Can someone tell me what this is?

ChuckNasty · 07/08/2015, 12:50 AM

This stuff has been growing in my tank almost since it was done cycling... It looks like a maroon covered velvet substance. I actually like the way it looks, I just want to know if its dangerous, does not look like coralline either.

Shaummy · 07/08/2015, 06:17 AM

Looks like a start of some Cyano...does it come off easily?

ChuckNasty · 07/08/2015, 05:37 PM

yeah, I took a toothbrush to it, it came off in a sheet. Like you would think velvet would come off a deers antler. Literally feels and looks like velvet. Kinda cool actually.

Mcgeezer · 07/08/2015, 07:13 PM

That's definitely cyano if it's soft and comes off like a blanket. Manually remove as much as possible, run GFO, and consider using Ultralife red slime remover to kill it off. Ultralife is excellent, reef safe, and will nuke cyano with the quickness.

Trust me...you won't think cyano is cool once it covers every square inch of your tank in a blanket of slime.

Salty Cracker · 07/08/2015, 10:47 PM

Chemi pure elite in your reactor! I'll swear by it.

hotelbravo · 07/08/2015, 11:17 PM

more flow would get rid of it. the bacteria wont grow in proper flow. i personally wouldnt use an additive to kill the cyano since it is a bacteria and the products dont specificly target that type of bacteria which results in your beneficial bacteria to be harmed aswell

eddiereefs · 07/08/2015, 11:38 PM

Thats a sponge, the stuff on the bottom right may be cyano.

eddiereefs · 07/08/2015, 11:40 PM

http://www.garf.org/news13p2.html

daveM100 · 07/08/2015, 11:47 PM

I did an experiment with red slime. Took some from my dt's fuge and added it to a 45 long tank. Took over the whole thing. started at one side and covered everything then receded from the start side and ran its coarse. Never added anything, just wanted to see what would happen. If you manually remove it make sure you get any pieces that break off.

billdogg · 07/09/2015, 06:09 AM

Manual removal, increased flow, and time. Cyanobacteria will come and go in pretty much all tanks. I, too, am against using any chemical in my tank to get rid of what is nothing more than a short term nuisance.

tmz · 07/09/2015, 08:45 AM

It is cyanobacteria which is ubiquitous.
Manual removal and removal of decaying particulate and dissolved organic matter helps control it. It will grow in high flow or very low flow . Higher flow does help minimize the build up of detritus( decaying matter) though.

Granulated activated carbon( GAC) sorbs some organics. Granulated ferric oxide (GFO) adsorbs inorganic phosphate which cyanobacteia also use. Neither of these involve putting chemicals in the tank.
Chemipure Elite is a mix of GAC and GFO with a little deionizing resin ;The di resin doesn't do much at all in a salt water applications but may be helpful in fresh water applications since it adsorbs dissolved solids of all types and there are relatively high concentrations of dissolved solids is salt water which will exhaust the resin in not time. So essentially it's just all in one GAC and GFO filtration media that doesn't add chemicals to the tank. Chemi clean another product by the same manufacturer does ad chemicals to the tank as does the other product noted ,ie ,redslime remover. Cyano can produce toxins when it dies of quickly as when chemical treatments are used. Personally I avoid them but see no problem with GFO or GAC.

Deberber · 07/09/2015, 09:02 AM

Yeah as said, remove the big sheets of it manually and then add more flow to the tank so it doesn't start growing back.

07/08/2015, 06:17 AM	#2
Shaummy Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Chicago burbs Posts: 857	Looks like a start of some Cyano...does it come off easily? __________________ Shaummy Current Tank Info: Current Tank Info: 90g mixed reef, hermits, snails,Lyretail Anthias,Orange back Fairy Wrasse,Blue Reef Chromis,small blue tang, Flame Hawk, Royal Gramma

07/08/2015, 05:37 PM	#3
ChuckNasty Registered Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Spooner, WI. Posts: 105	yeah, I took a toothbrush to it, it came off in a sheet. Like you would think velvet would come off a deers antler. Literally feels and looks like velvet. Kinda cool actually. __________________ \|\| 24 Gallon / 1.026 Salinity / 80 Deg. / mixed reef \|\| \|\| There's an old saying... "White water in the morning." \|\|

07/08/2015, 11:17 PM	#6
hotelbravo Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 2,175	more flow would get rid of it. the bacteria wont grow in proper flow. i personally wouldnt use an additive to kill the cyano since it is a bacteria and the products dont specificly target that type of bacteria which results in your beneficial bacteria to be harmed aswell __________________ -Hodge Current Tank Info: 180 gallon, 40b sump. 3x OR T247 lighting, Reef Octopus protein skimmer, phosban 550 reactor, tunze ato, gyre xf 150, 2x mag 9.5 returns.

07/08/2015, 11:47 PM	#9
daveM100 What? Join Date: May 2014 Location: Ventura, California Posts: 403	I did an experiment with red slime. Took some from my dt's fuge and added it to a 45 long tank. Took over the whole thing. started at one side and covered everything then receded from the start side and ran its coarse. Never added anything, just wanted to see what would happen. If you manually remove it make sure you get any pieces that break off. __________________ Dave 240g, 100g fuge, blah blah blah in the works. Current Tank Info: 100 (96.6) gallon reef, 35g sump, 33g skimmer tub, 40g fuge, 30g qt

07/09/2015, 06:09 AM	#10
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	Manual removal, increased flow, and time. Cyanobacteria will come and go in pretty much all tanks. I, too, am against using any chemical in my tank to get rid of what is nothing more than a short term nuisance. __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

07/08/2015, 07:13 PM	#4
Mcgeezer Reef gardener Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: DeLand, Florida Posts: 1,205	That's definitely cyano if it's soft and comes off like a blanket. Manually remove as much as possible, run GFO, and consider using Ultralife red slime remover to kill it off. Ultralife is excellent, reef safe, and will nuke cyano with the quickness. Trust me...you won't think cyano is cool once it covers every square inch of your tank in a blanket of slime.

07/08/2015, 10:47 PM	#5
Salty Cracker Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 218	Chemi pure elite in your reactor! I'll swear by it.

07/08/2015, 11:38 PM	#7
eddiereefs Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 575	Thats a sponge, the stuff on the bottom right may be cyano.

07/08/2015, 11:40 PM	#8
eddiereefs Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 575	http://www.garf.org/news13p2.html

07/09/2015, 08:45 AM	#11
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,691	It is cyanobacteria which is ubiquitous. Manual removal and removal of decaying particulate and dissolved organic matter helps control it. It will grow in high flow or very low flow . Higher flow does help minimize the build up of detritus( decaying matter) though. Granulated activated carbon( GAC) sorbs some organics. Granulated ferric oxide (GFO) adsorbs inorganic phosphate which cyanobacteia also use. Neither of these involve putting chemicals in the tank. Chemipure Elite is a mix of GAC and GFO with a little deionizing resin ;The di resin doesn't do much at all in a salt water applications but may be helpful in fresh water applications since it adsorbs dissolved solids of all types and there are relatively high concentrations of dissolved solids is salt water which will exhaust the resin in not time. So essentially it's just all in one GAC and GFO filtration media that doesn't add chemicals to the tank. Chemi clean another product by the same manufacturer does ad chemicals to the tank as does the other product noted ,ie ,redslime remover. Cyano can produce toxins when it dies of quickly as when chemical treatments are used. Personally I avoid them but see no problem with GFO or GAC. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals. Last edited by tmz; 07/09/2015 at 08:57 AM.

07/09/2015, 09:02 AM	#12
Deberber Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: North Carolina Posts: 451	Yeah as said, remove the big sheets of it manually and then add more flow to the tank so it doesn't start growing back.