Help ID bacteria...?

[totalchaos13]

I’m battling what I’m almost positive is a bacteria in my tank but I haven’t been able to ID it. It’s very slow growth, light white in color, doesn’t really clump or get thicker in any area, and easily comes loose when scraped. Last pic is a glob of it free floating after scraping the glass.

Any guesses as to what it is? Treatment suggestions?

I should mention, this is a tank that I ran basically fallow for nearly a year after a major crash. Only inhabitants are a Yellowtail Damselfish and a Pajama Cardinal an snails. Previously it was a beautiful mixed reef. pH, Alk, Cal, Mag, nitrates are all normal.

 

[ichthyoid]

Looks to me like maybe diatoms?
Check these out & see if it looks the same/similar-

diatoms reef tank - Google Suche

www.google.com

 

[timeconsumer]

I'm nearby in Acworth if you want to drop off or mail me a sample and I can check it under the microscope.

 

[totalchaos13]

Looks to me like maybe diatoms?
Check these out & see if it looks the same/similar-

diatoms reef tank - Google Suche

www.google.com

Was my first thought but nope. I’ve dealt with diatoms before and this just isn’t it.

On a whim I typed in “white slime reef tank” and turns out that’s a thing! Says it’s a “metabolic exudate produced by an airborne bacteria known as Alcaligenes faecalis that can grow rapidly in the presence of of alcohol or high amounts of volatile organic compounds and phthalates. This bacteria, under certain conditions, can multiply and spread. The slime, white at first, can turn yellow and eventually brown as it accrues particles and waste from the tank.”

I’m thinking of trying some Dr. Tim’s Waste Away, knockout it’s food source...

 

[totalchaos13]

So I threw a sample under the ‘ol microscope. Here’s a pic at 640X. Any ideas?

 

[timeconsumer]

Chrysophytes maybe? The size is about right.

 

[totalchaos13]

Chrysophytes maybe? The size is about right.

I think that’s it unfortunately. Just been reading through this thread of R2R and I appear to be in for a real battle...

Chrysophytes?! Help me cure it?

Chrysophyta (golden-brown algae) The Chrysophyta are the golden-brown algae and diatoms, which respectively account for 1,100 and 40,000-100,000 species of unicellular algae. These algae occur in both marine and fresh waters, although most species are marine. The cell walls of golden-brown algae...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[timeconsumer]

I'll read through the thread and see if I get any ideas based on what he tried. I've definitely seen chrysophytes or something similar in several samples in my own tank and others, they seem relatively common in small amounts. Not sure what causes them to bloom like that.

 

[Adam]

I had my big display & sump full of tap water for a month or so, along with a 60B I'm using as a QT and the 120 sump for the frag system was full to the top. With all the PVC gluing I was doing every single one of them got a bloom of what I believe is the same thing as what you're dealing with. I added salt to the 60B about 2 or 3 weeks ago and the bloom went away for a while but as soon as I started gluing again it came back. Interestingly the big storage containers with vented lids did not get anything.

The bloom in the 60B was in full force when I added fish to it on 2/24. I had added bottled bacteria to it the day before and starting running carbon at the same time while using filter pads to collect what I could. After several days of no further gluing the bloom cleared up. Hopefully between not drinking bourbon in front of the tank and the warmer weather allowing you to open some windows it will clear up for you.

 

[totalchaos13]

At this point I’m considering a RIP tank cleaning. The system is still pretty void of fish and coral so it might be my best option. Just worried I won’t be able to get all of the bad guy removed...

 

[Adam]

At this point I’m considering a RIP tank cleaning. The system is still pretty void of fish and coral so it might be my best option. Just worried I won’t be able to get all of the bad guy removed...

If you want to try something new and nuke the system starting over. Now is the time.
If not then I'd try this before going nuclear.

https://www.amazon.com/DrTims-Aquat...id=1614956659&sprefix=eco-bala,aps,247&sr=8-3

 

[timeconsumer]

I don't know that you need to get it 100% removed as I see it in healthy tanks with no algae problems just the same as I see ostreopsis or amphidinium dinos in healthy tanks. I've always been a proponent of strong manual removal so I'd pull the rocks and give them a good scrubbing and a rinse. Giving the sand a heavy siphoning would probably help too. Beyond that you just need to determine if nutrient control/starvation via GFO or something similar is the route to go or if perhaps you want to try and encourage competition from other unicellular algaes, I'm not sure I'd pick diatoms in this case but maybe nannochloropsis phyto?

 

[lmm1967]

as much aeration as possible, water changes as you can - UV if you want.

I can trigger a crazy bacteria bloom in my tanks by just leaving a bottle of alchohol open overnight near the tanks (I've repeated this several times - I'm dumb, don't ask).

It always self resolves with a lot of aeration and a 1/4 water change for me - generally in a week.

 

[lmm1967]

..... nannochloropsis phyto?

I have several bottles of VERY dense phyto I'll be happy to give you if you want to give it a shot. DM me if you would like - I'm in Acworth.

This batch is Nannochloropsis Oculata.