White film over bio balls

[REEF24]

I noticed my bio balls in my sump covered in what looks like a white web. It’s almost like mold or some sort of bacteria. Is this supposed to be like this? Should I remove them? Or do I need more movement in my sump (Is that even a thing?) anyways here’s a video I hope you guys can help.

 

[REEF24]

pix

 

[REEF24]

Nobody seems to want to engage in topics posted by new reefers….whats the point of this forum?

 

[JTP424]

We got you man, just give us some time :)
I haven't seen it before, if it's easily removed probably some type of bacteria etc. If it's more solid its probably a sponge.
With the more ceramic media in there I would remove the bioballs. (so long as the ceramic has been in there long enough to seed)

 

[Fish Fan]

I'm sorry that you didn't get a reply here yet.

This tank appears to be a different tank than this one?
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/suffering-hammer.1101213/
Could you let us know a little more about your setup(s), when was this tank started and how was it cycled?

 

[REEF24]

We got you man, just give us some time :)
I haven't seen it before, if it's easily removed probably some type of bacteria etc. If it's more solid its probably a sponge.
With the more ceramic media in there I would remove the bioballs. (so long as the ceramic has been in there long enough to seed)

Thank you for Replying , sorry I sound like a pest lol but I’m really not. I’ve just been thinking about it a lot and I googled and nothing really matched up. Thank you again for replying. I will exercise more patience in future posts.

 

[reeferforever]

pix

this seems like bacteria film. No biggy imo

 

[JTP424]

Thank you for Replying , sorry I sound like a pest lol but I’m really not. I’ve just been thinking about it a lot and I googled and nothing really matched up. Thank you again for replying. I will exercise more patience in future posts.

No worries! It may have been glossed over since you replied to yourself on it, the ones that haven't been answered have a cool little "unanswered" icon on it. So since you replied to yourself, it removed the icon so we probably thought it was looked at :)

 

[Llyod276]

I used to have similar things in my tank and still do from time to time. There is a film that sometimes floats around the tank. Idk what makes it but eventually it disappears.
If you got a microscope, take a swab and throw it on a slide! Science!!!

 

[Llyod276]

I used to have similar things in my tank and still do from time to time. There is a film that sometimes floats around the tank. Idk what makes it but eventually it disappears.
If you got a microscope, take a swab and throw it on a slide! Science!!!

Also it looks like you're still cycling, so prolly bacteria oriented.

 

[scowall]

Mine looks the same. I rinse with R/O water every 6mons or so.

 

[Science/G]

Bacterial colonies?

 

[brandon429]

Handy tip

If you removed 100% of that media from the sump and ran the sump empty:

No parameter you can measure in reefing would change

No loss of cycle ability would be measured.

Whatever is on them doesn't matter, the bioballs don't even matter.

It's not that this media is helpful or required or beneficial, the bioballs are simply neutral in reefing. Add fifty more: neutral. Remove the ones in place, neutral. Clean them v not clean them=can't be measured in reefing

It's interesting surface area biology that no choice in this matter impacts the reef in any measurable way.

 

[dvgyfresh]

It’s bacterial , I don’t think your tank has reached an equilibrium so bacteria is fighting for space it will go away with time

 

[brandon429]

That growth would be removed wherever we see it, it doesn't factor that it landed in the sump. The illustration was to highlight that cleaning them won't hurt since they're neutral materials.

There's posts with that growth on rocks, you just clean it.

 

[REEF24]

No worries! It may have been glossed over since you replied to yourself on it, the ones that haven't been answered have a cool little "unanswered" icon on it. So since you replied to yourself, it removed the icon so we probably thought it was looked at :)

Oh didn’t know that lol. Sorry I’m not a Karen I was just freaking out. I apologize for the behavior.

 

[REEF24]

I appreciate all the input, I left the balls in the sump and I added a good circulating pump and it started blowing everything off the balls into the water column. It fogged up my tank and it stunk. It smelled almost rotten, like still pond water smell. Now that the mixing pump is in I doubt this will occur again. I believe it was the lack of current / flow in the sump. Do yall run circulating pumps in your sumps?

 

[JTP424]

Oh didn’t know that lol. Sorry I’m not a Karen I was just freaking out. I apologize for the behavior.

All good man :)