Bacteria Bloom

[ecomdesign]

I have been dosing vodka and vinegar to my system for about 1 year now. At last test po4 was 0 and no3 was 2.5ppm. New years eve day I upgraded my sump and skimmer. I kept my usual dose of 13ml of my carbon mix. This Sunday I added my weekly dose of mb7. Later that night I noticed a bacteria bloom in my sump that hasn't gotten any better over the past 24 hours.

I have stopped Dosing carbon and at this point I don't plan to dose mb7 next weekend. Am I doing it right, or should I just cut all Dosing in half? Is the bloom just a result of the sump/skimmer change? Did I interput the system too much?

 

[ecomdesign]

One more note... DT is clear, fish and coral seem fine and I have strong surface agitation across the top of the water.

 

[bertoni]

Those are tough questions to answer. I'd probably stop the carbon dosing, the way you did, and siphon out whatever of the slime is easy to get, maybe spending a minute or two each week. I'm guessing that you're seeing a gel of some sort on various surfaces?

 

[ecomdesign]

Yea I am. It's slimy.

 

[bertoni]

Okay, I'd just remove what's easy to get.

 

[ecomdesign]

Will do. Thank you.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, the bacteria have to grow somewhere, and in your case, it seems they like the sump. Just be glad it isn't the display they like.

 

[ecomdesign]

Very true. I'm lucky I guess! Could the high flow rate and lots of light in the display have anything to do with it? Maybe it prefers the conditions in the sump a little better?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I presume it prefers the sump for some reason, but I don't know why.

I've never seen where mine grow except in my canister filter filled with GAC and GFO, but I presume some also grows in my rock filled refugia.