My chaeto is covered with slim and sludge

[125mph]

So my chaeto is covered with this brown sludge and slim like thing that looks like mud. Does anyone know what that is, is it bad or good. I keep removing it and then it comes back.

 

[LiveWire]

It may be due to a flow issue. Do you have enough flow through the Chaeto and can you post a picture?

 

[AlgaeBarn]

Is it cyano? Can you send a picture?

 

[125mph]

Unforunately I cleaned it out already. I will have to take a picture next time this happens agian.. It kinda looks like cyano maybe.. its just nasty stuff all clumped with the chaeto.

 

[125mph]

Actually, heres some pics... what is this thing?

 

[AlgaeBarn]

Actually, heres some pics... what is this thing?

First photo is detritus slime/decaying chaeto. We have seen this a couple times with the chaeto reactors.

The second photo is cyanobacteria mixed in with the detritus slime.

 

[mfinn]

Look like you need more flow in your refugium.
I use a tunze 6045 in mine.
It really helps.

 

[125mph]

Okay so more flow will stop the slime and cyano?

My pipe was clogged so it caused the decaying chaeto but even when it was flowing before the slime was still present.

I have it plumbed from my return with slow flow so i can increase it.

 

[mfinn]

Okay so more flow will stop the slime and cyano?

My pipe was clogged so it caused the decaying chaeto but even when it was flowing before the slime was still present.

I have it plumbed from my return with slow flow so i can increase it.

I won't say that it will cure everything, but I do know it should help.

I have a slow flow through my sump/refugium and if I don't use a powerhead in the refugium I it eventually starts looking bad.
Slime, cyano, etc.
When I first tried this, I glued a ceramic magnet to the suction cup frame ( no suction cups) of a maxi-jet 1200 and mounted it on the side of the refugium.
After a few days I noticed there was little to no flow coming out of the maxi-jet.
Little bits had clogged the intake. But I already noticed a big improvement in the chaeto.
So I cleaned it out and that became part of my twice weekly ( or more) routine.
Fast forward a year or so and I had to change out the power head because the maxi-jet died.( probably from clogging up so much).
The only spare powerhead I had was a Tunze 6025. I hated to use such a expensive pump for such a mundane chore.
But right away I found that this design didn't clog so easy.
So now I'm down to once every 2 weeks.

It got real popular for a while to try and create a spinning ball of chaeto, but as it grows, it has a tendency to get stuck in a corner.

 

[badams.one]

First photo is detritus slime/decaying chaeto. We have seen this a couple times with the chaeto reactors.

The second photo is cyanobacteria mixed in with the detritus slime.

@AlgaeBarn ran across this old thread as I recently opened my algae reactor to take a look and make sure my chaeto is still growing.

What on earth is this gold/brown/orange snotty glob? I'm battling dinos in the DT and am curious what this is?

Also, being that I'm currently in a dino (amphidinium) battle, I'm thinking about taking the reactor offline for a bit. What are your thoughts?

 

[AlgaeBarn]

@AlgaeBarn ran across this old thread as I recently opened my algae reactor to take a look and make sure my chaeto is still growing.

What on earth is this gold/brown/orange snotty glob? I'm battling dinos in the DT and am curious what this is?

Also, being that I'm currently in a dino (amphidinium) battle, I'm thinking about taking the reactor offline for a bit. What are your thoughts?

That looks very interested and we are not entirely sure. Is it only growing in that once section and what does it feel like?

 

[jjencek]

I had the same problem. I solved it by accident. My refugium light went out. Before I got a new one (5 days), the slime was gone.