Need help with ID and advice

[Buckeye Ken]

Having problems with my 40 breeder soft and LPS reef tank. It’s my first saltwater tank and it will be 2 years old in November. I used dry rock for the aquascape. I had somehow gotten the impression that keeping nitrates low to prevent algae and an “ugly stage” would be a challenge, so I started with a refugium, a skimmer, and a filter sock. I went for months with zero nitrate until I figured out I don’t need a refugium or a skimmer. Even now with just a filter sock I can’t get nitrates above 2 or 3 ppm. I keep phosphates around .05 ppm with a GFO reactor. I use All for Reef to keep alk around 8.8 to 9 dKH, calcium around 410 to 430 ppm, and mag around 1250 to 1290 ppm. A just received ICP test showed no problems.

The problem I’m having is with a golden colored “slime” that coats my sand. My corals are not doing well and I’m thinking it is due to the slime. Vacuuming the sand is not working. The slime comes right back. The amount seems to be less in the morning than in the evening, but I would not say the difference between morning and evening is dramatic. I finally bought a microscope so I could get some pictures for ID.

I’m hoping that someone can identify a problem and suggest a solution. There’s a lot of different kinds of stuff in the slime, but the attached photos show some gold and green things. They are the most abundant so I’m starting with those.

 

[blaxsun]

I'm thinking you need to expand your cleanup crew to include some conches for the sand bed and ring cowries for the rocks.

 

[Lavey29]

With almost no nitrates or phosphates you probably have some form of dinos. Without these 2 nutrients your corals slowly starve to death also. I had to double dose neophos and neonitro for multiple weeks before I got measurable numbers. You want nitrates at 10 and phosphate. 05 to .1. Increase cleaner crew, cut lights to 6 hours with blue and UV only, increase flow for sandbed, manual siphon removal and turkey baste sand with daily filter sock changes. Dose PNS probio which is a natural bacteria supplement.

 

[Buckeye Ken]

I'm thinking you need to expand your cleanup crew to include some conches for the sand bed and ring cowries for the rocks.

Ok. Will look to see if I can get those at my LFS. Thanks

 

[Buckeye Ken]

With almost no nitrates or phosphates you probably have some form of dinos. Without these 2 nutrients your corals slowly starve to death also. I had to double dose neophos and neonitro for multiple weeks before I got measurable numbers. You want nitrates at 10 and phosphate. 05 to .1. Increase cleaner crew, cut lights to 6 hours with blue and UV only, increase flow for sandbed, manual siphon removal and turkey baste sand with daily filter sock changes. Dose PNS probio which is a natural bacteria supplement.

Ok. Will give each of those a try. Thanks