Help !!!!!!!!
- Thread starter erironmsn
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erironmsn
Active Member
Could this be anything else i font want the water to start to smell like raw sewage again or in shuttin down the tank and giving up ... This is the third go around with this tank and it has been a nightmare
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I've got 100's of Vermited Snails and never have seen anything like that coming from them. That looks more like some kind of sludge. Especially with the mention of the smell. I notice that your hob filter is directly above where this stuff is appearing. What are you using in it for filtration?
skinz78
10K Club member
I just re read the whole thread. Your tank has been up for a month now? How long ago did the slime appear? What are your water parameters? How long have you had corals in it? How did you cycle the tank? Can you run some carbon on the tank?
fragmatic
retired reefer
Your heart is absolutely in the right place. ... AND I don't want to discourage you.... however, ...IMO, .. I do not see enough LIVE rock in your tank to be trying to keep corals alive yet. I "think" you need to relax and back off a bit. Let the tank mature just a bit more and it would be a good idea if you could place one nice sized chunk of for real live rock in it. Also, what is happening in that HOB filter? If that is a fresh water type filter it is not impossible but IMO will be very difficult to maintain coral. Sorry, but I can't tell enough by the picture. You can get there and it is worth the effort, but I think you are pushing the time line a little too hard. I'd consider working with the tank and nature rather than pushing it. The old adage "you can't fool mother nature" has a lot of truth in it. "Mother Nature" will win.
If you don't have one, shop around for a small skimmer to hang on the back. If you can't afford one there are several u-tube vids on some ways to DIY one. IMO a skimmer is almost necessary to keep a salt water reef tank. It mimics what the surf white caps do in real reefs with the foam. It is part of the natural filtration methods. The other half of that picture is lots of "living" live rock. With these you don't need a hang on the back filter to fuss with and maintain.
Also, IMO you should have a fish or two for the natural balance of things. I am wondering if your tank has actually cycled yet... maybe I missed that part.
If you aren't sure it has cycled post some testing results so we can help with that. Please do not add any fish until we can decide that you have cycled.
If you started with base rock alone it can take as long as several weeks to get a good cycle and live rock balance achieved. ... And that is fine, things happen very slowly in a reef tank. This is one of the things that make them good for us, they bring us back to a slower more relaxed state of mind.
DON'T give up.. but do slow down, relax, and enjoy the ride. It is much less stressful if you just go with the flow and let us lead you along.
If you don't have one, shop around for a small skimmer to hang on the back. If you can't afford one there are several u-tube vids on some ways to DIY one. IMO a skimmer is almost necessary to keep a salt water reef tank. It mimics what the surf white caps do in real reefs with the foam. It is part of the natural filtration methods. The other half of that picture is lots of "living" live rock. With these you don't need a hang on the back filter to fuss with and maintain.
Also, IMO you should have a fish or two for the natural balance of things. I am wondering if your tank has actually cycled yet... maybe I missed that part.
If you aren't sure it has cycled post some testing results so we can help with that. Please do not add any fish until we can decide that you have cycled. If you started with base rock alone it can take as long as several weeks to get a good cycle and live rock balance achieved. ... And that is fine, things happen very slowly in a reef tank. This is one of the things that make them good for us, they bring us back to a slower more relaxed state of mind.
DON'T give up.. but do slow down, relax, and enjoy the ride. It is much less stressful if you just go with the flow and let us lead you along.
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I still think it is a bacteria bloom, I've seen bacteria look like that in tanks when it gets bad...plus it would fit with the smell. You can use the aquaclear hob filters, i used one for about a year and a half on a 29 gallon but I have some recommendations
If you are going to use the aquaclear you should move up a size, to the one with dual carbon pads in the back.
I reccomend getting a little stronger powerhead, maybe look at getting a maxijet 900 or 1200 and put it in circulation mode.
For a tank that size you'll want to get a small hob protien skimmer, this will be a little expensive but worth the investment.
You may also want to either get another small powerhead and point I towards the surface to rooster tail it. This will reduce the buildup of slidge on the water surface, there is also an attachment you can get for hon filters that will allow it to skim surface as well as pull from middle.
Also, it will save you in the long run if you buy two reusable carbon bags and your own carbon, then fill and swap them every week to two weeks in your aquaclear. I know those aquaclear carbon bags get expensive.
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If you are going to use the aquaclear you should move up a size, to the one with dual carbon pads in the back.
I reccomend getting a little stronger powerhead, maybe look at getting a maxijet 900 or 1200 and put it in circulation mode.
For a tank that size you'll want to get a small hob protien skimmer, this will be a little expensive but worth the investment.
You may also want to either get another small powerhead and point I towards the surface to rooster tail it. This will reduce the buildup of slidge on the water surface, there is also an attachment you can get for hon filters that will allow it to skim surface as well as pull from middle.
Also, it will save you in the long run if you buy two reusable carbon bags and your own carbon, then fill and swap them every week to two weeks in your aquaclear. I know those aquaclear carbon bags get expensive.
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Juicycoral
Community Member
@fragmatic, you are absolutely correct. He needs to slow down and let the tank cycle. I know him personally and he threw corals into the tank on day#2. Eddie, relax on the corals. Keep adding LR and let your tank cycle.
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Oh yeah, and with my comments two posts back...that goes hand and hand with my previous statement that I believe this tank has not cycled. Like said by fragmatic and where I was going to go last night as a follow up to my first post, take it a little more easy an let the tank do its thing. You should wait a solid sixty to ninety days before any coral, and only add a small clean up crew and maybe a hardy fish or two slowly starting at about the four to six week point. One thing a week starting with the cleanup crew. You will see all sorts of things happen to your tank during this time period, when it happens dont freak out as most will pass in time. If the problem persists for more than a week then further investigation maybe required. Also, don't run your lights very much (not at all is better) during the cyclin period otherwise you will cause a huge algae bloom towards the end you will be fighting for a long time. Keep an eye out for diatom bloom, that is a good indicator your tank is cycling properly and after it clears is a good point to start adding things. You may not see a diatom bloom though. Bacteria blooms happen often when people use cycle assist additives, dead shrimp, and other means to speed up a cycle.
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ACEofNONE
unregistered
@ bct15...how important is it for the skimmer to pull that layer off the water surface? Im running a good size skmer on my tank and i still have that layer on top.
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erironmsn
Active Member
Did a water test all is great . Dont kniw where the slime is coming frim was told by the lfs to add more to the clean up crew and change all the filters and add active carbon . Goin to try this tonight
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fragmatic
retired reefer
Nah.. you do that with water flow. You want surface water disturbance. Point a power head up to get strong ripples or point a return nozzle to do the same. The skimmer can't get the protein that is allowed to set on the surface film. You have to "stir things up"... and expect a small bloom right after that.. a good thing this time.
fragmatic
retired reefer
It would be a good idea to post those results. Something is not "great".
How long ago did your tank cycle????? I am fairly sure I see zoa slime because they are in stress. That slime looks clearly from my view point be coming off each and every head in one photo. I have a hard time believing the tank has cycled and I do not see enough living LR to balance a proper cycle.
Did you use RODI water?
Your LFS may sell you more clean up crew but if you haven't cycled the tank most of it will die and add to the problem.
And my apology about the home made skimmer, I missed that. That is good, I am running a home made skimmer too, it out skims anything I have seen (built it from an unused Vertex reactor body & a Needle Wheel Pump). Is your skimmer pulling skim and what color is that skim?
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The sludge on top can get problematic, disturbing light penetration and causing inconsistencies with chemistry. There is only three ways to get rid of it that I can think of
Like stated in fragmatic's and my previous post, point a powerhead at the surface causing a rooster tail. This will cause the film on top to be redesolved into the water so the skimmer can pull it out.
Skim the surface with either an overflow or an attachment that mimics an overflow. This will send the surface water to your filtration allowing it to be filtered out.
Manually skim the surface with a cup or container during water change. Major PIA.
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Swordfish215
Community Member
Best advice I can give u is to chill out....lol....I remember when Id freak, but trust me in a few years youll look back and think,"I wish that slime was all I had to worry about".....Of course this will be during a flatworm,hair algae,cyano outbreak....The prior poster is right in my opinion(V.snails).....They can make a real mess, but quite harmless.
Juicycoral
Community Member
Eddie, add a heater and a digital water thermometer. U state that you water feels the same to the touch. But a human hand can't tell the difference between temps. A lot of factors have to do with that. Room temp! You have to remember your running a MH, your tank can easily go up to 90 deg and you won't even know unless your home. Then at night it can be going down to 70 deg. You just restarted the tank. It has to be something else. You cleaned everything out of that tank and cleaned everything. You replaced carbon and filters. Just thinking outside of water movement.
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erironmsn
Active Member
Thsnks everyone for your help ... The filter tube was cloged with this slime now fixed and slime is gone . I am very greatfull for all your help and info
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