ID brown growth on frag racks

Martingale

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 10, 2019
Messages
190
Reaction score
103
Location
Columbus, Ohio
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
I have this brown slime-like goo that grows on these frag racks, and has been a real nuisance at snuffing out my zoas.

83A953A3-79EB-4087-88D8-95B4FBEDC43C.jpeg


It is slimy to the touch and doesn’t brush off very easy. It is never very stringy and doesn’t retain or produce any bubbles. Chemi clean has never affected it. My nitrates test at 0 and phosphates at 0.03ppm. I do use an algae turf scrubber. I had also done a 3 day black out and it generally seemed unaffected.

I had an empty frag rack that I was dipping in full strength peroxide to clear this stuff off and it still struggled to kill it. I eventually just soaked it to clean it up.

I have upped my feeding to try and raise nitrates to a more detectable level, but I’m out of ideas beyond that.
 

vetteguy53081

Well known Member and monster tank lover
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
92,159
Reaction score
203,768
Location
Wisconsin -
Rating - 100%
14   0   0
A substance known as chryophytes and you will need to remove rack and scrub in a container of water and peroxide using a firm toothbrush or similar
 
OP
OP
Martingale

Martingale

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 10, 2019
Messages
190
Reaction score
103
Location
Columbus, Ohio
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
A substance known as chryophytes and you will need to remove rack and scrub in a container of water and peroxide using a firm toothbrush or similar
That's what I was thinking but I don't have a microscope on hand. I also forgot to mention that I had tried Waste Away without much luck, and that I do use GFO to control phosphates.

My main concern with just scrubbing it off as-needed is that I've been doing this for a while now already. Luckily it doesn't seem to be able to compete on the rocks or the sandbed. It reads like dosing nitrates might be a good fix for chrysophytes?
 

vetteguy53081

Well known Member and monster tank lover
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
92,159
Reaction score
203,768
Location
Wisconsin -
Rating - 100%
14   0   0
That's what I was thinking but I don't have a microscope on hand. I also forgot to mention that I had tried Waste Away without much luck, and that I do use GFO to control phosphates.

My main concern with just scrubbing it off as-needed is that I've been doing this for a while now already. Luckily it doesn't seem to be able to compete on the rocks or the sandbed. It reads like dosing nitrates might be a good fix for chrysophytes?
Waste away won’t do much with this. Reduction in white intensity and increase in flow will help as will ninja star snails, pitho crabs and chiton snails
 

When to mix up fish meal: When was the last time you tried a different brand of food for your reef?

  • I regularly change the food that I feed to the tank.

    Votes: 45 20.9%
  • I occasionally change the food that I feed to the tank.

    Votes: 74 34.4%
  • I rarely change the food that I feed to the tank.

    Votes: 72 33.5%
  • I never change the food that I feed to the tank.

    Votes: 20 9.3%
  • Other.

    Votes: 4 1.9%
Back
Top