Slime behind rocks/ in sump

A

Aquamechanic

Member
I have a 90 gallon reef that has been acumulating a clear, pink toned mucus-like slime everywhere in the tank on a ongoing basis.
It forms on glass as a haze but behind the rocks it accumulates and becomes stringy gobs of organic slime.
Tank parameters are in check but before this occurred PO4 was high at around 1-2ppm. Current readings are:
PO4 0.1-0.25, NO3 2, CA 400, alk 8.4. I ran Rowaphos to lower PO4 levels ... maybe too quickly?
There is also slow growth of dark near black algae on rocks but is scrubs off with a bristle brush quite easily along with the accumulated mulm that is forming elsewhere. Once scrubbed off, coraline is exposed growingbon the rock. Tank is serviced weekly. Only 4 small fish. Fed brine shrimp daily. One cube. The problem has been going on for about 6 months. Tank is about 2 years old since last breakdown after ice storm power outage.

My theory is that the PO4, while now low in the water column, is high in the rocks. As it leaches out algae is supported but dies when it can no longer get the required nutrients from the rock. The dying organics pur a load on the bio-system and dont fully break down. It's a guess.

See attached photo of 'goo' in bucket.
Feedback appreciated.

Cheers
Kelly
 

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I'll add that i use distilled water for changes and that there are 2 x Korillia 2 p.h. for current and a 700 gph return.
The picture is the slime collected from sump and behind the rocks
 
I would start off by reducing your feeding. IMO, 1 cube of frozen food daily is too much for 4 fish. I feed about twice a week.
 
I feed 1/3 of a cube a day for 3 fish and also one feeding of two pinches pellets several hours apart daily.

Deton is starving his tank IMO, fish that have to fight current 24/7 need fuel to be able to do that, yes they need food every day!
 
There is no food wasted when they are fed. The scale of the amount of 'goo' i am removing is not supported by the amount of nutrients being introduced. It must be coming from somewhere and the rock is all I can come up with

My current thinking is to remove the aragonite substrate and maybe swap out some live rock pieces
 
I have so much crap in my sump and I couldn't care less, it's in my sump and it all stays out of my DT That makes me happy :dance:
 
Is the black stuff cyano textured?
It sounds focused on the lower flow areas of the tank, I'm leaning toward some kind of bacterial situation.. Just a guess.
Are you dosing any kind of carbon, like biopellets or nopox or vodka?
 
Appreciated

No I am not carbon dosing, but that is what I am thinking along the lines of also. It reminds me of the 'goob' you'd get on an old, unkempt Aquaclear filter sponge trying to handle an over crowded /over fed aquarium.

I thought whatever algal life form could grow from the rock, if it couldn't survive once in the low nutrient water and away from the PO4 rich rock, would feed and form a biomass. "goob"

All guessing on my part
 
Coral is looking stressed. Fish are okay. The bacterial slime seems to inhibit them opening properly. There is also a growth of black algae (cyano?) that grows on the rocks and coral bases.

This week I noticed a 'glob' on the float that had accumulated over a few months. It was a compilation of a black gelatinous mass and some of the opaque white slime.

It also forms a 'skin' on the surface of the substrate that inhibits gas exchange so undisturbed aragonite becomes black and anaerobic.
:headwallblue:

I noticed another member posted the same problem recently in a thread entitled "Eternal Slime Bacteria ... About To Give Up"
 
I just started having the same problem, Tagging along. My system is about 8 years old and i have never had this happen before. it is exactly as you described a pink/fleshy colored slime only in the sump. I pulled out almost 10 cup fulls of slime tonight

I have a 150 with a 60 gallon sump. My main return is pushing about 2000 g/hr I have bubble magnus 9 curve that is skimming mod to heavy skimate. I use reef crystals salt.

0 nitrates, 0 phosphates, 0 Nh3

I am also using RO water

just like you corals are stressed fish are fine.
 
You said distilled water? Most brands do not use a reverse osmosis on their prduct and even if they do there is no way to determine what the source is they are using. With all parameters checking out I would certainly lean towards that being the cause. I worked at a facility that bottled, distilled water, the bottoms and sides of the tanks from the source had that gunk everywhere. It is it's own bio filter.
 
any updates to this? My gf's tank is having this issue as well. It's a slimmy mucus pink color and it's only in the sump.
 
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