Clear Mucous/Bubbles on Substrate/Heater/Live Rock?

[Diver4242]

Some clear filmy/mucousy bubbles have appeared on my heater, substrate, and live rock. Mostly on the heater. What can this mean? Any cause for concern? I'm pretty new at this, set up this Fluval Nano 13.5g saltwater tank in late June. Water params are good. I do have the other problem where my purple glove polyps don't really fully open anymore and have some kind of purple filmy mucous on them, and my zoa frag doesn't fully open. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[AfaceInTheCrowd]

Need pictures really......Purple Sounds like cyano .. just clean the heater and siphon it out, dunk and shake your Zoas in a bucket of tank water to get it off them..
It will most likely return, so this isn’t a one time fix, nor is it uncommon in tanks...it’s a manifestation of unbalanced nutrients, common in new tanks..
Increase flow if possible...and feed less for a bit.....I would resist using chemicalsthat I’m sure others will suggest and eventually it will burn its self out

Zoas could be FW (ph corrected RO) dipped if they aren’t opening as nudibranch May be present...this needs to be done a few times, with a day or so in between

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Check dinoflagellates. How are your nutrients?

 

[Diver4242]

Thanks for the responses. How do I check dinoflagellates and nutrients?

I do nitrates (0), nitrites (0), phosphates (0), dKh (8-9), PH (8.4), salinity (1.025) and all are in good range I think.

 

[AfaceInTheCrowd]

The “zero nitrate and phos” are the problem, that’s where Dino, thrives...

 

[Diver4242]

ah, thanks! How do I boost those two up then?

 

[John08007]

Sounds like cyano to me, but typ the bubbles don't form under it that fast, picture?

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Pictures would help! Bring nutrients up to a non-zero level (0-5 nitrate and 0-.05 phosphate). Tons of posts on Dinos if that is the issue

 

[daybreaksky]

From your description you can have 2 different problems. 1 requires reducing nutrients and the other increasing them. the 0 reading can be the cause or can be the outbreak is consuming them fast.
do not treat for one or the other until posting clear pics for ID please.

 

[Diver4242]

Ok here's a pic. Note the clear bubbles on heater, closed up zoa and mucousy glove polyp at the bottom left.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Collect a sample in some tank water. Agitate it and pour through a coffee filter. Set it in window for about 30 minutes and see if it reforms/clumps back up. If so it is likely dinos.

 

[daybreaksky]

it is not cyanobacteria. Could be a diatom bloom or beginning of dino. How long has it been like that?

 

[daybreaksky]

Here is a shot video from brs TV that can point you in the right direction

 

[Diver4242]

It's been like this in the last week, maybe a bit longer. Here's a closeup of the glove polpy, and also I just noticed this little orange bugger on my glass, is that a snail baby or something?

 

[Diver4242]

Ok I think I'm underfeeding, just doing 1/2 of a mysis shrimp cube in the morning. I'll do the other half in the evening going forward and see if that bumps up the nitrate and phos. Those have always been zero, so I think I've been underfeeding for this population, especially as my population has grown.