Still Not ID’ed...Diatom? Bacterial Bloom?

[LilElroyJetson]

I thought I’d ID’ed this stuff as Licmophora sp. but now that I’ve let it grow out, I’m not so sure. It’s a brown-ish white looking feather protruding from the live rock in mostly high light intensity areas and emerging from what looks like existing algae.

Salinity: 1.025
Temp: 78.6
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrates: 0
Phosphates: 0.141
pH: 8.2
dKH: 9.6
Cal: 460
Mag: 1300

Dosing aminos and 3-part. Light GFO (Rowaphos) in a minireactor. Chaeto in a reactor. Barely feeding fish. Feeding coral lightly once a week but cutting back until this stuff is gone.

 

[ScottR]

First off, I have no idea what that is. It’s some type of algae most likely. Definitely not diatoms (brown). Bacteria won’t get feathery like that (as far as I know). I’ve heard of people manually removing rock and dipping in peroxide. Since your outbreak is crazy like that, worth googling. Or perhaps someone here would know.

 

[LilElroyJetson]

First off, I have no idea what that is. It’s some type of algae most likely. Definitely not diatoms (brown). Bacteria won’t get feathery like that (as far as I know). I’ve heard of people manually removing rock and dipping in peroxide. Since your outbreak is crazy like that, worth googling. Or perhaps someone here would know.

From what I’ve read, licmophora sp. is a type of diatom which is why it tends to grow out of existing algae/diatoms, but I’m not sure. I’ve considered a peroxide dip but I’d prefer not to. I’ve noticed when phosphates go down, the growth slows/stops. I just don’t want to bring phosphates down too rapidly and upset the coral in the tank. I really need a positive ID on this to attack it and keep it away. I’m surprised I haven’t found any similar photos on Reef2Reef, I’d imagine I’m not the first person on this forum who has dealt with this stuff. This is what it looked like when it first began.

 

[LilElroyJetson]

#Reefsquad have any of you guys seen this before?

 

[ngoodermuth]

Is it lyngbya maybe? Usually more brown/green but could be bleached/dying... Does it come off easily or does it seem rooted to the rocks? Is it hairy/filamentous?

 

[LilElroyJetson]

Is it lyngbya maybe? Usually more brown/green but could be bleached/dying... Does it come off easily or does it seem rooted to the rocks? Is it hairy/filamentous?

It looks like it may be lyngbya but I wasn’t sure because it’s almost colorless (but still growing? So I wonder if it’s dying if it’s growing? It’s been this color the entire time since it first showed up). A lot came off with a toothbrush when it first appeared but half of it remained rooted in the rock. I haven’t tried to remove it or touch it by hand since so I don’t know how it feels but it looks hairy (more like feathers), and it appears to be rooted in the rock growing distinct stalks on the larger pieces.

 

[ngoodermuth]

I found a post on another forum that looks pretty similar to what you have. Search Chrysophytes and see if that looks like what you have?

Edit. I'll just post it... that looks alot like yours?
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2439205

 

[LilElroyJetson]

I found a post on another forum that looks pretty similar to what you have. Search Chrysophytes and see if that looks like what you have?

Edit. I'll just post it... that looks alot like yours?
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2439205

It does look exactly like what’s in those photos but most other photos of chrysophytes I’ve seen look to have bubbles in them? Maybe not. If chrysos feed off silicates and phosphate, that is the likely culprit. My DI resin was due for a change and I used 7 tds water for a water change and in my ATO and I believe the silicates from that water is what fed this stuff.

I haven’t found a solution though? Sounds like I need to attempt a manual removal and a couple water changes now that I have new DI resin to get the silicates down? Any other suggestions? A peroxide dip seems extreme and one of the rocks has my RBTA and Zoas attached to it so that’s out of the question for a peroxide dip anyway. I may be willing to dip the top rock but also don’t want to kill off anything good or start another mini cycle.

 

[ngoodermuth]

I've never dealt with it personally but after a bit more searching there are a few threads on R2R about it? You're right, they don't look as similar as those photos do though. Maybe be a bit more aggressive with the GFO? Make sure you are changing it out frequently enough that is isn't exhausted and leaching back into the water...

I don't have much more to add as far as advice goes, but maybe you can find more info on those other threads now that you have another possibility to research. Good luck

 

[LilElroyJetson]

I've never dealt with it personally but after a bit more searching there are a few threads on R2R about it? You're right, they don't look as similar as those photos do though. Maybe be a bit more aggressive with the GFO? Make sure you are changing it out frequently enough that is isn't exhausted and leaching back into the water...

I don't have much more to add as far as advice goes, but maybe you can find more info on those other threads now that you have another possibility to research. Good luck

Yeah thank you for trying! It seems regardless of what it is, considering my parameters, the only likely culprits are silicates and phosphates, and the only solutions regardless of what it is are likely manual removal and reducing silicates and phosphates, so I’m going to assume it’s chrysos and attack it that way.

I have 30 gallons of total water volume and have been using 8 tablespoons of rowaphos in a mini reactor. I haven’t seen the phosphate levels increase except when I feed and then they drop back down to their stable level the next day. The plan was to change the rowaphos once a month, do you think sooner may be necessary even if the phosphate levels aren’t rising? It has been keeping phosphate stable but not bringing it down so I may need to explore getting a larger reactor, I just didn’t want to drop phosphates too rapidly and shock everything. I just hate changing the rowaphos out because so much dust from it leaks out of the reactor and into the sump/tank.

 

[ngoodermuth]

Well, if your phosphates are hovering over .1 they are still considered in the "high" range... I would definitely be working on slowly bringing them down.

http://www.reefedition.com/phosphate-in-the-reef-aquarium-by-randy-holmes-farley/

 

[ngoodermuth]

Are you rinsing it well before adding to the reactor? A good rinse in fresh RO should cut down on the dust particles... I think I would maybe add a couple teaspoons more, and then change it out maybe half at a time, every 2-3 weeks. Take half out, and add half new... etc. That way you are being more gradual with it?

 

[Brew12]

Yeah thank you for trying! It seems regardless of what it is, considering my parameters, the only likely culprits are silicates and phosphates, and the only solutions regardless of what it is are likely manual removal and reducing silicates and phosphates, so I’m going to assume it’s chrysos and attack it that way.

I have 30 gallons of total water volume and have been using 8 tablespoons of rowaphos in a mini reactor. I haven’t seen the phosphate levels increase except when I feed and then they drop back down to their stable level the next day. The plan was to change the rowaphos once a month, do you think sooner may be necessary even if the phosphate levels aren’t rising? It has been keeping phosphate stable but not bringing it down so I may need to explore getting a larger reactor, I just didn’t want to drop phosphates too rapidly and shock everything. I just hate changing the rowaphos out because so much dust from it leaks out of the reactor and into the sump/tank.

Do you have much of a CuC? And will they touch it?

 

[Brew12]

My initial impression is that it is not a bacteria based on the defined stem in the feather structure. Regardless of what it is, I do agree with running more GFO/PO4 absorbent.

 

[LilElroyJetson]

Well, if your phosphates are hovering over .1 they are still considered in the "high" range... I would definitely be working on slowly bringing them down.

http://www.reefedition.com/phosphate-in-the-reef-aquarium-by-randy-holmes-farley/

Yeah I’ve been trying but I may need to get a bit more agressive with it. Because the reactor is so tiny and the pump on it is so small, maybe not enough water is actually making it through the rowaphos to have any significant effect.

 

[LilElroyJetson]

Are you rinsing it well before adding to the reactor? A good rinse in fresh RO should cut down on the dust particles... I think I would maybe add a couple teaspoons more, and then change it out maybe half at a time, every 2-3 weeks. Take half out, and add half new... etc. That way you are being more gradual with it?

I have been rinsing it by running a half gallon of RO just dumped over the open reactor tube and letting it slow leak out of the bottom which I’m starting to think is insufficient. I may run the reactor in a bucket of RO after each change for a half hour or so from now on to let it tumble and dump out whatever dust is there. Do you have any other suggestions?

Thank you for the other suggestions. I think I’m gonna try to get a slightly larger reactor and/or change out the rowaphos every two weeks until it starts having a more significant effect. I’ll try the replacing half and adding half new method as well. If phosphate starts coming down too quickly I’ll simply shut off the reactor before it gets extreme. Does this sound like a decent plan?

 

[LilElroyJetson]

Do you have much of a CuC? And will they touch it?

I do. About 7 nassarius, 7 trochus, and 6 blue leg hermits. The trochus snails seem to love it, the nasarius will go over it and don’t seem to mind but only go on the rock when food falls there. The hermits seem to be indifferent. Think I need more? I was afraid to overstock a juvenile tank and have them dying off.

 

[Brew12]

I do. About 7 nassarius, 7 trochus, and 6 blue leg hermits. The trochus snails seem to love it, the nasarius will go over it and don’t seem to mind but only go on the rock when food falls there. The hermits seem to be indifferent. Think I need more? I was afraid to overstock a juvenile tank and have them dying off.

I wouldn't add any more nassarius since they are carnivorous snails. 6 hermits in a 30g isn't bad either. I would add more trochus, Mexican turbo, or other algae eating snails unless you plan on adding an algae eating fish like a lawnmower blenny.

 

[LilElroyJetson]

I wouldn't add any more nassarius since they are carnivorous snails. 6 hermits in a 30g isn't bad either. I would add more trochus, Mexican turbo, or other algae eating snails unless you plan on adding an algae eating fish like a lawnmower blenny.

I’ll try to add more trochus snails and maybe a couple turbos ASAP. I’m not sure if I plan on eating an algae eating fish but no new fish additions are coming too soon.

 

[ScottR]

More CUC isn’t going to solve the problem. Typically when you have an algae bloom, you don’t show many phosphates as they eat them up. Since you have phosphates and an algae bloom, I’m guessing that you have really high phosphates. Much higher than you think. You should test for silicates too. I think salifert has a test kit.