whats the white stuff?

[goldfinger]

some strange looking white stuff growing on the rocks in my tanks and spreading.
as an example, it looks like a very thick shrub or bush out in the yard with lots of short branches and no leaves and has some tubes (like tube worms) sticking out of the branches, but no sign of any life in the tubes. this stuff is growing in quarter/half dollar size patchs on the live rocks.
cant find any example in the books i have.
is it good stuff? or bad stuff?

 

[laddy]

Can you post a pic?

 

[goldfinger]

sorry no can do. digital technology on the fritz. need to get off my old duff and find a new camera.

 

[laddy]

Have you added live rock recently?

 

[goldfinger]

no real new live rock. tanks were set up 2/1/2006 (4 months) with live rock.
I have a 92g corner tank, 70g use as quaranteen tank (overflow water from the 70g goes through a uv light) and a 120g use as refugium.
all 3 tanks overflow to one common 30g sump. water pumped from sump back to all 3 tanks. total water volumn in the system is about 250g.
The white stuff is in all 3 tanks.
just noticed the white growth a couple weeks ago.

 

[nano_nut]

whats the point in a quarantine if it shares water with the entire system? Sorry didnt mean to deviate. Btw I have no clue as to what it is.

 

[laddy]

Ah a 92 corner--my next tank!
Without being able to see it, i can't say for sure. At first I was thinking hitchhiker from LR, and it's not out of the realm of possibility after only 4 months. I have a sponge like growth under my rock work in my 55g, it's black in color and hasn't touched or done anything since I've seen it. I'd say watch it for now, but it looks like it may be nothing.

 

[goldfinger]

what i read about the uv light is that at a specific reduced flow rate it will kill all micro organisms and parasites that are exposed to the uv.
I have the return overflow running at the uv light manufactures recommendation that should do the job.
however this is an experiment. should i get our nasty friend the aiptasia anenome on anything i buy that goes in the quaranteen tank and it manages to get through the uv my theory goes down the drain.
sound good for a theory????

 

[pallan]

i would personally unhook the QT tank from the main set up so that you could do medications or hypo treatments to the QT tank without hurting your display. a UV will kill some stages etc of desease/parasites but the way i read your post the only water being treated is the one coming from your QT back to display so QT water will be infected with desease as well even if the uv kills everything that goes back to main tank.
IMO a UV is a usefull insurance policy that can be used to help control parasites/algae i would not rely on it as a sole way to keep an setup clean and free of parasites.
easy fix is just remove QT from setup and run it at minimal use until needed. may be keep a couple of small damsels in there to keep it cycled and such.
AS to your posted question i would guess on some form of sponge. but alas without a picture it is really to hard to say for sure. it does not sound like anything i would worry about.
Good luck and sorry for going on a rant of unasked for advice.

 

[laddy]

I can't really comment on the UV Sterilizer b/c I've never had one in any of my systems.

 

[goldfinger]

i do not use any medications to treat my new fish. dont believe in 1/2 the stuff they sell that is supposed to work.
I did not tell you some of the other bonus features of the 70g quaranteen tank.
now that my system is set up I do not have to use the 70g much for a quaranteen purpose. its set up so that I can turn off the return water flow to the 70g and use an external filter.
bonus feature #1. the 70g is a backup source for water in case of a major plumbing/tank problem anywhere else in the system. it gives me 70g of water at the same chemistry and temperature as the display tank. without any life in the 70g i can use all of its water until i mix a new batch. the display tank is in the house. the 120g and 70g and sump and pump and heaters are in a Detached garage. theres lots of pumbling underground between the house and garage that could leak.
#2 to do 30g water change i shut off the return water flow to the 70g, open a valve and it drains out exactly 30g. i have 30g premixed in a drum and pump it back into the 70g.
then open the return valve and gradually put back 30g of new water into the entire system. this way i gradually add new water of a slightly different chemistry and temperature to the entire system with minium effect on the system.