Please ID this stringy white algae

[Robert Binz]

I re-booted my tank because I had a slime algae problem that I just couldn’t beat.

I quick-cycled it with fritz according to the directions to house my corals and damsel. The nitrogen cycle is doing fine. Never an ammonia spike but I’m seeing nitrates (2ppm)

However, last night I saw this long stringy white “algae” popping up al over the tank. I assumed the RFA just took a really big poop and pulled it out but today it was back and bigger. Videos attached. This morning I turned off my light (just in case) and threw in a 1/2 dose of Dr. Tim’s Refresh.

What do y’all think this is? I'm super annoyed to be seeing some nuisance algae/bacteria so freaking quick in the cycle

 

[Robert Binz]

I re-booted my tank because I had a slime algae problem that I just couldn’t beat.

I quick-cycled it with fritz according to the directions to house my corals and damsel. The nitrogen cycle is doing fine. Never an ammonia spike but I’m seeing nitrates (2ppm)

However, last night I saw this long stringy white “algae” popping up al over the tank. I assumed the RFA just took a really big poop and pulled it out but today it was back and bigger. Videos attached. This morning I turned off my light (just in case) and threw in a 1/2 dose of Dr. Tim’s Refresh.

What do y’all think this is? I'm super annoyed to be seeing some nuisance algae/bacteria so freaking quick in the cycle

 

[Reefer40b]

probably bacteria slime, do nothing and watch it disappear eventually. Tank looks really new, you will have tank uglies for a bit but usually clear up on their own.

 

[Robert Binz]

probably bacteria slime, do nothing and watch it disappear eventually. Tank looks really new, you will have tank uglies for a bit but usually clear up on their own.

oh gotcha okay! I was worried it was the brown/gold slime that wiped out my last tank coming back lol

 

[CuzzA]

It's just bacteria. You have to be patient in this hobby. It will be a year before your system stabilizes. Guess what? That rock had no life on it. Using dry rock is going to go through a year of the uglies. First bacteria, diatoms, cyano, algae, maybe some dinos. It's fresh real estate for survival of the fittest given the conditions in the tank. Eventually Coraline algae will out compete everything and the other nuisance algaes and bacteria won't have any more real estate and you as a hobbyist will have become proficient enough to keep the system stabilized.

If you are not patient and proficient with your maintenance, this is the wrong hobby. If you want to skip the uglies, you have to buy real live rock like that sold by Tampa Bay Saltwater. And even that is no guarantee if your maintenance skills aren't up to par.