Pics of the slime I've been battling for 6+ months...

M

Misty

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I was preparing for my bi-weekly water change. I decided to turn off the powerheads and try to net stuff as I knocked it loose. But when I turned off the powerheads, it allowed me to get a good look at this junk. It is some nasty rust-colored, filmy stuff. It's like billions of tiny brown dust particles are held together with a clear slime (and it's so gross!). Now there are bits of this stuff suspended all in the water.

I've been doing water changes (10 gallons at least 2x/week) for 6 months. I installed a Phosban reactor last weekend. I have a fuge/sump with lots of macro in it. My skimmer is working well.

I've treated with Chemi Clean. I've turned off the lights. My photoperiod is still only at 6 hours/day.

Any ideas??? Is this a variety of BGA/cyano?
 
Been through it! Matt is right, lights out for at least 3 days straight. I actually taped a black trashbag over my glass to stop ambient light from the room. Day 4 = 1 hour, day 5 = 2 hours, day 6 =3 hours, etc....... Hold off on the water changes for a bit as this stuff will actually feed off the nutrients you are replenishing with the water changes. I had no ill effects from the lights out, but a few corals got smothered and my sebae is still hacked off.

Run carbon and a filter sock over your drain line. You will have to change the sock about every 6 hours for the first couple of days.

Good luck. It's tough :cry:
 
I've had the lights off for 72 hours - to no avail. Photoperiod has been gradually increased and I'm just up to 6 hours now.

So, if I do it all again (lights off, that is), will my clam be OK? My corals are all pretty hardy - zoas, rics, GSP, a couple of shrooms, candy cane...
 
i am finishing battling with my Dino....i got a filter sock from Marc and cleaned it every day.....but what i think did it was i added 2 spoon full of Kalk in the A.M. before the lights came on....(Of course it was mixed in a cup and dumped in the sump)....about 2weeks latter it is clearing up....i also siphoned as much out when i did water changes....but i think the Kalk helped alot....Brad Ward is the one that say dosing Kalk would help get rid of the stuff
 
Just tested my pH and it's 8.4. I leave my fuge light on 24/7 to help keep it from dropping at night.

I keep my dKH within the correct parameters (try to aim for a consistent 10-11 but my clam chows it down). I dose Kalk through my auto-top off system - which is currently going through about 15 gallons/week (fans, and the top of my canopy is open).

Guess I'll go lights out starting tonight an see how it goes.

Thanks for the ideas...keep 'em coming if some miracle cure :wink: has been missed!
 
Actually, it isn't the pH that stops it as much as the higher alkalinity. If you bring it up to 13 to 15 dKH, that should stop that stuff dead in its tracks.

Using baking soda (unbaked) should raise alk without raising pH too much. It would be important to test pH and alk regularly as you do this procedure daily.

Hopefully you can end this 6 month ordeal.
 
Well, then I'm off to get baking soda. What is the appropriate amount to dose (120 gallon tank with about 20 gallons in the sump/fuge)? Would it be better to add it to my top off and let it dose itself gradually?

Garbage bags were taped to the sides this morning - with apologies to my fish who looked on in horror! I promised I'd still feed them...
 
I would add two teaspoons to a cup of RO water, stir well, then pour in an area of high flow. 10 minutes later, test for alkalinity. If it isn't high enough, add another teaspoon, and repeat.

One thing I've learned is that even when you are dosing something like this, you don't have to pour the whole cup in there at once. Just pour in half, wait and test, and then add a little more. A few years ago, I added some baked baking soda to my 55g, and then watched every SPS in my tank start sliming simultaneously. The pH was rising and rising and rising and I stood looking on with horror. 30 minutes later, I was still staring at my tank as the pH began to drop. I got lucky that time, but now I never pour in all of the solution at once. I'd rather piecemeal it to let the tank adjust and give me time to test/verify I'm on target.
 
Misty I would be more than happy to share some water from my top secret water source, but just until you get it under control :D

<u>Other Ideas (more serious than above):</u>
1. loads of snails of all kinds, I would avoid the crab snail killers
2. sea hare (ask around I have no experience with them)
3. pick corals off and cook the rock (or at least swish them around in buckets for while).
 
Eric,

Unfortunately, 72 snails met their demise when they ate the stuff. At least that's how many empty shells I've dug out of there recently.

I've tried a sea hare - actually twice.

I may resort to removing rock and re-aquascaping soon - were you volunteering by that suggestion? :lol:

I'll see what happens when I remove the bags. I'm sure it will be a miracle!!!
 
Now we're having fun... :shock:

Tested my dKH at the start of the baking soda dosing - it was a 7 (was 10 two days ago). pH at the start was 8.2.

Mixed 2 teaspoons in some water, poured in half. Waited 15 minutes, dKH and pH tested at 7 and 8.2, again.

Poured in the other half, waited 30 minutes and tested: 8 and 8.2

Mixed up another 2 teaspoons, poured in half, waited 30 minutes: 9 and 8.2

Poured in the other half, tested after 30 minutes: 9.5 and 8.2

Waited an hour, mixed up another batch, poured it in, waited an hour to test: 25 and 8.4!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tested the dKH again to make sure I didn't accidentally test tap water or something...I got to 16 and quit.

Will test in another 1/2 hour. And then do a small water change if necessary.
 
The pH is fine, nothing to worry about.

The dKH is a tad high. :lol: Hopefully it has come down by now.

Don't give up; 'cause we're rootin' for you.
 
I won an urchin at January's raffle - he's doing well, but there's just so much! When I did the water change Saturday night I "vacuumed" his spines a little - which had become covered in the dino slime.

pH came down to 8.2 in the next test last night - I wasn't too worried about 8.4 but wanted to make sure it didn't go higher. I didn't have time to test this morning but everyone looked "fine" in their veil of darkness.
 
Misty, I do have a monster diadema urchin that has been banished to my sump for some time now. Heck, maybe I should put it in the Eel tank. :lol:

If push comes to shove, you could make it an urchin tank and see if that stuff evaporates like we'd expect.
 
How big is your sump? I've seen your post trying to find him a new home. He looks kind of big - and it's so much fun avoiding one spine-covered creature!!! I can't imagine a second one. How well would he fit in a 120? And why was he banished - seems like your 280 would be big enough, right?
 
The urchin is crammed into my 29g refugium, along with a ton of macro algae. He likes to eat mangroves now. :lol: It is very large, the body must be the size of a tangerine if not larger. I don't handle it as it likes to stab me, and it does hurt (must have a low grade poison). It was eating my SPS at night, and I'd had enough.

It was in the sump, but I found it eating open pouches of Algone. So it was gently moved to the refugium section. This one, actually:

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Hmmm...sounds like he might make a good donation to the Aquarium at Fair Park someday...he can't live in there forever! Although good to read that he adapts to new foods easily... :D
 
I also found out the hard way that both urchins and turbos will eat both cheato and mangroves. (kinda funny seeing them eat cheato like spaghetti though.)
 
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