Brown Slime on Sandbed

[PNWReefer12]

Hello,

Apologize if there are other threads on this but I haven’t been able to find anything regarding this. I am new to this hobby and recently rehomed an entire 20 gallon reef. I’ve only had the tank set up for a few days and just noticed this brown slime on the sand bed.

Can anyone help identity this and what I need to do to get rid of it.

Thanks

 

[j.falk]

Dinos.

 

[Auquanut]

Welcome to R2R! It does look like dinoflagellates. It could be cyanobacteria though. I've added links to the BRS 5 minute video's on both. Can you tell us a little about your new tank? Livestock, filtration, etc...? Have you started testing for nitrates and phosphates yet?

 

[PNWReefer12]

Thanks, I was hoping that it wasn’t dinoflagellates. The tank has been running for 8-9 months now and currently has the stock list below. I don’t know the names of most so may leave those out. I also have been testing ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium using the Red Sea test kits that was passed along to me. The kit expires late 2022.

I did a 5 gallon water change last night. I cleaned up the sandbed and it doesn’t appear to be present this morning. If it comes back once the lights turn on then I’ll need to figure out a plan to tackle this. I did move this tank and feel like there was a lot of disturbance in the sandbed etc during the drive. Could this be a contributing factor? What else would have caused this as it’s only been with me for less then a week now.

Livestock
- Pair of clownfish
- Watchman goby
- Fire shrimp
- Snails

Corals: Besides the hammer, everything else seems to be doing okay
- Hammer (Green, opened up a lot on day 1-2 but now it barely opens up)
- Frogspawn/Octospawn (still can’t identify)
- Blastomussa
- Candy cane
- Xenia
- 2-3 Mushrooms
- Zoanthids (1 medium, 1 frag)
- Rock flower anemone
- Large green disc about 7-8 inch, not sure what it is.

I’m sure that I’m missing a few but that’s what I can remember so far.

Filtration: just left what was originally in the tank. I know for sure it’s carbon and the little tube ring things. Not sure what the third media is.

Light: AI light running same parameters as it was previously.

Test Results: Red Sea test kits
Ammonia: 0ppm every time I test for it
Nitrite: 0ppm every time I test for it
Nitrate: 10ppm, performed a water change last night and now it’s around 5ppm
Calcium: 450ppm
Magnesium: 1400ppm
Alkalinity: 10, can’t remember term for this one.