scubaguy
Member
Not too long ago I had an issue with a white stringy cob web like mucus material taking over my entire nano & unfortunately it has returned again although I'm taking measures to contain it this time. I was stumped. Did all kinds of reading online. Nothing or no one seems to have an answer for the as to the reason why. It can't be an invertebrate because the mucus dons't mach with there's & not only that but the rate at which they grow or origin would clearly give away their location. I've seen many people on the subject post on all the forums yet no one has a clue. Some have even had losses because of it. Here's an example "I don't know what this is, ive never seen it before and don't really know what would have caused it. The picture is of a holding tank I have plumbed into my main system, I had a boxer shrimp that died within a couple days after this stuff showed up. Its all over in the holding tank, my sump, and I also noticed my filter sock was overflowing within like 6 hours of putting a new one on, so I put my hand in it and it was covered in this slime. Its starting to show up in my main display. My clams have also been semi-closed the last few days. My anemones seem fine, as well as my fish and corals. All params are in check for the most part, Ive been slowly raising my alk and started two part dosing, however, the slime had appeared prior to the dosing. Params are:
Alk 7.0dkh
CA 450
Mag 1400
Ph ~8
NO3 5ppm
Im getting ready to do a 25g water change. Do you think I should get some carbon and run that. The only thing I can really think of it maybe my filter socks weren't rinsed good enough. But I would think this would cause more problems/death than what I am seeing"
"Well it is still getting worse even after doing a 25g water change and sucking it out best I could. Also my 6" derasa is now dead, that I've had for over 6 months... I don't get it. Going to do another water change when I get home." Their are so many of these cases. I was able to find an article about the topic specifically. http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/content/mystery-white-reef-slime
http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/content/mystery-white-reef-slime-part-ii "By Lance Ichinotsubo
This third segment brings to a conclusion almost three months of work, research, treatment and finding cure for what I think of as the “mysterious white reef slime effect.”
At this writing, I am very happy to say that— at least in one instance—we have been successful in eradicating the slime completely, or seemingly so. Our client’s reef aquarium in Pompano Beach has now been free of the slime for the last two weeks.
Happily, we can report that many of the corals, which had suffered tremendously from the slime almost to near death, are actually now stable and some have actually regenerated new tissue and color. In addition, the recruitment of coralline algae (which had all but disappeared) has accelerated, and has started to return to the rock and other surfaces rapidly.
The Cure & How to Do It
The root of the problem is a common bacteria, Alcaligenes xylosoxidans, found wherever humans congregate and known for its copious slime production. It grows out of control when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and phalates are present in high concentrations.
The plug‐in deodorizers contain a fair amount of both compound groups, but apparently not enough to cause the bloom of the slime‐producing bacteria. Our data indicates that the catastrophic initiation event (commerical cleaning services or a fire) was then required to put the nutrient level over the threshold concentration point, which then allowed the slime‐producing heterotrophic bacteria to bloom.
We called Dr. Tim Hovanec, right, one the world's leading experts on aquarium bacteria, for advice.
On his advice, we began the process by removing all of the obvious sources of phthalates in both locations. Air "freshening" and deodorizing systems and sprays are among the suspected culprits in this case. As we removed the sources of phthalates and worked to minimize VOCs in both locations where white slime had broken out, the slime production appeared to diminish slowly.
The controlling factors, however, are the heterotrophic bacteria that we are now introducing, as suggested by Dr. Hovanec. These beneficial bacterial species will actually break down the slime and out‐compete the slime‐producing bacteria for food. In this fashion, we are able to control the slime‐producing heterotrophs and keep them in check.
Dr. Hovanec recommended the use of Re‐Fresh initially at a dose of 5‐ml per 10‐gallons every other day for 7‐10 days. He went on to say that adding 35% hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of 2‐3 mls per 10‐gallons in conjunction with the Re‐Fresh would be very beneficial; however, our experiences indicate that some corals (mostly soft, but some stony) and certain species of fish (large angels in particular) can react adversely to the concentrated H2O2, so be careful with the 35% stuff.
Once the slime has broken down, he said, we should change the additive to Waste‐Away. Also on an every other day basis, the Waste‐Away would be used at a 5‐ml per 10‐gallon dose for two treatments, then raised to 10‐
ml per 5‐gallons after that. Once the slime has been eliminated, the Waste‐Away can be used as a routine maintenance product.
After only three doses of Re-Fresh, the slime was retreating.
By the end of the first ten days adding the Re-Fresh, the slime was almost completely broken down, and we switched to adding the Waste-Away. Also on an every other day basis, the Waste-Away was used at a 5-ml per 10-gallon dose for two treatments, then raised to 10-ml per 5-gallons after that. It is now day 25, and the slime has now been completely eradicated.
We will now begin the protocol of using Waste-Away as a routine maintenance product, adding 10-ml per 5-gallons once weekly. (Other companies offer similar bacterial products. Be sure to choose a brand with excellent credentials, as not all have the bacteria you are paying for.)
Over time, it will continue to break down the organic detritus and other celluloid waste, which builds up in the gravel and on the live rock in our aquariums. Ultimately, this in turn shall make our aquarium inhabitants happier and healthier, while also making our jobs just a little bit easier. So there you are. We are very relieved here in our lives to have had such good results with quite an uncommon situation. We also hope that by bringing this to the forefront of the information-seeking public, we may have helped other service companies and hobbyists.
One last comment: Do stay on your toes.
We encounter many diverse and unusual conditions in this hobby and this latest experience is proof that the causative factors could come from any nearly unimaginable sources. So don’t hesitate to reach out and share your concerns and successes. You just might be the catalyst to solve yet another challenge in the reef aquarium hobby.
Thanks for reading, and until next time, have fun with your aquarium." I think this hits it on the nail. It could be plug-in air fresheners or scented products under the A/C air intake. Please give your opinion about this topic.
Alk 7.0dkh
CA 450
Mag 1400
Ph ~8
NO3 5ppm
Im getting ready to do a 25g water change. Do you think I should get some carbon and run that. The only thing I can really think of it maybe my filter socks weren't rinsed good enough. But I would think this would cause more problems/death than what I am seeing"
"Well it is still getting worse even after doing a 25g water change and sucking it out best I could. Also my 6" derasa is now dead, that I've had for over 6 months... I don't get it. Going to do another water change when I get home." Their are so many of these cases. I was able to find an article about the topic specifically. http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/content/mystery-white-reef-slimehttp://www.coralmagazine-us.com/content/mystery-white-reef-slime-part-ii "By Lance Ichinotsubo
This third segment brings to a conclusion almost three months of work, research, treatment and finding cure for what I think of as the “mysterious white reef slime effect.”
At this writing, I am very happy to say that— at least in one instance—we have been successful in eradicating the slime completely, or seemingly so. Our client’s reef aquarium in Pompano Beach has now been free of the slime for the last two weeks. Happily, we can report that many of the corals, which had suffered tremendously from the slime almost to near death, are actually now stable and some have actually regenerated new tissue and color. In addition, the recruitment of coralline algae (which had all but disappeared) has accelerated, and has started to return to the rock and other surfaces rapidly.
The Cure & How to Do It
The root of the problem is a common bacteria, Alcaligenes xylosoxidans, found wherever humans congregate and known for its copious slime production. It grows out of control when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and phalates are present in high concentrations.
The plug‐in deodorizers contain a fair amount of both compound groups, but apparently not enough to cause the bloom of the slime‐producing bacteria. Our data indicates that the catastrophic initiation event (commerical cleaning services or a fire) was then required to put the nutrient level over the threshold concentration point, which then allowed the slime‐producing heterotrophic bacteria to bloom.
We called Dr. Tim Hovanec, right, one the world's leading experts on aquarium bacteria, for advice.
On his advice, we began the process by removing all of the obvious sources of phthalates in both locations. Air "freshening" and deodorizing systems and sprays are among the suspected culprits in this case. As we removed the sources of phthalates and worked to minimize VOCs in both locations where white slime had broken out, the slime production appeared to diminish slowly. The controlling factors, however, are the heterotrophic bacteria that we are now introducing, as suggested by Dr. Hovanec. These beneficial bacterial species will actually break down the slime and out‐compete the slime‐producing bacteria for food. In this fashion, we are able to control the slime‐producing heterotrophs and keep them in check.
Dr. Hovanec recommended the use of Re‐Fresh initially at a dose of 5‐ml per 10‐gallons every other day for 7‐10 days. He went on to say that adding 35% hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of 2‐3 mls per 10‐gallons in conjunction with the Re‐Fresh would be very beneficial; however, our experiences indicate that some corals (mostly soft, but some stony) and certain species of fish (large angels in particular) can react adversely to the concentrated H2O2, so be careful with the 35% stuff.
Once the slime has broken down, he said, we should change the additive to Waste‐Away. Also on an every other day basis, the Waste‐Away would be used at a 5‐ml per 10‐gallon dose for two treatments, then raised to 10‐ml per 5‐gallons after that. Once the slime has been eliminated, the Waste‐Away can be used as a routine maintenance product.
After only three doses of Re-Fresh, the slime was retreating.
By the end of the first ten days adding the Re-Fresh, the slime was almost completely broken down, and we switched to adding the Waste-Away. Also on an every other day basis, the Waste-Away was used at a 5-ml per 10-gallon dose for two treatments, then raised to 10-ml per 5-gallons after that. It is now day 25, and the slime has now been completely eradicated.
We will now begin the protocol of using Waste-Away as a routine maintenance product, adding 10-ml per 5-gallons once weekly. (Other companies offer similar bacterial products. Be sure to choose a brand with excellent credentials, as not all have the bacteria you are paying for.)
Over time, it will continue to break down the organic detritus and other celluloid waste, which builds up in the gravel and on the live rock in our aquariums. Ultimately, this in turn shall make our aquarium inhabitants happier and healthier, while also making our jobs just a little bit easier. So there you are. We are very relieved here in our lives to have had such good results with quite an uncommon situation. We also hope that by bringing this to the forefront of the information-seeking public, we may have helped other service companies and hobbyists.
One last comment: Do stay on your toes.
We encounter many diverse and unusual conditions in this hobby and this latest experience is proof that the causative factors could come from any nearly unimaginable sources. So don’t hesitate to reach out and share your concerns and successes. You just might be the catalyst to solve yet another challenge in the reef aquarium hobby.
Thanks for reading, and until next time, have fun with your aquarium." I think this hits it on the nail. It could be plug-in air fresheners or scented products under the A/C air intake. Please give your opinion about this topic.
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