I have black mold inside my sump?

Discussion in 'Algae' started by Kadoogen, Aug 14, 2014.

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  1. Kadoogen

    Kadoogen Flamingo Tongue

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    So I think I have black mold or mildew inside my sump. Some is black and some is reddish. Its in the corners of my sump and along the silicone on the baffles. I try and scrape it off and it doesn't come off but my fingers smell very musty like mold/mildew. I'm very perplexed because its inside under the water, What is it and is it going to hurt anything?

    The tank is recently setup about 1.5 months old 5 fish in the DT with no signs of stress.

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  3. Kadoogen

    Kadoogen Flamingo Tongue

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    Any Ideas? I do not see any, anywhere else and none in the DT.
     
  4. evolved

    evolved Wrasse Freak

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    Just some algae growth; normal and nothing to fret about.
     
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  5. Brennen

    Brennen Plankton

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    Its fine its probably algae or some growth on the silicone. Just make sure to syphon out the detritus frequently to keep this new system running optimal.
     
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  6. mdbostwick

    mdbostwick Vlamingii Tang

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    Seems about the right timing for the cyano cycle. That is about when that started for me. is there a good amount of light hitting the areas where it is present?
     
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  7. Kadoogen

    Kadoogen Flamingo Tongue

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    This is another thing that has me wondering, there is no light under the tank. I doubt its algae because I started with dry rock, dry sand and only biospira for the cycle so nothing alien has been added. I noticed this growing before I put in fish, its just really taking off now.

    For some reason my gut is telling me its mildew or mold because it has all the hallmarks: its smell, look, growth pattern but its only under the water and in a marine environment so I am stumped. I've never heard of anything like it and could not find any history of this on the internet so it must not exist.
     
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  9. Billme

    Billme Eyelash Blennie

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    Just throwing out some thoughts: don't fix it if it aint broke, in other words, if it's not causing a problem don't sweat it. Is the area well oxygenated? You don't want any anaerobic microbes taking hold (unless you are doing it intentionally like deep sand bed for denitrfication). There are millions of microbes coming and going in a closed system whether introduced through the rock (even dry rock), or just the surrounding environment.
    http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2011/3/aafeature
    That being said, I would take action if I saw some type of stress on inhabitants, or if there is a change for the worse in water quality, or if the growth seems to be getting out of hand. For the most part, water changes will keep the water quality optional for the kind of life you want to support, and not optimal for the life you don't.
     
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  10. Kadoogen

    Kadoogen Flamingo Tongue

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    Good advice Billme =) If it aint broke dont fix it. Ill keep an eye out for any major changes! Thanks everyone
     
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  11. Mr. Bill

    Mr. Bill Native Floridian

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    FWIW, there are many different types of algae; most that we encounter require both light and nutrients, but there are some that can thrive in a low-nutrient environment given the right lighting, and some that are just the opposite. Also IMOPE, not many require introduction; provide the proper conditions and they just appear.
     
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