Massive bacterial slime growth

FX CharityCorals · Dec 6, 2014

OK this one has me stumped. One of my maintenance ACCTS is in a dentist office separating waiting area and exam rooms. They are battling a clear slimy bacterial overgrowth similar to carbon dosing overdose. The problem is they are not dosing carbon.
The sandbed gives off a sulfur smell when doing a gravel siphon so I think its feeding off that. I have started to decrease sand depth this past Friday. Their water stays hazy also from bacteria in water column. Sump and lines are coated in slime.

Stats
Phosphate 0
Nitrates 0
Alk 9dkh
Calcium 400
Mg 1300
Salinity 1.025

The slime is sucking out all the nutrients where the corals are pale and no algae growth.
Food is a few pellets of spectrum.

I hooked ozone up to try and clear the water and it is helping. The skimmer is pulling dark smelly skimmate every couple days.

Anyone have ideas to hault growth and kill off bacteria?

jcdeng · Dec 6, 2014

increase flow and add a UV?

moulton712 · Dec 6, 2014

I would also change out the sand.

Wiz · Dec 6, 2014

I would also raise the flow. And just manually remove as much as you can. I would think eventually the things that need the nutrients will start taking them up as long as you keep the algae bare then the algae will have a much harder time taking hold and eventually stop. I've never run a UV so I'm not sure about that.

FX CharityCorals · Dec 6, 2014

Wiz said:
I would also raise the flow. And just manually remove as much as you can. I would think eventually the things that need the nutrients will start taking them up as long as you keep the algae bare then the algae will have a much harder time taking hold and eventually stop. I've never run a UV so I'm not sure about that.

Algae is not the problem. Its bacterial slime.
Flow is pretty high in the tank with return and Wp-40 full blast. Besides that wont solve the problem of it growing in the sump

I need to A. Figure out what it is feeding on B. How to kill it . I already tried Neomyacin, small peroxide additions, Chemi Clean, Dr. Tims ReFresh and Waste Away.

I stopped the office from using their spray disinfectant about a month ago.

Wiz · Dec 6, 2014

okay well I'm obviously a little out of my depth here. So I'll read up on bacterial slime algae and follow this thread to learn thank you.

Wiz · Dec 6, 2014

I do not mean to sound stupid or clog your thread. But when I look up bacterial slime, it comes up with saying no or red slime algae. Which technically is a bacteria. Are you referring to say no? Or possibly dinos. Or is there another name for what it is?

Wiz · Dec 6, 2014

Cyano* cyano* ^ lol

FX CharityCorals · Dec 6, 2014

Wiz said:
Cyano* cyano* ^ lol

I appreciate you trying to help. No its not cyano. This is clear and slimy like boogers when you wipe it off.

Wiz · Dec 6, 2014

thank you for taking the time to clarify. I like when I find things I have not come across so that I can pre prepare for if I do come across it. Sounds interesting I'll have to do some research. Good luck

CUNAReefer · Dec 6, 2014

Could it be dinos?

FX CharityCorals · Dec 7, 2014

Hey James,

No its not dinos. It is exactly the bacterial bloom people get when they carbon dose except there is no carbon dosing going on directly.

SamsReef · Dec 7, 2014

can you post a picture...i think i have seen this before. it looks closest to Dinos but not the same. it feels snotty. Here is what i would recommend.

1) do a vinegar test on your sandbed. if there is silica, you will find out. I had to siphon sand bed out of one of my tanks because the sand that i got from a reputed live rock/live sand maker was full of silica.
2) check any source of carbon dosing - how about biofuel
3) any water change should be a a siphoning job. siphon the bacterial growth as much as possible.
4) usual stuff - lower feeds
5) check RODI system

Hope this helps.

Sam.

jackson6745 · Dec 7, 2014

In the past I overdid with carbon sources and go that slime all over my sump walls + pumps. At the same time I had some cyano so I started using Special Blend bacteria, which also eliminated bacteria slime. Smells terrible but it works, also clears the water very well.

3Twinklets · Dec 7, 2014

I would wonder if someone is putting something in that tank, whether accidently or deliberately. (Cleaning agents, deodorizers, insecticides etc.)
I would also inspect all pumps and equipment for fluid leaks.
If I were in your shoes, honestly I would just keep doing the water changes. I think that using chemical means to correct a problem makes it worse.
Once you have cycled the water, you may want to re introduce beneficial bacteria to try to re boot the system.

I am sure that you have already considered all of my suggestions but its all I can think of.

barbianj · Dec 7, 2014

I have something similar on the tail end of a long bryopsis/derbesia battle. The algae is mostly gone, but a white slimy growth that looks very similar to Dino is growing where the algae died. I've been siphoning it out once a week and replacing with fresh water along with toothbrushing the rocks off. A siphon with a small brush at the end would probably do a much better job since it comes off fairly easily. There is visually less of it every week and it's nearly gone now after a month or so of cleanings.

Reef_a_holiks · Dec 7, 2014

does the office smell like any kind of air fresheners or cleaning detergent? Ive seen this issue before in many aquariums and coincidentally it was always at someones house who had a cleaning addiction. We decided to move one of their tanks to his den where his wife would not maintain and the slime went away. This slime is caused by air fresheners, detergents, aerosols, and pretty much every house hold cleaning or fragrance substance. I can almost guarantee this is the case here. Ask them what they use to sterilize their equipment, its been known that chemi-claves a product used for sterilization which is used at dentisit offices cause this slime. read this article , What a coincidence he had the same issue in a dentist office Mystery of the White Reef Slime | Coral Magazine

FX CharityCorals · Dec 7, 2014

Reef_a_holiks said:
does the office smell like any kind of air fresheners or cleaning detergent? Ive seen this issue before in many aquariums and coincidentally it was always at someones house who had a cleaning addiction. We decided to move one of their tanks to his den where his wife would not maintain and the slime went away. This slime is caused by air fresheners, detergents, aerosols, and pretty much every house hold cleaning or fragrance substance. I can almost guarantee this is the case here. read this article , What a coincidence he had the same issue in a dentist office Mystery of the White Reef Slime | Coral Magazine

Ha that is the article I have been looking for that I remember reading. I got them to stop the aerosol cleaners but still hasnt helped.

Reef_a_holiks · Dec 7, 2014

FX CharityCorals said:
Ha that is the article I have been looking for that I remember reading. I got them to stop the aerosol cleaners but still hasnt helped.

Ask them about what they use to sterilize their equipment, If they use chemi-claves that is what is causing it right there.