Water trouble - need help

[CMOS]

Howdy All,

I'm having some issues with my water. About 2 weeks ago I came home from work and found that the tank had (forgive this awful description) what looked like slimy wavy thingies hanging from the rocks and glass as well as a slimy film on the glass. It was slightly whiteish in color and it was just about everywhere.

I admit I didn't test the water at that point due to a time shortage. I just did some emergency water changes. I've done about 6 nine-gallon water changes in the last 2 weeks and things still don't look right. I still had another "slime bloom" about 4 days ago even after all these water changes.

I tested today and found as follows:
Phos - .20
Cal - 540
Mg - 1500+ (off the chart on the high end)
KH - 8.3 (ALK 2.96 meq/L)
Ph - 8.2-8.4
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Ammonia - 0
Salinity .024-.025
Temp - 78


I am using a NEW bucket of Oceanic Salt and have a 5-stage RO/DI water source (TDS = 000)

My Frogspawn still looks okay but the Green Star Polyps are not happy. They look,... shriveled. I also have not seen my 6-line wrasse in about 3 days

Thoughts?

CMOS

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

Not sure what the stuff is and I don't want to guess without a picture. Your calcium is a bit high and its not balanced with alkalinity and mag but I don't think its all that bad. especially if your Ph is stable. I think 78 degrees is a little low for reef tanks but there's plenty of people who get away with it.

Are you mixing the water at least 24 hours before using it? Are you adding cal, alk or mag to the new water? What are you dosing and how much/ often? Are you running carbon? If so, how old is it? If not, maybe doing so will help. Just tossing out some ideas. Sorry if I'm not much help.

[Reefing Madness]

Look like this?

http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/cont...ite-reef-slime

[CMOS]

FOMOCO - yes, I am mixing the water and letting it circulate in the container for 24 hours before the water change. No dosing at all. Just the salt and water. No carbon. Perhaps I should try that in the sump for a while.

RM: well, it *may* look like that. Your pic is that of a very small area so it's hard to tell. One other thing- after the first "bloom" and subsequent water change the water was slightly milky for almost 24 hours. Then it cleared up.

Water has been very clear for the last week, but I still got the last slime episode about 5 days ago.

Thoughts?

CMOS

[CMOS]

Bump for some more input.

Is it possible that I have a bad batch of salt? All seemed to be going well until I started a new bucket of salt.

?

CMOS

[Mad Mead]

If your water mix is cloudy or milky before you add it yes. you should have it test to limit it out. all so i would take out all your filtering equipment and clean it out and replace all your sponge's ex. ex. i think you have had a loss in the tank as well as a some bio bloom. with out test a sample it hard to say what. i would do a big cleaning the sub and the walls of moving the rocks around to see any odd death hiding in the tank or a odd growth. Go and get a new small box and mix a new bach of water making sure your temp and SG is right after 24 hours. What do you think? about moving some of your more important piece's to QT till you get this headed of this.

[Reefing Madness]

Bump for some more input.

Is it possible that I have a bad batch of salt? All seemed to be going well until I started a new bucket of salt.

?

CMOS

I've heard of bad salt doing things to CA, MAG and such, but growing anything because of it. But, got me, that one has not happened to me. I've seen the snot that you are talkiing about, but thats because of water quality. Then again, if a new bucket of salt is the only thing that is different, then that would be my guess also.

[Original Fin]

Hi CMOS,

I'd be suspicious about the missing wrasse. If it's dead and decomposing in the tank, it's possible that may have caused a bacterial bloom, and that can look like white slime.
Your biofilter may have been robust enough to convert the additional organics before they had a chance to produce measurable spikes in ammonia and nitrites.

I've had this occur in my tank during carbon/vodka dosing, which was an indicator that the dose was too high. In my case, the slime seemed to concentrate in areas of high flow, especially at the sump return.

I've also encountered white slime on newly added live rock as the die off can also be a fuel for bacterial blooms.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CMOS]

Mead: no filter media in this tank other than the live rock and my Cheato refugium.

I did lose my 6-line wrasse sometime over the last week. I plan to do another 2 (10) gallon water changes this weekend, wait a couple days then retest the water gain. I'll report after I have don so.

Darn shame. The tank was looking pretty good for a while since I got my water changing schedule back on track. I don't (yet) understand what happened. Frogspawn and Royal Gramma still look good. Oddly, my mushrooms don't look very happy.....

?

CMOS

[CMOS]

OF,

The "bloom" took place at least a week before the 6-line disappeared, but there still may be a connection.

For now, I'll have to just hammer the water changes and re-test the water to get a new base-line.

Thanks for any and all replies. Man, is THIS a learning process or what!? . . .


CMOS