White fuzzy algae looks like cotton

Aquatic0627 · Aug 5, 2020

Dsanchez1221 said:
I seem to struggle with this same issue every time I start a new tank. It hasn't ever gotten as wide spread as yours appears to be, but instead pops up in small patches on the rocks in 2 or 3 areas. I have yet to find a definitive ID or solution to it and it always seems to go away on it's own as quickly as it appeared. It also seems to appear anywhere from 3 to 6 months after setting up the tank, usually soon after the initial cycle.

3 months ago I bought and setup a new all-in-one nano tank (JBJ Nano-Cube 29g). I set it up and started the cycle as I always do, using Bio-spira, live sand and rock and a clown fish that I've had for years and always use for this. And sure enough, two days ago the fuzzy cotton-like "fungus" has appeared. To me, it strongly appears like a fungus. This time, I'm just going to let it run it's course and not drive myself nuts trying to intervene. I've experienced this 4 other times and it always goes away on it's own.

I am a veterinarian and we use a lab to send samples to for ID. Today I scraped off 4 different samples and put them in various culture dishes and one in a sterile non-cultured test tube. I will send it off today for identification and sensitivity test. As soon as I have the results I will post them here. It will be nice to have an answer regardless!

Happy reefing everyone!

Hi, did you get the results back yet.? I've just noticed this stuff in two spots in my 7 month old tank.

Dsanchez1221 · Aug 6, 2020

Aquatic0627 said:
Hi, did you get the results back yet.? I've just noticed this stuff in two spots in my 7 month old tank.

Unfortunately it's proving much more difficult to get a viable culture for the lab. I ordered some special culture dishes for sea water specimens that I will try when they come in. Marine fungi are apparently difficult to culture or sample and I have no experience or knowledge in marine biology. I have looked at a small sample under magnification and can almost certainly say it is fungal, but unsure of exact identification.

In my aquarium the spread seams to have stopped. It is still there, in a large crevice of a rock but is not spreading at all and seems to be losing density. It may have used up it's food source? I'll update you if/when I find out more. It's more of a curiosity for me at this point since it doesn't seem to be causing issues.

bcarm · Aug 13, 2020

Tagging along, have the same stuff.

Dsanchez1221 · Aug 17, 2020

So i got some preliminary results back from the lab this morning. It will still be another 48 hours before I get the full report which will tell me the sensitivity results and how to get rid of it.

It seems the sample I sent is a fungi in the phylum of Ascomycota. It is associated with algae growth. I haven't had a chance to fully research it but I don't think it is toxic or anything I should worry too much about. It has pretty much fully gone away in my tano.

I'll keep you all updated as more results come in.

stevenfreeves · Sep 14, 2020

ReefEngineer said:
bump.

what does Bump mean?

FishingLovingSons · Sep 24, 2020

Hate to bring up old threads but having a similar (yet different?) issue. All of my opaque/clear hair like growth is underneath rocks (not in the light).

This next pic is the swim through area of the rocks the above pics were zoomed in on.

Been here for a few months; not getting any worse or better. Thoughts?

Edit: more whites video to show how flow moves it-

murph935 · Sep 26, 2020

FishingLovingSons...I'm with you. I have the exact same issue...I'm not sure I'd say problem because it hasn't really been detrimental in any way..other than it looks bad. Like yours, mine shows up on the underside of rocks. I took one and flipped it over...7-10 days later it was gone..from that rock. Nothing I've tried OTC wise has done anything to stop it. I'm at a loss. I'm going to try cutting back on feedings and more frequent water changes

kjkaminski · Oct 5, 2020

Just noticed the same thing today. White "fuzzy" growth on rocks and only in places of low light. Never seen this before. And while discovering this, I found my very first aptasia. Ugghh.... Interested to find out what this white fuzzy stuff might be. As an add, I had a recent spike in PO4 about 10 days ago and a resulting increase in algae on the glass. No new algae on rocks but I have a very active CUC. Been treating PO4 spike with Red Sea and now I have a little bit of cyano in the fuge which shares same water as DT. PO4 is currently about .20 after it spiked at about .50. Testing again tomorrow. Nitrates are fine. Fish, coral, and CUC are all thriving. I also noticed a couple of pineapple sponges today. Its like this stuff just crawls in to the tank by itself! I am so careful with all new introductions.

FishingLovingSons · Oct 12, 2020

I had hair algae and cyano begin to spread so I blacked out the whole tank for 3 days and no feedings. The 3 frags and few fish didn’t like it but have all recovered. My CUC decided they wanted to keep eating and knocked everything back down to a very manageable level; all the “white fuzz” is gone as well! Mixture of all snails and a few hermits. My wife called it “putting the tank in timeout” but it helped. Either the no light killed off the white stuff or the CUC got it with the algae!

jcosta98 · Oct 14, 2020

Hi, I also started having this white fuzz stuff, but seems like I'm beating it... only thing I did was bump up Magnesium, clean it and trying to raise Nitrates. Also I noticed that my Astrea Snails eat that stuff, but it grows right back. also looks like they have a "max length" where they don't grow taller.

MThorne · Oct 14, 2020

Has anyone tried a beneficial bacteria culture to battle or out compete this suspect bacterial culture. I use micro bacter7 just for this reason. It claims to out compete and I have never had this issue. Just a thought?

FishingLovingSons · Oct 15, 2020

MThorne said:
Has anyone tried a beneficial bacteria culture to battle or out compete this suspect bacterial culture. I use micro bacter7 just for this reason. It claims to out compete and I have never had this issue. Just a thought?

I use Continuum Bacter Gen- MD and did not help at all. Since my 3 day blackout I haven’t added any nutrients but the “fuzz” has stayed away; even now back to full light intensity. Maybe the smallest remnants here or there but like 2% left of the initial.

I have to think the CUC got it during their “time out”

jcosta98 · Oct 15, 2020

I was advised to not add any bacteria as it could possibly make things even worse if this was caused by some bacterial bloom (Not sure because my Astrea eat it). Also one common thing i see among people who have this problem is very low Nitrates and Phosphates, don't know if it can be related.

enb141 · Nov 12, 2020

I have the same problem, I'm gonna upload pics tomorrow, my tanks is kinda new (9 months), but the weird thing is that the rock and sand was from my old tank (5 years old) so it should be that new.

In my case in some parts it looks like a spider cocoon.

Christopher Aslett · Dec 21, 2020

The first thing would be to look at it under a microscope. Fungal hyphae and any fruiting bodies are quite distinct. If it is photosynthetic then it would ordinarily be possible to control it by modulating nitrogen and phosphorus. Nutrient management.

As I understand it, there has been a renaissance of using old coral skeletons in calcium reactors. Dissolving coral skeletons to supply corals with everything they require to build new skeletons conjures up warm fuzzy feelings which inspire us to tree hung, however, the reality of their use is very different.

Uninhabited coral skeletons are like sponges and sequester phosphate. That includes when they are sat on a beach in the wild. They are also made from phosphate. When coral accretion occurs, the coral includes a small proportion of phosphate in the matrix. All calcium reactor mediums release some phosphate which can be removed by dripping the effluent through granular ferric oxide (GFO). As I understand it, coral skeleton-based calcium reactor mediums release more phosphate than any other. Who knows when GFO is saturated and requires replacing?

Christopher Aslett · Dec 21, 2020

This stuff under the microscope appears to be some sort of fungi. I suspect it is a consortium of microorganisms acting in unison. Other debris was apparent on the slide.

Green fruiting bodies attached to what appear to be syncytial hyphae.

revenant · Dec 21, 2020

looks like bacteria to me... people say when they dive ocean reefs they see it all the time.. I have some now on the underside of some of my lr... I've read it's not bad and should just go away with time.. some of mine has already dissipated after a couple weeks.

edit: the microscope idea is solid. Best to be sure.

Christopher Aslett · Dec 22, 2020

This is the structure of bacteria. Marine bacteria a much smaller and often motile. The organism in the images I took is much larger than bacteria and has the structure of fungal hyphae with possible sporing bodies. Like the picture below. The organism on the rocks is possibly an order of magitude larger if not two than any known bacteria. However, the mycelia (strands) of the aquarium image do not have cross walls to divide up the cells which is also a common feature of fungi but not the one below. They entirely not like bacteria. The closest you’ll get from another kingdom is alga.