White/Colorless Fuzz?

[Silentpanda619]

Does anyone have any clue what this stuff on my rock is? It does not scrub off easily (or really at all). It grows on rocks and shells but does not appear to grow on glass or corals. It has completely covered all rock that is not covered in corals. Seems photosynthetic because it doesn't grow on the underside of rocks. It is fuzzy/hairy but doesn't get that long. It is clear/white.

I can't seem to find much of anything online that matches. I have had it for months now. I thought it was just a phase and would go away as the tank got established (transferred everything from old tank to this new one. Old tank never had this).

It seems like the clean up crew either isn't very interested in it or it grows back too fast for them to make much of a difference.

Tank Parameters are extremely stable.
Alk ~9.2
Calcium ~470
Magnesium ~1380
Salinity 1.026
Temp 78
Phosphate 0.03
Nitrate Low (1-5 or so but need to get a Hanna)

Any help is greatly appreciated! I can't seem to figure this one out.

 

[Justfebreezeit]

I had something similar when my tank was about a year old for 3 or 4 months. It did go away on its own eventually. Only on one rock surprisingly

 

[Silentpanda619]

I had something similar when my tank was about a year old for 3 or 4 months. It did go away on its own eventually. Only on one rock surprisingly

Hopefully, it will do the same here then. I have had it for something around 3 months or so. No signs of it slowing down so far.

 

[StorageUnit731]

.... maybe Beggiatoa.

High sulfates would be a chemical indicator, but microscopic analysis would be necessary. Should clear up in time, or with a sufficient water changes, once the dissolved organics and sulfur compounds are oxidized and eaten up.

I recommend that you refrain from dosing nitrates and prepare for an ammonia/ammonium spike once they start to starve. They use nitrate to oxidize sulfur, both stored internally, and release ammonium. Keep aeration and water flow high to help detoxify any hydrogen sulfide, which they also release while starving. They are interesting organisms, but a pain to deal with. I hope I'm wrong. Goodluck.

 

[Silentpanda619]

.... maybe Beggiatoa.

High sulfates would be a chemical indicator, but microscopic analysis would be necessary. Should clear up in time, or with a sufficient water changes, once the dissolved organics and sulfur compounds are oxidized and eaten up.

I recommend that you refrain from dosing nitrates and prepare for an ammonia/ammonium spike once they start to starve. They use nitrate to oxidize sulfur, both stored internally, and release ammonium. Keep aeration and water flow high to help detoxify any hydrogen sulfide, which they also release while starving. They are interesting organisms, but a pain to deal with. I hope I'm wrong. Goodluck.

Hmm...it is difficult to find any sources online of other reef tanks with Beggiatoa. It does visually look similar.

I have not been dosing any nitrates or phosphates, and I have been doing very infrequent water changes due to the nutrient levels being low. It feels like I need something to either eat it or outcompete it.

I may end up getting an ICP test just to see if anything I don't test for could be feeding it (sulfates, etc)

What could cause high sulfates?

 

[StorageUnit731]

I agree with your approach. The best microbial products that I would recommend, in my personal opinion, for this particular situation are ranked as follows:

1.) Pink Lady Panacea (Home Brew Live Feeds)
2.) Remedy Ale (Home Brew Live Feeds)
3.) Aquatic Tonic (Home Brew Live Feeds)
4.) Deep Cycle (Hydrospace)

I believe these would be the most effective in outcompeting and displacing the suspected Beggiatoa. They should also help with bioremediating the ammonium and hydrogen sulfide that would, in theory, be released by the struggling and dying nuisance colonies.

I'm not certain if you have high sulfates, but if you do it would be more of an indication that they are Beggiatoa because they excrete a lot of sulfates. They are "gluttons" in that they store zero-valent sulfur, nitrates, and phosphates within their cells, but they use those compounds as fuel when they have to burn through their "fat reserves" when they aren't getting enough hydrogen sulfide to "eat". Forgive my use of similes. Microscopic or DNA analysis would be further narrow down and confirm potential suspects.

Have you experienced unusually stable, or high, Calcium and Alkalinity parameters?

Specifically, I suspect you may not have needed to supplement dose either in a while. These are two additional test indicators that would be characteristic of Beggiatoa. Let me know if you have any additional information or questions, and I'll try my best. Good luck.

 

[Silentpanda619]

I agree with your approach. The best microbial products that I would recommend, in my personal opinion, for this particular situation are ranked as follows:

1.) Pink Lady Panacea (Home Brew Live Feeds)
2.) Remedy Ale (Home Brew Live Feeds)
3.) Aquatic Tonic (Home Brew Live Feeds)
4.) Deep Cycle (Hydrospace)

I believe these would be the most effective in outcompeting and displacing the suspected Beggiatoa. They should also help with bioremediating the ammonium and hydrogen sulfide that would, in theory, be released by the struggling and dying nuisance colonies.

I'm not certain if you have high sulfates, but if you do it would be more of an indication that they are Beggiatoa because they excrete a lot of sulfates. They are "gluttons" in that they store zero-valent sulfur, nitrates, and phosphates within their cells, but they use those compounds as fuel when they have to burn through their "fat reserves" when they aren't getting enough hydrogen sulfide to "eat". Forgive my use of similes. Microscopic or DNA analysis would be further narrow down and confirm potential suspects.

Have you experienced unusually stable, or high, Calcium and Alkalinity parameters?

Specifically, I suspect you may not have needed to supplement dose either in a while. These are two additional test indicators that would be characteristic of Beggiatoa. Let me know if you have any additional information or questions, and I'll try my best. Good luck.

Thanks for all of the ideas! I'll keep digging and seeing if I can solve this. My alkalinity and calcium are behaving normally. I currently dose 50.4ml/day of All For Reef which has been spot on for a while in keeping levels stable.