Sudden snotty substance

[Mike 1.025]

Hello, had this tank for 19 months. All of a sudden and not gradual in anyway, this stringy substance shows up. I have a pincushion urchin for about 6 weeks so not sure if that has secreted the spaff. I also have a conch for about a year and a half. A bloodshrimp, or is it the corals producing it?

Many thanks in advance. M

 

[buzzojones]

Any vermetid snails?

 

[Mike 1.025]

Thanks for the reply. No vermetid snails and the strands are considerably thicker. I have had those pests before and the strands were like spider silk. Some of these stands were about 3-5ml thick in places.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

#reefsquad

 

[Fish Fan]

Vermitids would be my first guess too.

 

[keagan]

Do you have a sea cucumber?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I'm also thinking some type of tube worm, some of them can get really big and put out thick strands like that. But it should be easy enough to confirm, when you follow the strands back to the beginning, what do you see?

 

[Mike 1.025]

Do you have a sea cucumber?

No sea cucumber, never had this type of gunk in the tank

 

[Rocks reef]

Definitely not vermitids, a vermitid web is smaller than a strand of hair.
Looking closely at the second pic, it appears to have "eggs" in the strands like something spawned. Can you pinpoint where it is coming from?

 

[Mike 1.025]

I'm also thinking some type of tube worm, some of them can get really big and put out thick strands like that. But it should be easy enough to confirm, when you follow the strands back to the beginning, what do you see?

I think it is some kind of discharge from something that blew round the tank. there was so much though, o don’t seem to have anything big enough in the tank to expel this volume. I pulled it out with a pippet and it hasn’t returned yet

 

[Mike 1.025]

Looking closely, it appears to have "eggs" in the strands like something spawned. Can you pinpoint where it is coming from?

I think that was same, the clown fish like to dig. I should have put some of it under the microscope but didn’t think.

 

[EnterName]

Would love to see a sample under a microscope.

 

[Rocks reef]

I think that was same, the clown fish like to dig. I should have put some of it under the microscope but didn’t think.

Clownfish lay their eggs on a rock or surface that they have cleaned.

 

[Rocks reef]

It honestly reminds me of when a frog or toad lays eggs in the water, it comes out in strands. I know that is not what is in your tank, but, it reminds me of it.

 

[Channas]

It looks like it’s coming from your Duncan in the vid but i guess maybe it just catched it? To me it looks like some kind of mucus from something, if i would have seen a Leather coral inside the vid i would have Said that it’s coming from that but i can’t see any, im at a loss but i reccon it should not be something to worry about