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Help ID this slime


catfish2

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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!

 

20141224_170521_zpso2hlartr.jpg

 

 

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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

??

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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.

 

image.jpg2_zpswymf0pxy.jpg

 

image.jpg1_zpstbqhooeh.jpg

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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!

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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.

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