What is this gray stuff?

[ASfish93]

I have been starting to get this gray whispy stuff growing in my tank. I clean it all out and it comes back. Tried leaving my lights out for 2 days and more grew. Not sure what it is/how to get rid of it. Can somebody tell me what it is?

 

[tbrown]

People are going to ask for parameters.

Alk, Calc, Mag, pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, lighting...

How old is your tank, have you recently had anything die? I'd it's fairly new did you start with live rock, dead rock, or dry rock?

There's a possibility that it's nitrifying bacteria.

 

[Derrick0580]

Do you have any wrasses in your tank? That looks like a mucus cocoon one would spin to sleep in.

 

[WheatToast]

Could also be red cyanobacteria (cyano).
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/cont...slime-how-to-prevent-and-remove-cyanobacteria

 

[ASfish93]

Do you have any wrasses in your tank? That looks like a mucus cocoon one would spin to sleep in.

No wrasses. I have 2 clownfish, a tuxedo urchin, 1 astrea snail, 2 narcissus snails and a bubble tip ananome.

 

[ASfish93]

People are going to ask for parameters.

Alk, Calc, Mag, pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, lighting...

How old is your tank, have you recently had anything die? I'd it's fairly new did you start with live rock, dead rock, or dry rock?

There's a possibility that it's nitrifying bacteria.

People are going to ask for parameters.

Alk, Calc, Mag, pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, lighting...

How old is your tank, have you recently had anything die? I'd it's fairly new did you start with live rock, dead rock, or dry rock?

There's a possibility that it's nitrifying bacteria.

PH=8.0, Ammonia = 0.25 ppm, nitrite=0 ppm, nitrate=0 ppm, calcium= 400 ppm, phosphate= 0 ppm, alkalinity = 180 ppm, salinity=1.024 SG. I don't have a Mag test kit. I use the api test kits.. so the numbers are from me just comparing to the color charts.

The tank is about 8 months old. I started it by the Dr. Timms fishless cycling method with caribsea dry rock. I started out with a 45 gallon tank and had first noticed the gray stuff in that one (about 2 months ago). I started also noticing water on my floor around the tank but could never could find a leak. I was getting kind worried that it would eventually leak all over and decided to switch tanks.

I just have 2 clownfish, a bta, tuxedo urchin and a few snails so i decided to swith to a smaller tank. It is a 13.5 gallon fluval sea and im using the lighting it came with.

when I switched over I used mostly water from my old tank. About 5 gallons of new water. And put rocks from my old tank into the new one.

i did replace my substrate (originally was a finer sand) to a more coarse sand that looks like crushed shells. The gray stuff did not come back for awhile, but now its back.

no recent deaths.

 

[ASfish93]

PH=8.0, Ammonia = 0.25 ppm, nitrite=0 ppm, nitrate=0 ppm, calcium= 400 ppm, phosphate= 0 ppm, alkalinity = 180 ppm, salinity=1.024 SG. I don't have a Mag test kit. I use the api test kits.. so the numbers are from me just comparing to the color charts.

The tank is about 8 months old. I started it by the Dr. Timms fishless cycling method with caribsea dry rock. I started out with a 45 gallon tank and had first noticed the gray stuff in that one (about 2 months ago). I started also noticing water on my floor around the tank but could never could find a leak. I was getting kind worried that it would eventually leak all over and decided to switch tanks.

I just have 2 clownfish, a bta, tuxedo urchin and a few snails so i decided to swith to a smaller tank. It is a 13.5 gallon fluval sea and im using the lighting it came with.

when I switched over I used mostly water from my old tank. About 5 gallons of new water. And put rocks from my old tank into the new one.

i did replace my substrate (originally was a finer sand) to a more coarse sand that looks like crushed shells. The gray stuff did not come back for awhile, but now its back.

no recent deaths.

I guess I should say I started about 8 months ago. The smaller tank is only a couple months in. But everything in it but my substrate was from the original tank.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have been starting to get this gray whispy stuff growing in my tank. I clean it all out and it comes back. Tried leaving my lights out for 2 days and more grew. Not sure what it is/how to get rid of it. Can somebody tell me what it is?

Looks like a bacterial film. Reduce white intensity, siphon up, increase flow a little and add some denitrrying bacteria such as Mico Bacter 7

 

[tbrown]

Looks like a bacterial film. Reduce white intensity, siphon up, increase flow a little and add some denitrrying bacteria such as Mico Bacter 7

@ASfish93 +1 this. It may clear up on its own but with ammonia and no nitrate/nitrite you must have had a death recently. Probably a snail or crab. Adding some more nitrifying bacteria is a good idea.

 

[ASfish93]

Update: I siphoned out, did a water change, decreased white light exposure and added beneficial bacteria. Gray film came back a couple days later.

I read about chemi-clean (usually as a last resort) for cyano bacteria and decided to give it a try. I added an airstone just for during treatment. Dosed my tank. Waited the recommended 48 hours. Then siphoned out the remaining cyano. Re-dosed tank, waited 48 hours and did an approx 30-40% water change. It's been about a week and the gray film has not returned and the tank looks great!

Just thought I'd share in case anybody else is struggling with this.