aviator300 Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 I've started and cycled around 5 or 6 tanks since i started the hobby and i usually get this white stringy stuff on the glass toward the end of each cycle. I've never really wondered about it but rather just brush it off and attribute it to just part of the cycle. This time it started on day 10 of the cycle and after all ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate have spiked and are gone. 50% water change was done 2 days ago. I'm aware of what diatoms look like but this is very white and waves freely in the current. Can anyone help me ID this? Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 5.0 PO4 0 spgr 1.024 PH 7.6 Ca 460 Mg 1380 Alk 11 http://minus.com/i/KtRWihhDx2P5 Link to comment
Mariaface Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 It looks a bit mucus-like. Is there anything you've kept in common between all the tanks you've cycled and seen this in? Rocks, sand, bacterial additive, livestock (hitchhikers count), etc. Are there snails around? Does it grow in any particular pattern, like a sponge might? Do you not have enough circulation going on? Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 13, 2014 Author Share Posted September 13, 2014 Nothing really in common. I mean sure, this tank and the one prior to this share rock sources (BRS ReefSaver dry) but no piece of rock has been in both tanks and the tanks before that had live rock. I've wracked my brain trying to find links between tanks to no avail..Like i said earlier, i usually just brush it off and it never causes a problem i'm just going crazy trying to find out what it is.. One other thing (I don't know if it's related or not) but when i drain (any) of my tanks for a water change etc, I notice a slight oily or jelly like film that covers the inside glass and plastic parts. You cant see it and it's very very thin but wipes off easily with paper towel. I don't know, maybe everyone has this? Link to comment
Mariaface Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Shot in the dark: Slime? It's usually caused by bacterial imbalance. Other than that, I'm kind of at a loss. Maybe someone else can chime in? Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 13, 2014 Author Share Posted September 13, 2014 Shot in the dark: Slime? It's usually caused by bacterial imbalance. Other than that, I'm kind of at a loss. Maybe someone else can chime in? OK, then let me ask you this? When you drain your water for change, etc, don't you have a slight film on the inside glass that you coulld wipe off with a paper towel or is the glass clean and dry? Link to comment
Mariaface Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Yeah, a really light dusting of film algae or something along those lines. It's not white, though. Usually light green or something. And it never grows thick enough to come off the wall in strands. I do recall my old NC28 having white string/tube-looking substance growing in a corner, but it had sharper angles and didn't blow in the current; I'm pretty sure that was sponge attached to the wall. What's the flow in the tank look like? Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 13, 2014 Author Share Posted September 13, 2014 good flow i think. basically a 5 gal cube with total of 360 gph flow. 2 flow sources from different directions Link to comment
Mariaface Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 Huh. Sorry about not replying sooner, my 10g planted decided the bottom rim was going to start leaking. It's a good thing I wasn't too heavily invested in it, and it was only housing two corydoras my dad never took care of. They're in a 5g bucket until I get to the store on Monday, but at least the filter/heater/lights are still good. Anyway! I've never encountered it before. Have you been keeping the lights on for the cycle? And if so, does it disappear throughout the night? If it's photosynthetic and you're starting off dry, you're probably better off keeping the lights off for the duration of the cycle so that something more beneficial can grow in its stead later on. Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 14, 2014 Author Share Posted September 14, 2014 I ran the lights during the cycle to stimulate diatom growth so my clean up crew will have something to eat when i add them. This has been an issue for me in the past when doing dark cycles and iv'e been reading that a lot of folks are doing lighted cycles for that reason. I'm really not too worried about the stuff but i'd like to know what it is if someone can ID it. I especially want to make )sure it isn't something malignant like GHA, Bryopsis, etc. Come on you guys, I really appreciate the ideas that Mariaface has given me but i would really like more ideas from different people. Where are you Kat and Tamberav and 1stimereefer and StevieT and NorthGaHillbilly and Arkayology and Lawnman, etc. I need the cumulative years and years of experience you guys have to ID this stuff. I'm also sending 2 more pics of this same stuff on my Koralia 240 and the back wall of another tank (totally unrelated and with no cross contamination) http://minus.com/i/k0DcgaXj4h0s http://minus.com/i/bxgbgItpdFKa5 Link to comment
farkwar Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 Why not just just suction it while you scrap it off? Link to comment
atrox Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 What you have is perfectly normal and unavoidable I get it on my filter socks after 2 or 3 days of use. Its cyano no worries, it's just not red, blue, green, brown it's just clear/opaque. It usually gets out competed by other bacteria so it goes unnoticed so it's normally visible on new aquariums with clean glass or in my case a clean filter sock. Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 I was just about to say white slime algae a.k.a. a cyano morph/variant when atrox beat me to it. Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 14, 2014 Author Share Posted September 14, 2014 Why not just just suction it while you scrap it off? I will do that thanks What you have is perfectly normal and unavoidable I get it on my filter socks after 2 or 3 days of use. Its cyano no worries, it's just not red, blue, green, brown it's just clear/opaque. It usually get out competed by other bacteria so it's normally visible on new aquariums with clean glass or in my case a clean filter sock. Never considered Cyano but that makes sense, thanks. That also explains the slimey feel but i thought CyanoBacteria was green or brown? I'm not concerned about the new tank if it's a normal part of cycle but it's also happening (BIg Time) in my Quarantine tank so how can I prevent/eradicate it? Link to comment
atrox Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 You can't eradicate or prevent, it's natures way of saying " sup fool I've been here millions of years who the f are you". Consider this......you have the first stages of life as we know it and without it NO ONE could have a nano reef. So embrace it and appreciate its purpose. Link to comment
Jsanche Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 I had the exact same thing just go away on my newly started nano. It looks a lot like mucus when I scrapped it off the glass. Like mentioned above it was probably just cyano. I know for sure I was bacterial and After a week and one medium water change it went away. Try to get as much ditritus out of the tank as possible. Link to comment
Tamberav Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 Normal stuff. Just a type of bacteria. I get it in new tanks as well along with a small dusting of very very fine GHA hairs (almost clear) on the glass that quickly dies off. The new sand/rock often has particles that then stick to the bacteria on the glass and the whole process gets messy. There is a microscopic war being waged in your tank as lifeforms are competing for all this new real estate you have provided them. Link to comment
Lawnman Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 I ran the lights during the cycle to stimulate diatom growth so my clean up crew will have something to eat when i add them. This has been an issue for me in the past when doing dark cycles and iv'e been reading that a lot of folks are doing lighted cycles for that reason. I'm really not too worried about the stuff but i'd like to know what it is if someone can ID it. I especially want to make )sure it isn't something malignant like GHA, Bryopsis, etc. Come on you guys, I really appreciate the ideas that Mariaface has given me but i would really like more ideas from different people. Where are you Kat and Tamberav and 1stimereefer and StevieT and NorthGaHillbilly and Arkayology and Lawnman, etc. I need the cumulative years and years of experience you guys have to ID this stuff. I'm also sending 2 more pics of this same stuff on my Koralia 240 and the back wall of another tank (totally unrelated and with no cross contamination)http://minus.com/i/k0DcgaXj4h0s'>http://minus.com/i/k0DcgaXj4h0s http://minus.com/i/bxgbgItpdFKa5'>http://minus.com/i/bxgbgItpdFKa5 Looks like end of cycle to me add that CUC. Normal stuff. Just a type of bacteria. I get it in new tanks as well along with a small dusting of very very fine GHA hairs (almost clear) on the glass that quickly dies off. The new sand/rock often has particles that then stick to the bacteria on the glass and the whole process gets messy. There is a microscopic war being waged in your tank as lifeforms are competing for all this new real estate you have provided them.+1 Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 14, 2014 Author Share Posted September 14, 2014 Normal stuff. Just a type of bacteria. I get it in new tanks as well along with a small dusting of very very fine GHA hairs (almost clear) on the glass that quickly dies off. The new sand/rock often has particles that then stick to the bacteria on the glass and the whole process gets messy. There is a microscopic war being waged in your tank as lifeforms are competing for all this new real estate you have provided them. I want to send ARMS to the side that is fighting against the stringy stuff. Link to comment
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