Please help ID

[kg4izw]

This is growing on my Zoas and their surrounding area. It looks reddish orange in person but orange in those photos. These guys have been closed for two weeks and it’s getting worse.
25G
Zero nitrates
Zero phosphates
Salt 0.024
CA 460
KH 11-12
78 F

 

[rayadog]

Not confident but.. Can you vacuum or blow it off? Kinda looks like a foraminifera or simple detritus caught in mucus.

 

[kg4izw]

It’s not so loose that I can blow it away with a pipette, but I can remove it with tweezers. It appears to be stringy and not hard. I have lots of coral in the tank, but it appears only in the zoas. And on zoas in total opposite ends of the tank.

 

[kg4izw]

 

[kg4izw]

Perhaps this video will help.

 

[rayadog]

It’s definitely “mat-y.” Sorry I’m not sure now. Likely falling back on my detritus/mucous thought or a bacterial growth. I’d siphon off with airline next water change. Sorry

 

[kg4izw]

(My Current Aquarium flow 660gph)

All my zoas can be removed relatively easy for a dip or scrubbing if needed. Any particular treatment that you can recommend for this?

 

[rayadog]

Not sure. I wouldn’t stress yet unless it’s a very recurring thing that annoys the coral. I would suck it out/scrape it and see how long it takes to return if at all. If it was really stubborn I’d probably only try what I have on hand so don’t necessarily take my advice. Revive is gentle and good for surface cleaning and natural.

 

[BryanM]

No nitrates or phosphates, you're both starving corals, and you're asking for dinos or other issues.

 

[kg4izw]

Yeah… I have lite bioload, stopped water changes a while back, feed coral with Reef Roids, but those are just not coming up

 

[kg4izw]

I decided upon a peroxide dip: 100ml of 3% peroxide diluted in 1L of tank water. 5 minutes dip including turkey baster spraying throughout that timeframe. The orange substance in question loosened up quickly and washed away with the turkey baster stream. After the 5 minutes, I gave them 2 minutes rinse in new tank water. Finally, I returned things back to the tank.

 

[kg4izw]

 

[kg4izw]

Things are pretty shocked right now. I have since found one spot that I did not completely remove while things were out of the tank. I have decided to monitor it and see if it dies over the next day or so. If it does, then I will be convinced that it indeed was some type of algae. I guess time will tell.