Help with brown hard substance in plumbing

[sgdnycct]

Hi all,

I’ve got a hard brown substance growing in dark areas. The biggest issue is that it’s clogging up my plumbing.

When I scrape it flakes off like coralline algae. Some parts that were on my heating elements thickened and broke off in large chunks on its own.

My first question is if anyone knows what it can be. I thought brown coralline, but I’d think it would need light to grow? This stuff is not growing in the light.

Second question is how can I scrape it off inside parts of my plumbing that are glued into the system. I tried using a brush snake but the bristles aren’t hard enough to break it all up. Some of it came off but I can feel it still gumming up the plumbing.

Anyone have experience with anything like this?

Other than this my tank is doing great with steady growth of coralline and corals. Tank has been running 9 months but it’s got live rock, water and sand going back 4 years from previous systems. Phos and NO are at or near 0. NYOS 440. No skimmer, no mechanical filtration, chemipure only. I dose AFR.

Thanks!!!

 

[Boehmtown]

Do you dose?

 

[sgdnycct]

Yes! AFR. I used to use ESV two part but switched to AFR 4 months ago.

 

[Boehmtown]

Do you happen to pour it right down your overflow?

 

[sgdnycct]

Do you happen to pour it right down your overflow?

I have a doser now into my sump over 24hrs, but that’s new. I used to dilute it in RODI and pour it slowly into my return chamber.

 

[Boehmtown]

I bet that's it. Probably reacting with the excessive organics or something in there, especially if you did it with the ESV

 

[sgdnycct]

So you think it’s a bio-chemical reaction to the AFR or ESV? Is that because I dosed wrong? What would make it react that way?

 

[Boehmtown]

Just a guess, if you don't get any other ideas, maybe repost in the Randy homes Farley chemistry section to see if it's plausible

 

[Boehmtown]

I remember I had an old tank that the heater got something similar on it and that was my conclusion as it was where i was hand dosing

 

[sgdnycct]

I remember I had an old tank that the heater got something similar on it and that was my conclusion as it was where i was hand dosing

Gotcha. Thanks!