Brown slime in sump

[bigbsreef]

Hey everyone first time posting to the forum. I've read it and looked for advice for a long time. I have a 9 month old mixed reef tank. I've noticed over the past 3 or 4 weeks my filter socks have been clogging badly. Well tonight I heard them overflowing and found this thick brown slime all over the socks. It's so thick they where holding water. I am dosing manually to maintain my levels. Calcium every other day, mag every day levels are low and I'm trying to get them up. Plus a little baking soda every 4 or 5 days to maintain alkalinity. Parameters are:
Alkalinity 10
Calcium 380
Magnesium 450
Ph 8.2
Nitrate 7

Pictures of display and sump socks.

 

[Subsea]

Why so high on the alkalinity?

What corals and livestock are in the display?

 

[FUNGI]

do you dose NoPox?

 

[bigbsreef]

Why so high on the alkalinity?

What corals and livestock are in the display?

Alkalinity jumped with my last water change on Sunday. I haven't dosed since. I'm using instant ocean reaf crystals. Alkalinity was at 5 before water change. I have a duncan, pavona, several zoa colonies, green hairy mushroom and one 12" rainbow bta

 

[bigbsreef]

do you dose NoPox?

I don't. I'm new to this what is it?

 

[FUNGI]

Alkalinity jumped with my last water change on Sunday. I haven't dosed since. I'm using instant ocean reaf crystals. Alkalinity was at 5 before water change. I have a duncan, pavona, several zoa colonies, green hairy mushroom and one 12" rainbow bta

Unpopular Opinion....
With just those corals in the system, you really dont need to dose anything....except that mag....

 

[FUNGI]

are your socks exposed to any light? That looks like algae....

 

[bigbsreef]

are your socks exposed to any light? That looks like algae....

No just the light off my auto top of sensor

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

Looks like the algae that grows in the high flow areas of my seed tank filter,

 

[bigbsreef]

Looks like the algae that grows in the high flow areas of my seed tank filter,

I suppose it could be. It's very high does right there. I keep a power head running in that areas too. What i will say was it was the slimeyist thing I've ever touched. I've never seen algea like it. Literally could barely hold on to the filter socks. They where so clogged with it they where holding water.

 

[Tavero]

Hey everyone first time posting to the forum. I've read it and looked for advice for a long time. I have a 9 month old mixed reef tank. I've noticed over the past 3 or 4 weeks my filter socks have been clogging badly. Well tonight I heard them overflowing and found this thick brown slime all over the socks. It's so thick they where holding water. I am dosing manually to maintain my levels. Calcium every other day, mag every day levels are low and I'm trying to get them up. Plus a little baking soda every 4 or 5 days to maintain alkalinity. Parameters are:
Alkalinity 10
Calcium 380
Magnesium 450
Ph 8.2
Nitrate 7

Pictures of display and sump socks.

Magnesium 450? You mean 1450 right?

Your alkalinity is too high compared to calcium. Looks like a precipitation issue to me.

 

[bigbsreef]

Magnesium 450? You mean 1450 right?

Your alkalinity is too high compared to calcium. Looks like a precipitation issue to me.

No my stuff got all out of whack. I'm new to having a tank like this. I started with a 30 and only fish. I'm working on getting my mag up. Alkalinity jumped with my last water change.

 

[Tavero]

No my stuff got all out of whack. I'm new to having a tank like this. I started with a 30 and only fish. I'm working on getting my mag up. Alkalinity jumped with my last water change.

Your water parameters are literally physically impossible. They would be past the solubility of an aqueous mixture containing ca/mg ions . I am now certain this is an precipitation issue and the brown slime is either magnesium carbonate or calcium carbonate. Check how you measure your parameters because your posted ones are definitely wrong. Either user error or faulty test kit. And stop dosing for now.

Mix a new batch of salt water and try your measurements there.

 

[Subsea]

Your water parameters are literally physically impossible. They would be past the solubility of an aqueous mixture containing ca/mg ions . I am now certain this is an precipitation issue and the brown slime is either magnesium carbonate or calcium carbonate. Check how you measure your parameters because your posted ones are definitely wrong. Either user error or faulty test kit. And stop dosing for now.

Mix a new batch of salt water and try your measurements there.

@bigbsreef
I agree with the above post. I don’t believe the numbers that you posted with respect to alkalinity & pH unless you saw a snowstorm precipitation of magnesium carbonate.

 

[bigbsreef]

Your water parameters are literally physically impossible. They would be past the solubility of an aqueous mixture containing ca/mg ions . I am now certain this is an precipitation issue and the brown slime is either magnesium carbonate or calcium carbonate. Check how you measure your parameters because your posted ones are definitely wrong. Either user error or faulty test kit. And stop dosing for now.

Mix a new batch of salt water and try your measurements there.

Hmmm interesting. I am using a red sea test kit i bought about 7 years ago. Maybe the alkalinity test expired? I did my calcium test twice and got 460 each time. Mag test was the same 450. Alkalinity went down to 9.5 according to my test. My ph and alkalinity test kit are both from that red sea kit. I suppose I should replace them.

 

[Subsea]

Hmmm interesting. I am using a red sea test kit i bought about 7 years ago. Maybe the alkalinity test expired? I did my calcium test twice and got 460 each time. Mag test was the same 450. Alkalinity went down to 9.5 according to my test. My ph and alkalinity test kit are both from that red sea kit. I suppose I should replace them.

Do what Tavero suggested

“Mix a new batch of salt water and try your measurements there.”

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Hmmm interesting. I am using a red sea test kit i bought about 7 years ago. Maybe the alkalinity test expired? I did my calcium test twice and got 460 each time. Mag test was the same 450. Alkalinity went down to 9.5 according to my test. My ph and alkalinity test kit are both from that red sea kit. I suppose I should replace them.

You're using 7 year old test kits and reagents??

 

[bigbsreef]

Do what Tavero suggested

“Mix a new batch of salt water and try your measurements there.”

Yeah that's a great idea. I'm absolutely going to do that. I just checked my bucket. It has the estimated levels on it. So I can verify my test.

 

[bigbsreef]

@bigbsreef
I agree with the above post. I don’t believe the numbers that you posted with respect to alkalinity & pH unless you saw a snowstorm precipitation of magnesium carbonate.

OK so my test of a fresh batch of water was 9.5 dkh. Verified twice. Internet says I should have 11 with this salt. It's this deviation within the batch or my kit?

Also is this why I'm growing this some/algae?

 

[bigbsreef]

OK so my test of a fresh batch of water was 9.5 dkh. Verified twice. Internet says I should have 11 with this salt. It's this deviation within the batch or my kit?

Also is this why I'm growing this some/algae?

OK so I absolutely have a learning disability i misread my mag test. So current parameters are

Alkalinity 9.5
Calcium 460
Mag 975
Ph 8.2
Nitrate 7