What is this weird stuff growing in my phosban reactor?

[sjm817]

I have 2 TLF 150s in series. First one has carbon, 2nd one has Rowaphos in it,
pump->TLF1 carbon->TLF2 Rowa-> output.

The Rowa reactor has this white flaky stuff in it, the carbon doesn't. Any ideas?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

A number of folks have reported precipitation of calcium carbonate in GFO in reactors. If you could scrape some out and add some acid to it, we can see if that is it by whether it bubbles.

 

[Habib]

These are various organisms (such as worms, sponges,....).

For example the one in the lower left hand corner with a sort of spiral shape looks like a worm with a calcareous tube.

 

[Mimbler1]

I very consistently get calcium carbonate precipitation in my gfo reactor, and clean it out by soaking it in vinegar every couple of months. It bubbles and dissolves away, so it is calcium carbonate. Interestingly, it appears to be a somewhat "fluffier" deposit (or chalkier), and cleans up a little easier than the more usual carbonate deposits. Randy may have an explanation for that!
Mike

 

[sjm817]

Well, it didn't seem like calcium. It was soft and organic feeling. It didn't fizz in vinegar either. It also cleaned off easily. Very strange. Nothing looked alive that I could tell. I didn't put it back on. I've been back and forth about using a phosphate binder. Not sure it it has been doing anything worth while for me. For now, I'm running just 1 reactor with carbon.

 

[bertoni]

Some of the spots look like sponges to me.

 

[sjm817]

Why would the sponges or whatever take a liking to the Rowaphos reactor? The water passed through the carbon reactor first, and none grew there.

 

[bertoni]

I have no idea.

They could also be forams or tube worms. One looks a lot like a syconoid sponge to me, though.

 

[DrBDC]

I think I see a spongebob house! One of those pineapple sponges.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Since they did not dissolve with bubbling, I expect they are organisms as others suggested. Maybe they just like the new territory to colonize, or maybe they like a high iron environment.

 

[sjm817]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6930417#post6930417 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
Since they did not dissolve with bubbling, I expect they are organisms as other suggested. Maybe they just like the new territory to colonize, or maybe they like a high iron environment.

Yeah, maybe the high iron....There were none in the carbon reactor.