Brown stringy stuff growing over all my softies

taylorn13

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 7, 2020
Messages
109
Reaction score
80
Location
South Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi, I’m relatively new to reefing, my tank is a little over 2 months old. I added some softies a fre weeks ago that were doing great and even growing. Today I noticed this brown stringy stuff covering my xenia and gap and have no clue where to even begin. My corals dont look the happiest either. Xenia stopped pulsing. If anyone know what this is and what I should do, please help!

image.jpg image.jpg
 

CrayHawk

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 17, 2012
Messages
195
Reaction score
149
Location
Wisconsin
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Like all other emergency posts, please post your parameters, lighting, etc. Do you use RO water?
 
OP
OP
taylorn13

taylorn13

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 7, 2020
Messages
109
Reaction score
80
Location
South Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Like all other emergency posts, please post your parameters, lighting, etc. Do you use RO water?
So sorry. I forgot to include. Nothing drastically changed in my water params except temp went up a whole degree probably because it was nice outside yesterday so I opened the window and forgot to close it this morning (which was very hot) It’s currently going down. As for RO water, I believe thats what got me into this mess. I bought RO/DI water from a lfs (a little sketchy) for a little while until i decided it’d be much cheeper to just make my own. I recently ordered my own RO/DI system, but it hasn’t come in. I say sketchy because the RO/DI water was supposedly put into distilled water gallon jugs, but was told it was rodi water. I did read that distilled water was alright for an aquarium, so I didn’t question it too much. I even tested the tds and it read 0. I use a Current Orbit USA marine lighting for 10hrs/day. My calcium, phosphate and KH tests aren’t the most trustworthy so take those with a grain of rice. I’m sorry I’m new and I’m currently looking i to getting better testing kits!

image.jpg
 
OP
OP
taylorn13

taylorn13

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 7, 2020
Messages
109
Reaction score
80
Location
South Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
:
Read up on Dinoflagellates. Welcome to the struggle.
:( I was afraid what I thought were diatoms were dino, I did a microscope test and found no dino, but I might not have done a good sample of it. Ill re examine, but what do you recommend doing with the corals. I have an extra tank used for QT if necessary. Would it benefit me moving the corals and trying to get as much of the “brown stringy” stuff off as possible?
 

Reefer1978

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 22, 2014
Messages
3,282
Reaction score
3,343
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Get the goey stuff under a micro-scope and try to get some good quality pictures. Diatoms sometimes is stringy - but it's rare and usually it's on the sandbed / glass, not coral.
 
OP
OP
taylorn13

taylorn13

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 7, 2020
Messages
109
Reaction score
80
Location
South Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Can you re test your nitrates and phos please. 0 is not good?

I retested them twice when I heard dino. 10ppm nitrates and 0ppm phosphates which would make sense it could be dinos. I did use an api test kit for phosphates which im going to get a better test kit for. There could be very little phosphates, but my test wont even say. The color marker goes feom 0ppm to 0.25 ppm so there could be 0.1ppm phosphates but I wouldn’t even know. Not getting a good testing kit is a beginner mistake that will haunt me...
 

Katrina71

Learn, Laugh, Love
View Badges
Joined
Mar 26, 2017
Messages
37,321
Reaction score
210,556
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Did you by chance recently have a cyano issue?
 

Reefer1978

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 22, 2014
Messages
3,282
Reaction score
3,343
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Imo, lights out is a pretty harmless start. If it doesn't rid your issue, then obviously other measures can be taken.

Agreed. It didn't work for me, so I saw it as a "wasted time method" thus I am biased LOL. But you are totally right it's a good trial and error method with 0 investment.
 

Reefing threads: Do you wear gear from reef brands?

  • I wear reef gear everywhere.

    Votes: 17 14.0%
  • I wear reef gear primarily at fish events and my LFS.

    Votes: 7 5.8%
  • I wear reef gear primarily for water changes and tank maintenance.

    Votes: 1 0.8%
  • I wear reef gear primarily to relax where I live.

    Votes: 19 15.7%
  • I don’t wear gear from reef brands.

    Votes: 69 57.0%
  • Other.

    Votes: 8 6.6%
Back
Top