Mystery of the White Reef Slime: Part III

Echinophyllia sp. coral recovering after an attack of "reef slime"
in a Florida dentist's office.

Previous Articles:

Part I: Mystery of the White Reef Slime

Part II: Mystery of the White Reef Slime

By Lance Ichinotsubo

This third segment brings to a conclusion almost three months of work, research, treatment and finding cure for what I think of as the “mysterious white reef slime effect.”

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, are actually now stable and some have actually regenerated new tissue and color. 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. 

The Cure & How to Do It

The root of the problem is a common bacteria, Alcaligenes xylosoxidans, found wherever humans congregate and known for its copious slime production. It grows out of control when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and phalates are present in high concentrations.

The plug‐in deodorizers contain a fair amount of both compound groups, but apparently not enough to cause the bloom of the slime‐producing bacteria. Our data indicates that the catastrophic initiation event (commerical cleaning services or a fire) was then required to put the nutrient level over the threshold concentration point, which then allowed the slime‐producing heterotrophic bacteria to bloom.

We called Dr. Tim Hovanec, right, one the world's leading experts on aquarium bacteria, for advice.

On his advice, we began the process by removing all of the obvious sources of phthalates in both locations. Air "freshening" and deodorizing systems and sprays are among the suspected culprits in this case. As we removed the sources of phthalates and worked to minimize VOCs in both locations where white slime had broken out, the slime production appeared to diminish slowly.

The controlling factors, however, are the heterotrophic bacteria that we are now introducing, as suggested by Dr. Hovanec. These beneficial bacterial species will actually break down the slime and out‐compete the slime‐producing bacteria for food. In this fashion, we are able to control the slime‐producing heterotrophs and keep them in check.

Dr. Hovanec recommended the use of Re‐Fresh initially at a dose of 5‐ml per 10‐gallons every other day for 7‐10 days. He went on to say that adding 35% hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of 2‐3 mls per 10‐gallons in conjunction with the Re‐Fresh would be very beneficial; however, our experiences indicate that some corals (mostly soft, but some stony) and certain species of fish (large angels in particular) can react adversely to the concentrated H2O2, so be careful with the 35% stuff.

Once the slime has broken down, he said, we should change the additive to Waste‐Away. Also on an every other day basis, the Waste‐Away would be used at a 5‐ml per 10‐gallon dose for two treatments, then raised to 10‐
ml per 5‐gallons after that. Once the slime has been eliminated, the Waste‐Away can be used as a routine maintenance product.

After only three doses of Re-Fresh, the slime was retreating.

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.  (Other companies offer similar bacterial products. Be sure to choose a brand with excellent credentials, as not all have the bacteria you are paying for.)

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. 
 

Lance Ichinotsubo is the coauthor, with Bob Goemans, of The Marine Fish Health & Feeding Handbook (Microcosm/TFH, 2008). He is the founder, with his wife and partner Mikki, of the new aquarium design, installation, and consulting company, Captive Seas Aquariums. 

Clarification: I would like to offer an apology for a caption printed with 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. 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.

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