effects of high silicate

Do you have any idea how this would have gotten into my tank? I am definitely not the only one that has experienced this. I saw a thread where a bunch of people had what appeared to be the same thing and no one really knew what it was. I believe eric from frag farmer had this stuff.

Honestly, if this is a fungus I will feel very relieved even though my tank still looks bad. I have thought it to be a algae and have tried everything under the sun to remedy it. It has made me look like someone who neglects their tank a.k.a lazy a**.

The bottom line with this stuff is that it is gooey. It traps dirt and no matter how hard you try you can't get the dirt out of it and before you know it you are in much worse shape than you could ever imagine even though you are doing everything in the book to run a healthy tank.

Maybe if I can eradicate this crap my embarrassment can end. I am sick of seeing all the nice tanks on here and looking at my pathetic attempt when I know I am doing things right.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14577201#post14577201 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tony varrell
Man sorry for the hijack but I am going through the exact same thing and just ordered a silica test kit as a last resort.Maybe I can get some help here. Current reading Nitrate 8ppm and Phosphate 0.06. Dosing 2 ml of vodka running Rowaphos and carbon in a reactor and this is what I am dealing with. Again sorry for the hijack but your struggles are exactly like mine and your photo of the powerhead looks exactly like mine.
algae001.jpg
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Sorry man that looks nothing like what I have. That is green hair algae that you have there. That can be dealt with. It looks to be very out of control and drastic measures will have to be taken but I think you can beat that. Vodka isn't going to do it it looks too far gone IMO. I would suggest cooking the rock. If you are unfamiliar with that find the thread by Sean T and read up on it. I may be wrong but from the looks of that pic that isn't what I have.
 
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I am not sure how much is known about fungi and their control in marine environments. Most research would be found in controlling fungi on fish and plants. IMHO, most fungicides would control the spore stage and not the actively growing stage. Perhaps some of the microbiologists on this forum will chime in? :)

Removing items infested and soaking them in bleach would kill the actively growing stage of the fungi and probably any spores the bleach contacts. However in your reef system, the spores are free floating in the water column. So, to try to gain control of this fungi, you would IMHO, most likely be fighting a battle you can not win since it would be impossible to manually remove all the active growing infested areas. I personally would try any fungicide you can find that is labeled for the water environment, since the cost of the items is only around $25.00 and see what happens. You can also increase the concentration rates of the fungicides and see what happens. This may have adverse affects on your livestock, but what do you have to loose.

If you can not live with this fungus in your system, then you may have to resort to starting with a completely clean system. I would not share any of your inhabitants or other items in your system with fellow reefers. Anything you can soak in bleach will help to eradicate it. :(
 
Spores in reef water, infested areas on rock, sand, etc are the most likely way a fungus would be introduced into your system.

I have read as much as I could find on AlgaeFix Marine. I am not sure what the mode of action is for this product. I do know that the active ingredient in AlgaeFix Marine will kill bacteria, fungi & other organism at higher concentrations. Personally I would try the AlgaeFix at the recommend rate first and slowly increase the concentration of the dose and see what effect it would have. At higher doses, as found when used in swimming pools, it will certainly kill the fungus as well as other occupants in your system.
 
I just ordered some of the pimafix. I think I will set up a 10 gallon remove a rock with the "fungus" on it dose it up and see what happens. If it kills the stuff I will move a frag into the tank and see what effects that has before dumping it into my system.

Does that sound like a good plan?
 
It seems like the safest plan to me. I hope it works for you. Let us know either way. :)

If the Pimafix does not work, then I would do the same with AlgaeFix, which I believe is a broad spectrum product. I also believe that the concentration of AlgaeFix may have to be increased higher then the recommend levels to achieve control which is certainly something you want to use as a last resort. ;)
 
The thing that concerns me most of all is that if I try this stuff and it works how do I keep fungus spores from reentering the system?
 
Anytime you introduce something into your system you are taking a chance on getting a nasty with it. It doesn't matter how careful you are, you can still get a nasty. Using live rock & live sand is one of my biggest concerns. Purchasing fish & corals from known hobbyists who do not have problems is one of the safest things you can do. Using quarantine tanks can help, but are not full proof. Bleaching dead rock & sand is a good idea because there is the possibility of spores, cysts & other protected mechanisms that marine life use to survive the worst habitats. :)

IMHO, hobbyists will continue to get nasties in there system. It is inevitable. Unfortunately little effort on the part of commercial companies is made because there is not enough profit for their efforts. This leaves the hobbyists to do the work with what tools they have. There are very few tools to be used in the control of algae, fungus, bacteria, dinoflagellates or other nasties that we have to deal with. I have to give API credit in obtaining an EPA registration for AlgaeFix Marine. This cost them some serious money to go through the process. The current label is minimal to get the registration and I hope that they will expand the label down the road.
 
yes it has arrived. I haven't set up my 10 gallon "canary in the coal mine" test tank yet. I don't want to just dump this stuff in my tank.
 
One question I would have will any toxens be released when you treat it? Meaing will you crash a system in treating?
 
I don't know about that. I thought I would set up a small tank and try using the pima fix and see what happens and then go from there.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14610167#post14610167 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by surfjeepzx
UV sterilizer.
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What effect do you think this would have?
 
Personally, I thought about a UV sterilizer too. Should any part of this fungus (assuming it is) be air... uh.... waterborne, maybe it could help in defeating one part of its lifecycle.

But truly, everything seems to be shooting in the dark until we get an ID, which seems very difficult on this one needless to say.

Brandon
 
I'm so happy I found this thread. I have the same exact stuff and It has been bugging the hell out of me for months. Its all over my rocks and covers my glass with a thin layer in a weeks time. Hopefully, we can figure out what this stuff is because I need some relief. Normal algae control measures don't really work. I have 0 nitrate, 0 phosphate, and have tried cutting photoperiod, carbon dosing, etc. Nothing has helped.
 
Fungus does not need lighting to the best of my knowledge.

I am not sure how a fungus uptakes N&P. I would assume it can take it up directly from food similar to bacteria.

This basically leaves mechanical control ( removing as much of it as possible)

Using carbon would help IMHO.

Using UV will help but not likely to achieve 100% control.

Maybe reduced feeding in your tank may help (cut back to once every three days).

The only other option I can think of would possibly be the AlgaeFix, which can be dangerous.

I see fungus as a tough hombre in a wet environment. On land it is fairly easy to control by removing water sources and humidity. :(
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14672413#post14672413 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CeeGee
yes it has arrived. I haven't set up my 10 gallon "canary in the coal mine" test tank yet. I don't want to just dump this stuff in my tank.
Click to expand...

I have a 16oz bottle waiting in my shopping cart at MD....

I also have an Ozotech Poseidon Jr. in my shopping cart at Aquarium Specialty :blown:

Something has to kill this Cr:eek1:p

I hate to clean the glass, which is now covered, because I know it just spreads all over the place.
 
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