The Puffer Forum

I've noticed some pink growth recently. It is only in my sump and crayfish breeding tank, which is beside the sump. Water overflows from the crayfish tank into the sump. It is only found on the silicone and not in the display tank, yet. The sump and crayfish tank are under the display tank stand. The crayfish tank is a 37 gallon tall, and has a 15 watt light that is on for 6 hours a day. There are LED strip lights under the stand which I usually leave on in the evening when I am home. They are standard ebay RGB strip lights, I didnt think they promoted plant / algae growth..


After some quick research it seems like this may be pink bacteria. I havent found much info on it being common in aquariums, more so in showers... I rubbed some off and it smelled "moldy" on my fingers.


Any ideas?

Bump.

Has anyone seen anything like this before?

Sorry Kass that's a new one on me, I am guessing its some form of bacteria or fungus that likes the dark.

I know SW has Cyanobacteria that looks like this. Not sure if it grows in FW but look it up.

I think you are right Pufferpunk. I read cyanobacteria can be red in freshwater, although it is not so common. I find it strange that it would be growing in my sump, Where there is very limited light.

Cyano is a b***h to remove without antibiotics. Remove as much as you can by siphoning/scraping and stop feeding for a few days while you blackout the tank.
I'd add purigen to help removing organic waste which help cyano grow.

Thanks. It has not spread much with weekly removals. I will try some purigen.

Yeah, that's Cyanobacteria. It can be red, even in freshwater tanks. I used to see it all the time in my saltwater tank. I frequently mistook it for coraline algae due to the color.

Some ideas for you: black out the tank while manually removing as much of this stuff as you can as 1st Timer suggested. Dissolved phosphates are a major contributor to cyano, so if you can find one, add a phosphorous absorbing pillow to your water filter. Cyano doesn't do so well in moving water, so extra powerheads can help. If all else fails, erythromycin will kill this stuff, but your beneficial bacteria will also take a hit, so watch those ammonia levels. It's difficult to manage, but stay on top of it and it'll go away for good.

Thanks for the suggestions.