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Surface Jelly?


land shark

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Not the normal surface build up. I have a small tank with not the best custom overflow so surface build up can happen. Now it's always there. I have the 3w return pointing at the surface for agitation. I dose kalk only.

 

Normal build up is very thin and doesn't really cause issues. This stuff builds up fast and clogs my overflow. Its thick clear jelly. Surface agitation tends to pull it down getting it stuck on corals and rock. It's really annoying. Anyone know what this is? At first I thought it was from the astraeas mating but now I am not sure.

DSC_0015.JPG

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34 minutes ago, Aurortpa said:

Ew, I’m only guessing here but I’d bet it’s bacterial 

It's literally like ghostbusters ectoplasm, maybe it's haunted😆

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1 hour ago, land shark said:

Not the normal surface build up. I have a small tank with not the best custom overflow so surface build up can happen. Now it's always there. I have the 3w return pointing at the surface for agitation. I dose kalk only.

 

Normal build up is very thin and doesn't really cause issues. This stuff builds up fast and clogs my overflow. Its thick clear jelly. Surface agitation tends to pull it down getting it stuck on corals and rock. It's really annoying. Anyone know what this is? At first I thought it was from the astraeas mating but now I am not sure.

DSC_0015.JPG

Ew. 🤢

 

It’s my first time seeing something like that........ anything in the tank that could slime like that?

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Something in the tank obviously isn't taking its allergy medication!  You should totally package that and sell it as reef snot.  LOL

 

But seriously, what do you have in your tank?

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5 minutes ago, WV Reefer said:

Ew. 🤢

 

It’s my first time seeing something like that........ anything in the tank that could slime like that?

All that's in there is corals a hermit crab and 3 snails, a few benign flatworms too. I have never seen corals slime that much but it is kinda like what acans spit out, not really though. I have no idea whats causing it. I just hope it goes away on it's own. At least I can get it out with a baster.

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OMG!  That's got to be affecting O2 levels.  I can't say that I know what that is.  I've seen an anemone turn to jelly before; it looks slightly similar, but I know that's not the case here.  All I can do is offer a few suggestions as to what I might try to resolve it.

  • First, manual removal.  I'd siphon out as much as possible.  Maybe even submerge a cup (at an angle, but top up) to draw in the organic matter.  Replace with fresh saltwater.
  • I'd consider dosing Microbacter7.  Something is askew here.  I agree with Aurortpa, that there's a good chance it's bacterial.
  • A protein skimmer could be helpful.  If not, I'd certainly run activated carbon.
  • It's so thick that even mechanical filtration might be able to remove a significant portion.  Maybe a water clarifier might help.  Be careful so that the mechanical filter doesn't become clogged (change out or rinse it out frequently).
  • Water changes seem to be in order.

Maybe Ray has better insight.

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46 minutes ago, seabass said:

OMG!  That's got to be affecting O2 levels.  I can't say that I know what that is.  I've seen an anemone turn to jelly before; it looks slightly similar, but I know that's not the case here.  All I can do is offer a few suggestions as to what I might try to resolve it.

  • First, manual removal.  I'd siphon out as much as possible.  Maybe even submerge a cup (at an angle, but top up) to draw in the organic matter.  Replace with fresh saltwater.
  • I'd consider dosing Microbacter7.  Something is askew here.  I agree with Aurortpa, that there's a good chance it's bacterial.
  • A protein skimmer could be helpful.  If not, I'd certainly run activated carbon.
  • It's so thick that even mechanical filtration might be able to remove a significant portion.  Maybe a water clarifier might help.  Be careful so that the mechanical filter doesn't become clogged (change out or rinse it out frequently).
  • Water changes seem to be in order.

Maybe Ray has better insight.

I've removed it three times now with a turkey baster. The baster can barely suck it up lol. I lost a couple of sps when it got on them. When I fed my sun coral I pushed some into the water column by accident and it stuck to some sps frags. One did have stn already though. I used flatworm rx a while back and it killed one acro and stressed the rest of my sps. Worst part is the flatworms were fine. I don't think the jelly has anything to do with the rx ( I did two %60 changes after and a few more since). The tank is too small, 5g, for a skimmer and I barely feed at all. Just the sun coral every three days. Plus I have a big fuge(relatively at least) that takes most of the excess nutrients. I might try to squeeze a small bag of gac somewhere. I am very hesitant to using any pesticides after the rx issue. I just feel like it is not good for picos. I think for now I will just remove it as it builds up. My biggest worry is it clogging my overflow when I am not around and causing a flood. Most of my coral seems fine.

 

Wish I had a microscope to look at this stuff. I don't know much on bacteria and I can't say it is or isn't. I haven't seen bacteria like it though. It wouldn't surprise me if it was some kind of micro organism.

 

Has anyone had astraeas mate? I am still questioning if it is from them.

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MainelyReefer

If you have a wife maybe she hates the tank and is dosing it with liquid thickener 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0025UCC22/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_GwowBbE769E34

 

It looks like a bacterial issue to me, sorry if you mentioned it but how old is the tank? Did you use any liverock? I only ask as I have a friend who is a sissy reefer and he can't handle any worms or stars or hitchhikers at all, a few months in of dead rocks and bottle bacteria only and his rocks are coated in a very similar jelly substance and it's the only similar case I can think of.  

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Eww. That looks yucky.

 

I have never seen that before.

 

I'd do what others have recommended.

 

Carbon, change floss often, suck up as much as possible etc etc.

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15 minutes ago, GraniteReefer said:

If you have a wife maybe she hates the tank and is dosing it with liquid thickener 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0025UCC22/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_GwowBbE769E34

 

It looks like a bacterial issue to me, sorry if you mentioned it but how old is the tank? Did you use any liverock? I only ask as I have a friend who is a sissy reefer and he can't handle any worms or stars or hitchhikers at all, a few months in of dead rocks and bottle bacteria only and his rocks are coated in a very similar jelly substance and it's the only similar case I can think of.  

About 4 months or so. Newish still. Yeah I am the same way as your friend. Dry rock plus seed bacteria and I dip everything in bayer including my chaeto. Couldn't dip the crab or snails though. I even remove the plugs and scrape the the edges of coral with a butter knife. I still get hitchhikers anyway. I don't mind good guys. Tried to kill the flatworms unsuccessfully. Luckily I think they are not harmful ones. It always amazes me how things get through and can lie dormant and all of a sudden bloom. Crazy really. Interesting that your friend had something similar. Only thing is this stuff is only on the surface like a layer of it. If I had a QT I would be less strict about it.

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RayWhisperer

Well, I have good news and bad news. 

Good. Yes, I have seen something like this. Though, not myself, only posts online. 

 

Bad. No, I’m not sure what it is. Years ago on RC, it came up. Here’s the thing. AFAIK, it was deemed bacterial by pretty much everyone who saw it. However, to the best of my recollection, only people who started with dry rock seemed to have it. It may have showed up in other systems after I lost interest, though. I’ll see if I can dig it up.

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2 hours ago, RayWhisperer said:

However, to the best of my recollection, only people who started with dry rock seemed to have it.

Sounds eerily similar to dinos.  With dinos, and now "snot", you could make a good case for using some live rock.  It seems that nature might have already worked out a solution for this (as well as a few other things).  A little aiptasia isn't looking so bad right about now. :wink:

 

Good luck @land shark.  According to the thread that Ray linked, it doesn't sound as bad as it looks.  I notice that a few people were also mentioning Kalkwasser.  Maybe you just need to do some cleaning.

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8 hours ago, RayWhisperer said:

I haven't rinsed my kalk/topoff container since I started the tank. I just add more rodi and kalk. So it could very well be something like that. I'll give it a shot when my top off runs out again and post the results here. Thanks Ray

 

Actually I just checked on it, it may have vanished as mysteriously as it showed up. After I removed it this time it seems to not be coming back, at least not yet. Maybe I will fill the top off as normal before I try rinsing to see if it's just gone. Could be one of those remove it enough and it's gone kind of thing. Weird...

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Keep us updated please.  I'm super curious on this.  This is definitely something I've never seen before and one of those things that if you find a solution might help the one person who has the issue pop up 5 years from now. lol.

 

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Hard to say at this point. I know it has slowed down. It's too early to say if rinsing the kalk residue is helping but I think it is. I also have to deal with montipora eating nudis that I thought I got rid of but they are back.  I have also noticed some clear orbs but they are unrelated I'm sure. The tank is in need of some tlc right now that I have been putting off.

DSC_0016.JPG

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13 hours ago, RayWhisperer said:

Orbs? Like what? 

On the bottom right of the acro frag. Is the pic not viewable?

 

Edit: well I just cut that frag to pieces cause it was rtning and had some of the jelly on it. It was doing so well spheres and all😞 I keep losing acros to this stuff. That's the third one... I hope one of the three pieces lives. I am tired of seeing skeletons. This tank may end up being lps and softies between this jelly and the nudis. At least it has only been the cheap frags so far. I hope my high ends will be ok.

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RayWhisperer

Oh, I thought you were trying to take a picture of a monti eating nudi. I was a bit perplexed why there wasn’t a monti in the picture. Lol. 

 

I can see the clear sphere. What kind of inverts you got in the tank?

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RayWhisperer
On 7/29/2018 at 2:36 PM, land shark said:

Hard to say at this point. I know it has slowed down. It's too early to say if rinsing the kalk residue is helping but I think it is. I also have to deal with montipora eating nudis that I thought I got rid of but they are back.  I have also noticed some clear orbs but they are unrelated I'm sure. The tank is in need of some tlc right now that I have been putting off.

DSC_0016.JPG

Any chance you can get a better picture of this? I’m not sure what it is, but I have a few guesses. Something clearer, and a bit more zoomed in. I know it’s asking a lot.

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