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View Full Version : Please Help! Mystery Outbreak covering all my rock!

LiquidAquariums
02/15/2016, 07:14 AM
Hi.

I've been having an issue with this 300G SW tank in a commercial location that I maintain. I've never had this before and anyone I've asked in the hobby including the LFS don't have an answer. Please help me eliminate this and finish creating a beautiful reef! See attached picture:
LiquidAquariums
02/15/2016, 07:25 AM
Close up
Dkuhlmann
02/15/2016, 07:26 AM
What is a full list of parameters
Reefstarter2
02/15/2016, 07:34 AM
I don'tknow the name of it but have seen it before . A foxface Lo will eat it and it doesn't go away easy . Lots of water changes , manual removal and the fish I suggested should get it in a few months . tough luck . hope you get a better answer
LiquidAquariums
02/15/2016, 07:37 AM
I will check again today but last week there were traces of nitrates, 0 ammonia, salinity 1.025, ph 7.5, running a Vertex Alpha 250 and Ecotech accessory equipment.
LiquidAquariums
02/15/2016, 07:39 AM
I don't usually test for much more than those parameters.
LiquidAquariums
02/15/2016, 07:41 AM
It's kind of a rubbery bubbly type of thing. Frustrating as it started to show after adding Reefer Stability a couple months ago. Covering all coralline algae and looks terrible.
Dkuhlmann
02/15/2016, 08:10 AM
You need to also test for Mg, Ca and Alk. I've also seen this before but don't remember what it was nor the outcome.
LiquidAquariums
02/15/2016, 08:17 AM
I will test everything again today and report back later with a current photo as well
Dkuhlmann
02/15/2016, 09:39 AM
My reason for doing the testing is that something is fueling that growth, at least with the tests you can eliminate from there what is good and what isn't.

Is there any kind of dosing going on in this tank?
my300reef
02/15/2016, 09:56 AM
Is there any form of phosphate removal (reactor) ? What were the phosphates before this broke out?
LiquidAquariums
02/15/2016, 10:05 AM
There have never been any phosphates. No dosing. The tank is 6 months old, no reactor
moatdaddy
02/15/2016, 12:41 PM
you using tap water? is there a sump? how are you exporting fish poop and excess food?
fishchef
02/15/2016, 12:45 PM
Actually hard to see. Does it look like a polyp?
BigCountry74
02/15/2016, 01:08 PM
Cotton Candy algae?
LiquidAquariums
02/15/2016, 08:13 PM
I have a 45G sump with a Vertex Alpha 250, filter socks, only RO water
LiquidAquariums
02/15/2016, 09:00 PM
There has been some issues with cloudiness over the past few months and I have been adding this Stability. It works well to remove the cloudiness with in a day or two completely, but I also feel like thats when I started seeing this brown stuff on the rocks. I guess you could say I have been dosing it on and off every couple weeks to control the cloudiness which also is a mystery at this point.

http://www.thatpetplace.com/PG02916.jpg
chilli_reef
02/15/2016, 10:08 PM
Google live rock fungus.
LiquidAquariums
02/15/2016, 10:37 PM
Google live rock fungus.

Sorry, Googled it but couldn't find a match...
LiquidAquariums
02/15/2016, 11:07 PM
Ok, here are the current parameters:

Salinity - 1.026
Ammonia - 0
Nitrates - 0
pH - 8
Calc - 430
Alk - 6

The more I think about it, I am thinking the issue may come from bacteria from Stability causing this bond to the rocks. But what I don't understand is, where is all the de-nitrifying bacteria coming from? Hopefully there are more answers out there!
Dkuhlmann
02/16/2016, 04:32 AM
LOL I asked earlier if you were dosing anything and you said no.

Also need to see Mg, I think the tanks that had a similar problem to this one had very low Mg.

Yes I do think the Stability could be in part or completely your problem.
LiquidAquariums
02/17/2016, 06:40 AM
I will post Mg results later today
Flippers4pups
02/17/2016, 06:57 AM
Had same thing, just not as bad. Dosed algaefix and it cleared up.
LiquidAquariums
02/17/2016, 06:18 PM
Had same thing, just not as bad. Dosed algaefix and it cleared up.

How long did it take to clear up?
Greatwhitetang
02/17/2016, 07:06 PM
Magnesium.. If this is low and your alk is low .. Ide think its from the bacterial dosing in this environment. @ 6 months with all that rock your tank should be plenty cycled. What salt are you using seen similar symptoms from bad salt as well
LiquidAquariums
02/17/2016, 09:29 PM
Magnesium Level is 1350
LiquidAquariums
02/18/2016, 08:54 AM
I was kind of hoping Mag was going to be low so that I had something to adjust and hopefully fix the problem, but all levels are within proper ranges.

However I will try the API Algaefix and post results
A1t2o
02/18/2016, 09:14 AM
I had this in my tank for a while. It wasn't as bad but I just assumed it was a different type of algae, and referred to it as a mat algae. I added more hermits and snails, got my parameters in line, and started cleaning my ATS much more often. As the GHA went away, the mat algae went away too. I saw the hermits picking at it too.

Treat it like GHA and establish a nutrient export system. You probably don't see phosphate or nitrate because it is stored in the 'mat' algae. The Algaefix may kill it off but it would still be feeding off of something so I would try to address that issue too.
Flippers4pups
02/18/2016, 09:19 AM
How long did it take to clear up?

I dosed the recommended amount for three days. I did manually remove as much as I could by syphoning and using a brush, blowing off the rocks to speed the process. Did this only at first. Also using a filter sock and GAC in a reactor. I also run a UV on my system. Did not effect skimming. I've been dosing once a week as preventive to keep it from coming back. So far after two weeks, rocks are clean.

I believe this to be a strain of marine fungus.
LiquidAquariums
02/18/2016, 09:48 AM
I had this in my tank for a while. It wasn't as bad but I just assumed it was a different type of algae, and referred to it as a mat algae. I added more hermits and snails, got my parameters in line, and started cleaning my ATS much more often. As the GHA went away, the mat algae went away too. I saw the hermits picking at it too.

Treat it like GHA and establish a nutrient export system. You probably don't see phosphate or nitrate because it is stored in the 'mat' algae. The Algaefix may kill it off but it would still be feeding off of something so I would try to address that issue too.

The odd thing about this tank's cycle process is that there never was any GHA. That puzzled me, again, another first after several larger tanks I've set up in the past few years that were covered with it.
LiquidAquariums
02/18/2016, 09:49 AM
I dosed the recommended amount for three days. I did manually remove as much as I could by syphoning and using a brush, blowing off the rocks to speed the process. Did this only at first. Also using a filter sock and GAC in a reactor. I also run a UV on my system. Did not effect skimming. I've been dosing once a week as preventive to keep it from coming back. So far after two weeks, rocks are clean.

I believe this to be a strain of marine fungus.

Thanks for the tips. I will try to scrub and siphon this weekend and post a photo.

Did you ever have an issue with cloudiness?
Flippers4pups
02/18/2016, 10:51 AM
This tank has had water column blooms off and on since I started the tank back in June 2015. White cloudiness and green water would come and go. Back in December I gave in and got the UV. Took sometime to time to clear up, around a week, but has been crystal clear since.

Funny that this is the first tank since I started the hobby back in the early nineties that has had these issues. Go figure. :fish1: