Looking to ID Algae in Sump

[DKoKoMan]

Hey folks,

I’m looking to identify this weird cream / brown colored stringy snot like algae which has showed up shortly after my chaeto disintegrated. The “nasty stuff” is not present in my display, however is attached to my overflow pipes and in my sump area. I do biweekly WC’s (reef crystals) 30g on my 150g tank and siphon out this stuff on a regular basis in clumps. Looking for any help on how to rid my tanks of this nasty stuff!!!


Salinity: 1.026
Temperature: 80 degrees Fahrenheit
Alkalinity: 8.9 dKh
Calcium: 450 ppm
Nitrate: 2-5ppm
Phosphate: 0.02ppm

I currently dose 15ml NOPO-X daily to keep nitrates in check as I have a heavy bio load. I dose 2-part for Alk/Cal, run GAC and GFO in reactors. Nothing else is added to the tank.


I no longer have a refuge in after the chaeto didn’t last. I don’t know if it is coincidence or completely an aside but the last chaeto to melt was when the slime appeared.

Here are a couple photos of the sump and filters which are constantly plugged up with this stuff. I’m stuck every couple days cleaning out my reactor pumps which suck up this stuff... please help!

[kien]

wow, that's some nasty crap. Sorry, I'm no help on ID here. To me it looks like fish poop mixed in with something that died or is in the processing of dying and decomposing. Gross.

[DKoKoMan]

Originally Posted by kien

wow, that's some nasty crap. Sorry, I'm no help on ID here. To me it looks like fish poop mixed in with something that died or is in the processing of dying and decomposing. Gross.

Nothing has died in the tank other then my chaeto. I swear it grows though!!! I pull it out all the time with a turkey baster and it comes back. That’s why I think it’s an algae of some sort.

I literally take my prefilters to the car wash to spray this crap out as it does t rinse away.

Hopefully someone knows what it is and how do I get rid of it...

[kien]

Originally Posted by DKoKoMan

Nothing has died in the tank other then my chaeto. I swear it grows though!!! I pull it out all the time with a turkey baster and it comes back. That’s why I think it’s an algae of some sort.

I literally take my prefilters to the car wash to spray this crap out as it does t rinse away.

Hopefully someone knows what it is and how do I get rid of it...

That's kinda what I was alluding to. The fibrous chaeto breaking down and mixing with detritus. Algae can tend to turn clear and snotty when it breaks down. Also, I'm not saying that's what it is. I'm saying that's what it looks like :-)

[DKoKoMan]

Originally Posted by kien

That's kinda what I was alluding to. The fibrous chaeto breaking down and mixing with detritus. Algae can tend to turn clear and snotty when it breaks down. Also, I'm not saying that's what it is. I'm saying that's what it looks like :-)

ok well that makes two of us thinking that! Now if I don’t hear anything else how do I get rid of it haha. I’m thinking of bleaching my LR in one of my sump sections as it’s sticking to it.

[kien]

Originally Posted by DKoKoMan

ok well that makes two of us thinking that! Now if I don’t hear anything else how do I get rid of it haha. I’m thinking of bleaching my LR in one of my sump sections as it’s sticking to it.

If it's alive (algae), then I have no clue. If it's dead (stuff), then probably just keep rinsing and siphoning it out until it's all (mostly) gone?

[Myka]

I don't think messing around with the flow in the sump is going to change anything for you. With a bio pellet reactor the bacteria is contained within the reactor. since you have the output of the reactor going straight into the skimmer, the skimmer pulls out all of that bacteria that escapes.

Biopellets always work, but in my experience it is very important to have that output of the reactor going into the skimmer.

I'm more concerned though that you need to run biopellets or some kind of carbon dosing to keep the nutrients down. You should not need to use any of these options long-term if you're doing effective aquarium maintenance, you have a good quality and appropriately sized protein skimmer, and your tank is not overstocked.

[DorySaid]

If you don't think stagnant water can contribute to the 'accumulation' of bacteria in the form of a slime substance, and don't wanna take my word for it, then put a couple of live rocks in a bucket with some water with no flow for a couple of weeks and see what happens.

[DKoKoMan]

Originally Posted by Myka

I don't think messing around with the flow in the sump is going to change anything for you. With a bio pellet reactor the bacteria is contained within the reactor. since you have the output of the reactor going straight into the skimmer, the skimmer pulls out all of that bacteria that escapes.

Biopellets always work, but in my experience it is very important to have that output of the reactor going into the skimmer.

I'm more concerned though that you need to run biopellets or some kind of carbon dosing to keep the nutrients down. You should not need to use any of these options long-term if you're doing effective aquarium maintenance, you have a good quality and appropriately sized protein skimmer, and your tank is not overstocked.

I agree with you Mindy on my tank being on the more heavy side of stocked. I definitely battle nutrients on a regular basis using the NOPO-X for carbon dosing has worked well to achieve 2-5ppm nitrates. I still have to use GFO in a reactor to keep my phosphate down. I am pretty dillegent with tank maintenance and do 20% biweekly WC.

I have decided to purchase a larger tank which will be done through Concept (305 gallon total). I’m hoping this will make a big difference in the high nutrient level. Until then I have backed down my carbon dosing to 12ml daily and by the sounds of it will not be getting rid of this slime for a while.

I am planning on running a biopellet reactor, looked at the AquaMaxx reactors but I may get an actual bubble magus or reef octopus biochurn to do the job. In your experience if I discontinue the carbon dosing via liquid in to the main water column and contain with a reactor will the slime eventually go away. Obviously I will siphon majority of it out. I really don’t want slime in my brand new system.

Thanks

[DKoKoMan]

The other question I had was should I be dosing bacteria like MB7? I watched some YouTube videos and saw that with biopellets people would dose bacteria in to the tank. I am wondering if that is just to start the biopellets off or for a newer system.