Grey Slime?

[fishy4thomas]

So I have this grey slime in my tank and i cant find out what it is. I would sometimes bury it in sand and such, but it would always come back. What do I do? My hermits arent doing anything and neither is my crab. Ive heard that shrimp will eat this, but what do you guys think?
Big ups

 

[Auquanut]

Can you post a picture?

 

[fishy4thomas]

Can you post a picture?

Yeah sure just give me a minute

 

[fishy4thomas]

Sorry these pics are sideways. Is this detritus? Or some form of algae that keeps coming back? I think my hermits have started eating a little bit of it.

 

[fishy4thomas]

Can you post a picture?

 

[Auquanut]

Doesn't look like sponge to me. Bacterial maybe? Does it grow quickly? #reefsquad any ideas?

 

[fishy4thomas]

Doesn't look like sponge to me. Bacterial maybe? Does it grow quickly? #reefsquad any ideas?

It grows really quickly. #reefsquad

 

[nereefpat]

Cyanobacteria. It comes in different colors.

 

[fishy4thomas]

Cyanobacteria. It comes in different colors.

What can I do about it? Any cleanup crew members i can buy, like cleaner shrimp?

 

[saltyhog]

What can I do about it? Any cleanup crew members i can buy, like cleaner shrimp?

I've never found any clean up crew that eats it. The standard thoughts are increase flow (it loves low flow environments) and balance nutrients. Chemiclean is a popular treatment but when I've had it, it has always ran it's course over time. It also seems to be improved by increasing biodiversity....bacterial additives, adding live rock to the sump from another tank, etc.

 

[fishy4thomas]

I've never found any clean up crew that eats it. The standard thoughts are increase flow (it loves low flow environments) and balance nutrients. Chemiclean is a popular treatment but when I've had it, it has always ran it's course over time. It also seems to be improved by increasing biodiversity....bacterial additives, adding live rock to the sump from another tank, etc.

So what about copepods as increased biodiversity? I was planning on adding them cuz i plan on getting a mandarinfish. Will they eat it? Or does the biodiversity just help it disappear?

 

[saltyhog]

Pods are never a bad idea. I don't honestly know whether they eat cyano or not.

I also would blow mine off with a turkey baster. Only takes a few seconds and it seemed the more I did it the slower it came back.

 

[nereefpat]

What can I do about it? Any cleanup crew members i can buy, like cleaner shrimp?

Cleaner shrimp don't eat any algae, at least that I have seen. Supposedly certain snails eat it.

I would just siphon it out. If it comes back, repeat. If it keeps coming back, look at levels of N and P...and possibly consider the nuclear option of Chemi clean.

Good luck.

 

[fishy4thomas]

Cleaner shrimp don't eat any algae, at least that I have seen. Supposedly certain snails eat it.

I would just siphon it out. If it comes back, repeat. If it keeps coming back, look at levels of N and P...and possibly consider the nuclear option of Chemi clean.

Good luck.

Alright thanks! What do cleaner shrimp eat though?

 

[Joseph Disalvo]

I had cyano pretty bad on my sand-bed. I vacuumed out the big stuff it comes up like sheets. I poked and mixed my sand bed with my scrubbing stick once a day for sometime. It would come back less and less until it fully disappeared. I still continue to use this method as part of my husbandry even now that the cyano is gone. My sandbed has been cleaner then ever. This method also frees the detritus from the sand bed to be filtered out before it collects and becomes a problem. I’ve used chemi clean and yeah it works initially but it eventually comes back. This is the only method that has truly worked for me. Hope it helps. Good luck

 

[eggplantparrot]

you sound like you really want a cleaner shrimp!

They are fun to have even just as another tank inhabitant. they eat whatever they can get their little claws on.

careful when feeding corals though as they will rip food out of corals mouths.

 

[fishy4thomas]

you sound like you really want a cleaner shrimp!

They are fun to have even just as another tank inhabitant. they eat whatever they can get their little claws on.

careful when feeding corals though as they will rip food out of corals mouths.

Will a skunk cleaner shrimp do?

 

[fishy4thomas]

I had cyano pretty bad on my sand-bed. I vacuumed out the big stuff it comes up like sheets. I poked and mixed my sand bed with my scrubbing stick once a day for sometime. It would come back less and less until it fully disappeared. I still continue to use this method as part of my husbandry even now that the cyano is gone. My sandbed has been cleaner then ever. This method also frees the detritus from the sand bed to be filtered out before it collects and becomes a problem. I’ve used chemi clean and yeah it works initially but it eventually comes back. This is the only method that has truly worked for me. Hope it helps. Good luck

I have some of it on my rocks as well but that stuff has grown "tentacles"?? One of my clowns seems to be swimming in it as if it were an anemone. Is it harmful and/of fatal?? #reefsquad

 

[Joseph Disalvo]

I have some of it on my rocks as well but that stuff has grown "tentacles"?? One of my clowns seems to be swimming in it as if it were an anemone. Is it harmful and/of fatal?? #reefsquad

Cyano doesn’t have tentacles are you sure what your seeing isn’t Aptasia growing through the cyano. In that case your gonna wanna get that out also. 2 separate issues

 

[Joseph Disalvo]

Cyano doesn’t have tentacles are you sure what your seeing isn’t Aptasia growing through the cyano. In that case your gonna wanna get that out also. 2 separate issues

Pics ?