Please ID Aquarium Store has no idea

[HankCO]

This whitish gray stuff comes and goes and it clings to rocks or pools up and sand blowing around. Any idea what it is? This is the second time it starts to show up. I asked to long time reefers and Liquid Kingdom and no one was sure.

 

[SkyShark]

Does it look organic like it grows, or inorganic like something precipitating from the water?

 

[HankCO]

Organic. Thanks.

 

[szavoda]

Did you post on ReefCentral yet? I can throw the pic on there if you are not a member...

 

[HankCO]

Did you post on ReefCentral yet? I can throw the pic on there if you are not a member...

That would be great. Thanks:smug:

 

[Ghxst]

Any updates? That's some interesting looking stuff.

 

[jda123]

Bacteria colony with sand and detritus? Do you dose carbon in the form of biopellets, vodka, vinegar, or the like?

 

[HankCO]

Bacteria colony with sand and detritus? Do you dose carbon in the form of biopellets, vodka, vinegar, or the like?

I use pellets. Perhaps you are right, I am not sure and I am mostly confused because it is so pure white and it forms in leaf like patterns instead of long chains.

 

[Skrappy]

Is it hard or soft? looks to me like a calcium structure, maybe a type of coraline algea

 

[HankCO]

I use pellets. Perhaps you are right, I am not sure and I am mostly confused because it is so pure white and it forms in leaf like patterns instead of long chains.

It is gone a gain so I am note sure if it is hard...It seems to have structure to it and it eventually piles on the floor of the sand and then swishes around. It turns grey at that point and eventually goes away.
Thanks for the in sight so far. I will do more research and perhaps bring a sample into the LFS when it comes back.

 

[Walter White]

Does it show up in areas of low flow? I used to get something that looked similar in my first tank. For me it showed up in very low flow areas and seemed to be some sort of detritus build up or something like Jda mentioned. Once I increased flow and got a better handle on my feeding and filtration it went away.