Please help!!!

[firetech82]

Hi everyone...I need help. I recently tore down my 30 gallon because of this stuff to start fresh and now it's back. I've had my corals, fish and some of my live rock in this tank for a little over a month now. Everything was fine until yesterday i noticed this whatever it is in a very small quantity. I did a 50% water change, and siphoned most of it out. When i woke up this morning, it was all over the place and i can't seem to find anything on what it could be. My water parameters are all 0's with a 410 calcium and and kh of 11. I need to figure out what is causing this so i can try to avoid it when i restart my 30 gallon. Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[mbauma]

How long are you running your lights?

 

[firetech82]

8 hrs. When I had it in my 30 gallon, I went dark for a week with no change.

 

[Dan_P]

Looks like a bacterial growth.

I have seen posts about white slimy growth from users of biopellets or those who dose carbon (vodka, sugar). The conjecture is that the tank received a heavy load of nutrients and the bacteria grew like crazy.

If I am remembering correctly, the advice is that it will go away but water changes would be a good idea to help reduce the nutrient load.

 

[firetech82]

I thought bacteria, but haven't been able to find anything about it. Problem is that I haven't really fed but once a week. Can't really think where the nutrient load came from but I'll keep doing water changes and hopefully it goes away. The rest of my rock is looking good in it's bucket so we'll see what happens when i start the 30 up again. Thanks Dan.

 

[alb_56]

Dont water changes introduce new nutrients?

 

[firetech82]

My understanding is no new nutrients for bacteria or algae to consume, but stuff for corals to use, like calcium and what not. I could be wrong though.

 

[alb_56]

If it were me I would just wait a week and see what happens. As long as your coral arent getting messed up by it. I have no personal experience with bacteria like that but from everything Ive heard from people dosing vinegar or vodka the bacteria blooms and then goes away. Plus if it went nuts and grew like crazy after a water change I dont really see how you could expect a different result trying the same thing. Just my two cents though. Hope you can get it figured out.

 

[firetech82]

Thanks alb. Odd thing is, i don't dose vinegar or vodka, and just recently replaced my ro/di filters so it's not my water. I've just been stumped by this issue and have no ideas of what to do. I guess since i just did a water change i'll wait a week or two and see what happens. Corals are mostly happy but it's just so unsightly!

 

[fishstick3]

Where did you get your live rock and was it in the tank last time when you had this problem? Live rocks from some sources can be super high in things like phosphates.

 

[firetech82]

the live rock was cured and in my 30 gallon for almost 6 months before this problem developed. that's why i'm so stumped, my tank was gorgeous and all of a sudden all this happened.

 

[alb_56]

Its definitely an odd situation.

 

[firetech82]

tell me about it! I've been to 3 lfs and none of them have seen anything like it! definitely driving me crazy.

 

[Xavibear]

Are you running a skimmer?

 

[firetech82]

I was on my 30 gallon, not on my 10. On my 30 it was just filling up with this slime.

 

[alb_56]

On my 30 it was just filling up with this slime.

Thats good though, I would for sure be skimming as much of that junk out as I could.

 

[Pigpen17]

I had the very same stuff. Not nearly as bad though. Like you I found nothing of what it could be. It was on the back of one of my rocks. I didn't like the looks of it, so I pulled out the effected rock and scrubbed the nasty crap off in a bucket of saltwater. Then about a month later, I saw it on another rock. I did the same thing. Haven't seen it since.

It's werid too, because my set up was new at the time, but my rock is 8+ years old.

 

[firetech82]

Thanks Pigpen, glad to know i'm not the only person to experience this nonsense. i'll have to try scrubbing my rocks in this 10 gallon and see what happens.

 

[firetech82]

So one of my LFS's made a call to someone and said that it's a bacteria that lives in the live rock. His suggestion, kill all my rock or start with new rock. I think I'm gonna do a bit of both. It's a bummer but guess my 10 gallon will be a home for all my saltwater for a while.

 

[thegrun]

The bacteria growth will slow down and dissipate over time, I would not bother to start over. How much flow do you have in the tank? Increasing flow and reducing nutrients will help.