Need help identifying microscope images

[Max Rackstraw]

Hello, i have a strange white film/sheet algae/bacteria that grows on the glass of my tank. I decided to take a sample of it and microscope it.

Heres what i could see:
(See attached images)

It would be really helpful if any experts could point out whats what in this sample. Although i am doing some research myself to learn about this, as its very interesting!

 

[fushi]

Looks

Hello, i have a strange white film/sheet algae/bacteria that grows on the glass of my tank. I decided to take a sample of it and microscope it.

Heres what i could see:
(See attached images)
!

I see a bunch of diatoms (something you should not worry about) in the first few images. Cant tell what the little circles are, need a little more zoom.

Macks Reef…Dinoflagellates Support Group on Facebook has a great PDF with pictures of different Diatoms and Dinoflagellates you may wanna take a look at.

 

[Max Rackstraw]

Looks

I see a bunch of diatoms (something you should not worry about) in the first few images. Cant tell what the little circles are, need a little more zoom.

Macks Reef…Dinoflagellates Support Group on Facebook has a great PDF with pictures of different Diatoms and Dinoflagellates you may wanna take a look at.

Yeah im going to look at getting a higher magnification lens at some point soon. I realise that you cant really make out the details in the small stuff!

 

[fushi]

Yeah im going to look at getting a higher magnification lens at some point soon. I realise that you cant really make out the details in the small stuff!

Do you have any pictures of the tank? “White film sheet” sounds like bacteria, the diatoms and such could just be sticking to it.

 

[Max Rackstraw]

Do you have any pictures of the tank? “White film sheet” sounds like bacteria, the diatoms and such could just be sticking to it.

I do not currently have a picture. Ill try to get one soon although its hard to picture and well… i scraped it all off earlier and took a sample.

 

[Troylee]

Mostly just see diatoms.. the rice looking things lol.. as mentioned above it’s prolly a bacteria film on the glass.

 

[Max Rackstraw]

i agree that i cant see anything in there that could be this stuff. It often coats the glass like a slime but comes off easily.

So I think its the case that all this we are seeing is just stuck to it.

I would add that this slime film stuff doesn’t overrun the tank or anything, its only on the back glass, because i clean it once a week rather than every other day. The other glass surfaces only get diatom dust.

I do however occasionally see this very weird thick white slime stuff that sticks to the rock. This doesnt come off easily and requires scrubbing off. But i wonder if its the same as this stuff on the glass? Ill try to get pictures, but im not sure there is any in there right now.

 

[Max Rackstraw]

Were in luck, i found a collection of it along the line where the top of the sand bed meets the glass. Its like a jelly. It keeps it shape when disturbed and doesnt want to fall apart in or out of water.

 

[Max Rackstraw]

I have heard that if the "stuff" in question is an algae, it will show obvious cellularity under the microscope, if bacterial it will just look like mush. Is this true? It certainly does just look like mush under the scope, with other stuff sticking to it.

 

[fushi]

It’s probably just bacteria, do you carbon dose or dose products that carbon dose as a side effect? That’s a common culprit.

Since its not overrunning the tank maybe a few snails could keep it from popping up.

 

[Max Rackstraw]

It’s probably just bacteria, do you carbon dose or dose products that carbon dose as a side effect? That’s a common culprit.

Since its not overrunning the tank maybe a few snails could keep it from popping up.

I dont carbon dose, although i do run activated carbon in a media bag. Im not sure if that counts as carbon dosing? The terminology confuses me.

 

[fushi]

I dont carbon dose, although i do run activated carbon in a media bag. Im not sure if that counts as carbon dosing? The terminology confuses me.

Carbon dosing would more refer to things like vinegar, vodka, vitiman c, nopox, elimi np, etc.

If you don't wanna manually remove it id say snails are probably the best bet.

 

[Max Rackstraw]

Carbon dosing would more refer to things like vinegar, vodka, vitiman c, nopox, elimi np, etc.

If you don't wanna manually remove it id say snails are probably the best bet.

Alright sounds good, going to get some more snails this week.

 

[fushi]

Alright sounds good, going to get some more snails this week.

Caribbean Nerites, conchs, and trochus are my favorites.