a friend i rc needs help identifying this black stuff in sump

[d.french]

https://www.livingreefs.com/gallery/files/7/6/4/DSCN0270.jpg[/I

a friend in reef central been asking all week if anyone knows what this stuff is growing in his fuge, but no one is helpful in st. louis forum so i told him i would check here cause this is were i have learned everything. So has anyone seen this stuff before.

 

[d.french]

 

[bkv1997]

kinda hard to tell for sure, but it looks like black cyno... i have seen it a couple times..

Can you get a bit of it and put it in some water and see if Chemi-clean kills it? I wouldn't want you to dose the tank if it isn't completely needed.

Let me know
Brandon

 

[bkv1997]

BTW
More flow and better skimmin will usually rid cyno the correct way, but chemiclean can work in drastic situations.

 

[jhnrb]

The upper picture looks like an algae. the bottom pic is hard to say. not clear enough to venture an opinion. if you run carbon and do not clean it well before use the algae will pic up the black powder residue from the carbon. Natural controls for algae or cynobacteria, are low phosphates, low nitrates, low silicates, good water movement, overall good water quality. sorry not much help but real difficult to be completely sure without putting the stuff under a microscope etc. if the tank smells fresh and crisp like the ocean, good, if not, removing the fouling stuff is in order. once a month lightly blow off and around rocks etc to put the detritus back in solution for the filters to pick up. keep us posted. if I have any other thoughts Ill post here.