catfish2 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I wasn't sure where to post this, but I'm hoping to get some help IDing this stuff (pic below) so I can get rid of it. I have a 55 gallon mostly SPS tank (obviously no SPS pictured) with a 20 gallon sump. I'm running a bubble mag nac 7, gfo, carbon, and dose calcium and alkalinity. Weekly to every other week water changes of 10% although I've been going with weekly water changes of almost 20% for the last month. Ca - 480-490, red sea test kit Alk - 8.4, red sea test kit Mg - 1350-1400, red sea test kit pH - 8.4, API Nitrate - 0, API Ammonia - 0 API Phosphorous - 2 ppb, Hanna ultra low phosphorous checker, which if my calculations are correct = phosphate of 0.006 ppm I first noticed this junk about 4 months ago. I assume it is from excess nutrients. I got a Hanna checker to look at the phosphate level last night and assumed it would be higher. With my water parameters above I'm not so sure its a nutrient problem, but I can't come up with any other possibilities. I've never seen this stuff. (I know there's something about phosphate being used up by nuisance algae, which makes phosphate test kits read low. I'm not sure if that's what's happening here.) I have no nuisance algae (other than this stuff, if that is what it is), I clean the light film of algae that grows on the glass every 5 days or so with a quick swipe of the magnet cleaner. As you can hopefully see in the poor cell phone pic, the stuff is brown, its soft, easily siphoned off, grows on rock and glass that rocks are touching, not growing on any corals, just between, not in places where things have died, not killing anything, only in areas exposed to light, in both high and low flow areas, and it grows back about 4 days after being siphoned out. It looks gross after 1 week. I tried to be thorough in this post (sorry for the length), but I'm happy to give any addition information. I have a feeling the answer is going to be, "just give it time and keep up the water changes." That's what I've been telling myself, but it's been 4 months now and it's not going anywhere. I'm open to any suggestions. Thanks for taking a look! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninjabeaver Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 to me it looks like a sponge, but sounds like its too slimy for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombertech Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Indeed, looks like a sponge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sroberts Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Are sponges OK to be in the tank? I have a lot of small ones growing on the rock in my tank. They seem to not be decreasing but instead possibly growing. I am just not sure if this is good or bad. Thanks for advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheClark Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Do you carbon dosing vodka, sugar, vinegar or any of the proprietary carbon sources by chance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sroberts Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 No, currently I use a calcium buffer two part system (B-Ionic) along with Coralvite, AcroPower (for aminos) and iodine. I also do weekly water changes (about 30/40 gallons in my 200 gallon tank). My skimmer is not not to snuff on this system and I am looking at a larger more effective unit. Does any of this help to explain the sponge growth ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catfish2 Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 Good thought on the sponge idea. I don't know enough about sponges to say if these are or aren't sponges. I will say they are not like the other sponges I have. They are more of a jelly consistency and this stuff can cover flat surfaces. It's not always round like it is in the pics. Also the things I know are sponges are more firm and not easily siphoned off the rock. I'm not sure if the carbon dosing question was for me or sroberts, but I don't carbon dose either. I had thought about it, which is why I bought the Hanna checker to follow phosphate levels, but being that they are so low, I'm not sure there is any reason to carbon dose now. Here are a couple more pics to help with the ID. This stuff is pretty much all over the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandinga Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Looks sortof like Brown Jelly, more of a coral disease than an algae. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catfish2 Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 I agree, it looks most like brown jelly disease to me, but nothing (obvious is dying). I had brown jelly disease once before (like 2 years ago) when I accidentally ripped a mushroom off a rock. That mushroom quickly turned to brown mush and it spread to all the mushrooms on that rock. All 10 or so mushrooms were gone in 2 days. Can this just be brown jelly disease of the organic matter on the live rock and not affect the mushrooms, zoas, and other corals that are basically touching it? I really appreciate any input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandinga Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Can this just be brown jelly disease of the organic matter on the live rock and not affect the mushrooms, zoas, and other corals that are basically touching it? I really appreciate any input! Is it all over all the rock? Typically brown jelly will just be on the coral itself, or in very close proximity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catfish2 Posted February 9, 2015 Author Share Posted February 9, 2015 Certain areas of rock have more than others, some don't have any of it at all. None of it is on the coral itself and none of the corals are dying or "melting" away. Some of it is on rocks that don't have any coral at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youcallmenny Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 I've lost a big stylo to Brown jelly and it is mean stuff. I'd vote sponge if it's not bothering anything. I have similar white slimy ones but they hate light and only grow under rocks in the shade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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