PLEASE HELP! The Slime!

[madrefkepr]

Got back from a week - long vacation on Saturday, to find exactly 1/2 of my tank (left to right) covered in a yellow-green slime. Everything was fine when I left, and I made up seperate packets of food for each day I was gone, so the friend tending my tank couldn't overfeed it. The only thing I know that did happen while I was gone was the power was out for a couple of hours one day. When I got home, the water level in my skimmer was at the bottom of the neck, rather than in the middle, where I keep it.

First question: This slime is more of a yellow than green, what is it? (sorry, no camera for pic).

Second question: The slime covers everything on the left half of the tank, but stops right where the top crossmember is. Not a trace of it on the right side. Have not done a thing with the tank since I got home (other than adjust the skimmer), and it has not become worse, or better. Why only 1 side of the tank?

Third question: Now what do I do?

SG: 1.024 - pH 8.2 - Ammonia 0 - Nitrate 0 - Nitrite 0 - Alk normal - Calcium 420. Use R/O water for topoff/water changes. Don't know phosphate level, need new kit. 220W PC's, 10 hours/day - 65 gallon tank

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

When you say covered, what do you actually mean?

 

[madrefkepr]

I mean it the stuff is on everything, rocks, star polyps, a couple old snail shells in the sand, some on a powerhead hanging from the top lip of the tank, you name it. The only thing it doesn't cover on the left side of the tank is the sand.

If it were red, instead of yellow-green, I would almost say it was cyano. But this is thicker than any red slime I have ever seen. I would say it is easily 1/4" thick in places. I wish I had a camera, I've never seen anything like it.

 

[Anonymous]

Is it like mucous? Does it have bubbles in it? It could be dinoflagalates (sp?).

http://www.reefs.org/library/article/t_crail.html

 

[danmhippo]

Does it look more like green slime algae mat in most typical lily pond?

 

[madrefkepr]

Does have bubbles in it in places. I think it probably is dino. Hoping it was something else. Have killed the lights for now. Seems to have spread very rapidly overnight, almost covering rocks that didn't have any of it yesterday afternoon. Oh well...let the battle begin....

Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

Does it look more like green slime algae mat in most typical lily pond?

When we fish Bass tournaments we refer to that type of algae as "Frog Snot".


Are you sure something isn't wrong with the lighting on that one side?

 

[madrefkepr]

Are you sure something isn't wrong with the lighting on that one side?

That was my first thought. Everything lighting - wise seems okay. The stuff has started to cross the "line" now.

I would not have expected dino to "explode" like this. Maybe I am wrong. Can't figure out why. I never feed more than what dissappears in about 5 minutes, with circulation off. Everything is still alive, near as I can tell, so I don't think anything is rotting away in a corner. Any other ideas?

 

[danmhippo]

If it's dino for sure, try turning the light off for a day and raise pH to 8.4 over 2 days. High pH will help precipretate phosphate out of water, robbing nutrient from the algae and cause dino to crash.

After you leave the light off a full day, turn the light on for only 3-4 hours a day there after until the problem algae is irradicated. The reduced lighting schedule helps to control algae growth, and high pH to cure the problem.

Dino has pretty much the same nutrient requirement as other algae, so you will have to make several large water changes to bring nutrient level down. Chances are if you take readings NOW, you will get all zero's because dino has used them up as soon as they are produced.

 

[madrefkepr]

Thanks for the advice, danmhippo. That was pretty much the plan I had in mind.

 

[Contender]

Well....that explains that algae I have been battling with for a few weeks now. I have been able to keep it localized on a small part so far, but it has slowly been spreading. Anyone know if this could be related with my green brittle starfish slowly wasting away and refusing to eat? I think this 2+ year old 15" starfish is hours away from dying, and I think the start of its demise began with my first bouts of dinos....maybe just a coincidence?

 

[madrefkepr]

I have read a few times that dino is toxic to snails, but not sure about starfish.