Help identify what this is.

[thatone08]

So I’ve been battling this stuff for a while, tank is about 3 months old. Coral is doing great. Fish I have struggled with, but I believe it has been disease that was issue.
Going to do fallow to rule out anything g in the tank, before attempting again, along with a qt process.

this stuff is difficult to vacuum up, it clumps together, and won’t suck up in large chunks. It looks way worse then it normally does, due to missing a water change, due to a wedding. And a high demand at work.

if I just have to deal with it, until it passes that’s ok. But if I have to act and go on the attack, would prefer to do it naturally. But not 100% against having to add chemicals to knock out cyano if it is present.

I do not have a microscope, which I know would be of great help for this. I apologize.

 

[Jekyl]

Diatoms and cyano by the looks.

 

[Jekyl]

Every single 3 month old tank has algae. Remove what you can, bolster CuC, manage parameters.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Likely diatoms. Diatoms are a brown algae that typically appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle but they can also appear in an established reef tank. They can cover sand, rock, pumps, glass, you name it. Diatoms look ugly but in most cases they are harmless so the key is to not panic when they appear.
Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates. Unfiltered tap water can contain silicates and is a good way to jump start a bloom if you use it to mix salt or to replace water that evaporated from the tank. The best way to prevent this from happening is to filter water through a RODI unit.

Although you can still get a diatom bloom when using RODI if the cartridge that removes silicates expires.
diatoms are typically harmless to a captive reef and can be beaten once their food source expires. Once you put the kibosh on the source, the outbreak should last a couple of weeks so just be patient and it will pass. For major outbreaks you may want to consider the three day blackout. Diatoms are easily wiped from the glass with a mag float, a turkey baster or a toothbrush can access other areas of the tank. Be prepared for them to re-establish themselves quickly, they are likely to be able to resettle and have exponential growth rates.
To prevent their return, practice good aquarium husbandry by doing regular water changes, keep the substrate clean, don’t overfeed the fish, ensure your skimmer is running at an optimal level and rinse out filter socks and sponges on a regular basis.
Some cleaner crew to help control it are : Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails are effective at removing diatoms.

 

[thatone08]

Every single 3 month old tank has algae. Remove what you can, bolster CuC, manage parameters.

I need to go get water in the next couple days. Was going to add more hermits, this little guy is putting in work. Turbos, don’t seem to be of much help, and the one I had died. Thinking not the diet he needed. Don’t want to add another if it will just starve.

would an urchin or conch be helpful?

 

[Jekyl]

I need to go get water in the next couple days. Was going to add more hermits, this little guy is putting in work. Turbos, don’t seem to be of much help, and the one I had died. Thinking not the diet he needed. Don’t want to add another if it will just starve.

would an urchin or conch be helpful?

Diversity is best. Get a package from reefcleaners.org. Get one for smaller than your tank size.

 

[thatone08]

Likely diatoms. Diatoms are a brown algae that typically appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle but they can also appear in an established reef tank. They can cover sand, rock, pumps, glass, you name it. Diatoms look ugly but in most cases they are harmless so the key is to not panic when they appear.
Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates. Unfiltered tap water can contain silicates and is a good way to jump start a bloom if you use it to mix salt or to replace water that evaporated from the tank. The best way to prevent this from happening is to filter water through a RODI unit.

Although you can still get a diatom bloom when using RODI if the cartridge that removes silicates expires.
diatoms are typically harmless to a captive reef and can be beaten once their food source expires. Once you put the kibosh on the source, the outbreak should last a couple of weeks so just be patient and it will pass. For major outbreaks you may want to consider the three day blackout. Diatoms are easily wiped from the glass with a mag float, a turkey baster or a toothbrush can access other areas of the tank. Be prepared for them to re-establish themselves quickly, they are likely to be able to resettle and have exponential growth rates.
To prevent their return, practice good aquarium husbandry by doing regular water changes, keep the substrate clean, don’t overfeed the fish, ensure your skimmer is running at an optimal level and rinse out filter socks and sponges on a regular basis.
Some cleaner crew to help control it are : Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails are effective at removing diatoms.

So I am planning on picking up an rodi when I go to aquashella. I currently get my water from an LFS, both salt and rodi. I think I’ll be picking up a tds tester, to test what I’m bringing home. I currently have a rodi jug that as soon as I open it, i gag. It smells like hot garbage, the others were fine, but I can’t help but to wonder now what the quality of water I’m bringing home is.

 

[vetteguy53081]

So I am planning on picking up an rodi when I go to aquashella. I currently get my water from an LFS, both salt and rodi. I think I’ll be picking up a tds tester, to test what I’m bringing home. I currently have a rodi jug that as soon as I open it, i gag. It smells like hot garbage, the others were fine, but I can’t help but to wonder now what the quality of water I’m bringing home is.

Many do find they are buying bad or abnormal water from LFS