Need Help With an Aquamedic Product Problem

[Andy V]

Has anyone used the Aquamedic product Anti-red? It is supposed to blow out cyano bacteria. It was highly recommended to me. I was afraid to use it since I hate to put ANYTHING in the water. I was told it would be no problem. Reading the directions, it said it is safe for all invertebrates and corals. The only warning it gave, was that if the FISH acted funny, to move them to a new aquarium immediately.


I aksed why that would be, and I was told when the product kills off the cyano, the oxygen gets low in the water.

So I ran an air stone, to provide extra oxygen.

The directions say you HAVE to use a skimmer, which I do anyway. You also must remove carbon and UV sterilizer, which I did.

I followed the directions to a T. And here's what I came home to:

I have two dead hermits, and all of my corals and clams are closed up, with the softies looking especially bad. The fish, which were the only thing the directions cautioned about, look great. Everything else is normal, the only change was adding this chemical.

I have seen the corals look worse than this from other problems before, only to come back fine.

Anybody ever used this product? Any advice? Thanks.

 

[JohnK]

When did you add it?

I'd say if you don't see corals obvioulsy melting or RTNing, to not over react. Maybe run a bunch of carbon if you have it on hand, and prepare a lot of water change water in case things get ugly.

Hopefully everything is just a little irritated and will be fine.

FWIW, IMO no "cyano cure in a bottle" is a good idea. Cyano thrives when conditions are right, if you poision the symptom (cyano) but don't correct the conditions that encourage it, it'll just come back (and the system will be thrown into all sorts of instablility as a ton of nutrients are released back into solution which will then force the system to take up those nutrients somehow).

 

[Andy V]

I added it last night. This morning everything looked normal when I left @6:30 I definitely went against my instincts using this product. I don't get how I got the cyano though. I use RO/DI, and had no detectable levels of anything. What causes cyano?

 

[JohnK]

Lots of things can encourage cyano, but it does need some nutrients to grow. Even if phosphate seems "undetectable" with hobby grade test kits there is some present, and it doesn't take much to feed nusiance algae.

Incresing flow/eliminating any dead spots is supposed to help with cyano. A refugim that is growing buckets of cheato, serious skimming, or any other means of starving out nusiance algaes is key IMO.

 

[Andy V]

Thanks John. My setup precludes me from having a refugium unfortunately. But the cyano did start in some low-flow spots, so I think that I am going to buy one more powerhead. I have a 30G tank. How about the Hydor Nano Koralia? Or would you recommend something else? I do not need something big...

 

[JohnK]

Eliminating any dead spots of flow might/should help.

Just beware of some other nisiance algae problems taking the cyano's place.

 

[Andy V]

Any recos on the powerhead?