White Slime! Is tank doomed?

[dannyV95]

Hello,

I started in this hobby over a year and a half ago and this site along with many others have helped me navigate the reef tank world for all this time with major success and the occasional incident. Finally, I made an account days ago and was going to post a fun thread introducing myself with pics of my tank and its inhabitants and was waiting for a day off so I could share my journey. I have had this tank for 1 and half years and it has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I am a photojournalist who scubas and does underwater visuals and this felt like a natural step to take. Born and raised in Florida and am an Eagle Scout so nature has been a fixture in my life forever. A reef tank sounded like the ultimate homage. That said, it unfortunately is no longer possible. I come to you now on the verge of tears. Starting on Tuesday morning (October 22, 2024) I noticed a bit of what appeared like transparent stringy mucus, the water was murky and a large water change did nothing. I did some research and have pretty confidently identified it as white slime(some bacteria). It also is emFrom reading up on this bacteria bloom there seems like Im screwed with no real solutions anywhere. Its only been two days but I don't see how this is tenable. The water changes do nothing, my nano skimmer is constantly clogged and the sock filter lasts maybe a few hours before needing a cleaning. Im manually taking out the slime with a pipette but it comes back in hours. It is on all my coral and rock work. Unlike regular nuisance algae it isn't stopping polyps on my gorgonians from coming out, other corals are out and the fish seem fine. I feel terrible for them, though. I inserted an airstone for fear of low oxygen since I saw them gasping for a second. From reading around I think carbon is the source but idont dose carbon. After thinking on it I realized I did spill some waste from the skimmer into the tank accidentally while cleaning on Monday(its full of carbon im reading). Prior to this I had Dinos and diatoms. For this reason I was just trying to keep nutriments low and was feeding live tigger pods. Then I had a major ALK swing. Did I bottom out and give the bacteria room to grow? At this point I was toward the end of a Diatom bloom and was running g it pretty clean. Im going to post pictures of the tank currently and spin test results going a few weeks back. Last few days had a very low PH and brining it back up slowly with BALANCE. Salinity has been pretty constant at 25. I should mention about two weeks ago I added a mangrove propagule which didn't seem to have any effect. Then on Monday night (right before bacterial bloom) I added some corals and live rock from a friend who owns an established tank of over 15 years. I was whining about the Dinos and diatoms and Ill take them back right now. This is so depressing.

My setup:
15 gallon water box (more like 12g with rocks)
Ai 16 HD light (97par max to 24 inches I believe)
pair of clowns, canary wrasse, and a yahoo goby/ pistol shrimp pair
mostly LPS and a few SPS
nano skimmer
I dose All For Reef roughly 6ml through out the day but cut that out over the last week thanks to the ALK swing


For the pictures im also going to post a link to a wetransfer file because im afraid the photos won't show. sorry I know this is another step but I implore you to take a look and give me some advice pr at least some words of encouragement. I never thought Id be on this end of the threads. I don't wanna be dramatic but this is a blow.
The pics show spin tests results going back to OCT 7 and then some pics of the bloom.

wetransfer link for photos: https://wetransfer.com/downloads/387388cb003563c560642fdf5e25ce5420241023150810/cde6b73d7ecfe6aea57560221ff45d3820241023150846/2766b6?t_exp=1729955290&t_lsid=6a0dd271-9b0a-4a84-b12d-d4423422e50a&t_network=email&t_s=download_link&t_ts=1729696126 (good for two days) reach out to me if expired, Ill resend.

Best Regards,
Danny Varela

 

[Turtle_reef]

The image you provided deffinatly shows that it is heavily impacted by a bacterial bloom.

Here are some additional suggestions

1. Quarantine Affected Corals and Live Rock: If possible, remove any corals or live rock that appear to be heavily affected by the bacterial bloom and place them in a quarantine tank. This can help prevent the spread of the bacteria to other parts of your main tank.

2. Increase Water Changes: Continue to perform frequent and large water changes to help dilute the bacterial load and remove nutrients that are fueling the bloom.

3. Improve Water Flow: Ensure that there is adequate water flow throughout the tank to help disperse the bacteria and prevent stagnant areas. You might consider adjusting your powerheads or adding additional flow.

4. Consider a UV Sterilizer: A UV sterilizer can help reduce bacterial populations in the water. However, be cautious as UV light can also harm beneficial organisms.

5. Use a Bacterial Treatment: There are specialized bacterial treatments available that can help combat harmful bacteria. Follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully.

6. Monitor Parameters: Keep a close eye on your water parameters, especially nitrates, phosphates, and ammonia. High levels of these nutrients can fuel bacterial growth.

7. Patience and Persistence: Remember that recovering from a bacterial bloom can take time. Be patient and persistent in your efforts.

I wish you success in resolving this issue. As well if you own other testers such as Henna I'd give that a go to see what the readings are at.

 

[ScottJ]

I would give a UV sterilizer a shot. Bet it will clear that up in a couple days.