Since I started the new 180 gallon reef I ended up like anyone else having issues with Cyano "Red Slime Algae" starting to accumulate in the tank.
Things you must remember is that even with pristine water conditions the Cyano bacteria can still bloom at times. Definately it is a good idea to keep the Phosphate and Nitrates down to help but it also utilizes Carbon in the system. There is nothing you can do to pull that back as all living things have Carbon.
What you can do is make the reef think a storm or overcast have moved in. You can turn your lights off for 3 days as the Cyano loves light. This will not harm the corals or fish. The fish usually are a bit dormant but you should still feed them during this time. Having your skimmer on skimming off the bacteria during the period is also preferable. You can use a turkey baster to pull out the cyano also during this time and make sure you do not just blow it around the tank. On the 4th day turn on the violet or blue lighting if you have separate bulbs. Then the 5th day turn up the lights to normal.
You can do this once a month and after a few months of this you should see a decrease in the amount of Cyano that is in the tank. Yeah it will probably return but if it does just follow the same procedure. Good water flow in the tank is also a plus as the bacteria do not like water flow.
Hope this helps.
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