General Cleaning

Seeing as it's the end of the month and the end of the year, I decided to do a little general cleaning. Plus the tank has been looking absolutely filthy. And what I've been trying to play off as thick fluffy coats of coralline algae are undeniably mats of red slime algae which is cyanobacteria.

Cyanobacteria outbreaks are often caused by nutrient buildup, specifically nitrates and phosphates. The odd thing is neither of these two are showing up in my water tests so it's hard to pinpoint exactly why they're growing prolifically in my tank. For now I was able to siphon these mats out during my water change but I will have to monitor their growth carefully to identify the source of the problem. Cyanobacteria is not only unsightly but can also cause complications in the grand scheme of things.

I scraped the front and sides of the glass to get rid of some nuisance algae that have taken over some of the tight spaces and bottom parts of the tank. I left the bank wall alone as I hope to allow coralline to grow in these parts. I shifted and stirred the sand to allow for circulation and to refill empty pockets that have been cleared out from the turbulent current created by the powerhead.

I also took out the powerhead and the heater to clean off all the crap that's been growing on them. Cleaning out the powerhead also helps circulation which has probably decreased a little over time from all the debris and detritus that's stuck in its intake compartment. I also changed out the Purigen as it has now become completely discolored.

Another Mysterious Creature From the Deep

 

I found another mystery creature while siphoning around the rocks during my water change. A worm-like creature, about an inch long, swam frantically out into the open. It was surprisingly big with an undulating motion as it darted from one end of the tank to the other. And just as it quickly appeared, it quickly disappeared never to be seen again.

A little video I caught of the worm: