Hello Readers:

This third segment brings to a conclusion our two to three months of work, research, treatment and results with the “mysterious white slime effect.”

Before we start, first I would like to offer a correction for a caption printed in regards to the photo of the brown slime depicted on a blue cleaning sponge in my second segment.  One of our readers,   Mr. Guy M., of Sonoma, California, submitted it.  Erroneously, it was identified as a photo from a marine tank in Boca Raton.  Therefore, I would like to give Guy the credit and my thanks, for the use of his photo. I offer my apologies to him for the misprint.  He has a stake in this subject, having been battling this slime in his reef aquarium as well for quite some time now.  I hope that my experiences have been helpful to him too.

Therefore- at this writing, I am very happy to say that at least in one instance, we have been successful in eradicating the slime completely, or seemingly so.  Our client’s reef aquarium in Pompano Beach has now been free of the slime for the last two weeks.  Happily, we can report that many of the corals, which had suffered tremendously from the slime almost to near death, were actually now stable and some have actually regenerated new tissue and color.  (See photos). In addition, the recruitment of coralline algae (which had all but disappeared) has accelerated, and has started to return to the rock and other surfaces rapidly.  

Of course, we began the process by removing all of the obvious sources of phthalates (See definitions, Seg. #2).  Additionally, we have also worked on minimizing the VOCs (See definitions Seg. #2) in both locations.  Initially, it appeared as though the slime production was slowly reducing.  The treatment protocol began with Dr. Hovanec’s recommendation of the use of one of his products, which he has named Re-Fresh at a dose of 5-ml per 10-gallons every other day for 7-10 days.  Along with the Re-Fresh, he suggested adding 35% hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of 2-3 mls per 10-gallons in conjunction with the Re-Fresh would be very beneficial, adding a tremendous amount of oxygen to the mix.  However, our initial experiences indicated that some corals (mostly soft, but some stony) and certain species of fish (large angels in particular) reacted adversely to the concentrated H2O2.  As such, what we ended up doing was diluting two mls of 35% H2O2 per 10 gallons of aquarium volume to a gallon of RO water, and then setting it up on a slow drip (@1 drop per 8-10 seconds). Do be careful with the 35% stuff- not only did it stress corals and fish as previously mentioned, it can “burn” your skin on contact.  Always wear protective gear, such as gloves and eye protection when handling 35% hydrogen peroxide.   

By the end of the first ten days adding the Re-Fresh, the slime was almost completely broken down, and we switched to adding the Waste-Away.  Also on an every other day basis, the Waste-Away was used at a 5-ml per 10-gallon dose for two treatments, then raised to 10-ml per 5-gallons after that.  It is now day 25, and the slime has now been completely eradicated.  We will now begin the protocol of using Waste-Away as a routine maintenance product, adding 10-ml per 5-gallons once weekly.  Over time, it will continue to break down the organic detritus and other celluloid waste, which builds up in the gravel and on the live rock in our aquariums.  Ultimately, this in turn shall make our aquarium inhabitants happier and healthier, while also making our jobs just a little bit easier.  So there you are.  We are very relieved here in our lives to have had such good results with quite an uncommon situation.  We also hope that by bringing this to the forefront of the information-seeking public, we may have helped other
service companies and hobbyists.

One last comment: Do stay on your toes.  We encounter many diverse and unusual conditions in this hobby and this latest experience is proof that the causative factors could come from any nearly unimaginable sources.  So don’t hesitate to reach out and share your concerns and successes.  You just might be the catalyst to solve yet another challenge in the reef aquarium hobby.

Thanks for reading, and until next time, have fun with your aquarium.  

Next Blog: Lance’s 25,000 gallon aquarium renovation begins in South America.