Help! Microcrystals in the aquarium. What could this be?

[Hungarian_reefer]

My corals haven’t been looking very good lately. The SPS corals are showing STN, and the LPS corals are showing signs of brown jelly disease. I examined the mucus and necrotic tissue covering the corals under a microscope. I didn’t find any pathogens, but everywhere there was a large amount of thin, needle-like crystals present.

What do you think this could be? Has anyone seen something like this before?

Maybe some kind of precipitation? What I dose into the aquarium:
– Canister 1: Na₂CO₃, Na₂SO₄, sodium silicate (water glass), Tropic Marin Element A
– Canister 2: MgCl₂, CaCl₂, Tropic Marin Element K

I also use: GFO, CO₂ scrubber

The pH is quite high (8.5)

I have a massive sponge population. Could they be producing this?

 

[Dan_P]

My corals haven’t been looking very good lately. The SPS corals are showing STN, and the LPS corals are showing signs of brown jelly disease. I examined the mucus and necrotic tissue covering the corals under a microscope. I didn’t find any pathogens, but everywhere there was a large amount of thin, needle-like crystals present.

What do you think this could be? Has anyone seen something like this before?

Maybe some kind of precipitation? What I dose into the aquarium:
– Canister 1: Na₂CO₃, Na₂SO₄, sodium silicate (water glass), Tropic Marin Element A
– Canister 2: MgCl₂, CaCl₂, Tropic Marin Element K

I also use: GFO, CO₂ scrubber

The pH is quite high (8.5)

I have a massive sponge population. Could they be producing this?

Spicules from the sponges. Are they dying too?

 

[Hungarian_reefer]

My corals haven’t been looking very good lately. The SPS corals are showing STN, and the LPS corals are showing signs of brown jelly disease. I examined the mucus and necrotic tissue covering the corals under a microscope. I didn’t find any pathogens, but everywhere there was a large amount of thin, needle-like crystals present.

What do you think this could be? Has anyone seen something like this before?

Maybe some kind of precipitation? What I dose into the aquarium:
– Canister 1: Na₂CO₃, Na₂SO₄, sodium silicate (water glass), Tropic Marin Element A
– Canister 2: MgCl₂, CaCl₂, Tropic Marin Element K

I also use: GFO, CO₂ scrubber

The pH is quite high (8.5)

I have a massive sponge population. Could they be producing this?

Spicules from the sponges. Are they dying too?

No, they dont

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

My corals haven’t been looking very good lately. The SPS corals are showing STN, and the LPS corals are showing signs of brown jelly disease. I examined the mucus and necrotic tissue covering the corals under a microscope. I didn’t find any pathogens, but everywhere there was a large amount of thin, needle-like crystals present.

What do you think this could be? Has anyone seen something like this before?

Maybe some kind of precipitation? What I dose into the aquarium:
– Canister 1: Na₂CO₃, Na₂SO₄, sodium silicate (water glass), Tropic Marin Element A
– Canister 2: MgCl₂, CaCl₂, Tropic Marin Element K

I also use: GFO, CO₂ scrubber

The pH is quite high (8.5)

I have a massive sponge population. Could they be producing this?

Just to rule one thing out: could this be a mis-focused image? I've seen scratches like that on low quality glass coverslips.

 

[Hungarian_reefer]

Thanks guys, I figured it out — the pipette I was using was contaminated with crystalline microcellulose. That’s what you can see in the picture. Thanks for the ideas!