate. Once frozen the cubes pop right out of the grate, and
> pack em up in a ziplock baggie or tupperware container. Makes for
> easy feeding by just being able to grab a cube or two.
>
> All the frozen foods i have seen around here is pretty pricey, but the
> lfs is like $5.00 for a 10 x 10 inch baggie about 1/2"
> thick.........and it lasts a long time as all I feed is about a
> fingernail size.
>
> On Fri, 16 Dec 2005 01:12:55 GMT, "Susan" >
> wrote:
> I wonder how Prime Reef frozen would be? I believe it's made by Ocean
> Nutrition.
>
> Susan :)
> "Roy" > wrote in message
> ...
>>I feed pelletized feed on occasion, but aminly feed frozen food that I
>> buy at the LFS here that they make...It has all kinds of natural stuff
>> in it, and no matter how much you feed there is not enough phosphates
>> in it to make a problem. It has krill, mussles, clams, squid, shrimp,
>> 2 or three kinds of fish, nori algae and garlic.....I also feed
>> chopped fresh raw shrimp on occasion as well. Most all factory
>> prepared foods have phosphates, but flake seems to be the worst of the
>> feeds in regards to junk that makes algae grow....One thing a lot of
>> prepared foods be it flake or pellet has and thats a binder which
>> holds it all together.....which also gets into ther system over
>> time.....I know its only a small tiny amount but over time this stuff
>> adds up. I know when I fed flake my skimmer would get all kinds of
>> scummy buildup in the cup, now its not anywhere near as bad, yet I
>> have added a heap more corals..
>>
>> On Thu, 15 Dec 2005 15:39:38 GMT, "Susan" >
>> wrote:
>> What kind of food do you feed the fish if not flake food?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Susan :)
>> "Roy" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> The sponges can be just submerged in the water anywhere but for best
>>> results its best to have water flow through them, so if its possible
>>> put it as the last stage of any filtration so you do not get a load of
>>> other debri built up on the sponge.......
>>>
>>> I had always been told, do not feed flake food.as it causes problems,
>>> and I had always been on the assumption, yea right, food is food, but
>>> like I said ever since I started to pay attention to feeds and their
>>> contents besides the nutritional end of the labeling, and started with
>>> frozen and pelletized feeds, red slime algae is a thing of the
>>> past.....but its still definately possible to get it if you do not pay
>>> attention to the amounts of feed used. While its nice to ensure your
>>> little buddies have a full belly its not a real necessity.odds are in
>>> the wild they will never be completely filled either, so I now tend to
>>> feed to the point they do not loose any body mass but certainly not
>>> enough to make em put on weight either...guess you could call it a
>>> maintenance feeding, as its enough to sustain them, and keep em
>>> healthy without any extra, much like they do with horses.
>>>
>>> On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 05:47:52 GMT, "TekCat" >
>>> wrote:
>>> Yep, I used flake food :(((((( formula two.
>>> Phosphate sponge, do I drop it in sump and have it free floating?
>>>
>>> "Roy" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> Soiunds like your have cyano algae, or commonly called the red slime.
>>>> Its usually caused by improper water flow in areaas, as it will build
>>>> up quicker in dead or very low flow areas and its fueld by excessive
>>>> nutrients mainly phosphates.....Reduce your feedings and do a partial
>>>> water change to dilute the nutrients thats available for it to use.
>>>> Flake foods are perhaps the worst food when it comes to adding
>>>> phosphates in the tank, and also use RODI water for best results.
>>>>
>>>> You can also buy a phospate sponge or bag of granular stuff in most
>>>> lfs, that does a good job of removing excessive nutrients such as
>>>> nitrogen and phospates, but usually its caused by a slip up on proper
>>>> maintenance or feeding.....Its not uncommon for a new tank to get it,
>>>> so to remove it, shut off any filtration, and water flow, and use an
>>>> piece of airline tube to syphon it out. Then turn on the filtration
>>>> again when you have it syphoned out.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> n Sun, 11 Dec 2005 06:56:41 GMT, "TekCat" >
>>>> wrote:
>>>> My tank is fairly new. I noticed that some of my sand is turning in
>>>> red
>>>> color. Does anyone know that it is? And if it is bad, how could I
>>>> remedy
>>>> this situation.
>>>> Thanks in advance,
>>>> TekCat
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> \\\|///
>>>> ( @ @ )
>>>> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> oooO
>>>> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
>>>> \ ( ( )
>>>> \_) ) /
>>>> (_/
>>>> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> \\\|///
>>> ( @ @ )
>>> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>>>
>>>
>>> oooO
>>> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
>>> \ ( ( )
>>> \_) ) /
>>> (_/
>>> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....
>>
>>
>> --
>> \\\|///
>> ( @ @ )
>> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>>
>>
>> oooO
>> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
>> \ ( ( )
>> \_) ) /
>> (_/
>> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....
>
>
> --
> \\\|///
> ( @ @ )
> -----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------
>
>
> oooO
> ---------( )----Oooo----------------
> \ ( ( )
> \_) ) /
> (_/
> The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....

[Wayne Sallee]

Roy wrote on 12/15/2005 8:35 PM:
> Where the actual pieces of fish etc even though
> they may contain water in the flesh itself does not have any
> significant amount of anything to add to the nutrient chain algae
> needs.

Umm yea right, water has phosphates in it, but fish does
not :-) hehehe

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets

[gremesmiith]

You can also buy bags of grain a phosphate sponge or something in the most labor force surveys, this is not a good removal of excess nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphates, but usually it is caused by slippery or fed on the proper maintenance and .Very common for new tank .. get it, so remove it, turn off any filtering, water flow, and use a piece of airline tube siphon out. Then open the filter and can have it in your syphoned out.