ID This Algae [it murdered my tank]

[Robert Binz]

I grew up around aquariums with my father but this was my first solo tank in my college dorm. About 1.5-2 months in I got this white slimy growth all over the rocks that quickly turned brown and took over everything. I rebooted the tank because that was my only option to save the corals.

it was a coral only 5g with two trochus snails.

The theories I’ve been presented with are (1) “fluffy” variation of diatom; (2) brown cyano; (3) white slime algae. Im really hoping it was out of control diatoms but people on my thread for rebooting advice felt like my tank was “too clean” without fish and that gave cyano a foothold.

Identifying the issue will help prevent it this time because I’m sure whatever it was will hitch hike on my corals into the new tank (I scrubbed them as best as I could)

 

[Thespammailaccount]

Did you carbon dose the tank

 

[Robert Binz]

Did you carbon dose the tank

nope just ran carbon in the HOB filter

 

[Molsman24]

I would almost say cut your losses and start over with a fresh everything...would be a shame for you to start a tank back up with the rocks even after your scrubbed them just to have another outbreak of whatever that is

 

[Robert Binz]

I would almost say cut your losses and start over with a fresh everything...would be a shame for you to start a tank back up with the rocks even after your scrubbed them just to have another outbreak of whatever that is

I completely changed out the rocks and sand but I kept the corals. It would be a shame to waste the ~200$

 

[Molsman24]

I agree with the keeping of corals were you able to dip and quarantine or just add back in??

 

[zapbap99]

have you just gave it time...? or was this oh it popped up lets destroy tank and redo it

 

[taricha]

Light yellow to golden to brown blobby gelatinous stuff that holds shape mostly even out of water.

Going to say this is chrysophytes.

Chrysophytes?! Help me cure it?

Chrysophyta (golden-brown algae) The Chrysophyta are the golden-brown algae and diatoms, which respectively account for 1,100 and 40,000-100,000 species of unicellular algae. These algae occur in both marine and fresh waters, although most species are marine. The cell walls of golden-brown algae...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Robert Binz]

I agree with the keeping of corals were you able to dip and quarantine or just add back in??

I scrubbed them for algae with a toothbrush and dipped them in Revive

 

[Robert Binz]

have you just gave it time...? or was this oh it popped up lets destroy tank and redo it

I fought it for about 9 months before I decided I was losing the battle

 

[Robert Binz]

Light yellow to golden to brown blobby gelatinous stuff that holds shape mostly even out of water.

Going to say this is chrysophytes.

Chrysophytes?! Help me cure it?

Chrysophyta (golden-brown algae) The Chrysophyta are the golden-brown algae and diatoms, which respectively account for 1,100 and 40,000-100,000 species of unicellular algae. These algae occur in both marine and fresh waters, although most species are marine. The cell walls of golden-brown algae...

www.reef2reef.com

Thank you!!! I'll look into that!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Dino and yes it will destroy coral.
You will need to do a 4-5 day blackout. Loosen this stuff with a turkey baster and net it or siphon and then add 1ml of hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons at night and the same measurement of liquid bacteria during the day. This will be gone

 

[Anthony Cusumano]

I have something similar. Sucked it all out of my sump and display and glass. Hasn’t grown back but all the rock is still coated with it. Nothing eats in and trochus snails are dropping left and right.

 

[Robert Binz]

To those who care there’s another thread about this exact same type of algae that’s pretty active rn