WHAT in the world is this SLIME???

Andyandsue

YUCK! Ok, so my tank had a bacterial bloom. It was very slight, and I was keeping it at bay with almost daily water changes. I added algone to the tank and the bacterial bloom seems to be getting better, but this morning I was checking on the tank and I noticed this slime on the packet of algone. It was a brownish mucous-like SMELLY slime. VERY gross. I tossed the packet and put a new one in. Does anyone know what the heck that was?

Than water itself does not smell foul. My water parameters are perfect (A=O Nitri=0 Nitra<5, pH is 8, but it always is).

I know I am overstocked and Mr. Pleco is going to a friend this weekend.

fish_4_all

I have not been bale to find anyting about Algone or any other product causing this so I am going to guess. The fact that the slime is on the bag and this is supposed to remove the phosphates I am thinking one of two things:
The first is that the phopshates are so high on the product that it has started to leech out of the bag as more of it is trying to react than the bag can hold.
Second, there could be some kind of algae or maybe a single celled creature out there that thrives in high levels of phosphates and they are having a field day.

Sorry I can't be more specific but I hate to leave something just hanging that I at least have a theory on.

I wish there was a real way to test either theory but both depend on high levels of phopshates and both could be triggered or at least noticeable at the same amount of time.

Andyandsue

Actually the algone isn't supposed to remove phosphates. I know this is so damn complicated. In place of my normal eclipse cartridge I put the bag of algone (did you see the website www.algone.com/?) and the phosphate removing floss.

I keep thinking that since I put the bag in the filter so that the water goes through it first, and then the floss, and the bag being very thick in comparison, maybe it is reacting somehow making the bacterial bloom coagulate. Maybe?? If it is the bacteria that would explain the terrible smell, and the slight clearing of my water.

fish_4_all

Hmm, I figured it would remove phosphates also but maybe it doesn't. You could be right with it being first the bacteria or whatever it is seems to be getting a lot of food to feed on and that is causing it.

There is something else it could be. If it removes all of these things then what is to say it won't remove the aloe or whatever it is in our chlorine removal stuff that restores the slime coat? It could be that also. Maybe it is a form of Cyano bacteria or maybe a form of diatom that is growing on it because of what it is made of or because of the concentration of the chemicals it removes.

Maybe it is time to contact the company and ask them why a clear blob of "stuff" is growing from the bag. I will give it a 75% chance they say to replace the bag more often.

Elahrairah

I use algone too.

I use the big bag, because they say you can't use too much, and this way, I have to replace it less often.

Every week I do a 30% water change and flush out the filter and purigen bag. I also notice my algone bag is bloated and covered in slime. I assumed diatoms as well. If you squeeze the bag, it smells like death itself..... I squeeze the bag out, and scrape off the slime and put it back in my fileter....I throw it out and replace it about every 3 months (I use the big bag for ponds).....

I have a bit of algae growning on some driftwood, but it is not much and it looks cool. I have a lot of plants and CO2 injection and my 2 otos keep them clean, I see no algae on the glass under the light or on the walls of the tank (before I used algone, I got enough algae scrapings every week to make a California roll!!!)
In short, I think the slime is OK cause I haven't had a problem.. fish are happy..

So the real question is, Is the algone keeping the tank clean, or now that I got rid of my pleco and got otos, that that's what is working???? Until I use up all 6 of my bags I bought I will keep using it, then I will consider to buy more or not.

Andyandsue

It's good to know I'm not the only one who gets slimed. It does smell like death itself!!! Perfect metaphor! I was going under the assumption that it was some sort of unwanted guest in my tank. I guess that is good then. It happened only a few days after I put it in, but my tank was starting to get cloudy. I put a new bag in as soon as I saw that gunk. I wasn't sure if I could rinse it out or what. Once all the cloudiness is gone, I'll try rinsing next time to see what happens.

Thank you for the reply. I feel much better now about what I found!

Elahrairah

When you do water changes, in the bucket of dirty water, before you dump down the drain, put the algone bag in it and rinse the outside of slime, then squeeze the air out in the bucket.....

I think that this is loaded with bacteria (I opened one up and it is nothing but some type of dried plant material and maybe some backeria cultures), and this is the excess gasses that they relase in the nitrogen cycle.....

When I switch the next bag out, I am going to unpack the material into pantyhose or something that won't hold air....I'll see if that helps increase the flow in the material and stop the boating and slime build up...