Help! - Orange Slimy Matter Growing On All Surfaces

[mark4785]

For the past 3 months or so I've been trying to rid one of my open-top planted tanks of this orange slime that forms on the aquarium glass, inlet/outlet pipes and all other surfaces in the external filter. It usually forms 3-4 days after having cleaned it up with a sponge/cloth. At first I thought it was dirt that had separated from the play sand but it actually has a slimy feel to it (I cannot feel any sand or dirt particles) and it usually causes the entire length of all the aquarium glass panes to be covered in a orange haze.

2 months ago, prior to having disinfected the aquarium, all of the equipment that I used with the aquarium and having thrown away the initial external filter, this orange slimy growth was causing the following problems:

1. A white slimy film was floating on the water's surface which was flexible (like snot) and usually had several transparent semi-circle bubbles floating on the surface. They were about 4cm in length.

2. All surfaces were covered in a orange slimy hazy substance and the filtration system actually contained fleshy-like orange chunks which had infested the inlet/outlet tubes and all filtration media.

3. There was no oxygen in the water. Before I knew I had a dangerous 'orangey-growth' in the aquarium, I had added 3 black neon tetras which died of lack of oxygen within 5 minutes.


Zoom forward 2 months and I now have the same orange substance forming on all surfaces.

I need help identifying what the growth is. It looks and smells like sand but yet is lethal and chokes up the filter system which is thing that causes me a great deal of confusion.

Pictures of the orange substance:

(Ignore the sand grains)

(Orangey substance beginning to form - nothing like this forms on my other aquarium glass and this contains the SAME play sand)

(Again, ignore the sand grains; the substance is on the glass and on the side of the curved black pipe)

(This is the best picture; you can clearly see a yellow tinge to the all of the panes of glass. I have the SAME play sand in the aquarium to the left yet the glass remains crystal clear)

Fish tank system contents:
- Play sand which has been disinfected with bleach
- Blue sodalite-like rocks bought from Aqua-essentials (see picture below)
- Biological ceramic rings, white wool and biological filtration sponge.

Does anybody know the name of the rocks that I have?
Any body know what the orange substance is?
Anybody know HOW to get rid of the orange substance (bear in mind that I replaced an entire filtration system, old heater and disinfected the aquarium with strong bleach only to find that the orange-substance is now forming again!)

Thanks

 

[O'Neil]

I've never seen or heard of this, but I did find this for you, I hope it helps you get your tank sorted. I'll keep looking and ask around for you tho.

http://www.myaquariumclub.com/orange-algae-somehow-my-tank-has-been-contaminated-with-a...-531234.html

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

Isn't that just diatom? From too much light and too little co2?

 

[mark4785]

Isn't that just diatom? From too much light and too little co2?

No as the tank hasn't had any light over it and I'm pretty sure diatoms don't actually feel slimy and grow in the filtration system.

 

[mark4785]

http://www.myaquariumclub.com/orange-algae-somehow-my-tank-has-been-contaminated-with-a...-531234.html

Thanks for the link. They are saying it is caused by food and light but the tank has not received any proper light or food. It has only been set up for around 6 days and was spotless on day 1.

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

Vahlah! Seems me and the link agree. Whats best of all, Is that I haven't even looked at it.

 

[mark4785]

Vahlah! Seems me and the link agree. Whats best of all, Is that I haven't even looked at it.

How does this orange algae form? Its certainly not getting it's nutrients from aquarium food as the link suggests. Also, as already said, the tank receives little to no sun light.

I have found a forum thread that describes the problem I'm experiencing exactly. Here is the link:Unknown Substance in Filter - Aquarium Forum . They are describing it has a filter gunk. Where does it come from??

 

[niru]

take it to a local biology school with good microscope. If its something living, they will tell you. perhaps they can even culture it? (or you can try this?) But to me it does look like gunk either from filter, or open tank getting it from the room or even some stuff leaking from hardscape. you can do a control by using the same tank water outside the tank in a bottle and hoping for some residual gunk at bottom...

cheers,

 

[mark4785]

take it to a local biology school with good microscope. If its something living, they will tell you. perhaps they can even culture it? (or you can try this?) But to me it does look like gunk either from filter, or open tank getting it from the room or even some stuff leaking from hardscape. you can do a control by using the same tank water outside the tank in a bottle and hoping for some residual gunk at bottom...

cheers,

Thanks for the suggestion. I've contacted the Biology department at Newcastle University and they are allowing me to mail a sample of the gunk to them. I'm going to bleach, yet again, the entire aquarium and all of it's equipment, then fill it up with water, with added salt (Wharf Aquatics advised I put salt in to dry up the gunk).

This time I'm taking the play sand out as Wharf agreed that some sort of chemical may have been added to the sand which is causing oxygen absorption and the gunk.

Hopefully next time I post all will be well. I'm only giving it another 'shot'; if the gunk grows back I think i'll just hire a skip and throw everything away.

 

[O'Neil]

Let us know how it goes, I'm intrigued by this : )

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

Using bleach for a second time isnt going to 'cure' it. As its obviously something your doing thats to blame.
I believe it is diatom buildup, but do as you will. People have tried to help you in the past, and it hasn't worked. Mostly because you ask for advice, then choose to ignore it, once given to you by members MUCH more capable and knowledgeable then myself.

As you were.

 

[mark4785]

Using bleach for a second time isnt going to 'cure' it. As its obviously something your doing thats to blame.
I believe it is diatom buildup, but do as you will. People have tried to help you in the past, and it hasn't worked. Mostly because you ask for advice, then choose to ignore it, once given to you by members MUCH more capable and knowledgeable then myself.

As you were.

I appreciate all spectrums of advice given although I am able to filter out the advice which is not so plausible.

From experience, diatoms are blotchy and quite crusty to touch. What I'm dealing with doesn't have that texture.

With regards to me being to blame, first of all, I'd just like to say thank you very much. All I have done is filled an aquarium with water, rocks and play sand and applied an heater and filtration system.

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

Okay, sorry for the outburst but I very much believe this is Diatom. I have the same algae in my tanks upon start up and get build up on pipes the same as this.

Please don't think that Im getting at you, but the disinfecting thing really isn't necessary. The only thing you should really need bleach for is for killing the algae buildup on an inline co2 diffuser, not for its 'killing' itself, but to remove the algae to allow co2 to pass through the ceramic unhindered.

Is the tank relatively new set up? It can take some weeks to go, these diatoms.

Is it slippery? And like a jellyalmost?

 

[mark4785]

Okay, sorry for the outburst but I very much believe this is Diatom. I have the same algae in my tanks upon start up and get build up on pipes the same as this.

Please don't think that Im getting at you, but the disinfecting thing really isn't necessary. The only thing you should really need bleach for is for killing the algae buildup on an inline co2 diffuser, not for its 'killing' itself, but to remove the algae to allow co2 to pass through the ceramic unhindered.

Is the tank relatively new set up? It can take some weeks to go, these diatoms.

Is it slippery? And like a jellyalmost?

Its a dark orangey haze which is very slippery (not quite as bulky has jelly would be though). The water itself even has a slimy feel to it.

The tank up until yesterday had been running for 6 days.

I used to have a small 60 litre quarantine aquarium in place of the problem-tank and I only had diatoms appear on one pane of glass 3-4 weeks into a photoperiod routine. The stuff your calling diatoms is on every imaginable surface including the hosing and the inside of the filter.

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

Hmm, it could be caused possibly by silica in the sand?

In fact, completely against what I thought before, this is definitely a more likely cause in hindsight :

-Caused by excess silicates
- caused by low light

Silica Algae - Causes and Cures for Silica Algae

 

[O'Neil]

It could be something biological in the play sand, personally i'd try boiling it, strip the tank and scrub everything, and fill up with chlorinated water and let it run for a few days, then start again. I still have no idea what it is your dealing with tho, i've never had it happen or seen it. Even google which i'm sure you've already tried returns similar results but nothing specific.

 

[mark4785]

Hmm, it could be caused possibly by silica in the sand?

In fact, completely against what I thought before, this is definitely a more likely cause in hindsight :

-Caused by excess silicates
- caused by low light

Silica Algae - Causes and Cures for Silica Algae

Just had a look at the following link: Non-Toxic Kids: Safer Play Sand- . Within the fourth paragraph it does say silica is used in some play sands "and is a known carcinogenic".

The play sand I bought has a slogan that reads something like "safe and fun for kids". So my educated guess is that the sand won't have a silicate in because how would the representatives of the sand company be able to sleep at night with the slogan "safe and fun for kids" knowing it had a cancer-causing silicate in? I bought the play sand from here: Children's Playpit Sand Play 25kg Sandpit Play Pit Kids | eBay .

I actually contacted the company of the sand (its not a well known brand of sand like Unipac which places like Aqua Essentials endorse) earlier today and I am awaiting for them to tell me their sand composition.

 

[NatureBoy]

Hmm, it could be caused possibly by silica in the sand?

In fact, completely against what I thought before, this is definitely a more likely cause in hindsight :

-Caused by excess silicates
- caused by low light

Silica Algae - Causes and Cures for Silica Algae

Sounds plausible, I recall silicates are often associated with diatom algae.

Newcastle Uni will probably report back that a new Silica based life form has adpated to fill this niche environment, in place of the carbon based life forms that routinely get hammered with ammonia and bleach.

This could be ground breaking...I look forward to their findings with great scientific interest

 

[mark4785]

Sounds plausible, I recall silicates are often associated with diatom algae.

Newcastle Uni will probably report back that a new Silica based life form has adpated to fill this niche environment, in place of the carbon based life forms that routinely get hammered with ammonia and bleach.

This could be ground breaking...I look forward to their findings with great scientific interest

Please keep the conversation non-sarcastic if you can. Thank you mate.

 

[mark4785]

It could be something biological in the play sand, personally i'd try boiling it, strip the tank and scrub everything, and fill up with chlorinated water and let it run for a few days, then start again. I still have no idea what it is your dealing with tho, i've never had it happen or seen it. Even google which i'm sure you've already tried returns similar results but nothing specific.

I will do something of this sort today and throughout tomorrow. I think I'll leave the bleach out of the situation and just use table salt to dry up the material. I'll report back how I get on.