will high salinity cause red slim

[itsamyheff]

Just as it stats. After doing a couple water changes, the red slim started up. I just found out my refractometer is off. So over the last couple water changes, I have jump the salinity to 1.31. All parameters are in check except the salinity untill today. I have been dropping slowy all day. That is the only thing out of wack.

 

[codsack]

Tagging along on this one.

 

[myvwrock]

Red slime is a bacterial infection , so I wounder how salinity would affect this. I would think it would tend to kill it , kinda like choking it out? Also tagging along on this one.
Chris c.

 

[lilrobb]

Just my own observation;
I did a lot of fragging recently and the salinity dropped (ATO compensated for water removed) - I see a lot more red slime than before.
So based on your experience and mine - maybe a change in salinity causes a bloom?

 

[joshainga]

I agree with rob just did a water change on mine a couple of days ago and dropped my salinity due to the same issue refractometer off and same results red slime after a couple of days. I did also go back an hour on my lights. following

 

[itsamyheff]

I'm not sure if that had any thing or every thing to do with the red slime. I try to stay on top of things with the reef. I had made some ro water for another member here and he had said he was up to about 1.027-8 using his hydrometer. I was reading 1.026 with the refractometer. I just dialed it in about a month ago with the 1.0264 regiment. I noticed my acans have not been ballooned out like normal, as well as new zoas that I have added. I had the water tested at the LFS, found the salinity to be @ 1.031. I dug around to find my old hydrometer and it to read 1.031. I opened a new bottle of 1.0264 reg. and found the refractometer was off. I guess the old was bad. I try not to over feed, over supplement the tank, and only add your normal calc., buffer twice a week. My phosphate test was not zero but no where near the.025 mark. If I had to guess it is under .010. I haven't change any salt brands or supplements in over 6 months. My bulbs are just over 2 months old, so I think I would be just past the new break in period. My lights run 8 hours a day. No changes to the light cycle. It has me scratching my head on this one. I have my salinity down to 1.027 now. I have been pulling out about 10-15 gallons every hour and a half, and replacing with RO water. The acans are starting to bulge out again. I just want to make sure I don't have a underlined issue creeping up to be a problem, or can this actually be the high salinity.

 

[smallblock]

This is my theory, (could be, well most likely wrong) We have bacteria in our tank right? This is considered good bacteria, there is a balance of good n bad bacteria in our tanks, when the bad starts winning we get red slime. Could the salinity swing have killed off enough of the good bacteria so the bad bacteria could start winning and producing red slime? Basically I think that the salinity upset the balance and the bad (red slime) was able to get a stranglehold on the good. I really dont know but it makes sense in my head.

 

[acroholic]

I don't see how salinity would have any impact on whether Cyano grows or not. More or less of it is related to nutrient levels and water movement, I thought.

But hey, who knows?

 

[smallblock]

Acroholic;682436 wrote: I don't see how salinity would have any impact on whether Cyano grows or not. More or less of it is related to nutrient levels and water movement, I thought.

But hey, who knows?

Not me!!!

 

[acroholic]

Maybe the sudden SG change is killing some critters in the tank that are salinity sensitive, which then decay and provide food for the cyano? More of an indirect cause than a direct cause of the cyano increase.

 

[itsamyheff]

I can see that being the case, but wouldn't something show up on the test kits if there is a swing(die off causing it). I don't know how sensitive the growth rate is for red slime. I have seen a increase in the bad algae when I had the RO unit needing replacement filters. I replaced them again about a month ago. The TDS shows zero on the output, with it holding 46 incoming. :dunno: I have replaced about 35 gallons salt water with fresh RO over the course 12 hours. Checked parameters again. After all the fresh was added, I had to add back some calcium. But other than that, all seems to be the same. I will leave it alone for a little while and monitor. Past experience has taught me to let it do its thing. The more you put your fingers in it, the more risk for you to screw it up. :kabong:

Edit: It is a 150 gallon with a 55 gallon sump. To be clear, it isn't that bad, visible. Only a couple patches. I just want to catch it before it turns if at possible.

 

[falos]

i run my tanks at 1.30 with no slime.

 

[hud3339]

falos;682465 wrote: i run my tanks at 1.30 with no slime.

Is anything alive

 

[falos]

sorry typo 1.030 my tanks are at red sea lvls i see better polop extension and color and the fish seam happy and tank is stable with no slime it is a lot harder to aclamate shrimp due to shops being 1.026

 

[itsamyheff]

ha, to funny hudd. I think once acclimated might be okay. I just think it may have been the sudden change that may have caused it. I had done a water change and didn't like how things looked afterwards. I checked the refractometer then, and figured it was good. I did another water change just a couple days following that. It seemed to get worse. That is when I took some water in to the LFS. Then to here. I didn't check the tank salinity, just what I was putting in. For all I know, It could have been a lot higher reading on the new water since my tank water was at 1.031. From now on, yes I will be checking going in and after readings.

 

[acroholic]

itsamyheff;682447 wrote: I can see that being the case, but wouldn't something show up on the test kits if there is a swing(die off causing it).

The general consensus is that cyano can grow in little to no nitrate or phosphate, so if there is a small spike fueling the growth, it might not even be measurable by a hobbyist level test kit.

Just bringing up anecdotal possibilities here.

Edit:

itsamyheff;682491 wrote: ha, to funny hudd. I think once acclimated might be okay. I just think it may have been the sudden change that may have caused it. I had done a water change and didn't like how things looked afterwards. I checked the refractometer then, and figured it was good. I did another water change just a couple days following that. It seemed to get worse. That is when I took some water in to the LFS. Then to here. I didn't check the tank salinity, just what I was putting in. For all I know, It could have been a lot higher reading on the new water since my tank water was at 1.031. From now on, yes I will be checking going in and after readings.

If you stick with the same brand salt, a good thing to do is get 5 or 10 gallons of RODI in your WC reservoir, and measure out exactly how much salt mix is needed to get it to your usual SG. I did this a couple years ago, and for IO it was 3 cups per 5 gallons gives an SG of 1.025. Lets you do a pretty accurate WC regarding SG without having to mess with the refracto all the time.

 

[itsamyheff]

I did have a measuring cup that I used and it was repetitive for I don't know how long. I broke it about the same time I had dialed in the refractometer. Once I looked at it, it is a 3 cup where the old was only a 2 cup. Oops. :doh:I will leave it alone for about a week and just keep up with testing for now.