Anybody know what this on Scrubber?

[kaijor]

Anybody know what type algae this? And this ok to be growing on scrubber?

 

[Timfish]

Looks like a mix of cyanobacteria. FWIW, I'm guessing it's a new scrubber and likely a new system? And I'm guessing no one warned you about the issues with scrubbers causing problems with corals. The public aquariums that used them have pretty much taken them all out. Here's some links that give a pretty good picture of what's happening between coarls and algae:

https://reefbuilders.com/2024/06/21...hy-reef-tank-heres-a-new-method-to-manage-it/
"Coral Reefs in the Microbial Seas " This video compliments Rohwer's book of the same title (used copies are available on Amazon and it may be available to read for free on Internet Archive), both deal with the conflicting roles of the different types of DOC (carbon dosing) in reef ecosystems and how it can alter coral microbiomes. While there is overlap bewteen his book and the video both have information not covered by the other and together give a broader view of the complex relationships found in reef ecosystems and are an excellent starting point to understand the conflicting roles of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC, aka "carbon dosing") in reef ecosystems.


Microbial view of Coral Decline

 

[Turbo's Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

Anybody know what type algae this? And this ok to be growing on scrubber?

This is just a type of slime that typically grows initially on a system that hasn't had a scrubber on it before. Rinse it off under room temp tap water, you might have to rub your fingers across the surface a bit but it should come off without scrubbing it. Repeat up to a couple of times a week, eventually GHA will take hold and you won't get any slime but it could persist for a while.

Also algae in the ocean growing right up against corals is not necessarily the same (does not have the same effects) as algae growing in a dedicate remote chamber so keep that in mind when you look at various research and documentation that does not take into consideration the mechanics of an algae scrubber. JS.

 

[kaijor]

This is just a type of slime that typically grows initially on a system that hasn't had a scrubber on it before. Rinse it off under room temp tap water, you might have to rub your fingers across the surface a bit but it should come off without scrubbing it. Repeat up to a couple of times a week, eventually GHA will take hold and you won't get any slime but it could persist for a while.

Also algae in the ocean growing right up against corals is not necessarily the same (does not have the same effects) as algae growing in a dedicate remote chamber so keep that in mind when you look at various research and documentation that does not take into consideration the mechanics of an algae scrubber. JS.

Thank you. That's sort of what I thought was going on. I appreciate your help on this. Do you know when about GHA will grow? Or does it just depend?

 

[SantaMonica Verified Sponsor]

This is darker initial growth on a new scrubber with higher nutrients. Brush all off under running water in your sink and see how it looks in a week. Remove the black shade cloth if you are using it. GHA will probably slowly develop over the next few weekly brushings.

 

[kaijor]

This is darker initial growth on a new scrubber with higher nutrients. Brush all off under running water in your sink and see how it looks in a week. Remove the black shade cloth if you are using it. GHA will probably slowly develop over the next few weekly brushings.

Thank you! This what I’ll do for maintenance.

 

[kaijor]

It does look like this GHA growing as well. I could see some today when I was cleaning it.